Creating Chemistry: The Solution

Yesterday we talked about some of the things that make hard to create chemistry between band members when you have a lot of different musicians playing at different times.

At Crossroads, we’re trying to put some things in place to help us create chemistry between our different band members.

Probably the most important thing you can do to create chemistry in your band is make sure you have the right people paired together. At Crossroads, we will NEVER book 2 lead guitarists. Well, this actually happened recently. Cody Preston was booked, as the lead guitarist actually, and another guitarist, who was booked at the request of the worship leader, was supposed to play rhythm. Well, Cody and the other guy are both lead guitarists, so this caused some issues, not between the 2 guitarists, but just in the sound, and musicians know when it doesn’t sound it good. Having 2 lead guitarists means that neither one really knows what the other is going to do in a song. They’re both guessing as to which part the other is going to play. I think you can figure the rest out from there. This really doesn’t sit well with anyone in the band. Every band member is there to help the music sound good, and when it doesn’t, frustration ensues. Obviously, frustration takes away from chemistry.

One of the first things we’re doing is figuring out our Dream Team. We are figuring out who our top players are in each position. Fortunately, we’re in a position now that we are finding that we actually more than one top musician for a couple of spots. Now, just because we have our Dream Team in mind doesn’t mean we always try to book them first. The idea of naming our top players is to be sure that at least one of them is playing every week. It’s always best to have one of your top players there every week because those guys are usually leaders in the eyes of your 2nd and 3rd string musicians.

Another part that I am actually experimenting with, is letting the worship leader lead the band, or for me to do it. There are benefits to both that I can come up with. If I lead the band, then the leader will always stay the same no matter who is leading worship. There are obvious benefits to having a stable leader. Or, if the worship leader leads the band, it helps the band understand the worship leader better. It’s always important for the band to understand the worship leaders style. That way, they can get a better feeling for what kind of mood and such the worship leader is trying to create in the middle of a set. But some worship leaders need a little help in keeping rehearsal going and not getting distracted. Like I said, this is one that we’re experimenting with. We’re doing it differently every week to see which might work better for us, and for each worship leader too..

Probably the best thing I can do as the music director to help create chemistry between the band is being up front and honest with them. This really starts with choosing players who are confident with their instrument, but has a real heart for helping people worship. If I’m honest with the band about who plays what part, who leads what, if a certain part sounds good or not, and if they need to not do something, it creates trust between myself, and the band. But, if the musician doesn’t have a heart for worship, they won’t care what I, or anyone else in the band, have to say about it. See, we don’t just hire the best musicians. We have to hire the right musicians. And when we have the right musicians in place, they know they can trust each other. And that trust is the most important part of chemistry.

So there you have it. Or you at least have my opinion. I hope this helps as you take on the challenge of helping create chemistry in your band.