February 2012
4 posts
In-Ear Review - And The Winner Is...
By a long shot, Sensaphonics 2MAX. Runner up, Etymotic ER4P.
Short Version:
I give a lot of in-ear recommendations. Right now here’s what I’m telling people: If you want a super cheap pair around $100, grab a set of Shure SE215s. Don’t buy anything for any more than that until you hit the $300 price point - then grab a set of Etymotic ER4Ps. Don’t buy anything for any...
Worship Leaders have a lot to learn from Spin...
Here’s what a great Spin Instructor does:
They care about the environment. They make the lighting, the loudness of music, the temperature, available water, bike seat height, and anything else that might impact a client’s ability to ride, optimum. They don’t just ride their bike and expect others to follow.
They lose themselves from time to time. You can tell that they love...
Church is Not Cool
Just accept it and we’ll all be better off.
It must have been in the 80s or 90s, or whenever “Jesus Freak” came out, where we felt the need to prove that it was cool to go to church. So we started ripping off “cool” songs, sayings, t-shirts, movies, art, architecture, really anything pop culture considered “cool”. We tweaked the content or title just a...
Planner vs To-do List
I’m thinking about ditching to-do lists and going with a daily planner strategy instead.
A little based on this: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/01/to-do_lists_dont_work.html
And a little based on this: http://www.worklifebalance.com/time-management.html
I’ll report back with my findings…
January 2012
6 posts
Things I Learned While 31
Just turned 32. Here’s some stuff I learned while I was 31:
I’m not the main character of anyone else’s story. If I can get over feeling offended by this, I’ll save a lot of time and energy.
No one will work hard enough to accomplish my personal aspirations. If someone offers to do my work for me, they’re offering to delay my project.
Another year of things I thought were first priority but...
Shyness Is Pride →
This reinforces the “generous performance” idea I’ve been pushing lately. Article is aimed at “shy” people, but I think “self conscious” works as well and applies to even seemingly confident performers.
“Someone I respect a great deal once told me that ‘shyness is pride.’ What he meant was that shy people spend too much time worrying about...
1 tag
Dear Church Bass Player
Or any bass player (I just see this a lot in church players)…
Play with the kick!
I can’t tell you how many bass players I’ve worked with or auditioned who can play scales and licks like there’s no tomorrow but I no idea how to play a song with a drummer.
Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, I’d like to hear the bass player...
December 2011
4 posts
Your "Thing" (follow-up post)
This is a follow up to the “living in default” thought from last week. I think most of us would say we’re not satisfied living in default. So why does it happen, and what can we do to change it?
I can be sitting across from someone who has the potential to be a huge light in this dark world. To challenge the status quo and actually change it because of their influence. To do...
Living in Default
I’m afraid most of us are doomed to live and die in default.
Living in default means all incoming requests impact your path. Consequently, your path leads nowhere. Lots of activity. No real progress in any certain direction. You never really lived your life, but on the bright side, you helped a lot of other people live theirs. I guess you have to be sure that tradeoff is really what you...
Specific Positive Feedback - Harder Than It Sounds
“You did a great job. Everything was very good. Except this one thing…” Then you go into amazing in-depth detail describing the one mistake they made.
This translates to: “You didn’t do anything good worth remembering.”
You may actually mean that they did a great job, and the mistake you bring up may actually not be a big deal to you. But that’s not what...
1 tag
What About the Church of 175? (a follow up to my...
A pastor and friend brought up a great question in response to last week’s post:
“93% of churches in America are under 350 people in size. Most of those do not have the budget or the pool of volunteers to use a “professionally trained” sound tech. They simply are looking for a warm body and don’t have the money to invest in training or hiring someone outside of the...
Dealing With "Too Loud" Complaints in Church
In my 10yrs as a worship pastor, the issue that’s come up more than any other issue has been the issue of volume. From countless conversations I’ve had with other worship pastors, I’m going to guess that it’s in the top 3 for most churches - at least the ones attempting modern music.
I think the issue deserves more time than just turning up or down the master volume knob,...
November 2011
6 posts
Why I Hate the "Church Mix"
The “Church Mix”
First imagine a mix of music the way you’re used to hearing it on your iPod or in concert…
Now take electric guitar and turn it down until it’s just about inaudible. You can tell it’s there, but you can’t tell what it’s doing.
Do the same with the snare. If you can’t get the snare to an inaudible level, move the drums as far...
Thoughts From The Other Room
Worship Leader (in this case, Nick Evans)-
I’m sitting here listening to you lead worship from my desk. Right now it’s just voices. I’m hearing your voice and then everyone else’s following yours. I’m reminded how important a role the worship leader plays in the Church. You’re laying down a path for them to walk on. You’re not telling them what to do -...
