Sauce and Sparkle: The Power of the Auxiliary Player

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A few weeks back, I gave a breakdown on the basic cost to start a praise band. In that list, I mentioned what is called an auxiliary player.

It’s not an integral role for the band, especially if you’re working with limited personnel—but it's definitely a game changer for fleshing out the sound of your group.

Here's why you should consider using one.

Auxiliary Player Defined

OK—let’s define what an auxiliary player is and what they do.

An auxiliary player is someone who’s in a purely supportive role; the notes they play enhance an already-solid lineup. Practically speaking in a pop-style group, it pans out in two ways:

• Auxiliary keys.

• Auxiliary percussion.

Both areas supplement texture and timbre of their primary counterparts (piano and drumset, respectively), enhancing the tonal and rhythmic palette that help "fill the gaps.”

Let’s explore each role with video examples to give you an idea of how each player approaches a song.

The Auxiliary Keys Player (AKA "The Sauce”)

(Alright—bear with me; the header will make total sense.)

Let’s shift gears into food—more specifically, dessert. One of the secrets to making that perfectly moist chocolate cake you always dream of comes down to the drizzle sauce that goes into the layers of baked sponge.

If you leave out the sauce (usually made with sugar, cream, and/or milk), the sponge dries out—which is the worst.

In the same way, an auxiliary keys player fills all the gaps with “sweet” sound, usually with long, held-out chords that saturate the soundscape, with icing dots of melodies played throughout. A great example of this is performed by Joe Catubay at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. Watch and listen for:

• Long chords.

• Supporting melodies.

• Adjustments to tone (mainly on organ), along with switching the Leslie rotary speaker on and off (it’s the trademark “spinning" sound of a Gospel church organ).

The Auxiliary Percussionist (AKA “The Sparkle”)

If the aux keys player is the “sauce,” then it’s the aux percussionist that is the “sparkle" that makes the whole experience dance with life.

Just like chocolate chips in a cookie, the aux percussionist provides fun pops of texture that blend with the main drum groove.

In this video, Abel Orta Jr. (bandmate to Joe Catubay, above) hops onto the aux percussion station at Lakewood Church. Watch and listen for:

• Matching rhythms with the main drummer.

• Switching hands to maintain pulse and grab accents throughout each phrase.

• Using specialty drums and cymbals to mimic handclaps and provide timbres that are more melodic than usual pieces of a standard drumkit.

The Common Thread 

No matter which station, both of the auxiliary players execute the same fundamentals:

• No overplaying.

• No overshadowing.

• Keeping things simple.

This kind of playing requires some higher skills, but even more, it requires a higher sensitivity to the song. Support roles shouldn’t take over for the main thing—but when done well, the listener can appreciate each role’s own merits as if they were the featured instrument.

So if you’re able, find ways you can incorporate either of these roles into your setup:

• Plug in that old keyboard nobody is using anymore.

• Grab a cajon, djembe, conga(s), tambourine, shakers and hand them out.

And don’t forget—have fun!

Be blessed 👊✌️