Organic Worship: The power of acoustic instruments in expressing the heart

I'm grateful to have the chance to participate in musical worship at many churches over the years.  The varied styles and personalities of each community have shaped my own range of artistic expression. As years have passed I've experienced dramatic changes too as musical styles have shifted perhaps even more in the church than outside it.  For the most part, I'm one who enjoys change, and from a musical perspective I'm thankful to have been born in this time.  The tools available for creating and sharing music have never been better or more accessible and people are using them to create more music than ever.  It's an exciting time to be a musician, and for the most part the changes have been positive.

There is one change I see playing out in churches that I find distressing though. It might seem minor, in fact for most it's probably going unnoticed.  But one by one, pianos are disappearing from sanctuaries.  New churches aren't buying them. Established churches are selling them. It's not without reason. Acoustic pianos are expensive, large, heavy, and require maintenance.  Furthermore, their electronic counterparts have gotten dramatically better over the years such that, in many environments, a good electric piano or keyboard may sound very much the same.  But here's where I'm gonna take a stand: they are NOT the same!  The differences aren't obvious, but I think they're important and come down to things far more elemental than the sound produced. I think the way the sound is produced actually matters far more than might at first be recognized.

I'm writing this as someone who has spent most of my life playing and recording with electronic instruments. The advances made are remarkable and have made it accessible for the average songwriter to compose and record for literally all the timbres of a symphony orchestra, and far beyond. That said, there is a connection that I feel playing an acoustic instruments that goes far beyond what I experience with electronics and I think that connection is not adequately acknowledged, and when it comes to worship I think it's particularly important.

Drummers already know this. Anxious to control volume, many churches have tried to move drummers to electronics.  In most cases, they've tried and failed!  Why? Because hitting a plastic or rubber surface that sends an electronic signal to a microprocessor which synthesizes or reproduces a digital recording of a drum strike is not the same as hitting a drum head tightly stretched over a wooden hoop that reverberates and pushes air out the other side resulting in one of an infinite number of tones (and overtones) depending on where and how hard its struck!  It's an entirely different experience for the musician and for the listener.  The same is true of acoustic pianos. Rather than "playing a recording of individual notes," which is essentially what a modern electronic keyboard does, a pianist presses a key which triggers a felt hammer that strikes one or more strings tightly wound against a large wooden soundboard suspended in a cabinet, all of which resonate (vibrate) together in an infinite number of combinations depending on which keys are played and with what level of intensity. And all of this happens differently depending  on thousands of different variables in the wood, the manufacturing, the environmental conditions, etc. etc. etc.  And as anyone who plays acoustic instruments knows, no two are alike.  Becky, a pianist I met recently described the difference well:

"My emotions are hard to tie to electronic instruments because of the uniformity of each instrument created, thus, taking away character from each as an individual. Acoustic instruments, even if crafted carefully with the same exact materials, each one will sound uniquely different. No matter how great a keyboard is, it still has the ability to play a sound on it's own with the touch of a button. Yes, you still need a human to control it, however, human touch is basically obsolete." 

Beyond the mere physicality, I see something more going on here to.  God designed our physical world and called it good. The way acoustic instruments work is actually very close to that which God created. A piece of wood hollowed out by natural forces or even a bone can make a flute or a drum. Why? Because these materials have the ability to resonate, which essentially means to vibrate and create a tone. This works, again, because of the way God designed our physical world — it's a gift. Humans discovered this very early, and in keeping with the creative nature we were given, began to do artistic things with these tones. We began to make music.

The organic tones that come from instruments of natural materials is as unique and ripe with infinite possibilities. But rather than infinite possibilities, when we synthesize or sample these tones what we create are duplicates of them. This is one reason music start to sound the same from artist to artist, album to album, performance to performance.  In chasing after technical perfection, we've created "sameness." Not only does this become monotonous to the hearer, it is an important barrier to musical expression. Again, Becky continues:

"I definitely feel a change in the way I worship when I play a keyboard vs the piano. The keyboard is more complicated, which practically means "unpredictable," whereas with a piano, you know the sound you will get every single time you press down a key. There is instant gratification when playing a piano key in contrast to a keyboard where you have to rely on speakers, mixers, and ultimately a sound engineer. I can play a piano with emotion especially when given the chance to shut my brain down and let my emotions take over."

I understand all the practical reasons why pianos are becoming less common.  It's true that they are large ... so they can get in the way on stage.  They also have to be maintained ... so they're an expense. They also only make one sound — piano — whereas electronic keyboards make many sounds, some quite beautiful.  Ultimately, I'm not making a case that ALL churches need a piano, or that electronic keyboards have no place in worship. By no means.  Instead, I contend that acoustic pianos and electronic keyboards are different instruments each with strengths and weaknesses. Ideally, I'd make the case for both. So rather than replacing their acoustic pianos (or organs, for that matter), my plea to churches is to consider thinking of the keyboard as an addition rather than a replacement. The flexibility and range of a good electronic keyboard will not be matched by a any single acoustic instrument, but it won't match the unique expressive capabilities of an good acoustic instrument. They're just different.

Finally, I'll close with a story. Becky's church chose to sell their acoustic piano and replace it with an electric keyboard. I don't doubt they had good reasons for their decision, and the instrument they bought is among the best available.  But the connection a musician can feel to an acoustic instrument as an tool of worship is perfectly illustrated by her recollection of having it moved, "I cried when that piano was moved out of the sanctuary — and it was going to my house!"  That's right, considering the connection she felt to the instrument it's gratifying that she actually was able to be the one who bought it from them.  This isn't an isolated example.  Many musicians feel a strong emotional connection to their acoustic instruments, often naming them. If cared for, even the monetary value of a good acoustic instrument may appreciate as it ages too. I don't know anyone that ever cried when replacing an electronic keyboard. Instead, they're usually anxious to replace it with the new, improved model... usually released within a year of when they bought it.