The Spaces Between the Notes
Read: 1 Samuel 3:8-11
J.D. Crowe is one of the greatest banjo players ever. He was asked what made his playing different or special, and his reply was that you can’t just play as fast as you can, with as many runs as you can fit in; you also have to pay attention to the spaces between the notes.
That’s one of the things we always have to work on in choir as we learn new music. The composers put rests in the music for a reason, and if we sing through the rests, we’re not really doing what we’re supposed to; we have to listen for the spaces between the notes.
In fact, we usually have to listen to the spaces between the notes, because either another section is singing something we’ll need to echo or complement, or the accompaniment is leading us to the next part we’re to sing.
Listening is a big part of singing.
That’s a lot like prayer too, isn’t it? Just as the rests in music tell us where to stop so we can listen to the phrases, we need to pause and listen for God’s reply as we pray. Look at so many of the Psalms where you find the word “Selah” between sections. That’s our prompt to pause in the psalm, to stop and think about what we’re reading and saying, to give a little space in our talking so we can do some listening. We can get going, telling God what we need, or thanking Him for what we have, or asking for help for others, but if we don’t leave some space to listen, we’re not really praying.
Listening is a big part of praying.
Prayer: Father, help us to remember that prayer can be a conversation, and that we need to stop from time to time and listen for Your reply. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Charlie van Becelaere
Read: 1 Samuel 3:8-11
J.D. Crowe is one of the greatest banjo players ever. He was asked what made his playing different or special, and his reply was that you can’t just play as fast as you can, with as many runs as you can fit in; you also have to pay attention to the spaces between the notes.
That’s one of the things we always have to work on in choir as we learn new music. The composers put rests in the music for a reason, and if we sing through the rests, we’re not really doing what we’re supposed to; we have to listen for the spaces between the notes.
In fact, we usually have to listen to the spaces between the notes, because either another section is singing something we’ll need to echo or complement, or the accompaniment is leading us to the next part we’re to sing.
Listening is a big part of singing.
That’s a lot like prayer too, isn’t it? Just as the rests in music tell us where to stop so we can listen to the phrases, we need to pause and listen for God’s reply as we pray. Look at so many of the Psalms where you find the word “Selah” between sections. That’s our prompt to pause in the psalm, to stop and think about what we’re reading and saying, to give a little space in our talking so we can do some listening. We can get going, telling God what we need, or thanking Him for what we have, or asking for help for others, but if we don’t leave some space to listen, we’re not really praying.
Listening is a big part of praying.
Prayer: Father, help us to remember that prayer can be a conversation, and that we need to stop from time to time and listen for Your reply. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Charlie van Becelaere
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