Help me decide

[worshiptheKing]

I have been trying to decide whether or not to start using a drum machine with our praise team. We had a guy come in and play drums for us one time and it added so much to our already thin sound (Guitar and keyboard only). There are so many songs I would like to do but don't think would come off right without percussion. I think I could integrate a drum machine into the mix and be successful with it, but at the same time we are praying for God to send us a drummer and other instruments. I feel like if I go out and get a drum machine I am taking our prayers from God.

[carguy1]

God promised to always answer our prayers. He did not promise to always give us what we ask for. So, sometimes the answer to our prayers is no, or not yet. So,I say after you have made a good effort to find a drummer without success then get the drum machine. When you do find a drummer, you will always have the drum machine to fall back on, or for when your drummer needs a break.

[humbleservant]

Drum machines can be a great tool for rehearsals, practice at home, etc. It may seem that once you find a drummer the drum machine will sit and collect dust and would have been a wasted investment, but that's not always true. My experience has been that a drum machine is always a good idea. In addition, in building praise teams we are faced with a cycle that must be broken somehow. Excellence attracts excellence. People with musical gifts that want to give them away by serving the body are drawn to communities that serve with excellence. Growing your praise team with a drum machine may be just the path of growth that will bring a talented drummer into your community. Sometimes we find that there may already be a drummer in our body who has not spoken up because the music is not as excellent at their hope of serving on a praise team has lead them to expect. So if you feel God's leading to buy a drum machine, go for it! And if you feel doubt or perhaps guilt at the thought, examine if that is from God, or the other guy.

Daniel

[El Ben]

There's also something to be said about doing the best the have with what you have. I know here at my church, we're currently between regular drummers. The worship leader currently on the rotation, Jermaine, has been testing out a drum machine for the past couple of months and I'll be honest with you, I'd just as soon see a more acoustic, hand-percussion driven worship set than a full band minus a drummer pretending that there's not cheesy drum loops going on.

Granted, it's all in how you work it, but maybe what you're looking for with just a piano and a guitar right now isn't a drum machine so much as a percussionist (d'jembe, congas, bongos, whatever). Just a thought, and also, beginning musicians are a lot less intimidated by hand percussion than they are by a full drum kit.

[worshiptheKing]

I have been looking at buying a set of congas/bongas or a djembe. I don't have anyone who can play either of them. Some of my team have picked up a shaker or tambourine with all but disastrous results. Hard to spend money and hope someone shows up that can play 'em. If someone does show up that can play 'em I will be right out to buy 'em.

[fretguy]

Drum machines are unforgiving cold machines - but they don't give you personality clashes and they always show up and do their job.

I prefer a live drummer because we can 'bring it around again' if the opportunity arises.

I would recommend a person over a machine any day - but if no people have presented themselves, use what you can.

[Stevie Nature]

To be honest, I've always just found drum machines to be cheesy. Even when the guy doing the looping knows what he's doing it still just doesn't sound great. Plus there's the expense and the time programming the thing. I think there's a lot to be said for having just an acoustic set up. Of course that really just preference.

[russhutto]

I would say that your congregation matters a bunch in this discussion too. Remember a lot of times our preferences are just that, OUR PREFERENCES.

So what seems, feels, or sounds cheesy may not to the "non-musical" congregant.

That being, said LIVE is always preferable to programmed. BUT why not incorporate both creatively.

We have a diverse crowd in our place and the honest truth is that many of our attendees don't find live rock drumming as cool as programmed "beats"...(think hip-hop/gospel/rap).

And because we are aware and ultimately sensitive to who our congregation is we use a mix of both live drums AND pre-programmed loops and such.