New Thought Music - The Sacred Music of Our Times

The Accidental Keyboardist

I think I could give new keyboardists some practical tips and encouragement based on my experience. When my church lost its one and only pianist, I volunteered to fill in until we found a replacement.

I had studied piano as a child, but hadn't played in about ten years! We are in a very small town and all of our musicians and singers are volunteers. We are fortunate to have found a volunteer Music Director who is a sem-retired professional singer. She knew how to sing but had never directed a choir or musicians before.

I could read music but had never played in a band before. It was scary but they really needed me, so I figured that with God's help I would somehow muddle through. When I started I could barely sight read, didn't know how to use a fake sheet, didn't know how to improvise at all. My piano teacher was strictly classical so I could play Mozart or Chopin, but had no idea how to make my own arrangements from just a melody line and chords.

Well, we never did find a replacement so I'm the official keyboardist now! In the space of two years I learned my basic chords (I even know how to create a suspended chord now!) and taught myself how to improvise with the help of a good book that I found. Now I can listen to a recording, figure out the chords and make my own arrangement with no written music at all.

When we do have the luxury of written music, it is often still beyond my ability to play every note exactly as written. One of my biggest revelations was the discovery that I don't have to play every note! I just play whatever I can and leave out what I can't. My old piano teacher would roll over in her grave if she knew! But I have learned that I don't have to be perfect--just good enough.

Our music ministry was pretty ragged when we started out and there was more than one performance that was so bad I wanted to cry. But we kept going and now are able to provide a consistent, dependable quality of performance for our service every Sunday. We have come a long way, baby!

Attending the Music Symposium was a major factor in helping us improve. It was especially helpful for our novice Music Director--gave her the tools she needed and the confidence that she could do it.