ACS Custom – Ambient Pack review (Part 2)

Some 4 months passed between my Evolve Live!s arriving and the ambient pack being ready. Whilst a touch frustrating, I would rather wait for the pack to be made to the usual ACS Custom standard than have it rushed. With the new products (including the George Martin limited edition) it’s understandable that it took longer to get to this point.

I would note that ACS took the time to contact me when one was available and serviced my Evolves as part of the order, so my experience of their customer service is very positive.

 The day came and the pack arrived. My Evolve’s were re-cabled and re-packed in a new, larger pelicase with the pack plus a 3.5mm link cable and a 3.5mm adaptor cable. Also included is the pack case which slides over the pack when you want to protect it. The aluminium case is so nicely finished; you are going to want to protect it!

Obviously I did the only thing possible in that situation and donned my Evolve Live!s  and plugged the pack in. Before I get to testing these in loud environments I wanted to see just how good the ‘wideband, natural response’ microphones were. So I just got on with life, boiled the kettle, talked to my kids, watched a few minutes of TV, listened to the radio,  etc.

The Pack

The controls are pretty intuitive. On the top with the 2 sockets is a volume/mix control that sets the level for the mics. On the side is a multiway encoder for navigating the menu for PADs , auto volume control and gain control. You can also switch the mics on/off from here, which is handy. On the opposite side is the sliding power switch.

In a low volume setting I found the mics to be outstanding. I was slightly fearful that they would sound compressed and a little dull, with some higher frequencies missing. I’m pleased to say that I needn't have worried and, apart from being able to turn the volume down they sounded extremely natural. Sources sound as they should and you can quickly forget that you’re listening to them rather than the source directly.

Probably my greatest hope for these was the promise of binaural sound. If you've ever tried to use a traditional setup for ambient micing on stage, you’ll know that it’s really flawed; you can never quite hear what you want and often hear lots of things that aren't near you. With these, the sense of space is restored and, with my eyes closed, I could still place sounds properly in 3 dimensions. 

Again in low volume settings this felt so ‘normal’. In fact the best thing about this setup is that there’s just no learning curve. It’s far less of an adjustment than you’d usually have from wedges to IEM’s for example.

Using it Live!

Having got used to it all it was time to use it live; both whilst drumming and on monitors.

On drums I found myself playing with the ambience to add to the monitor mix which gave both space, and the ability to hear band members talking (I’m no fan of having to take your IEM’s out to talk to people and not everyone has a mic!) I’d certainly advise setting up monitors without the ambient mics then mixing them in, or you’ll get a distorted idea of what you’re listening too.

On monitors I found probably the biggest surprise of all though. These days it’s normal to mix multiple IEM feeds with wedges across the stage, so listening to the mixes on either a listen wedge and IEM’s, as appropriate, is essential to get a good job done. It’s also pretty normal to be on stage with musicians working on the mixes with a tablet and hearing protection is always high on my priority list. Being able to keep my Evolve Live!s in pretty much all the time was a revelation.  

Listening to wedges using the ambient mics might not be quite the same as listening directly but it is pretty close and more than workable. Besides, you always have to mix for someone else’s hearing and we all hear things differently. Using the benefit of the isolation from the moulds to protect my ears but being able to mix in enough ambience to talk to musicians on stage was so helpful. I’d not really considered working that way, but I suspect I will be doing that more & more.

Conclusion

I looked at this setup as an investment in my hearing but it’s already opened my eyes (ears?) to new and better ways of working.

If you’re looking for high quality, well supported, custom moulded IEM’s then look at ACS Custom. 

If you want to go the extra mile and look at the future of IEM’s then look at ACS Custom Live!

I’d recommend this setup to any musician or engineer who’s serious about the sound they hear and serious about their hearing.

Note I should add that I do not work for ACS Custom and bought my Evolve Live!s  and my ambient pack as a normal customer.

ACS Custom - Evolve Live! (T1 Live! ) Review (Part 1)

It’s true that I am fussy. I only trust a few people with my hearing, mostly just me. I first came across ACS over 15 years ago and enjoyed my original ER15’s very much (still have the little green rucksack to prove it!)

