Accompaniment

The single human voice is a powerful instrument.

Hearing a gifted voice convey a message on it’s own can be quite the moving experience and you can truly appreciate tone and feeling by it.

Yet there can be no doubt that all you have to do is add another voice that accompanies that one, taking a complimentary route and that experience becomes richer.

It was no bad thing when instruments came along and the skill became weaving all these elements to present something truly wonderful with which to treat your ears. When forces combine to compliment each other it can result in something that can change your entire disposition and turn a bad day into a glorious one.

Likewise it is one of the bugbears of my life when I hear a musical piece and it’s completely disjointed where musicians are not working together and they disrespect the actual song they are meant to be accompanying. It doesn’t just ruin the song, it makes you wonder what on earth are these people there for in the first place.

The point of accompanying something is to know that the job is done when the main point of the song can be clearly expressed. It’s not to gain attention to themselves. It’s not to make pointless the contribution of others. It is all about making the main point – the main point.

It’s a pain hearing music pieces mess this up. It’s even more tragic when communities of grace mess it up and don’t see each part as accompanying each other for the main point of gathering. It leads to such discordant disharmony, that it makes no sense continuing to engage with the community. How sweet it is then for everyone to realise that we accompany each other to keep the main point – God and righteous rule – the main point. It’s not about certain positions and gifts over others. It’s not about certain people doing their bit while others observe.

When that is happening those looking on will want to listen to the music and perhaps get involved in accompanying the main tune themselves.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden