Discerning Congregants Give Praise For Yamaha MPC7
MADISON, Ind. Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana employs what Music Minister Steve Williamson calls "a good variety of instrumentation." That is, perhaps, a slight understatement, considering a full 40- to 50-member orchestra performs during services once a month. For regular "blended" services, there's usually a pop/rock-oriented praise band with a rhythm section, always a choir, often a choral anthem and, on occasion, even a jazz Big Band. "Our congregants are a broad mix, one of the most multi-generational blends I've ever been involved with, so we offer something for everyone," says Williamson. "We could divide our services by musical preference, but we try to hold the entire congregation together, and teach tolerance and charity about musical tastes too."
It's easy to see why Madison Park's new Yamaha MPC7 MIDIPiano is already an integral part of their musical offerings. "It's been very beneficial to use the MIDI grand to produce strong piano sounds and organ voicings," Williamson says. "At times, when our organist is on vacation, we're delighted to have the MPC7, with full organ voicing, to accompany very stand-up hymns. In our previous, smaller sanctuary, we were never totally satisfied with the micing of our old piano; always sounded muddy like we weren't hearing its full range of sound. But, with our new Yamaha piano, the only thing we send to the house is the 9' sampled grand in the piano. We use a separate line into the piano and no microphone, and get a magnificent, full-bodied sound that's brilliant on top and full on the bottom. It's the best piano sound we've ever had, even though our 1,800-seat sanctuary is twice as big as our old one. People are pretty much blown away."
All services are recorded and downloadable from their web site (www.madisonparkchurch.org), and CDs have been distributed worldwide. An MP3 file featuring the congregation singing "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" illustrates yet another advantage of their new Yamaha instrument. "That hymn has a very intricate arrangement," says Williamson, "and when an actual pianist and organist play it, they're not always perfectly in synch. But, with the MPC7 piano using organ voicing, it's perfect."
What would Williamson say to any church considering 'taking the leap' to MIDI? "It's not as complicated as you may imagine it to be," he says. "It opens up a world of flavors and possibilities for shaping the mood of a moment and it takes the limitations completely off. And, you can do it all with only one piano. This instrument gives us a lovely variety of textures within a worship service without sacrificing the acoustic aesthetics and sensibilities of the congregation. People look up and think there must be several musicians with instruments."
"We're a church with some pretty good musical chops," adds Williamson. "Our congregants have discerning ears, and they're extremely pleased with the Yamaha MPC7."
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
 Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana employs what Music Minister Steve Williamson calls "a good variety of instrumentation." |
All services are recorded and downloadable from their web site (www.madisonparkchurch.org), and CDs have been distributed worldwide. An MP3 file featuring the congregation singing "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" illustrates yet another advantage of their new Yamaha instrument. "That hymn has a very intricate arrangement," says Williamson, "and when an actual pianist and organist play it, they're not always perfectly in synch. But, with the MPC7 piano using organ voicing, it's perfect."
What would Williamson say to any church considering 'taking the leap' to MIDI? "It's not as complicated as you may imagine it to be," he says. "It opens up a world of flavors and possibilities for shaping the mood of a moment and it takes the limitations completely off. And, you can do it all with only one piano. This instrument gives us a lovely variety of textures within a worship service without sacrificing the acoustic aesthetics and sensibilities of the congregation. People look up and think there must be several musicians with instruments."
"We're a church with some pretty good musical chops," adds Williamson. "Our congregants have discerning ears, and they're extremely pleased with the Yamaha MPC7."
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.