So, when it came to custom monitoring, I took great confidence in choosing the guys that were there at the beginning with Garwood when good IEM really started. With my ear impressions and sent off to ACS Custom, I waited.

At the end of 2014, the custom moulded 3 way IEM with the Live! Feature was called the T1 Live! It’s now the Evolve Live! And that’s what I’ll refer to them as for simplicity. The full spec  is on the website (insert link) but the Evolve uses 3 drivers with a passive crossover network all packed in to each ear, to deliver a sound akin to sitting in a studio control room but where you can’t hear the person next to you.

I use mine both as a drummer, and as a sound engineer, especially when on monitors. As such I speak drummer and tech, not hifi, as you’ll see from the following description. I've also tried to avoid too much technical language and jargon.

They are a very true and natural sounding monitor where you get out what you put in. Checked with my Sennheiser IEM system and various other headphone amps on digital desks etc, I found them to sound good whatever they’re running on.

I was particularly looking for more kick drum in my mixes without sacrificing clarity on other instruments and the low end is strong and clear. In fact, the separation on each instrument is very clean.

Vocals sit nicely across everything and, if monitoring in stereo, the image can be massively wide.

One area I really notice the quality is when using effects. On a recent gig using 3 reverbs and a delay (drums, brass, vox & vox respectively) I was genuinely surprised that I could hear and identify each reverb, even though the differences are quite subtle.

The sound isn’t particularly ‘shaped’ but neither is it flat and clinical. I find it particularly natural and not at all fatiguing. From punk and ska through to grand pianos and string sections, they have faithfully reproduced it all so far.

Comfort is of course really important. If I’m drumming I might be singing as well, so there’s lots of movement going on, plus you get hot or sweaty. If I’m engineering, I’ll be taking the monitors in & out whilst I swap between them and my listen wedge.

I loved my original ER15’s and I love these too. I will never understand someone who wants to put a hard acrylic shell in their ear and the medical grade silicon is superb. Genuinely comfortable enough to forget you have them in.

Whilst their Linum cable isn’t yet available for these, the black multicore cable you do get is great. Given how may cores it has (including the Live! Feed) it’s still low profile and pretty tough. The multipin plugs are Neutric and are a good solid fit and won’t pull out, but the ears end will do with enough force, saving your ears & monitors from damage.

I had mine supplied in a pelicase, which has kept them safe whilst working and you can fit the accessories in there too. I have dry ear canals (apparently) so having the lube with me is very handy.

For me the attention to detail from ACS is exactly what I need from a high end supplier. From the 3.5mm adaptor, to the support from the team in Banbury; from the wax guards to the 1^st class sound. This is why I trust them with my hearing.

Part 2 looks at whatit takes to make these go Live!

Spiritual Disciplines

We can be deliberate about being better at following Jesus.

Sometimes, we need to train to be better; to fill in our gaps. We can choose to train ourselves away from these things and towards God but it takes discipline.

Though discipline is often seen as a negative word nowadays, discipline is also what propels elite athletes past their competitors.

For hundreds of years, disciplines like these have helped people to develop in their relationship with God. What follows is not a checklist for salvation (you are no more saved by these than by eating a cheeseburger) but they can help you to build your relationship with God, tune in to His spirit by them.

Disciplines of Abstinence (The don't do's)

These are ways of denying ourselves something we want or need in order to make space to focus on and connect with God.

Solitude: Refraining from interacting with other people in order to be alone with God and be found by him. (Solitude is completed by silence.) Luke 5:16 Prioritising God by removing ourselves from ‘noise’

Silence: Not speaking in a quiet place in order to quiet our minds and whole self and attend to God’s presence. Also, not speaking so that we can listen to others and bless them.  Goes with solitude.

