A Change of Pace

This coming Sunday, the 14th, we will be having what we call our "acoustic Sunday".  I especially look forward to these times because it's a nice change of pace for the team and it's something that happens twice per year at the most.  A normal Sunday worship set for us includes two electric guitars, piano, bass, keyboard, full drum kit and lots and lots of singers....and a choir. :)  Our acoustic Sundays are simplified down from this a great deal.  The acoustic sets usually include a couple of acoustic guitars, a djembe and a singer.  This particular Sunday, we will have one acoustic, a bass, a djembe and a singer, which is quite possibly the simplest the Praise Team has been in a long time.  

For me, there is excitement in the acoustic sets for several reasons.  One reason is that I have a great appreciation for acoustic music.  Even though I love playing lead electric for the team, acoustic versions of our songs creates a different vibe that's hard to explain, but it's interesting.  Even though there's no full drum kit, distorted electric guitars or 60 singers, the music somehow still get's very big and still moves dynamically.  It's a great thing to experience.  

The second reason I enjoy these sets is because of how tight the groove can be.  When there's only one acoustic guitar, one bass and a djembe, the music is much more solid. There's no huge solos to bother with, so you can just focus on having a tight groove.  

However, above these things, my absolute favorite thing about acoustic Sunday is the spiritual intimacy.   When we set up for acoustic Sunday, we will bring a few stools down the lower level of the stage and play just a few feet in front of the first row of seats.  We also don't use in-ear monitors and you can really hear the congregation singing along.  It's an entire different vibe when these things come together.  It's a different setting and feel for the congregation as well, so their involvement seems to be more energetic.  You could almost say that it creates a very laid-back setting, which I have found really allows God to move and work.  It's something that I always look forward to just to see how the Lord will work in the lives of the people and I'm honored to be a part of it.

Peace,

Justin