Part 10 in the “Why We Do What We Do” series.
Quick, name all the instruments you’ve ever heard in a worship service… How many did you come up with? Off the top of my head, in no particular order, I can think of organ, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, tenor sax, alto sax, bass clarinet, viola, violin, fiddle, drums, congas, djembe, castanets, harmonica, banjo, trumpet, trombone, keyboard, mandolin, tambourine, shaker, clarinet, flute, harp, cello, French horn, hand bells, chimes, cymbals. I’m sure I’m missing a few!
Who created these instruments? Who gave us the ability to invent them, and the skill to play them? James 1:17 tells us that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” Why did He gift us with these instruments? I Chronicles 16:4-6 tells us that the specific ministry of the Temple musicians was to “celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God.” Did you know that there were whole trumpet sections and whole cymbal sections in the Temple? (See Ezra 3:10.) Did you also know that at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple there were 120 priests blowing trumpets, joining with cymbals, harps and lyres?
Listen to what Martin Luther wrote in the Bible of his organist friend Wolf Heinz: “Wolf Heinz and all pious Christian musicians should let their singing and playing to the praise of the Father of all grace sound forth with joy from their organs and whatever other beloved music instruments there are recently invented and given by God.” I would venture to guess that Psalm 150 may have been on his mind when he wrote that!
It’s clear that throughout the ages God has given us many instruments in order to praise and glorify Him. But, in today’s cultural context, how does this play out in our worship? Well, here are a few examples of the instruments we commonly use here at UBC and what each of them can contribute to the whole mix (though there are lots of other ways we use these instruments as well):
- The guitar can provide easy rhythmic hooks that help us sing together
- The bass can give us a musical “floor,” without which the mix can sound empty
- Drums and percussion can keep us from wandering in tempo and help tighten up the mix
- The keyboard “pad” can fill out the sound and add “effect”
- Saxophones, violins and mandolins can all add “color”
- The piano can provide a clear melodic line for the congregation to follow
Another factor we consider with our instrumentation is that certain songs naturally work well with certain kinds of instruments (though we certainly have the freedom to switch this up!). For example:
- When we sing “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” on Easter, we often bring out the cathedral organ (well, at least we find that setting on the keyboard and ask the sound techs to crank up the volume!)
- When we sing “Everlasting God,” we often intro it with a palm-muted guitar that almost seems to speak the words “Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord…”
- When we sing “Our Great God,” we use piano-driven arpeggios to help our hearts soar with “every creature in the sea and every flying bird” as they “sing praises to the living God who rules them by His Word”!
- When we sing “In the Secret,” a quiet mandolin solo can remind us that “You are there.”
So here’s a challenge: Next Sunday morning, try listening to the music with new ears. Which instruments are playing at which times? How does each instrument contribute to the musical mix? How does the instrumental arrangement complement the message of each song? (If this exercise begins to distract you from worshiping the Lord, don’t spend too much time on it!)
I am constantly amazed at the creativity of God. He’s given us four basic types of instruments: strings, wind, brass, percussion. But the variety of music they produce is endless. And that’s just on this earth! I wonder what other categories of instruments God will introduce to us in heaven, where we won’t be tied to this world’s laws of nature? If we think we can praise Him creatively now, what infinite forms of praise will be at our disposal then?! I can only imagine…
One final note: If I had my preference, our worship music would sometimes also include a harmonica, an electric guitar, a trumpet, a cello… maybe you have a hidden talent, just waiting to be tapped? Maybe now’s the time to rediscover your musical talents and offer them to the Lord for His glory!
Worshiping with you,
Jeanelle