Fasting: Going without food (or something else) for a period of intense prayer — the fast may be complete or partial. John 4:34 Matt 6: 16-18

"Fasting is a purgative or cleansing discipline that surfaces inner sin, immaturity, and stress points. For instance, when you’re learning to fast you’re likely to have problems with hunger, fatigue, headaches, low frustration tolerance, or feeling deprived. You may discover that you’ve been relying on food — more than Jesus — to provide comfort, fullness, rewards, energy pick ups, or simply having something to look forward to."

Sabbath: Doing no work to rest in God’s person and provision; praying and playing with God and others. 

Secrecy: Not making our good deeds or qualities known to let God or others receive attention and to find our sufficiency in God alone. Matt 6:6

Submission: Not asserting ourselves in order to come under the authority, wisdom, and power of Jesus Christ as our Lord, King, and Master. (Can include submitting to a person as unto Christ.) 

Dallas Willard says “Abandon outcomes to God.” To submit to God in any given situation is to refuse to try to get anyone to do anything or to make things turn out a certain way, but instead simply to be responsible (which mostly means to love God and neighbour) and to trust the Sovereign Lord.

Disciplines of Engagement (the do's)

These are ways of connecting with God and other people, conversing honestly with them in order to love and be loved.

Bible Reading: Trusting the Holy Spirit-inspired words of Scripture as our guide, wisdom, and strength for life. 

Worship: Praising God’s greatness, goodness, and beauty in words, music, ritual, or silence.

What we do with ourselves, our time and our resources is our worship.

Prayer: Conversing with God about what we’re experiencing and doing together. 

Soul Friendship: Engaging fellow disciples of Jesus in prayerful conversation or other spiritual practices.

Personal Reflection: Paying attention to our inner self in order to grow in love for God, others, and self.

Service: Humbly serving God by overflowing with his love and compassion to others, especially those in need.

So the question is: where do you want to grow? Pick the discipline that will help you grow the most in the area you want to grow most in.

I Am Amazing

I Am Amazing.

Truely and undeniably amazing.

Not because I am talented, good looking, skilled, rich or powerful.

I am beyond worth.

There is no value high enough that you could name, or write a cheque for, that could match my worth.

The exciting thing is that.....so are you!

You see, I, and you, are created by God. Not as clones but unique individuals and we are soo loved.

When we freeze water, we make icecubes. When God freezes water he makes snowflakes.

Do you know Him in your life?

5 Loaves and 2 Fishes. Really?

Lets get this straight: the feeding of the 5000 (John 6) or 5000 men plus all the women and children. That could be around 15,000? some estimates are even higher.

So from all of the men women and children, all the disciples could get is the 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish? Oh, really????

From this story we learn that God is so mighty and powerful that he can perform a miracle and provide for so many with such a small offering. We learn that we cannot out give God. We learn that we can give whatever we have to God and he can use it.

What we don't learn, and maybe we should, is that even amongst those who are happy to watch Jesus, listen to His teaching, follow Him even, it's still easy to hold on to whatever we have.

It's easy to settle for security but it can cost us obedience.

Even those blessings He has already given us need to be given back to Him. This giving cycle should not end with us holding on to anything too tightly because the blessing goes on. Somewhere in the region of 14999 people were blessed , and blessed abundantly, because of that little guy and the food he handed over. Is it your turn now?

YHWH.

Movember! Movember! Movember!

Movember is all about 'changing the face of men's health'. Conceived 12 years ago the movember.com movement has grown (!) to include both raising money and awareness of men's health issues - particularly the male cancers.

And so, in 2010 I finally heard about it (too late) and then...completely forgot about it until October this year. A few social network reminders prompted me to think about doing it. Not for the money, but to get some conversations going. Believe me it worked!

If you're a guy and you've mentioned my mo' (AAC excluded) then you've already had a conversation about health.

At the risk of my marriage, and having learnt that I don't want to grow a mo', I embraced the silly and ploughed on. The result.....?

Actually there's something to add before you get the picture.....

The Men's Health Paradox


The biggest problem with getting guys to look after their health is the paralysing paradox we are stuck in; damned if you do and damned if you don't.

