We’ve been thinking this month particularly about small churches, and how to adapt songs from worship albums and make them work in smaller spaces with fewer instruments.
The process is something like the reverse of what producing an album is often like – when we make an album, we often start with acoustic demos (perhaps with a guitar or piano and vocals) and then turn them into the fully arranged piece that you hear on the CD. Here’s an example (Unity, from our last album)
See how in the full band version all the parts are shared between the instruments? The bass does the bass, the drums gives the rhythm, the guitars and piano give the chords. Well, arranging something for a single instrument just means going the other way – playing the chords with their bass notes, and with a solid rhythm.
But while simplicity is the key in acoustic arrangements, that doesn’t mean we have to abandon creativity. Acoustic versions don’t have to be the lesser cousins of the full band version. Check out these amazing acoustic versions from the secular music industry, then compare them with the full band versions next to them:
Of course, we couldn't do a feature on acoustic versions of pop songs without mentioning our good friends Shed Muzak!
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