Released: Wednesday - May 9, 2008 12:05 PM EST

How's It Coming? Still Encouraged?

I hope that your studies are coming along nicely. For those of you that are just starting out, I also hope that you have found some time to practice everyday so that you are consistent.

Remember that Consistency is the KEY!

You would be amazed at the progress you would make if you were consistent for just one month. Now I know we live in a real world where things come up, but it's important to remain consistent with practicing EVERYDAY. Even if you only have 5 min, you can do a lot in that time. As I stated in one of my blogs, I get started at 5:30 everyday with practice. This allows me to get 2 hours of practice in before I start my work day. Now not everyone is a morning person and believe me, this was a last resort and I have major trouble with it at first (not being consistent) but once my body got used to it, it was ok. If you can find that one sweet spot in your day whether it be at night or at lunch time, that would go along way to helping you reach your goals. Now I've had some people tell me that they don't have time to practice other than at church on the gig. Well, if that's really all you have, you need to work something out either before or after service. The service itself doesn't leave a whole lot of room for practice, but I do know some cats who are brave enough to try new things on the spot. Hopefully it's right enough so that you don't get the dirty looks from the deacon board :o)

Stay encouraged and Practice! Practice! Practice!

Letron Brantley (CEO & Founder)
GospelSkillz.com

Lesson excerpt from Kevin "KC" Conley's Unlocking the Keys
 

The Contemporary Gospel Sound

I have gotten a lot of feedback from those that say they are still having problems with achieving the “Contemporary Sound”. “I can play the chords in exercises, but when it comes time to put them in a song, I’m lost!” Some even go as far as to conclude that some people HAVE IT! and some people DON'T! and therefore want to quit. COME ON PEOPLE!! We got enough complications with the 2008 Democratic Primary. Let’s not bring it to the music!! It’s supposed to be fun and rewarding and we have to keep it that way or we will all be confused and frustrated – just like we are with the Democratic Primary, but I won't go there :o)

Now...Let’s talk about this Contemporary Sound.

Well when we say “Contemporary Sound” in Gospel Music, we typically talk about the added tension in the music. The great philosopher Plato stated that musical harmony has the power to manipulate human emotions. This extra tension in contemporary gospel music moves people. Think about all of the great songs out there and the music that’s played with them. Each song moves you in a different way. Here is another example for those of you who had the opportunity to grow up in a church that didn’t have the greatest musicians. In my hometown church, our musician didn’t play contemporary style at all. Everything was root position triads and 1, 4, 5 movements. But for someone who didn’t know any different, that was fine for me and everyone else in the church. It wasn’t until (at 18) I moved to Atlanta to attend school that I heard something was different about church music. The first church I attended in Atlanta was World Changers Ministries led by Creflo Dollar in College Park, GA. In my first service there I couldn’t believe the difference in the music. I didn’t know what to call it at the time, but it caught my attention. I was hooked to that “Contemporary Sound” and from there, I got introduced to John P. Kee, and Hez and my world changed completely. Like I said, I am from a small town :o)

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