One one hand there are stacks of statistics showing that men don't go to doctors soon enough or pickup on their health issues or even talk about them openly enough. So we want guys to talk about their health more, right? Women want it, the medical profession want it and it's a message you can find in every type of media from magazines to TV.

But on the other, we have 'man flu'. A singularly divisive bit of humour. Used throughout the media and in general conversation, this one 'joke' may have been funny. It may even be funny, but it's also emasculating. If you get nothing but hastle and derision for saying how you feel, you're going to learn to keep quiet very quickly. Right?

So there you have it. You either promote the paradox or you have to actively chose not to. Maybe it's true that whatever you don't condemn, you condone. Whose side are you on?

Women, make your minds up, this is genuinely life or death stuff. Are you going to help us promote men's health issues or hinder us?

As for me, well, I have an appointment with a man and his cut-throat razor!

Picture to follow.......

Vision: Don't leave the house without it!

Why is it that the best people, really good, wise, amazing people don't know why they do what they do? How is it even possible? When did we move from vision to routine?

I've recently asked some leaders I know what their vision is. Active, loving people. They could not tell me straight away.

I asked some others what their churches' vision was. They could not tell me.

If I asked you what your church or company's vision was, could you tell me? how close to what was written on your website would your answer be?

Bear in mind I'm not comparing how well your day to day activities relate to your vision; if they don't then you MUST STOP: the vision is not working!

Ignoring people abilities to communicate clearly, which may be a factor in telling me, these are all people who would only have taken on a role, responsibility or task with a good reason. So where did that reason go?

Anyone who's ever been any where near Willow Creak or Bill Hybels will know the phrase 'Vision Leaks'. Usually, Bill will draw a bucket on a flip-chart and then draw holes in the bottom to illustrate this. What he usually does is leave the remaining space blank but I wonder if that's right. Maybe, just maybe we fill our 'Vision buckets' with something else. Something more mundane, and less God filled. Maybe routine and comfort start to scale up our buckets. Perhaps even if we do get our vision topped up, there's not quite as much room there as there used to be. Do our visions start to get smaller too? or does a tension start to build albeit subtly at first?

I don't know about you but I want to be led by people with clear vision and I want to lead with clear vision.

God I pray that I would never leave the house without it!

Me and My Obsession

Two moments have combined in the last few days to create and interesting effect in my life; a question and a description.

To start with the description: I was reading a blog post by Mark Tuma and as I read it, I just recognised myself. I have thought myself obsessive for some time and I wonder if my life had been different just how easy I would have found addiction. I can easily listen to the same album for literally months as I bike to and from work.

Yet, that obsessive (focused) behaviour does not cover all aspects of my life and indeed just like Mark, does not cover my faith (at least not often). In fact it can often be a distraction. I can obsess over all the areas of my gifts rather than focusing on the God who gave the gifts.

The second (which was actually the first) was a theological question posed to me; classic apologetics.

Only, I didn't know the answer. I postulated a little, but I didn't know. Now, I have been a Christian for as long as the person asking the question has been alive (!) and yet they prompted in me an urgent need to know and so I did went to the only source of information left on the planet and exercised my Google-fu.

However it's not enough to just have the answer, I needed to understand the answer and so, my obsession was focused on my faith and my theology. My in-built preference and style was aligned with what I want to be at the centre of my life.

I am grateful to the person who asked me the question and I am reminded of an phrase:

The Gulf Stream can pass through a straw; if the straw aligns itself with the Gulf Stream

I want to use my gifts and skills to know God more but that means it must be my way and my journey. I have to discover and develop that relationship myself, with God, and I cannot rely on other peoples experience alone. Of course, this effort must not be solely for my benefit alone though.

Brother Lawrence writes, "Let us often remember, dear friend, that our sole occupation in life is to please God"


God, I pray that you would be my obsession.

DiW: 2 Ways to become a better drummer - guaranteed!

Two top tips for becoming a better drummer and yes, they really do work AND I'll tell you them for free...

