Using What You’ve Got

In a perfect world we would all have our dream rigs. Our tone would sound exactly as we imagine it in our heads and we’d never need to buy another piece of gear because we had everything we ever wanted. Sounds good right? The fact of the matter is that for the vast majority of us, this is not reality.

In this post, let’s look at how we as worship musicians can get the most out of our gear. How we can dive deeper into what we have rather than focusing on what we don’t have. Simply put, let’s use what we have to its highest ability in honoring and worshipping God.

BECOME A MASTER OF YOUR EQUIPMENT

No matter your role on your worship team, the first step in using what you have is to become a master of it. You should know it inside and out. Too often we can give up on what we have because we just don’t know how to use it. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your gear. There are some great resources online (including TCC) to help you with whatever it is you are working with. Be careful not to give up or judge your gear until you have gotten to know your way around it and know all of its capabilities.

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH YOUR TEAM

I believe one of the biggest pieces to using what we already have is working together as team. Often times we get caught up in our own little worlds and don’t reach out to those around us for input. I always try to encourage my team to communicate and share best practices. When I see my guitar players going over each others pedal boards and working together to play off of each other I know that we are getting the most out of what we have. There is an old saying, “it takes teamwork to make the dream work.” If we can have open lines of communication within our worship teams about how our gear is being used, I believe we will grow stronger and reach places musically that we never thought possible.

PRACTICE PLAY REPEAT

This probably sounds simple, but I believe this is the backbone of being comfortable and content with what you have in your gear. The more we practice and play, the better off we are at knowing what we have and what it is capable of. I typically take time each week to just play and experiment with stuff. Often times I find that the sound I was “wishing” I had is right in front of me on my board, it just took a little extra time to find it.

DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER

If you spend anytime on gear threads (specifically guitar ones), you can be made to feel like a subpar player if you do not have top of the line stuff. Don’t get me wrong I do believe that quality gear is essential; however I do not think you need to invest thousands of dollars into gear unless you really know what you’re getting into. Many of us have really great gear that does more than we could ever ask for; we just have to get to know it and not get caught up in what the masses say we are supposed to have.

At the end of the day we have what we have in terms of gear. For most of us, we will always want more. There will always be the newest, latest, and greatest. My hope with this is that you can be encouraged to spend a little more time with what you have rather than be focused on what you don’t have. So, as you prepare for worship this week, spend a little extra time with your gear and have fun with it. We are a lucky group that gets to play and create for the Almighty God.

Let’s celebrate and honor Him with what we have and in all we do!