It's *Not* Just You and God
When you’re in your car and you’re singing your brains out, it’s just you and God.
When you’re sitting on a hill and watching the sunset, it’s just you and God.
When you’re staring into the dark in the middle of the night and praying for some sign that you’re not alone, it’s just you and God.
But when you walk into a room with 100 or 10,000...
4 Questions to Ask When Making Church Decisions
1. Are the members of the church (the actual people who make up the church) owning and driving this or are they being dragged along?
2. Are the leaders excited about this?
3. Does this reflect who we are (the actual people who make up the church) or is it a reflection of someone else’s church or idea of church?
4. Will it be helpful in a real way to real people?
Blob Switch
I’ve spent the last 12 years of my life on stage. Here’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far:
There’s a switch on your way up to the stage. Every time you step onto the stage, the switch is there. If you flick the switch, you’re safe. If you don’t flick the switch, you’re naked - you could die on that stage.
We’ll call it the “blob...
October 2011
4 posts
I Move That We Kill Christian Culture
I’ve spent the last few years wondering if I was really a Christian.
I mean, I believe Jesus is who He says He is. I believe He did what the Bible says He did. I’m basing my life and my eternity on it. I write about it. My career and my family are built around it. The fact that I don’t have to live and die with the weight of my sin on my back and that I don’t have to keep...
Fly Your Own Plane
Starting something new is like designing a plane. It takes a lot of work and heart. Lots of long hours and tons of money. Finishing the plane is rewarding.
But at some point, someone has got to find out if it will fly. That’s something else.
It’s one thing to buy a ticket and stand in line with a crowd - to sit in a seat where thousands have been seated - to trust a pilot who’s...
Exciting Announcement!!!
I have an exciting announcement to make…
As of next week, I’ll be transitioning to part-time at Richwoods to more fully pursue the mission of Hello Industry.
This decision is a result of a couple of years of struggling, talking with advisors, talking with my wife Heather, and praying for wisdom. A few weeks ago it all came to a head and I believe God asked me if I really believed in...
Become A Better Screwup
“The longer you do something the less mistakes you’ll make.”
I think that’s an amateur concept.
It may be slightly true, but that’s not what makes you a professional. In fact, the more glitches in your performance, the more times you can prove to me that you are (or aren’t) a professional.
The true measure of your professionalism is in how you handle...
September 2011
4 posts
Perfection vs Meaning
No one is looking for perfect art. Just that phrase, “perfect art”, sounds stupid. It’s cold and boring. Sterile.
Aren’t we much more concerned with meaning than perfection? If your art has meaning and perfection, great. But no matter how perfect your execution is, if you play me a song that doesn’t say something (musically or lyrically or some other way), I’ll...
HD Isn't The Future
Neither are lower thirds. Flying titles. Surround sound. Papyrus font.
At one point (sometime around 1993 I think) PowerPoint transitions impressed people. It got their attention. We realized it, so we started using visual and technological pizzazz in business presentations and commercials and church services. The tactic was: **Impress people and they’ll listen to you.**
The principle is...
Your Worship Feels Like a Concert
“Your worship feels like a concert.”
My response: “Thanks!”
No, I’m not trying to impress you.
No, I’m not trying to feed my ego.
No, I’m not only here to entertain you.
But I don’t think that’s the case for *real* concert-playing musicians either.
When I go to a concert:
- I’m overwhelmed with the artistic passion and...
Worship Pastors: Get Off the Stage (or "Your Real...
What do worship pastors do all week anyway?
I mean really. They pick some songs, lead a rehearsal, and lead the church on Sunday. Does that take 40hrs? Even 20hrs?
Probably not.
So they must do more than that, right?
Eh. Maybe. But usually not. Google “Parkinson’s Law”.
Somewhere along the line we decided that worship pastors should be hired. I think we were right. The role...
August 2011
1 post
Decided to spend our last 2 days of vacation in...
July 2011
1 post
Music Should Be Free
I love making music. I love the entire process of writing, arranging, re-writing, recording, mixing, performing. I love hearing people’s interpretations of the songs. I live to hear stories from people who have been genuinely helped by a song I wrote. Like, seriously helped. Like, it carried them through a time of deep depression and suicidal thinking. Stories like that make the 2-3 years of...
June 2011
1 post
I love
I love what I do. That’s all.
(still working on my first gear review… that’ll be here soon!)
May 2011
2 posts
That One Thing vs System Sustainment
You can help this system we’ve built around us keep moving along, or you can do that one thing… The thing everyone is waiting, and dying for you to so. In some cases literally.
