Duff Goldman knows how to make a cake with fabulous emotional appeal. His skill, and that of his team, took him from a small bakery to television success. And it's in that same vein that musicians can learn from Duff and his cake success when it comes to creating great worship music with emotional appeal.
In case there is any doubt, the picture of the mic pack is actually a CAKE done by Duff and Charm City Cakes.
First off, I'm mentioning this topic on this site because you and I and the musicians are all working as one team. With that team-mentality, we can share with each other and learn from each other. You and I work hard to make each song sound amazing. We want the congregation to feel an emotional connection to the songs. And, by sharing information between the audio teams and the musicians, we can create better music and thus a better worship experience for the congregation.
Now to dig into the cake analogy…(yum)
There are three levels of cake;
1. Plain.
I'm talking no-frills cakes. Little-to-no decorations. These have the emotional appeal of a lima bean.
2. The Common Cakes.
Wedding cakes or birthday cakes; I'm talking any cake that looks exactly like what you would expect. They have limited emotional appeal and are bloody predictable.
3. Ace of Cakes Custom Cakes.
Whether it's a Duff creation or something equally amazing from a local bakery, this level of custom cakes is awe-inspiring. They have an emotional appeal for everyone. The quality of the details far exceeds what you might expect for anything on a cake. Creating these cakes takes time and teamwork.
Worship songs also fall into similar categories. The plain ones are forgettable. Then there are the common cake songs. It's here where a band can plateau in the quality of their performance and arrangement. In a recent article, I listed different examples of song arrangement for "Better is One Day." How many times has the band played the same version of a song not because it was a great arrangement but because it was safe and comfortable?
This weekend, a worship team at my church played a worship set of three songs that were all Ace-of-Cakes! They put in the time for picking the right songs, arranging them the best way possible, and performing them so each song had the emotional appeal that worship songs should carry.
Here are four ways any band can work towards moving up to the next level
1. Listen closely to professional recordings of the song and take detailed notes. What instruments are used? When are they used? How are they used? What changes in the vocals from one verse to the next? By examining a song, you'll have the start of a plan for arranging your version of the song.
2. Review your choice of instruments. Yes, you've got a drum kit but what if a song only incorporated the cymbols? Two guitars playing rhythm might sound nice at first, but you can add color and depth when one of those guitars plays in a different octave and / or different chord voicings. Maybe it's time to add a bass player. Does the drummer have a djembe they could play?
3. Don't play all instruments all the time. Any band can easily fall into this trap. Usually, the song starts with a good opening arrangement but by the time it's the second verse, everyone's playing. Instruments can drop out for a passage. Guitarists can play at half-speed for a passage. And for something totally off the wall – don't play an instrument at all for a song!
4. Talk with the sound guy. For instance, you've got a new song arrangement that you think is da bomb. Play it and ask the sound guy what he or she thinks. Working on a sound team requires knowledge of both science and the art of music. You might find out that you need to add space in your mix because of too many instruments crowded around the same frequencies. You might find out that your killer bass riff idea is being covered up by the drum arrangement. The sound guy isn't passing judgment on your arrangement; they are helping you with your arrangement.
I've played on worship teams myself. I've seen worship teams that baked plain cakes. I've also seen worship teams go from baking plain cakes to creating Ace-of-Cakes custom cakes. Your band can do the same.
I'm Chris Huff and I've been working successfully behind a mixer for the last twenty years. Since 2008, I've been helping other sound techs learn all about the art of church audio through behindthemixer.com.
Sound Systems: Design and Optimization, Second Edition: Modern Techniques and Tools for Sound System Design and Alignment
Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools
7 Insightful Comments on "What Musicians Can Learn from Ace of Cakes"
Nicely put.
I love the cake analogy.
I wrote a blog for band members with the same theme.
http://modernworshipdude.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/cake-theory-understanding-the-different-roles-of-the-band/
Yummy cakes
There's always room for cake! Great article. I also went with the whole "cake/fondant/decoration" idea as it applied to my article but I didn't like how it turned out so I dropped it. Now about that ice cream on the side…
Never use a song as “emotional appeal” to the congregation. It will base their worship experiences on emotion and not on truth. When I don’t “feel” any emotion I just sing or speak out my praise to my Lord. Peter was often given to emotional tendenceis, even rebuking Jesus. I often hear people saying they just didn’t “feel it” during worship. Well, so what! Praise Him anyway. Open up your mouth and thank Him, praise Him, worship Him, no matter what emotion you might have. This is such a common mistake made by the church to try to draw people emotionally into worship. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up I will draw all men to me.” So don’t focus on the “emotional appeal” of worship or a worship song, just on who it is your worshiping. I am not saying that worship should be devoid of emotion, but let the Lord bring those out not anybody else. Is He the Lord of your emotions or is it the worship team?
I appreciate where you are coming from in your comments on emotions. My point…well, here's the thing…there are many ways I could have written this article. In one draft version, I went down the line talking about how the foundation of a song should be that it's theologically sound. However, the more I would venture down those lines, it took me away from my core message.
Yes, I agree that a song must be theologically sound and that we should praise HIm because he is who he is. There is an emotional component to all worship. if I worship but my heart isn't in it…
Writing about church audio means that I focus on the audio and I let some assumptions be made or that I allow such topics to be discussed in the comments. And that's ok with me.
Worship experiences have to be based on truth. I've heard the emotional appeal debate before and I appreciate what it's trying to say. When I'm talking about an emotional appeal, well…that's just part of music. We sing a song because it moves us. It might be the truth of the words, it might be the sound, it might be many things. It might be that in order for a person to focus on the truth of Christ, that they have to stop using their head and use their heart for a while. Music can do that. That's my point.
I agree with the point that we should not strictly focus on emotions to drive worship. But remember that music is a tool to impact the lost as well as worship. The secular world uses music as a tool to change peoples lives. Just look at most kids. They get told what to think, what to wear, and what to buy, because the power of music. I was watching my one year old son dance to some music that came on the radio the other day and I realized that music is a very powerful tool. My son danced to the song not because of anything but the emotional power of music.
While the emotional draw can become a distraction, promoting excellence through impactful arrangements is very important to promoting God to the lost. God gave us the talents and gifts to create emotional music and I believe he relies on us to bring those tools to the table. I do get what you are trying to say though. Its a fine line
The church can start to become like this video if we are not careful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAWgWZ9lEuI&feature=player_embedded
Although the “ace of cakes” article makes a unique comparison. It is also important to point out that just plain cake is better for you than all the toppings that go on it. I love the old hymns that I used to sing in church. They were plain and to the point. So “I will cherish the Old Rugged Cross” and “Crown Him with many Crowns”, “Because He Is” “Holy, Holy, Holy….The Lord God Almighty” and “I Surrender all” to Him, “Just as I Am”………..”How Great Thou Art” O Lord Jesus!
You are right. A singer and a piano can belt out a song equally amazing. I think I should have given examples of plain cakes. Have you ever heard a worship band play a song that seemed lifeless? Or where there was no arrangement – all instruments all the way through?
A song can move a person to tears no matter how it's performed. I'm trying to look at this from the point of view of the arrangement.
Thanks for your comments.