by Don Chapman
In addition to writing and arranging music
as well as creating the WorshipIdeas website,
did you know I'm an inventor?
Yeah, I just invented this
fantastic new
device that I hope will
be used by churches
everywhere. It's a special
laser that you
aim at the congregation.
The beam scatters
across the room, penetrates
eyeballs and
creates a cool lighting
effect [it will save
you a bundle - no need
for special lighting.]
Also, I'm working on an
upgrade that will
allow you to beam worship
song lyrics directly
onto the retinas of everyone
in the room.
No more screens and costly
projectors!
There's only one drawback. If you attend
services with my invention you'll eventually
start losing your eyesight and may even go
blind. But really, it's soooo cool!!
Just kidding.
So why are church praise
bands making waves
of sound that penetrate
eardrums and make
people go deaf? It's soooo
cool!
There seems to be a prevailing
thought these
days that louder is better.
The worship must
>rock.< I just turned
40 so I'm definitely
over the hill, but really,
must we destroy
the hearing of our congregations?
To get
spiritual on you, what
do you think God will
say one day in Heaven to
worship leaders
who have damaged the eardrums
of their congregation?
I'm not talking about loud
music, either.
I'm talking about painfully
piercing loud
music. As baby boomers
age [the first generation
to be affected by amplified
music] there's
been much talk lately about
hearing loss.
Google "hearing loss
music" and
the list goes on and on.
Most recently the
talk has been about the
damage iPods can
do to your hearing.
Of course, everyone has
an opinion about
how loud is too loud, just
like everyone
has an opinion over the
style of music. I
guess volume is the new
worship war, and
this happy debate will
only heat up as churches
become more relevant to
the rock-concert
culture.
Several websites have good
info on sound
levels. Dangerousdecibels.org claims that 100db can cause damage after
only 15 minutes [better shorten that praise
set!] Hearnet.com is a bit more generous, giving 2 hours for
100db, admitting that "many hearing
professionals believe that these permissible
levels are still too high for hearing safety."
Google "music decibel chart."
http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/hearingloss.cfm
http://www.hearnet.com/at_risk/risk_aboutloss.shtml
So what's right for you?
1. Size up your church. If you're a rock'n roller worship leader
leading an older congregation, realize you'll
never get the volume where you want it. Conversely,
a church with a younger congregation likes
louder music. Do what's appropriate for your
group.
2. Measure the level. Radio Shack sells the "7-Range Analog Display Sound Level Meter" for around $50. Have someone walk
the room during rehearsal and measure for
acceptable levels. This is also good ammunition
for worship leaders to convince elders and
deacons that the sound is not as loud as
they thought.
3. Is it really too loud? Sometimes it isn't: it's just a bad mix.
Non-musicians usually can't articulate what
they're hearing, so to them it's just "too
loud." In reality, maybe the vocal is
too hot, or maybe the mix has way too much
high EQ and is piercing the ears. Maybe you
have a great bass/kick mix and traditionalists
are rattled by it, and mistakenly think the
music is too loud.
4. Get earplugs. The level might be fine in the house but
it's still dangerous on stage. Google "musician's
earplugs" and see all that's out there.
Custom fit versions are expensive (around
$200) but there are some stock models that
claim to have a quality that's clearer and
more natural than those cheap spongy things
you can get at the drugstore. I found a decent
pair of specialty earplugs at Guitar Center
for about $10. Hearnet.com also has info
on musician's earplugs.
For you traditionalists
who are smugly planning
your next plan of attack
against contemporary
worship using this article,
realize classical
musicians are also now
starting to wear earplugs.
Even the piccolo generates
sound levels up
to 112db, roughly equivalent
to a jackhammer
at 30 feet!
How about earplugs for
the congregation?
Whenever I'm out visiting
other churches
I always take my earplugs
just to be safe,
but I was surprised and
happy to see Lifechurch
offered free earplugs at
the door. Their
music was nicely loud but
not obnoxious and
I didn't even need them!
Ok, I promise not to take
my new worship
laser invention to market
>if< you
promise to protect your
eardrums!
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