Our church rock band

[SueKrum]

OK,
I know a lot of folks on here are REALLY pickey about the kind of music that should be allowed during the Mass. I consider myself to be kind of laid back about some things. I think there’s a time and a place for all kinds of music, including drums

That being said…

Holly Communion during the Ash Wednsday Mass is (in my humble opinion) NOT the place for rock and role drums! I am in the choir and we sang some BEAUTIFUL old hymns, but they were butchered and the words were blotted out by the boom dity boom dity boom boom boom of the drums and symbols!

Here’s my delima. I found my annoyance with the drums to be a very negative distraction during the whole Mass. I couldn’t focus on why we were there and I found myself praying “Oh God, please make him stop!”

The drummer looked to be a 14-16 year-old-boy. I had two voices in my head arguing with eachother. the first was annoyed with him and the other was saying “at least he’s at church”. But shouldn’t the people up front be setting an example for the rest of the congragation? he was wearing shorts!

I realize that I can’t change my church. I can only change me. However, should I say anything to the choir director? write him a note? Or should I just offer up my audio suffering for the boys conversion?

anyone else stuggle with these thoughts during mass? I do NOT want to be one of those hollier than thou people who sits and clucks my tongue at everyone who isn’t doing everything just right. But we do need some standards.

a side note, thankfully I usually sing at the very early Mass where there are no drums

 

[Lance]

I can not carry a tune in a bushel basket so I have never been in the choir, but I am not fond of the semi-rock band music we get at the mass i usually serve as an EM. They started to get a little out of hand and some ‘old foggies’ mentioned it to the choir director. They have toned it down. The bishop also put a letter in our diocesan newspaper about music that was inappropriate for mass about this time, so I am not sure what caused the redirection.

I would either talk to or email the choir director with my concerns if I were you, if no action or explanation is forthcoming I would then talk to the pastor. If God gave you the gift of a good voice do not let this drive you from the choir. Change takes time, hang in there.

 

[toutestgrace]

I know what you mean about the thoughts raging through your head during the ‘liturgical’ music. My parish has recently hired a new music director who must think our liturgy needs updating (which is humorous, since the music he uses and uses and uses is written by aging hippies). We haven’t ventured into rock band repertoire yet. What we have sounds more like cheap piano bar music, with the monotony of the keyboard pounding away like a schoolkid who thinks he’s Billy Joel. I guess I could grin and bear it, but lately he’s taken to tickling the ivories during the consecration. The priest has to try to talk over the music. Add a little dramatic intonation, and VOILA - we’re a megachurch wannabe!

I’ve already written a letter to the Liturgy Committee - no response. I’m angry, yes, but mostly sad. Who gives these music folks such power and authority to alter the norms of the Liturgy spelled out by the Vatican and the USCCB’s GIRM instructives? I hate going to church knowing how distressing the experience is going to be. I never thought I’d be a parish-hopper, but it seems the only way to find some peace and joy again in worship.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

My parish has recently hired a new music director who must think our liturgy needs updating (which is humorous, since the music he uses and uses and uses is written by aging hippies).

Isn’t that the greatest of ironies? We have horrid dreck for music because we wanted to be “relevant” (as if the Church ever had to worry about that), but in the effort we got stuck in an era long past! Why aren’t we still worried about musical relevance? Wouldn’t it be “relevant” to have a hip-hop mass, a rap mass, a rave mass? We’re too embarassed to admit that we bombed this one, so we keep bravely singing “Let us build the City of God!” If we only realized that should this dreck get played on a radio station anywhere, people would break their fingers switching to another station.

 

[puzzleannie]

We’re too embarassed to admit that we bombed this one, so we keep bravely singing “Let us build the City of God!” If we only realized that should this dreck get played on a radio station anywhere, people would break their fingers switching to another station.

whenever I hear this one I cannot get the waltz scene from the King and I out of my mind, ONE two three ONe two three

 

[Tonks40]

I would say something to your musical director or coordinator at your parish. Lent isn’t a time for high-energy praise-n-worship music. The music should reflect the penitent nature of the season. In my opinion, if your parish allows it, it would be ok (although not appropriate) if drums were played during Masses in Ordinary Time. I think having drums during Lent gives people the wrong message of what the season is about.

As a singer myself, I have to ask you - how were you able to sing without shouting over the drum rhythms???

 

[cheese_sdc]

With drums, there are two major issues that need to addressed with drums.

Volume and skill.

Drums are the hardest instrument to balance (with respect to volume) and Catholic churches tend to not spend the money necessary to obtain a realistic sound system for a large choir with several instruments. Drums are also inheritently loud, and the best solution is usually to spend the money on a top notch electrical drum set (that way balancing is much easier).

The skill level of the drummer is also important. If he or she isn’t keeping a steady rhythm or is out of sync with himself (that’s a nightmare scenario), then anything that is played will set your teeth on edge.

You could send a nice note to the choir director saying something like:

"I appreciate that you are trying out new and different instruments for our Mass, however, I really need to tell you that, from where I was sitting in the Church, the drums seemed very loud. I enjoy the singing of the choir, but the volume and the style of play of the drums significantly diminished my participation and enjoyment of the Mass.

Is it possible to instruct the drummer to play in a way that supports the the singing of the choir and doesn’t mask the words and other instruments?

Thanks!