The better the drums sound, the better you'll play

I was reminded of this one while talking to one of the Gateway Vineyard drummers about the newly tuned snare on the church kit. She had been energised by the fact that when she hit the snare, it had good sound. There were no distracting overtones, or disappointing  noises, just a good sound that freed her up to be more musical and dynamic in her playing.

Good sounding drums help make good sounding drummers.

The better the musicians you work with, the better you'll play


I have previously outlined that one of the things we do in the kind of music I play in church, is to copy other peoples arrangements. It's all very well working on new patterns and parts but if those around you aren't able to play theirs, it's just not going to work as well. But, get together with a group of players who are better than you and they will stretch you, ask things of you musically, and you'll get better. When you're creating your own arrangements, that sort of interaction is vital to make new, interesting music that sounds like you!

Don't forget though that sometimes you'll be the better player helping others step up and sometimes they'll be helping you.

I can think of two bass players that I have worked with in particular, who have made me get better. They have had such good rhythm & tone that I've stepped up my game to match theirs.

Good sounding musicians help make good sounding drummers.

Motivation: a new way to do it?

DiW: The hardest drum lesson?

I think I was 16. I was surrounded by the gleam of cymbals and stands and that specific smell that music shops used to have that comes from the particular carpet they used.

In front of me stood pretty much the only 'drum guy' in Norwich at the time (not that long before he went to work for Premier). I'd taken one of my vintage Premier toms (White Marine Pearl, late 50's/early 60's) with a Remo pinstripe batter, Remo ambassador clear for the resonant and...and masking tape and paper towel dampening pad!!!

He was very generous and understanding and, that day, he told me the hardest drum lesson. It's a shame it took me a further 12 years to actually learn it.

He took a drum from one of the kits in the drum room (I don't actually remember what it was) but it had a single ply coated head and he held it in his hand and hit it. I remember it sounded strange, ringing and, to me, pretty awful. Then he reminded me that he was a busy drummer and that the drum he had just played was the kind of sound he used live. He told me to take off the dampening and try it without. He told me one more thing too.

So, I promptly went home and used o-rings on my snare and toms for the next 4 years.....

I'm not sure what it took to finally help me learn the lesson. Maybe I'd just got less and less happy with my drum sound and I suppose eventually I couldn't ignore the approach the drummers all over the world were taking. Maybe it was getting to play mic'd up more and more and getting used to IEM's and a more processed sounds. Now? I hear the mistake all over the place; made by drummers who haven't learnt the hardest drum lesson yet.

You see what he told me that day, and what forms the basis of my setup and tuning ideas today, is that wherever, and whatever I'm playing, my drums should sound the best for those who are listening to them.
Given the nature of acoustic drums, especially un-mic'd ones, this means that you have to allow a brighter and more resonant sound to come from the drums so that by the time the sounds leaves the stage and hits the audience it is more balanced. It also means playing drums that don't sound as 'nice' to me which is hard; that's why it's the hardest lesson.

But you know what? Nowadays that brighter, more resonant sound, sounds just beautiful!

DiW: THE sound

The kick will have punch but with controlled energy.


The snare will be bright, cracking and short.


The Toms will be round, warm and will project.


The cymbals....well, they'll sound ok but they'll have to wait.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's the vision for Gateways drums. We will be playing un-mic'd for the time being but that'll be the vision when we're mic'd too.

We'll be using Evans G2's on the toms and a Power Centre Reverse Dot on the snare; porting the kickdrum and generally giving our Premier Artist Birch a jolly good clean!

DiW: What to play?

Having had a look at why we use drums in worship, here's some thoughts on how to approach playing drums in worship:

As drummers, if we are aiming to play our part (pun intended) in leading people in worshipping God, then I think it's important to be deliberate about what we play, when we play it and what it achieves.

When I'm learning a new song, or writing a part for a new song or new arrangement, I have a few things to consider. They are not so much hard and fast rules, especially the first, but here we go anyway.

Original Arrangement?


