The Pursuit of Tone

Maybe it's because I've been writing a research paper for my English class, but I'm going to be writing this blog and using Nigel "The Droff" Hendroff's blog post on Hillsong Creative (The Pursuit of Tone) as a reference and proving point.  Regardless, I hope that you find this helpful and informative, and I pray that you take this to heart.  Also, as with any of my posts, feel free to comment with your opinions, questions, and suggestions.  I want this to stir discussion.

What, then, is the "Pursuit of Tone"?  For those that are newer to the area of Worship Leading, this is a key point to consider, regardless of whether you are a vocalist, a percussionist, a pianist, a guitarist, or a techie (shout out to ya'll!).  The pursuit of tone is just what it sounds like (deep, I know).  It is the constant search-and-discovery that you go through in order to make things sound just right.  No human likes bad-sounding music, so why would God?



What makes a good tone?  If you have ever heard a choir sing, or have been a part of a choral performance, you know that balance and blend are absolutely key to having a good performance.  The only time someone should stand out is when the moment is right, or the solo cannot be replaced (and still sound good) by the group singing unison.  The same is true in worship.  All of the instruments must blend and be balanced in order to provide a solid atmosphere of worship and not be a distraction to those you are trying to lead in worship.  There are, as you've guessed, many ways of accomplishing this, and so I will try to be clear and concise.

The electric guitar is quite the beast, but the approach to its tone encompasses the approach for many instruments, so I will use it in reference to everything else (also because I'm most knowledgeable about it over an other instrument).  There are many things to consider in creating tones/patches for an electric guitar, and for a more in-depth (but still relatively brief) look at the pursuit of tone specifically for the electric guitar, go check out The Droff's post on it (the link above).  The only things I really want to say here that aren't said in the blog (or that should definitely be repeated/quoted) are that good tones are tantamount to awesome worship in a contemporary, full-band worship set!  No one should be using the type of fuzz-distortion found in Switchfoot's "Hello Hurricane" record.  No one.  One of the best techniques I've found for the creation of a good tone is to use a song or an artist that is well known in worship and model your tone after theirs.  For example, my very first patch on my DigiTech RP500 Multi-Effects processor is titled "Hillsong".  My next patch is titled "Hosanna", based after Hillsong United's song.  From within these sounds, though, I can broaden the range of sounds I get out of each patch by changing which pick-up I'm using (I play a Fender Stratocaster, Highway 01, US Made) and by fiddling with the 2 Tone knobs.  This, in tandem with a beautiful-sounding patch, can do wonders.

Now that you understand that the overall sound of a patch is important, let's hit the effects part.  Effects can be incredibly useful, and also incredibly distracting.  I predominantly use EQ, Noise Gate, Wah, Pitch Shift/Whammy, Delay, and Reverb effects.  Effects can be used to effectively add a lot of power and creativity to a song, but they should be secondary to a good sound.  In the pursuit of tone, a good sound is more important than cool effects, but quality time should be spent in crafting both of them.

Finally, and most importantly, comes the actual playing of your instrument (Voice is included in this).  The electric guitar is made to blend and add texture/power and provide support for the overall tone.  In light of this, no song like "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" should have a line from Van Halen's "Eruption" playing in the background.  Though an extreme example, it gets the point across.  This does not mean that you cannot allow your full creativity to stretch and expand, however!  The only reason I say this is because too often worship is ruined by good instrumentalists that have no feel for worship!  They approach it wrong, and thus the worship sounds, feels, and essentially is wrong.  In the vein of creativity, though, I must say I did use the intro line to Guns 'n Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" during the chorus of "Sing to the King"!  Vocalists shouldn't do a million and one vocal trills with grace notes and vocal riffs like they suddenly began singing like the song was jazz improv, but that doesn't mean they can't.  The main goal, remember, is to blend and be balanced.  The same goes with pianists and percussionists also.  Bassists, this does not include you (just kidding)!

Techies, if you've read through this whole blog and were wondering where you come in to all of this, pay attention here!  Techies have a unique take on the matter because they are not (necessarily) musicians.  They don't (necessarily) take part in the same hubris (pride) that every musician must deal with.  Techies must focus on EQs and levels in order to make the overall tone be balanced and well-blended.  If you don't know how to do this, learn it!  Nothing sounds worse than a lead singer who can't be heard or music that can't be heard over the awesome glory of the drums and bass amp.  Techies also are a great source of feedback for how the congregation might respond to an arrangement of the song because, although musically it might be glorious, for worship it could be terrible.  Techies are your best friends stage-dwellers!  And I'm not just saying that because they can mute you!

I hope that this was worth taking the time to read.  It was worth my typing out.

I will sing and make music to the LORD. -Psalm 27:6b