Keys vs. Choir

"Please open your hymnbooks up to page #349, Trust and Obey. We will be singing the first, second, and fourth verses of #349."

You, the pianist, have the page ready and set to go. You play the first phrase, then the last. Perfect introduction. The congregation dutifully sings along as you play all the verses by the book, note by note.

You reach the last verse. Your hands are tired. Your mind is bored. There has got to be more you can do with these four notes - but what?! "Whoever decided to write music for church like this anyways? Boy, I sure wish I could sound like Mr. Amazing-on-the-Radio..."

Sound familiar? Many pianists (myself included!) can get discouraged at times, especially after hearing others play what sounds like the impossible. Is improvising or "playing by ear" only a matter of special talent given to some and not others?

Here's the good news: if you can play out of a standard hymnal, you are already improvising! Church hymnals are written in "choral style" - for a choir. That's right, it's not piano music in the first place!

Let's do a quick review of "Choir 101". In a basic choir you have four sections of people - two groups of women and two groups of men. Each group sings a different note at the same time to make a "chord". These are the four notes written for you to play on the keyboard.

From top to bottom the groups are called: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.

Your job, as the pianist, is to always play all of those four notes. Leaving one or more of them out will make for an incomplete chord and will sound hollow or empty.

Our number one goal as church pianists is not to play the music, but to serve and support our choir (the congregation!). As the congregation sings, we should play each note in a way that can be easily heard and followed.

Good music isn't heard; it is unconsciously felt. Improvising is done not to create music that stands out, but to motivate others to lift up their hearts in worship to the One who created it. What an awesome responsibility!

The "Why" Before the "What"

Me? Improvise?! Improvising can seem pretty intimidating! It seems to ask you to play something that doesn't exist - or does it?

Actually, the notes on the page are like a framework. When you start to improvise, you're just filling-in-the-blanks! The basic structure is already there.

Let's use the example of a house. The builder doesn't start with the siding, windows, and roof - the things you can see and admire. He starts by digging out a basement and pouring a solid foundation. A fun process? Probably not! But without the "hidden things", the rest of the house could not be built.

Music is much the same way. Before you can start adding the "fun" and noticeable things, it's essential to understand the foundation behind it. That foundation is called theory.

Theory 101 is probably not everyone's favorite class. Sitting down at the keys and playing the music seems like more fun than sitting down with paper and pen and thinking through concepts. Yet it's only through a knowledge of theory that the notes will become alive to you. What used to be black and white will became a rainbow of chord relationships, note characteristics, and beautiful harmonies. The possibilities are endless!

Where to start? I highly recommend Paul O. Harder's book "Basic Materials in Music Theory". The book is written in an easy-to-read, teach-yourself format. It does a great job of laying out the basics without getting overly technical or complicated. I will also be attempting a series of posts on the subject of music theory. They will by no means be as comprehensive as the text, but give out the "nutshell" information necessary for the next steps.

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." I Corinthians 13:12