Songs of Good Cheer

Clever arrangements combine with veteran Broadway actress Maureen Brennan's lyrical voice to create music that can function as either foreground or background listening. If you choose foreground listening, there's a lot of tasty musicianship to check out. Neil Grover (Boston Symphony percussionist and owner of Grover Pro Percussion) brings his arranging skills to the project along with percussion work that propels and colors with a graceful polish.  My favorite track is "What Child Is This?" with Neil laying down some shifting time signature doumbec licks.  

Songs of  Good Cheer is well-produced without being "over-produced."  

It is available as a CD or download from CDbaby. 

iTunes, Amazon and Google all have the download.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/maureenbrennan

In Harmony: Activate! Asks: Mark Shelton

In Harmony: Activate! Asks: Mark Shelton: How many years have you been teaching?   Over 30 years If you could have only one item in your teaching bag, what it...

PASIC 2016

 Wow!  A few days at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention 2016 provided me with big doses of information and inspiration.  Lots of great instruments and gear including the aFrame--an electronic frame drum from ATV Corporation www.atvcorporation.com

https://youtu.be/LJhF4E2bVrc

Matt Billingslea's clinic, Half Man, Half Machine: Exploring Sound Design, Hybrid Kits, and Samples gave me insight into how drummers are blending electronics with their acoustic kits.

The University of Tennessee at Martin World Ensemble's concert was lots of fun.  These college students performed with excellence along with showmanship and enthusiasm.  Great teaching from Dr. Julie Hill and Dr. Josh Smith. 

Always good to hang out with Neil Grover at the Grover Pro Percussion booth.  Check out the new Shakerz  at www.groverpropercussion.com

Divine Detours

When God is the hero of the story, it never ends in death. God's stories end in resurrection and life.

A recent publication from Gateway Create Publishing, Divine Detours provided me with some of those "hmmm" moments--when you read a sentence and you feel it resonate.  

In both my personal life and career, I have experienced God directing, stopping, redirecting, and re-inventing.  No wonder I connected with this book!

Pastor Sion Alford writes that Jesus' story did not end at a cross; and neither does yours.  The death of your dream opens the doorway to something better, more real, and more life-giving. 

As a musician, I enjoyed reading Sion's personal story as God moved the pharmacist to his current station as worship leader, songwriter, teacher, and administrator. 

An added bonus-- Divine Detours contains plenty of SHORT chapters.  You can read a chunk when you have a spare moment and then let it roll around in your brain.

Order Divine Detours at:

https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Detours-Messes-Plans-Paperback/dp/0996566260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477501762&sr=8-1&keywords=sion+alford

Sion Alford serves as an Executive Worship Pastor at Gateway Church. 

 www.sionalford.com

Frame Drum Solo

Frame drumming virtuoso Glen Velez defines a frame drum as a single-headed drum with the measurement across the head exceeding the measurement of the depth of the shell.  The headed tambourine is a great example from our Western culture.  The Middle East region of the world gives us frame drums such as the riq, tar, and bendir.  

Could the drums mentioned in the Old Testament have been frame drums?  Did Miriam play a frame drum while singing and dancing?   

Here's a short improv frame drum solo from me.  Enjoy

Creativity is...

Steve Jobs said,  "Creativity is just connecting things."

That statement has the ring of truth.  Keep in mind that you have to collect those "things" so that you can have a stockpile in your brain at the ready when the creative moment is needed.  That is why it is important  to explore and grow as musicians.  LIsten to different styles of music...including pieces WITHOUT percussion. Check out methods of playing other than your favorites.  Read up on the newest innovations that you cannot afford...yet!  Attend concerts and clinics presented by great players that will inspire (and humble).

This "collecting for connecting" extends outside of music.  Studying other fields (history, visual art, dance, math, astronomy) can spark creativity in music.  

Devote some of your practice time to creativity. Improvise. 

As percussionists, our number of instruments keeps growing, the sources of educational media increases, and players continue to push the technical limits.

Be a lifelong learner.

Connect and Create !

Intelligent people are always ready to learn.  Their ears are open to knowledge.

Proverbs 18:18 New Living Translation
Scripture quotation from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

What techniques do you use to spark creativity?

Jesus, Holy Name

My songwriting pal Jonathan Malone and I composed this worship song recently.  Check out the lyric video for "Jesus, Holy Name."  

Danica Henry's sweet vocal delivers the simple--yet contemplative lyrics.  Jonathan Malone provides some tasty guitar along with a few well-placed licks from Danica's violin.

Jesus, Holy Name   (c) 2016 Mark Shelton & Jonathan Malone  

800-272-2249 

Drum Chart Builder

I had the pleasure of meeting Liz Ficalora a while back at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.  Liz has designed a web-based drum charting software program that allows percussionists to create charts on their computers--and store them on their mobile devices.  

Check out the promo video below and head over to  www.drumchartbuilder.com for more info.

More info on Liz Ficalora at www.easydrumchart.com

RIQ Solo Demo

Check out a short improv demo on the RIQ (Middle Eastern tambourine). 
The RIQ (pron. RICK) is a frame drum with larger jingles (zils) than its Western culture cousin.

July/August Worship Musician!

 

Look for my interview with Todd Bragg (percussionist with Crowder) in the July/August Worship Musician!

 

Click on the link below and turn to page 40

 

 

http://joom.ag/ZhTQ

 

June Set-up of the Month

 

June Set-up of the Month

 

Todd Bragg's set-up for his percussion work with Crowder.

I met Todd several weeks ago at Gateway Men's Summit.  Look for an interview with Todd Bragg in the upcoming issue of Worship Musician!

 

 

Rock The Glock

Call it the orchestra bells, glockenspiel, campanelli, or just plain "bells"---- It's an IN sound.  You hear the metal-barred cousin to the xylophone in pop and alt rock (or Pomplamoose) these days...and worship music.  

You might consider investing in a set of bells.   They can come in handy in a variety of musical situations--- choir anthems, cantatas, hymns, and worship songs.

Glockenspiels come in two flavors: Steel and Aluminum
Steel:  Best sound, Heavy, Pricey
Aluminum: Sounds okay until you hear steel, Lightweight, Easier on the budget

Some bands use the bells from beginner percussion kits.  It works.  Mike 'em up and throw on some reverb.  You can get the desired effect.

My "gig glock" has aluminum bars mounted in a case which reflects the sound (like a resonator).

Check out the song, "When I'm With You" from the Great Great God CD from Gateway Worship.   About three minutes into the song, many instruments (guitars, bass, keys) play a melody in octaves.  After a couple of statements of that melody, I bring in the glockenspiel to give the passage that sparkling punch that the bells can deliver.

March Set-Up of the Month

Wow!  Thanks to Ricardo Tagliaferro (A percussionist who hails from Venezuela)  for sharing some photos of his set-up.  Ricardo currently serves at Calvary Church of Irving, Texas.

Learn more about Ricardo at:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardoTagliaferroPercussion/

 

 

Finger Cymbals

Learn a couple of methods for playing finger cymbals in this short tutorial from Mark Shelton

More tutorials at www.youtube.com/marksheltonmusic

February Set-Up Of The Month

 

Dallas area percussionist, Jorge Ginorio recently sent a few photos of his set-up at Chase Oaks Church in Plano, TX. Learn more about Jorge at his website: www.jorgeginorio.com

Percussion For Worship wants to feature YOUR set-up.  Send photos to markshelton@verizon.net

Tambourine eBook

Praise Charts/Worship Training recently added my tambourine eBook to their many resources.

 

 

 

For more info, go to www.praisecharts.com, scroll down, and click on worshiptraining.com