The Traditional Pianist in Contemporary Worship Music: 6 Steps to a Blended Pianist

I have had the opportunity to see over the years how worship music has changed. I believe that there is a place for many different styles of music within a church worship setting. The tension over traditional and contemporary styles, for the most part, has subdued as more and more people in the body of Christ have come to the realization that there is a place for each style. Even millennials feel that both styles of music have a place in a worship service as long as it is done well. Some even prefer the more acoustic approach. There has been a growing understanding that what might reach one person might not reach another person, and it’s ok to have different styles of music in worship.

We all have different tastes in music and even in church music. For this reason, there are stations on the radio by the decade. From sacred radio to secular radio, we can find music on the radio as far back as the 40’s and each decade has its own designated station. We can also find different genres of music, such as classical to jazz, or even a station designated entirely to the music of Elvis. There is such a wide selection of music available!

Over the years, I have been a part of different conferences across the country. I have learned a lot and heard many discussions on the different styles of music in our churches. Randy Vader says about the hymns: “We sing the hymns not because they are old, but because they are great.” I love that! I would like to add that the Bible tells us to sing a new song! As a composer and arranger, I especially cling to that. We also find in Scripture that the music in heaven will be totally new. These are important items to understand and realize. In either style, contemporary or traditional, there are some hymns and worship songs that should not be sung or played because they are not theologically sound. Both hymns and worships songs have their place in a worship service. Hymns tend to be about God and worship songs tend to be to God. Both expressions of worship are valid and needed in the church.

In the last five years, I have been writing books for Alfred Music with a specific worship style for each book. The latest one is titled The Blended Service and the goal was to connect hymns with praise songs musically, even choosing titles with common themes. My prayer is that this will help a pianist who is used to a traditional style to be able to play some of the contemporary worship music. One of the most common complaints I hear is that there is not enough “meat and potatoes” in today’s worship music, not enough music with substance. This was the inspiration behind these books.

Below are 6 steps for a traditional pianist to transition to contemporary worship music.

1. Look at the music ahead of time

A key step is studying the music. Is there a written-out melody line or just a chord chart? Are you familiar with the tune of the song? How many verses & choruses are in the song? It’s always helpful to look at the chord progression and see if there are any surprise chords.

2. Listen carefully to different styles

I had a professor in music school who taught me the value of listening. When we are only listening to music, we can give our full attention to the music with our ears and don’t have to worry about playing. When we listen carefully, we might hear new things. We can study by listening to patterns, beats, licks, fills, etc… and try to implement some of these stylistic elements in to the worship music when we play it. If your strength is contemporary praise music, try listening to some hymns and becoming familiar with that style. If your strength is playing hymns, spend some time listening to contemporary praise music.

3. Play along with recordings

These days, it is really easy to go to YouTube and find how to play just about any song written. Find the hymn or praise song you are working on, and play along with the YouTube video. There are so many options for instrumentation and this can be a really fun learning experience!

4. Determine what needs to be played in the left hand

In contemporary worship music, pianists tend to ad lib the rhythm from a lead sheet or chord chart. If you are the only instrument playing, this is good because the left hand serves as a bass line. However, if you are playing with a full band and there is a bass player, I would treat the song more like a jazz band chart and not worry as much about a driving rhythm in the left hand. Here and there would be nice variety, but comping like a pianist in a jazz band could be more appropriate. If you are playing more of a ballad-style selection, then I would open up the voicing of the chords in the right hand and use the left hand in a very traditional, pianistic way without an emphasized, driving beat.

5. Ask for opportunities

Ask to play a prelude, offertory, special music, or postlude selection for a Sunday worship service. I always say, “There’s a Sunday every Sunday and plenty of opportunity to schedule in advance.” Don’t be afraid to use the gift of music that God gave you! I would recommend playing a blended selection that combines both a hymn and a praise song. You could do this as a solo, or have a drummer and bass player join you. One idea is to play the hymn section by yourself, and then incorporate the drummer and bass player on the worship song.

6. Have a joyful heart

The Bible says, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”—Philemon 1:7

If we expect others to have joy or want to impact their lives, we need to have a joyful heart as we minister at the piano. We are more than volunteers; we are called by God to encourage others and possibly change lives. A joyful heart in us can “refresh the hearts of the Lord’s people” and impact all the lives around us.

No matter what the style or approach in worship music is, we should remember what Psalm 150 says: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”