A succesful drum solo is one that takes the listener (and even the soloist) on an audio journey, washing over the participants with dynamics and emotion.

A drum solo that is inspired by God has a definite purpose. I will discuss soloing in church further on in this article. I will begin first by looking at a drum solo in general.

[For more info on drum soloing, see my other drum solo article here]

[ Don't forget my YouTube page has LOADS of drum solos! ]

The solo you want to hear
The soloist gains the respect of the listener by first respecting the listener. The display of skills commands attention and has impact. A story is told with highs and lows, fasts and slows.

A successful drum solo, I believe, consists of the following elements:

• Originality
• Creativity
• Diversity
• A bit of showmanship
• Sensitivity
• Dynamics
• Structure
• Imagination
• Passion/Emotion
• A beginning and an end

Ok, that’s a lot of elements! A good solo includes some of these “criteria”, a great solo encompasses all these aspects! The drummer uses a skillful combination of rhythm, co-ordination and available instruments to paint a picture of rhythmic timbres and tones. A soundscape of audible appreciation is created as brand new sounds and patterns emerge into the atmosphere. A solo is almost always enjoyable by all (I say ‘almost‘ because I have seen/heard some not-so-good solos before!).

Here is a great solo from Neil Peart

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuOTkrEVeb4[/youtube]

Soloing in worship
I do not claim to be an accomplished drum soloist, in fact rather the opposite! But there have been times in church (during the worship) when I have felt, due to being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, to play expressively and solo on my kit or percussion. There is a spiritual symbolism and prophetic partnering when playing under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

There is a distinct difference between soloing in worship and soloing in the context of entertainment/performance.

Soloing in the context of worship is about playing under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, being senstive and aware that God is wanting to do something with it. You become an instrument that must be played effectively to make the maximum impact in a spiritual situation.

Soloing in the context of entertainment, well, that goes without saying what it’s all about. It’s about the music, the band, you, the crowd. It is entertainment. Nothing wrong with entertainment, just not in church on a Sunday morning!

An experience
I remember one Sunday morning service I was playing and felt led to play expressively and as I was playing I saw (in the Spirit) things like ‘bombs’ (for lack of a better word) falling through the ceiling and landing and exploding on different people. I believed this was a supernatural reflection of what God was doing at that point in the worship, allowing His Spirit to fall and ‘explode’ onto people to set them free, to encourage, to release… So, I mimicked that on the kit by using my cymbals, toms and bass drum. As the ‘bomb’ was falling through the air, I would crescendo on the cymbals and then, when it landed, I would strike the tom and bass drum together to illustrate its explosion. As this was happening I would look at each person the ‘bomb’ was falling on and pray for release in their life. I was warring against demons and spiritual strongholds in people’s lives and to play what I was playing had to be taken seriously. It really was a tremendous experience. I have not had many of those experiences where the vision and playing linked so closely to each other.

Things to remember when soloing in worship

• Anointing
• Heart
• Attitude
• Sensitivity
• Dynamics
• Obedience
• Submission
• Eye contact with worship leader or lead elder

Unfortunately I cannot go through all the above points otherwise this article would be way too long! There is a reason and purpose you are led to play expressively in worship. You may not always know the reason but need to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and play.

You may not even know what to play, so that’s when you should have a pattern or two up your sleeve to at least start with. Starting with something familiar may help with your confidence as you then learn to solo expressively over that. You may even find yourself being able to play things you didn’t know you could play! I believe God can enable you to play supernaturally in circumstances. It is good though to practice soloing on your kit though, coming up with patterns or ideas that you can apply in different scenarios. At the end of the day, soloing is a personal style and there are no set rules. I can say that you will soon realise what does not work (hopefully!).

I will leave you with this thought : even though we’re talking about a drum ‘solo‘, as a Christian I think we should call it a drum ‘duo‘ as God is there with you all the time!