Is Instrumental Music An "Aid" In Maintaining The Tempo?
I have been told recently that instrumental music is an "aid" in maintaining the tempo of the vocal music and is therefore acceptable to God in the worship. At first sight this appears reasonable to some, just as the "pitch" argument also deceives a few. But notice:
Pitch exists separate from vocal and instrumental music. Both vocal and instrumental music require a pitch but a pitch is not music. That which is required to obey the command is authorized in the command. Since God has not legislated how to get the pitch, but the singing requires a pitch, then any way of obtaining a pitch is authorized.
Now comes the tempo argument. "We need instrumental music to get the pitch and then use it to maintain the tempo," say some. They also feel that it is an absolute necessity. We have some in our area that will not fellowship us because we do not use instrumental music. Of course, we couldn't fellowship them in using it, but they "beat us to the draw" and disfellowshipped us first.
But now notice: both vocal and instrumental music must have tempo, but tempo exists separate and apart from either. Example: military cadence, "hup-2-3-4, hup-2-3-4, etc." Since tempo exists separately from music, then tempo is not music. Music must have tempo just as it must have pitch, but music is not tempo and it is not pitch.
Tempo must be provided for in both vocal and instrumental music from another source.
In vocal music, the song director establishes and maintains the tempo. This song director or leader may be either formal or informal, recognized or unrecognized. But some one establishes and maintains the tempo. This is so in instrumental music. The band leader establishes the tempo for the band or orchestra. In most religious services the piano player establishes and maintains the tempo for both the instrumental and vocal music.
Tempo is not inherent in either vocal or instrumental music. Both must have tempo, but tempo may be erratic in either one. Instrumental music can ever "aid" vocal music as they are of the same kind or class, co-ordinates. Each must get a pitch as there can be no music without a pitch.
The instrument may be used to get the pitch but neither the pitch nor the instrument is music. The instrument may be used to make music but it is not music. I may use my voice to make music, but my voice is not music. My voice may be used to make music and the instrument may be used to make music but neither one is identical with music.
So with the tempo. The instrument may be used to establish and maintain tempo or I may use my voice to establish and maintain tempo. But in either case it is the human factor that establishes and maintains the tempo. The tempo is not inherent in the instrument, not even in the sound the instrument makes, but must be established and maintained by the human factor in the vocal music.
Since this is true, instrumental music can never be an "aid" to vocal music in maintaining the tempo since it must be "aided" itself in maintaining the tempo and the same power that maintains the tempo in instrumental music is also the power that maintains the tempo in vocal music. The piano player can maintain the same tempo without the piano that he can maintain with the piano.
It follows then, that instrumental music can never be an "aid" to vocal music in maintaining the tempo. Therefore, there is no justification for the use of instrumental music in the worship and to use it is sinful.