Throughout Christian history, contemplative music has been part of spiritual life and prayer practices in different forms and denominations. Play & Pray Music creates a space, in which people can pray, lament, worship, or be still – and experience the love of God.
Our vision is to support the organically growing network of musicians and groups engaging regularly with Play&Pray. We are connected through deep friendship with many groups around the world, who carry this vision of improvised prayer music, including Epiphany and Aeterna in the UK and the Improvisation worship clinic in Finland.
Musicians all over the world have engaged with improvisation as part of their faith and worship, regardless of musical genre or Christian denomination. The past decades and especially the 2020s have seen a growing movement of skilled, professional musicians starting to use improvisation to create atmospheres and spaces for the presence of God.
At the same time, the world of art and culture is seeing an acceleration in bringing improvisation back to the core of classical music – where it used to be, throughout the times of Bach, Händel, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Paganini, Messiaen, etc, etc. This means that skills, know-how and practice of improvisation techniques are growing and becoming available in the cultural sphere.
Musical improvisation, especially together with others, is a unique activity. It requires absolute commitment to the present moment, submitting to one another, letting go of control and critical analysis, and entering into an atmosphere of trust and acceptance – together with others. As found by countless of musicians, audiences and congregations, this is a special state of being, where emotional experiences and deep encounters can occur. As we quiet our hearts and souls to listen to the stillness, and the birth of sound, as we wait for the Lord… It has been our profound experience, that He eventually appears in our midst. Every time.
In addition to the styles most often associated with spiritual music – worship and church music – Play & Pray Music includes a fuller range of emotional, musical expression. This means embracing, for example, the often overlooked expressions of lament (as seen in Psalms and Lamentations). We believe that releasing laments and other authentic expressions of our human condition is a holy task, just as is the call to worship with our whole hearts. We believe in a full range of musical expression as something God calls us to do as part of spiritual life. The Bible is rich with examples of a broad range of spiritual music.
In the book of Psalms we see the word selah appear here and there. This is thought to indicate a moment of instrumental music, during which the meaning of the words is reflected upon. In many Psalms, the writer often starts by pouring out their feelings at the beginning, without holding back. However, at some point, the voice in the Psalm begins to shift and we start to see a response. This flow – expressing our authentic human feelings, waiting and listening together for the Holy Spirit, and playing through our instruments what we hear, is the flow of Play & Pray.
Play & Pray Music is a genre of spiritual music, which centers around listening – and a non-hierarchical, democratic group environment, where each musician is invited to contribute one piece of the puzzle. The roles that we are used to in worship, classical or jazz settings do not exist as such in Play & Pray. There is no divide between solo or accompanying – everyone is expected to do both. If there is an appointed leader, their responsibility is only to keep an eye on the time! Every instrument can move between every role, as we submit to each other, respect and listen to each other as a team. This may take some practice, and some getting used to!
If you would like to participate in a Play & Pray Workshop, check out the Event Calendar and sign up. If you would like to organize one in your town or church, click the button and let’s start a conversation!
