Dealing with Variation Between Musicians

Worship leaders often ask Alex: do you make your musicians play everything exactly like the album? His answer is a clear no. Every musician is unique — God wired them a certain way, they come from a certain background, they have their own style and preference. So the real question is how to deal with the variation between different players.

Keep the skeleton, free the fills

Here’s how Alex views it. He wants the song to retain its overall feel, vibe, and key characteristics — a signature lead line, a specific keys part, a defining drum groove, or a very particular bass line (which is rare anyway). As long as the primary essence of the song is intact — it still feels like the song — he doesn’t overanalyze the rest.

He won’t criticize a drum fill that’s slightly different.
He won’t police a keyboardist’s choices on the in-between parts.
He won’t dictate a bass player’s exact approach or riffs.

Let them retain the skeleton and key elements of the song, but give them freedom on the in-between stuff, the fills, and the little nuances.

Why? Because if every part becomes routine, rote, and mechanical, nobody has the freedom to express themselves — and that’s a fast way to burn out your team and make people lose interest. You want players to express themselves while keeping the core heartbeat of the song.

Your preference isn’t the standard

Alex tells on himself here. He once had a bass player play Marvelous Light with a bouncy, almost country-pop, “bebop” feel — where Alex himself would have played driving rock. It wasn’t his favorite, and he wondered: should I say something? Should I ask him to straighten it out?

Then he realized the deciding question isn’t “is this my preference?” but “is this actually hurting the church?”

99% of the congregation won’t even notice the difference.
It won’t affect their worship, hinder them, or take anything away.
Was it his preference? No. Was it going to hurt the church? Also no.

So he said nothing and let the bass player play it his way. It was a little hokey, a little cheesy — and the church still sang Marvelous Light and still worshiped, none the wiser.

God gave you these musicians on purpose

God gave you a specific set of musicians at your church because he wants them to be playing how they play.

Let people express themselves. Protect the song’s identity, but don’t trample the players to satisfy your personal taste.

Application

Think of the last part you wanted to “correct.” Was it genuinely hurting the song’s identity or the church’s worship — or was it just not your preference?
Which signature elements of a song are truly non-negotiable (the lead line, the groove, the key part), and where can you hand your players freedom?
Are any of your musicians at risk of burning out because everything is locked down and mechanical? Where could you give someone room to express themselves this week?