Are You On The Wrong Tracks?

There has been, in recent times, a proliferation of the use of Tracks.

In musical terms, Tracks are:

Pre-recorded musical accompaniments, often referred to as “worship tracks” or “backing tracks.” They are used by major artists in concerts or live TV appearances AND, by churches during their worship services. These tracks can range from simple instrumental accompaniments to full arrangements with multiple instruments, vocals, and other elements.

For some, this concept will sound very exciting.

“What! You mean, we can buy all the recorded tracks from the songs of Matt Redman, Jesus Culture, Kari Jobe and others… and our Church band will sound just like the actual studio recordings… every Sunday?”

The answer is yes. You can.

I can imagine a little country Church with little or no resources utilizing these tracks. With a bit of software and one clued in sound engineer, hey presto! We have world class music pounding through our little Bose speakers, enhancing our inexperienced worship team and making them sound amazing.

Tracks can solve a problem if you do actually lack resources.

And if your goal each Sunday is to put on an event. An event that sounds so pristine and glorious that it could compete with any major touring act or Late Night Television Band… then Tracks are For YOU!

But if, on the other hand, you are trying to encourage and nurture the talents of local musicians, singers and songwriters, so that one day they can discover their own sound, write their own songs and develop a community of creative people around them… then perhaps you might consider NOT using tracks or at least, using them sparingly.

Boy am I thankful that during my development phase, these multi-Tracks had yet to be invented.

At 15 I started jamming with friends in the living rooms and garages of our various families. Then we performed at school fete’s and the odd pub. By the age of 19 music became my living.

Night after night, week after week I was able to go out in front of an audience and learn… from my mistakes, from accidental eureka moments. From collaborating with good, bad, indifferent and occasionally brilliant musicians. From having to work through terrible sound systems or with poor equipment. From playing to one or many or, to audiences I didn’t know and who, at the beginning, didn’t like me. I learnt more from the hostile audiences and the ‘train wreck’ experiences than from any of the successes.

At the age of 28 I took on the position of a music director at a local Church. The backdrop and the songs were a little different but an audience is an audience. I had already played some 2,000 ‘gigs’ and that meant that I had a lot of experience in connecting with audiences and or, as I like to call it, reading a room. This in itself is an art form, that you just won’t learn by using tracks.

While leading a team of musicians, singers and sound engineers, 4-5 times a week in this local Church… without Tracks… I found my sound, my voice as a songwriter. This season shaped or perhaps polished the unfinished product. I was able to experiment with sounds and song styles. As a team we had incredible freedom to explore different genre’s and musical forms. And from these 1,000 worship services I learnt how to write songs, at first for a local community and eventually for a much wider audience.

Without Tracks I learnt how to incorporate the least talented and or inexperienced people into my music. This is something I still find immense pleasure doing today. And without Tracks I have been able to help many to grow, find a confidence and a joy in creating music of their own. Some of them are now making a living as either musicians, songwriters, composers and or producers. I can’t imagine any of them having that opportunity if all they ever experienced in their formative years was, playing to tracks.

The compulsive use of Tracks merely offers a band-aid experience or, a short term solution. They are ideal for event coordinators or producers who are focused on creating the big event experience. Again and again and again.

But the creativity itself is in the making of the tracks, not in performing with them.

The whole notion of creativity requires risk. That’s the beauty of it.

Making the plunge away from Tracks might be a scary proposition.

Some people need a hybrid approach.

Me, I like a the scary notion of taking a group of musicians and singers out on stage, without a track or a fixed arrangement or plan… so that every song becomes a moment in time, never to be repeated again. Priceless.

I’m here if you need me.

Cheers,

Chris