With just about any kind of church based drumming this is a key question. Most church music I play (and have heard) requires you to learn someone elses drum part. Be it the classic (and somewhat predictable) Hillsong 16th note highhat/8th note kick drum/ cool tom pattern stuff, or the smoothed out, well produced (and somewhat uninteresting) Soul Survivour offerings or the almost chaotic, unstructured Jesus Culture coolness.

I should probably add that although I may describe these styles in less than flattering ways, they are all good and valid in their own context, especially those that are designed to be copied. Yes, believe it or not, some parts are written in such a way as to make them more easy for other drummers to play!

(Please bear in mind that I'm talking about the kinds of churches I would play in, which is just a small fragment of what's going in in the UK, let alone the World.)

If I'm learning someone else's part, I have to listen to it, or watch it (Youtube, yey!). Dissect it, decide what I can play given the other points, practice it and job done.

Writing new parts, or new arrangement probably needs it's own post.

What energy level?


Fast? Slow? Powerful? Majestic? Cool? Haunting? Emotional? Shouty? Minimal?

Someone is in charge. Someone can tell you what energy level the song it meant to be. Your playing, and that of all the other musicians involved, should match that. Bringing me to my next thought....

Other instruments?


Who else is playing? What do they contribute? Playing in your own space, whilst creating space for others to play, is a key musical skill in any genre. So make space!

As a key part of the rhythm section, you have a responsibility to bring rhythm, dynamics and energy to a piece of music. If you're playing with a bass player, you need to work with them to create the rhythm section part. Sometimes you'll play the same rhythm, sometimes you'll each play different things to create something together and sometimes one of you will create the bedrock for the other to play on top of.

Just work out in advance who's doing what!

Ostinato gone mad?


In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice.


This is a personal obsession of mine.


Most songs I end up playing have a repeating structure. Verse, Chorus, Bridge plus maybe some other made up bits like 'tag', 'pre-chorus'. My approach to these is to decide what each piece should be like and to STICK TO IT!  
By doing this you're creating an accessible structure that those who you are leading can get to grips with much more easily and to be honest it's less distracting. I'm pretty sure you don't want to be distracting, right?


And finally.......Dynamics


I could say a lot about dynamics, again it probably requires a post of it's own. So for now I'll just add this:

Once you've figured out what pattern, feel and fills you want to play, be aware that you can play them all at differing volumes and with heavy or light feels.

And  don't forget the why!

What job do you do?

Christians seem to spend a lot of time thinking about what job they should do. What's God's plan for my life ? Where does He want me to be ?

To try to answer these questions, we pray (fine) we talk to other, trusted people (also fine) we read our bible (yes, still fine) and then we make our best guess.

Yet we seem slow to grasp that we are already commissioned; we already have a job to do.

Matt 28:19-20

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

So, what we do to earn money, even the vocational stuff, is really just a second job. We must be able to do the first while doing the second.

Guess which job God will bless the most?*

What ever work you do, however hard you work, the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.

*To be fair I don't know, but I am sure that God will honour us living out the Great Commission.

DiW: Why?

Why do we use drums in Worship music? What's the point?
Is there a biblical precedent that we're following? Well, yes and no. Yes in as much as gongs and cymbals are mentioned in the bible but no in as much as they are also used as a simile for us without Love.....

Yet there are countless drummers all over the world, playing all kinds of styles, in churches and meetings week in, week out. There must be a good reason for it right? There is and it's important to know it.

DC Talk once described God as a 'Creative Artist'. I've always liked that image, and I think it is the central reason to use drums, or indeed any gift/talent we have, in our Worship of YHWH; because everything we have is His and should be offered to him in praise and Worship. For me it is included in the 'Living Sacrifices' described in Romans 12 and that passage describes the relationship between physical worship and spiritual worship.

If, through playing music (no drummer jokes!), I can express my praise and worship of God and I can help lead others to do the same, then I have a very good reason to play!

Note that the reason isn't "to keep time" or "set a good groove" or "show how many chops you've got" or "annoy those who hate loud music!" or "because it's cool". What you play affects all of that stuff but it's no good making them the why. It would be a poor substitute for the real reason and frankly, I'd give up rather than play for any of those reasons!

