Science-Based Rehearsal Techniques

Picture this: You're in a worship team rehearsal, playing a new tune. The band arrives to a section of the song that, all of a sudden, starts sounding like chaos—wrong notes, time phasing, people dropping out because they don't know what's going on...

...but the band leader doesn't stop. In fact, despite the band trying to pause and regroup, everyone is forced to keep going. 

This scenario is all too familiar to a lot of worship teams who, more often than not, are left feeling more uneasy than comfortable at the end of rehearsal, even though they've technically played through all the material. 

If you're part of a team that wants to feel good at the end of rehearsal, then try using this science-backed system to get fast results, instead of the same old, ineffective rinse-and-repeat that leaves you feeling rushed and stressed out.

The Learning Process Explained

Here's a really cool thing tho think about: God DESIGNED you to learn—all in a very specific way. Some people learn through different methods:

• Aurally (hearing instruction).

• Visually (seeing demonstrations).

• Kinesthetically (getting their hands dirty).

But regardless of these methods, we all break down information the same way. Whether you see it, hear it, or touch/do it, you almost ALWAYS break it down into smaller chunks to make the challenge more digestible. (The highly technical term for this is called chunking.) 

What we actually do in this chunking process makes all the difference. The goal is execute a challenge or technique to be as flawless as possible—and in music, this is critical for cohesion within the ensemble. We want to cement the right way of playing and singing; if we allow mistakes to be unaddressed, then we enter what is called error consolidation. This is where we internalize the "wrong" way of doing things at a higher level than the correct way. What we're actually doing is building neural pathways in our brain (and our capacity to do this diminishes as we age), it's critical to build the right pathway the first time.

To avoid error consolidation, we need to isolate the problem parts and work them through until they are satisfactory and they actually enter into your long term memory. This way, you can draw from your long term memory while employing your working memory to handle each "chunk" as it comes along in the active performance of a song. You can reintegrate the improved passage into the larger section, and [fingers crossed] it should go smoothly.

Using This in Rehearsal 

The reality is that while we pursue flawless performances, we can never truly achieve it; the scope of human error is too great to wrangle. But, you can aim for critical points in each song to iron out that will compensate for the spots where mistakes occur (aside from basic chord changes and grooves):

• Transitions: This includes things like going from section to section (especially with dynamics), modulations, moving to another song, etc. 

• Tutti figures: If your 4- or 5-piece band needs to hit the same rhythm all together, but one person is off, then whole thing is off. Make sure everybody is playing in time and is playing the correct rhythm. If the syncopation makes execution to difficult, then simplify the figure. It's better to sound "simple" together than "cool" yet chaotic! 

• Cadence points: Cadence points are lot like transitions (and they even contribute to a transition), but they're more sharply defined in how the harmony locks in and arrives at "home" in a particular passage. (It's important to note that "home" can mean any strong arrival point, not just the "tonic" or "home" chord of a key.)

• Mixed meter passages: Like tutti band figures, mixed meter passages present rhythmic challenges if one hasn't prepared for them. Make sure the phrasing comes together on the critical points where one measure flips to the next, both respectively in different meters, i.e., 3/4 → 4/4 (think "It Is Well (Through It All)"). 

It is also crucial to address the issues sooner than later. Oftentimes, there simply isn't enough time to run through the song a few times, hoping the players and singers get it together. You NEED to highlight the problem spots for:

• Efficiency's sake.

• To avoid error consolidation.

You'll likely get some pushback from insecure team members, but remember to handle this with patience and grace, and then calmly work through the rest of the material. (Dealing with team members who object to ironing out parts is an entirely different post for another day!)

Now that you're armed with a more technical understanding of how learning works, put this steps into practice and see you rehearsal time be used more efficiently and a more satisfactory performance of parts during the worship service. 

Be blessed 👊✌️