Question:
there's a violinist who wants to join our worship team.
first off, as a musician, he's awesome. played for 10+ years and owns a 100,000 dollar violin. (i freaked out when she first said that).
problem is that as a worship leader, i dont really know how to incorporate her into modern contemporary worship when we play hardcore rock stuff (hillsong!!!)
she has no problem playing along, dont get me wrong, she sounds beautiful, it's just that i feel that as a worship leader i shouldn't have her play every song the whole time. does anyone have any suggestions on what parts she should play?
given the examples for songs..
How Great is Our God...
Salvation is Here..
God is Great..
From the inside out
Here is our King
or any song that you guys have played with a violin in it
i'm just looking for examples of when/where to have the violin in the song
thanks a lot for your help!!
Answer:
Violin would probably sound amazing following the vocal melodyand playing fills between lines on "How Great is our God".
I'm not really familiar with the other songs. You're right, she doesn't need to play all the time, but she could be a great resource. Think of her as another lead instrument...basically in spots where you might put a lead guitar riff, consider a violin riff instead.
Answer:
Violin is an incredibly versatile instrument, at least as much so as piano or guitar or the drumset.
It would do you good to listen to some David Crowder and hear what he does with the violin.
You could also stand to listen to some country/rock violin, Charlie Daniels, Nickel Creek, etc.
Many violinists will tend towards pizzicato or actual "plucking" when faced with harder music.
See if you can get her to push the boundaries of her technique to fit the style you're after.
Answer:
You are the luckiest (most blessed?) worship leader on here. The violin is without a doubt one of the grandest instruments known to man.
And even if it is out of your style, do yourself a favor and start playing Come Thou Fount (With NOTHING but violin, and maybe a little snare drum.)
This little song here (although not "rock" by any definition of the word) could bring out some good ideas. Excellent use of violin in a lead capacity with basic drum/bass/guitar instrumentation.
http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/...mistral/15.m3u
Answer:
Oh yes... Jason's signature reminded me that you should also listen to Iona.
Answer:
We used a violinist before she moved across country and I am also actually a better violinst than I am guitarist, allthough as the Worship Leader, I rarely get to play it.
The key to successful integration would be his ability to improvise. If you all are working from chord charts and/or lead sheets, he needs to be able to do the same, look at a chart, see the key sig and progression pattern and then improvise a line and some fills over it. If he needs note by note standard notation to work with, you will be stuck having to provide that for any song he wants to play on. I went through this once with a flutist and it was unbearable. It limits your ability to take a song into impromptu revision land and to change keys 5 minutes before the service starts. The latter not neccessarily being a bad thing.
Answer:
I'm thinking that if she's been playing for 10+ years and has a really really expensive violin, she should be able to know what to do with the incorporation. For your loudest stuff, I think chords and double stops would be suitable. You can do violin solos. Anything, you know.
Answer:
As Joe was getting at, it's really more about the violin player than you. She definitely needs to be able to improvise. If she can't now, she'll probably be able to pick it up soon (with that much training, an ear like she most likely has, and the theory she knows, it's not hard). After that, it's really up to her to do what sounds good in the grand view of the song. Instead of sitting down and listening to Nickel Creek, David Crowder Band, etc., have her do that so she knows how to incorporate it into your style. Make sure you have open communication, and can comment if something she's playing doesn't fit what you guys are playing (stylistically). It'd be way too hard if you tried to do it yourself, and write out notation for all the songs. I've done that, and it's way more work than it's worth.
Another thought about her playing all the time: It's really not all that bad. Well, like any other musician on the team, there are times when she shouldn't play (guitarists, bassists, keys, drums should all realize that as well). However, if you're only going to put her in for a fill here and there on every other song, then it's boring for her, and there's a lot of potential you're not tapping in to enough.
Answer:
first, that's not hardcore rock... but a violin would be freakin sweet in worship... especially if do a slow song, kinda put it behind the melody.... and it could be awesome!
Answer:
I heart the violin...partially because I play it. Anyways, starting songs with just the violin (like Jason mentioned for "Come Thou Fount") is beautiful. Also, letting all the instruments but the violin fade out at the end could be pretty.
Answer:
If used right, it can add a lot. As said, check out David Crowder's stuff (though his violinist uses a lot of effects). You can also take a look at Michael W Smiths Worship and Worship Again CDs for more practical examples.
Answer:
Send her to Albany.
Answer:
Originally Posted by crazychu first off, as a musician, he's awesome. played for 10+ years and owns a 100,000 dollar violin. (i freaked out when she first said that).
great.
Originally Posted by crazychu we play hardcore rock stuff (hillsong!!!)
wow, if that's harcore rock stuff, then I listen to death metal. (and I don't)
Originally Posted by crazychu it's just that i feel that as a worship leader i shouldn't have her play every song the whole time.
you're right, you shouldn't. just like any intrument, she needs to know when to not play, and when to play. when to improvise, etc. not even guitars and drums should be playing non-stop.
Originally Posted by crazychu or any song that you guys have played with a violin in it
Let's see, one of our worship leaders plays the fiddle (not the same instrument, but same idea). We've incorporated him in some songs for sure. We've given him solos in songs like My Redeemer Lives and Open the Eyes of my Heart. Quieter songs usually work better though.
Originally Posted by crazychu i'm just looking for examples of when/where to have the violin in the song
1) Where you would have other instruments do lead stuff, like electric guitar or piano, even acoustic guitar.
2) In the background, much like a synth.
If you have the sound mixed well, most of the time, you wouldn't even notice it there, just blending into the full band sound. But then at certain points, it would stand out, just like any other instrument.
Answer:
A good musician, regardless of their instrument and regardless of the style of music, will know when to play and when not to play.
I've been praying for someone who plays violin or cello to join our team as I think they're both beautiful instruments. I think they'd be a nice instrumental compliment to the rest of us for the "hard core" worship tunes we do: Tommy Walker, Israel Houghton, Paul Baloche, Linclon Brewster, etc...
Seriously, if this violinist is as good as you say then I would consider it a huge blessing to have them as a team member.
Answer:
give her some crowder cds, live stuff and have her look at some of what
his violinist does. of course just having that string sound can
really help fill in - especially on the slower worship-type songs.
you could even run the violin through a pod or some
effects (think delay pedal, volume swells, chorus) to get a thicker sounding pad-like effect. alot depends the creativity of your player and if they are really excited and comfortable about playing their instrument in a genre of music that they may not have alot of experience with...