Using an IPad in Rehearsal

by vernsanders on November 16, 2010

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and he was excited about his new Ipad. We were talking about how he used it (I don’t have one, but I’m sorely tempted to change that situation…), and he mentioned that the previous day he had used it in rehearsal. Naturally I was curious. Here’s what he told me:

He leads the band at his church, and there are a couple of players, most notably the drummer, who are not professional players. In fact the whole band is amateur, which is not a bad thing, but the drummer, for instance, is a high school kid who is learning how to play. Part of my friend’s role, therefore, is to teach over the long haul, as well as prepare for the worship music each week.

So at the previous rehearsal, they were doing a tune, and the drummer was having no end of difficulty with finding a pattern that worked with the song. My friend fired up his Ipad, found a YouTube video of the song in question, pressed play, and handed it to the drummer.

Interestingly enough, the bass player, who is not a kid, but is, shall we say, mostly limited to playing roots and fifths, stands close enough to the drummer that he could look over the drummer’s shoulder to see the video as well. My friend said both bass player and drummer got an immediate idea of what was not only possible, but SAW how the two players in the video were doing it.

I think this is a great idea. You can use it for choirs, handbell groups, children’s ensembles, and even to teach worship leaders how to make transitions and/or read Scripture. The drawback, and it can be a big one, from a musical standpoint, is that absent any guidance from the leader, the YouTube model becomes the ONLY way to play, sing, or speak…so caveat emptor.

Ever used an Ipad in rehearsal? How did you use it? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Ipod shuffle status: 2041 (Movement #5: Lebhaft from Robert Schumann Symphony No. E: “The Rhenish”)  of 7875

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