The first excuse that comes to your mind… That’s just your first order of business. Yes, it’s a real issue. Just figure it out.
If you won’t do this, you’re choosing to be...
Some Random Thoughts on Church and Worship...
I friend from church asked me to share some thoughts on worship ministry in churches with him for a school project. I figured I’d post it here in case the topic intrigued anyone else. Just some random thoughts…
—-
Worship Ministry Philosophy- It’s more of a general ministry philosophy, but most of what I do is based on the believe that the Church should do the work of the...
April 2011
17 posts
Finishing what we started
So much has been going on in my life lately that progress on an album I’ve been recording w Hi for over a year has slowed to almost a stop. I keep waiting for things to let up so I can dedicate some time to finish, but things aren’t letting up. I was reminded this week that things don’t let up. And ”things not letting up” can easily become an excuse for avoiding...
Just finished this book. Really good. Recommended....
Finished w Electric Overdubs!
Just finished electric overdubs. Brett killed it last night. I’m especially excited about a certain solo at the end of Manipulator. Happy.
Moving my blog to Tumblr
I’m going to try to start blogging a little more often. I believe MarsEdit will help me do this, but it doesn’t work with Posterous, so I’m going to move my blogging to Tumblr. Head over there if you’d like to follow along.http://nathanpeterson.tumblr.com
Spinning my creative wheels
Does anyone else deal with this? I started my week about 3hrs ago. I’ve spent these 3hrs planning out how I’m going to spend my week. Got it all down. It’s mostly emails and touching base with people. Researching this or that. Putting out a few fires and making a few things work better. Feels like “the norm” and I guess it’s fine. But then the idea of...
Thanks to the stomach flu I may actually finish...
It works. But is it best?
“People think this won’t work, but they’re just resistant to change - they’ve tried this at xyz and it does work.” Sure enough, we go out on a limb and try it and it does work. From my perspective, that’s a huge win. Venturing out on the limb and taking some risk is a valuable practice. But look at the above statement again. The implied priority is on things...
Currently reading this book:
Once I Get On My Feet
How many times have you started a sentence that way? “Once I get on my feet I’ll…” “As soon as… then I’ll…” It’s a piece of equipment. A loan. Someone’s approval. A sure sign from God Almighty. An open door. A few more dollars in the bank. One more book on the subject under your belt. A degree. Some condition. How would...
Absolutes in Worship
This morning I heard a worship song that sounded pretty cool. I started thinking of using it at our church or with Hello Industry at conferences. But after a few lines, my excitement faded. This happens pretty regularly and I’ve never been able to put my finger on the reason… until today.I’ve always felt a disconnect between the worship music I write or connection with and the...
1 tag
The Critical Mass Church
Churches could agree on a “critical mass” which they believe is necessary for them to reach their community. Once critical mass is reached, all excess resources and energy could be shared (given) directly to other churches in order to help them reach their critical mass (potential). They could call themselves a “Critical Mass Church” or a “Big C Church” and they...
The Business of Church
The Business of Church is weird. Doesn’t it feel a little bit like “who asked us to do this?” Like a lot of self-imposed stress and crisis? I know, God asked us to do this. But is there a slight possibility that what it’s become is, at least partially, bloated?I think the American Church may be experiencing some serious feature bloat. Don’t get me wrong - I think the...
Small Bread
Then Jesus passed around the smallest most crunchy piece of “bread” the disciples had ever seen along with a quarter-sip of grape juice to wash it down. He instructed them to face forward, ignore each other, to think about how we was going to die for them and how sucky that made them, and then once they had accepted that fact they could down the bread and the juice. (The key here is...
Simplicity in Worship
I heard Edward McManus make a statement a few years ago that has stuck with me ever since. He was answering the question, “why don’t we have a dance ministry anymore?”. His response was “because we don’t have any dancers”. His response was so simple and at the same time alarmingly profound. Why should something that makes so much sense be so profound to us as a...
Noise vs Sound
Our church has asked us to fast this month. It can be from food but can be from something other than food like caffeine or tree climbing or rollerblades. Heather and I are fasting from food one day per week and meeting each night to pray about a couple of specific things. But as I thought about the real point of fasting I came to the decision to fast from internet from 5pm-on every night. To some...
My Writing Process
Hey everyone. How are you? I am fine.We’ve had a lot of stuff going on in Hello Industry world lately. James and I are working on the 2nd half of the Hymns album. We’re all working on some business-y things like looking at booking agencies and management. We’ve been playing a lot of shows in Peoria this summer/fall which has been really fun. And I’ve been writing quite a bit. I think we’re up to...