Comments on: Clapping our hands (a step by step guide to the death of rhythm)

By: The Kingdom, The Kids, & the Cowboys » Blog Archive » At That Time…

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:32:57 +0000

[...] about why our church clapping sounds like “somebody lit a box of hand firecrackers.” Click here to read it. And try to click on the downbeat, not the [...]

By: autumn

autumn — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:30:31 +0000

i’m a short, fat, litte white girl. i have no rhythm. my college group would like to believe that i dislike clapping at our semi-conservative church, when in reality, i love the clapping. i just can’t follow it, so i like to take the hands raised to my chest and eyes closed stance during worship.

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:53:06 +0000

Almost cried laughing about this one. So ridiculously true.

By: Alleycat

Alleycat — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 01:55:11 +0000

Psalm 150 in its entirety:

1 Praise the LORD.[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

’nuff said.

By: Alleycat

Alleycat — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 01:44:40 +0000

LOL, sort of like patting your head with one hand and rubbing your tummy with the other.

Then switching hands.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:40:32 +0000

A few months ago I went to Thailand. The churches I visited there were very kind and always had us sit on the side of the stage in those “special deacon seats” because we were guests. I soon realized that everyone in Thailand clapped on the downbeat(1 & 3), where as most Americans clap on the upbeat(2 & 4). Because I am a musician, I could not bring myself to clap on the downbeat(I know, I know, pride is bad). So that left me, all alone, in front of everyone, distracted in worship and looking like one of those wayward clappers.

I eventually got over it, and experienced amazing worshiped with everyone else. I never thought that clapping would be such a big deal for me.

In Mexico, I experienced the same phenomenon.

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:20:43 +0000

I play bass on the worship team at my church. I’m gonna be honest, on songs like “All Day” and “Take It All” were the bass starts the song, I tell(more like plead with) the drummer to start the song(or at least give me a solid kick or high hat to act as a metronome). I only do this because the worship leader usually welcomes everyone while I start the song, and that leaves me rhythmically stranded for what feels like 12 measures, in a room full of(passionate, lovely) off beat LOUD clappers.
I always thought that my inability to hold my own in a room of off beat clappers proved that I was a bad bass player, but I recently found that may not be true. A good friend of mine(and amazing bass player of a touring worship team) filled in for me for a worship service recently and when worship was done he told me, ‘That was so hard!, the claps kept getting me off, they are louder then the drums. I don’t know how you guys play without in ear monitors.’

I have nothing against LOUD clappers, in fact, I Love them. I don’t care if you clap to your own drum. In fact, I would rather you clap off beat and mess me up than not clap at all. Worship teams like people who clap.

My point really is, worship leaders, pastors, please let us have in ear monitors, or metronomes, just anything louder then the clapping and is also on time.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:19:37 +0000

I hope this was a joke, and that is is just going over my head atm (if it is, I have to blame finals week for fogging up the works). Would you also be opposed to the playing of instruments? Mmkay, someone should have told David playing an instrument in praise is a Satanist idea.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:15:34 +0000

My dad (former pastor) has no rhythm either. He is the only one in the family who wasn’t a gigantic band dork growing up.
He always likes to tell the story about how his first church (that he pastored) held an intervention of sorts to get him to turn off his mic and sit in a pew until time for the sermon. He was so off-key, singing into his lapel mic, that he was throwing off the choir!

By: Common Worship Leading Blunders (Part 2) « david santistevan

Common Worship Leading Blunders (Part 2) « david santistevan — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:07:55 +0000

[...] (I know, it’s tough) but also show the congregation how you want them to clap (check out what Jon Acuff has to say about clapping). The off-beat tambourine lady has good intentions, but she will threaten [...]