blessedmom wrote:Do you all have a set time to practice?
Yeah -- these guys are really dedicated and they really care how they sound. They set aside every Friday night for a complete rehearsal, working on arrangements, learning new music... it has bounced from Thursday–Saturday, but Friday seems to work best now.
blessedmom wrote:Also if they don't show up to practice do they still sing/play?
Well, that depends. Our core group of musicians have played together a long time and have a basic repertoire of music they have done for a while. If one of them has to miss a practice, but can make the service and we are NOT doing any new music that week, they play, generally. If a new song is being introduced, they do NOT play.
We would never permit someone who is not part of the group to show up with an instrument and sit in... not happening -- unless Chris Tomin or David Crowder drop in!
blessedmom wrote:We need to practice. We have people who sing and that limits me to new songs cause they don't know them. We also have others who want to play instruments that we are going to incorporate but we have to have some set structure for practice. I can practice with those instruments but would rather everyone be there and practice together cause it could sound totally different with everyone there.
You "practice" at home, alone... you "rehearse" as a group once everyone knows the song and just needs to tighten up the arrangement, get the modulations in place, know how to end the song, etc. I can't imagine a worship team standing before the church unrehearsed and unprepared any more than I can imagine a pastor doing that. We have, basically, a band: drums, bass, keyboard, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar and a singer or two. They don't just walk up, plug in, and fake their way through 3 chords. They get together, talk about the songs to be selected, pray for one another, and their rehearsals are often a time of worship for them.
blessedmom wrote:Also we can't set microphones for people cause we don't set a practice.
Are you telling us that a service starts and you have no idea who will be standing up front singing? Wow. How?
"God is excited to show you mercy. He rises to give you His compassion." (Isaiah 30:18)
"For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield." (Psalm 5:12)