Help! Something's not right with my Church's praise team!

[QCdrummer]

I am not the minister of music, I just play there. They just don't sound consistently on point every single Sunday. Some days they are good, others I just want them to sit down. 

Vocally things just sound off sometimes, what can they do to correct this? Or what could I tell the minister of music (who doesn't have alot of experience with part teaching) that would help them out? I'm not that good at parts myself, I just play the keys and recognize when something doesn't sound right.

What would be some good vocal exercises? How can they blend together a little more? Anything would help!

[sjonathan02]

The ability to blend really comes from listening to the other parts and what they're doing while you're singing your part. More practice time can help to fix that.



Being able to hear their parts WELL is probably the biggest problem you have. I have a single soprano who, every time I sing in the mic, she can only hear me and sings what I'm singing an octave higher. 


Mind you, I'm the P&W leader. 



I'm surprised that you, as a keys player, can't pick out the individual parts (they're really the same as the chord(s) you're playing most of the time ); I digress. Your MOM has GOT to get better with teaching the parts, though. That's the biggest problem I see as I read your post.


Get that MOM some training.   

[JoanHall]

Can they tell when they're off, or do they think they sound fine?  And do they have rehearsals, or do they just wing it?

If they know that they're struggling, maybe you can give them some guidance.  The harmony parts on songs usually follow the chord progressions that you are playing.  If the soprano voice is singing the melody, they'll be hitting a note that's probably in your chord.  The alto voice would take the next note down in the chord, and the tenor voice would take the next note down from there.

If they can't tell that they're off and you're not the person in authority, that is a harder situation to deal with.  It would depend on the spirit and character of the Minister of Music and how open they are to receiving help.

[QCdrummer]

Well I'm really a drummer, but about a year and a half ago I began to teach myself how to play. I guess spending so many years beating on the set, I never really paid that much attention to what people were doing when they were teaching parts and how it related to the keyboard. I can make connection to the parts and what I'm playing sometimes, but not all the time.

I don't mind helping out, but I really can't explain what I hear in my head, so I just don't say anything. That's why I started the thread. Blending is an issue sometimes, and vocally they could sound a little stronger as well.

[betnich]

The ability to blend really comes from listening to the other parts and what they're doing while you're singing your part. More practice time can help to fix that.

Get that MOM some training.   

What if the MOM (and people on the team) is resistant to training?
Not taking the hint - "Uh, think we need to go over that again"
Saying things like -

"So-and-so doesn't do parts"
"Who's the Leader of this Praise group?"
"So you say I sound OFF!???"

and my (least) favorite -
"Don't need to do this song right now, we'll go over it Sunday"

[sjonathan02]

What if the MOM (and people on the team) is resistant to training?
Not taking the hint - "Uh, think we need to go over that again"
Saying things like -

"So-and-so doesn't do parts"
"Who's the Leader of this Praise group?"
"So you say I sound OFF!???"

and my (least) favorite -
"Don't need to do this song right now, we'll go over it Sunday"

    Stop playin' Devil's Advocate (great movie btw  )


If the MOM is resistant, then that's a heart issue. The pastor, if they're discerning, will see that and then step in; at least, that's what I believe.