Be clear about why you play. It will affect how you go about handling yourself and I think God is interested!

A Dark Time Indeed:

It's hard to believe what's been happening in England in the last few days. Riots, looting, damage and fear all spreading.

I don't know what you think about it or whether you've signed one of the online petitions to have benefits removed from convicted looters etc.

As someone not directly affected by the actual damage, I think the worst point was a conversation I had with someone who just couldn't see any hope that things would get better, especially with the rest of the world feeling so uncertain; US debt rating falling, Stock Markets all over the place, entire countries on the brink of bankruptcy.

Just for a moment I joined them in feeling the despair of not having any hope. A few short seconds of swirling helplessness.

Then it struck me that I am not that stuck. I am not alone because I AM is I AM, and the King always has One More Move.

To quote some Delirious? lyrics: "Only God can save us now"

Unfathomable God?

Is God really unfathomable? or How fathomable is God? How much of God can you unravel?

I don't know. But I do know that you cannot unravel Him completely.

What you can do is ask God to unravel you by revealing Himself.

It's dangerous though. Change will come.

If you want to break the mould, you have to....

...find the cracks first.

There are lots of situations when you realise that it's time to change things. If you want to know where to start you have to look and see where the first signs of readiness are. If you do that, you'll find it much easier to explode the mould and reduce it to dust OR open it cleanly on the break line. Breaking moulds always seems wasteful, and, if it involves peoples lives then that kind of change can be too violent.

To switch analogies, Kurt Lewin likened the process of change to the process of freezing water:

You start as ice, thaw to water and reshape and then re-freeze to hold the new shape.

I love this picture of change and how to go about it. To take it one step further, think of all the conversations you've ever had where people are just not quite satisfied with the status quo; those are the first droplets of water forming on the surface of the ice.

Remember, the first people to see that a change may be necessary are NOT usually the ones in the middle of it.

I can think of times when situations were 'un-freezing' all around me; absolute chaos!

Then there are dreams and 'Holy Discontent', great forces for change.

If you find those cracks, or droplets and harness their power, you will find that change starts to shape itself. You'll soon find that early adopters will be able to buy-in to what your doing and you should also see that shared sense of ownership, that makes change stick.

Worship Confessional - 29/05/11

Set List:

• What to say Lord (Everyday) - Hillsong
• Strength Will Rise - Chris Tomlin
• You Alone Can Rescue - Matt Redman
• This is Our God - Hillsong
• Hold On (ch only) - Nigel Briggs (Trent Vineyard)

This was our first time out as our new band (although we were missing one member) and to be honest, it was a bit of a mare.

One un-muted guitar and one that really should have been muted (major noise from the socket) gave us a poor start with too many distractions.

BUT.

Good is good and it looked like once we got going, people were able to respond. It has to be said that @gatewayvineyard don't sing unless they mean it! For the first time in a long time, I played some hand-percussion using my snare in a quieter section. I love playing kit creatively :)

We looked at the big question of why does God allow Suffering and clearly this was something people had some God-business to do over.

(new Gateway website is www.gatewayvineyardnorwich.org.uk)

Drums in Worship

I'll be adding some of my thoughts about drumming within church music teams, but I thought it might be good to summarise some of my experiences:

• I have been drumming for about 16 years
• I learnt to drum by copying drummers I liked, including the drummers who played for Garth Brooks, Louis Armstrong, Beautiful South, Cheryl Crow and Matt Redman.
• I have never had a drum lesson!
• I have played in small Saxon churches, Cathedrals, sports centres, marquees, cowsheds, outdoors at Pleasurewood Hills, schools, trailers, and just about anywhere I could
• I have drummed at Christian Conferences/Festivals including Spring Harvest & Living Water
• I'm looking forward to drumming on Cromer Pier this year (well, in front of it)
• Tambourines are the most important percussive item in gospel music (save for pianos, but that's another Conversation)
• I have had to play in so many different styles including having to impersonate a train

and.....

• I would really, really like to own a Dave Weckl 13" signature snare