Altar Chords, a clinic for keyboardists and guitarists was held at COG Dasmariñas last August 29 from 10:30AM to 8:00PM. Delegates from different MMR Churches included keyboardists, guitarists, song leaders, and pastors. Instructor Jay-Ar Lacierda from COG Sasa, a graduate of conservatory of music education, came to COG Dasmariñas to teach the delegates the fundamentals of music, and the key techniques on improving the chord construction and feel of flow during altar calls. The lesson comprised of both lecture and hands-on, with handouts given for reference. During the hands-on, Jay-Ar roamed around to give specific pointers and lessons to the delegates based on their level and knowledge. And at the end, he gave essential tips to summarise the lessons that the delegates could apply almost immediately on their next slot to play in the altar call. As a follow-through, Jay-Ar also played during the altar call of the 7:30AM and 9:30AM services to demonstrate the application of the lessons he taught during the event.
Objectives:
- To teach current keyboardists and guitarists how to improve their feel during altar calls / free flows
- To widen and deepen the chord vocabulary of keyboardists and guitarists
Program Flow:
| Time | Lesson / Activity |
| 7:30 – 9:30 AM | EXCEL Service |
| 10:00 – 12:00 NN | Music Literacy***Seeing the Big Picture in Music as: Music Directors, Arrangers, or Composers a. Fast Note Reading (Lines & Spaces Patterns) b. Dictation (up to 16th Notes) – Writing/Reading Rhythmic Patternsc. Solfeggio (with application on Notation Softwares: Finale, Sibelius, etc.) |
| 12:00 – 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 12:30 – 2:30 PM | Patterns a. Major Scale Pattern b. Family Chords c. Chord Construction Patterns i. Triads ii. 7th iii. 9th iv. 11th, v. 13th, vi. Altered Chords d. Rootless Chords e. Chord Rhythmic Patterns f. Soloing Scales Pattern (Chord Based, Blues, Harmonic Minor, etc.) |
| 2:30 – 4:30 PM | Substitutions a. Chord Embellishments – Making the Family Chords Sound like a Pro b. Chord Combinations, Melody and Harmony Combinations for free playing during Worship Service (commonly used lines in keys: C, G, D, F, A, E, etc.) c. Chord Progressions/Passing chords/Passing Tones (ii,V,I, etc.) |
| 4:30 – 5:00 PM | Break / Snack |
| 5:00 – 8:00 PM | Chord Analysis a. Melody & Bass Listening, Combination, and Analysisb. Song Listening and application of lines in Songs (Ron Kenoly, Don Moen, or earlier Christian Songs) |