LeftyP

I plug my bass into a Tascam GB10 and listen through headphones.  The Tascam plays mp3 tracks that I can play along to.  I can change the key without altering the speed or change the speed without altering the key.  I can even loop sections of the songs if there are tricky bits to practise.  It's a great piece of kit.

There are many songs that I can live without but Come On Eileen has to be one of the worst records ever made. 

We had a great Easter morning service on Sunday.  The church was packed (we can seat 150 people) and we played five great songs;

Come People of the Risen King.

See What A Morning.

Who Is This Man? (Kids' song from Emu Music)

Living Hope.

Glory To Jesus (Thine Be The Glory)

A good band line-up of male and female vocals, semi-acoustic guitar, bass guitar (me), oboe (my wife), drums and keyboard had the congregation singing loud enough to cover up all my mistakes!  There were fun and games for the kids while getting the Easter message across and hot cross buns and chocolate egg nest cakes with tea and coffee.  People stayed long after the service had finished for fellowship and food.

Then some of us met up at a church member's house for a meal in the afternoon.  The group consisted of; Three people from Egypt (our hosts), five from India (four of whom worked in London but were visiting one of our church members) one guy from Brazil with his English wife and their two boys plus five of us from the UK.  We had great food and fun games.  Our church contains people from all over the world, from South Africa and the Philippines to Asia and Eastern Europe.  A few months ago we had an afternoon get-together where the various nationalities brought food from their countries and we learned about how they were trying to adapt to the British culture.  There were some funny situations recounted.  I can recommend Filipino Chicken for lunch!  Christian fellowship at its best.  I feel blessed to belong to such a diverse yet united family.

Not an exact match but close enough.

Does anyone, apart from the player, care how much the bass costs?  I have an Tanglewood version of the Hofner violin bass (Beatle Bass) which I bought about 20 years ago for under £200 new and with hard case.  You can get Chinese made versions for around £400 these days.  A genuine, German made Hofner violin bass costs over £2000 but will it be that much better than the cheap versions?  Most punters don't consciously notice the bass so wouldn't know the difference between a custom made, expensive, one and a tea chest and broomstick model!

We all like to have nice things, whether that's watches, bicycles, or basses but if a cheap model does the job - what's the problem?

I posted this earlier but it went onto the general list instead of the "Playing in Church" thread.

I am quite open to hearing new versions of traditional hymns.  Stuart Townend's interpretation of "The Lord Is My Shepherd" works very well and we sing it in our services.  EMU music do some nice arrangements of older hymns too.  I know some people may throw their hands up in horror at any changes to well known hymns but they can become so familiar that we can often sing them without really thinking about them.  Re-working a song can sometimes bring out hidden depths to the words.

I came across this version of Fanny Crosby's great song "To God Be The Glory" by an all female band called Faithful.  Check out their latest album, from which this is taken, on YouTube - they are very good.  Not sure a "traditional" congregation could adapt to it but I find it very refreshing.

We don't usually have a mid-week rehearsal for our church band but with our carol service coming up on Christmas Eve we had a get together last night.  I really enjoyed trying out the songs and arrangements and felt that I was a better player by the end.  We had the usual situation of several different versions of the same song.  Three of us had the lyrics for "O Come, O Come Immanuel"  while the rest had different verses to "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"!  One of my chord charts must have been put together by Eric Morecambe as I had all the right verses but not necessarily in the right order!

Our usual run through happens on a Sunday morning about an hour before the service but I would really like a mid-week rehearsal to explore the arrangements and just spend time with the rest of the band.  Sadly I am in the minority so playing along to mp3s at home will need to continue.  Do you have regular band rehearsal during the week?

I have back issues (trying to snowboard for my 60th birthday!) and as a result play a semi-hollow, short scale bass that weighs a little over 7lb (2.69kg).  I only play in church and we do between four and five songs on a Sunday morning - sitting down between each of them.  If I was a gigging bass player on stage for two 45 minute sessions I would go for an even lighter bass, like the Hofner violin (Beatle) model.

I was a teenager in the 1960s and well remember hearing "River Deep, Mountain High" blasting through my little medium wave transistor radio from a "pirate radio" station, based on a ship anchored off the Isle of Man.  It still sends tingles down my spine.  Aretha's "I've Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)" was another track that got to me.

There have been many classic tracks that have stood out from the crowd like; "The Power of Love" by Jennifer Rush and "Macarthur Park" by Richard Harris.  They made an impact even if they may not be personal favourites.  I love Macarthur Park by the way!  Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" is a classic country song with a beautiful arrangement.  Personal taste obviously comes into our selections but some tracks just have that certain something that sets them apart.

We had a informal get-together of the church music group members last night.  It was refreshing to sit and chat about what was good about the music side of worship and what we could improve.  Our church has a number of musicians and singers who are on a roster to supply the music on Sundays.  I end up playing bass about once every three weeks and do not often play with the same people each time.  It was an opportunity to meet up over tea and biscuits to chat and listen to new songs that we may be doing over the coming months.  We agreed that the relationship between us all was good and there were no prima donnas amongst us.

When I read about the difficulties that some people have with their music team it makes me sad.  We all get along well and can have a laugh with each other when things go a little awry.  That doesn't mean we don't try to play to the best of our abilities but we do not stress over being human and making the odd mistakes.  Last Christmas (I feel a song coming on!) we were warming up before the service with "While Shepherds Watched".  It didn't sound quite right until we discovered that we had three different versions of it between us!  Playing in the church band is a privilege and we do it to honour God and help the congregation lift their praises to Him.  I do feel that some church musicians need to chill a bit.  It's not about you or your ego it's about God.  Enjoy it.

I only play in our church band and use a four string.  There are some worship songs that feature an Eb but I just play it up the octave on the A string.  With our 100+ congregation belting out the words it makes no difference.  I also use a short scale, hollow bodied bass to ease my injured back and I don't know of a five string version.

There is also the point that I only have four fingers so four strings are perfect!  Having said that, I only have two feet but my car has three pedals!

Live albums can be very good or very poor.  Capturing the atmosphere of the venue/crowd and balancing the stage sound can be hit and miss at times.  I can understand why sometimes studio "tweaks" may be required.

One of my all time favourite albums is Harry Chapin's "Greatest Stories Live".  It sounds edited in places but it's a great listen.  Then there's Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" double LP (that dates me!) which is just a riot - in a good way.

On 07/08/2023 at 10:02, Len_derby said:

Me too. Bass - lead - amp. Clip-on tuner. I like to keep everything simple. Just my preference, each to their own. 

That's the way I do it too.

I am very blessed to be part of a thriving and active church.  Each Sunday morning we have over 100 people in our cramped building (we are looking for larger premises) with dozens of children, students and young adults.  At 72 years of age I am old enough to be most of the congregations granddad!  There are many activities during the week for all age groups and this weekend we had our Weekend Away.

The church decamped to a facility run by the Scouts/Guides just out of town and what a time we had!  The weather was hot and sunny and some people camped while others used the on-site dormitories.  My wife and I live ten minutes away so we slept in our own beds!

We were playing in the small band made up of semi-acoustic guitar, keyboard, Cajon, bass guitar (me) and vocal (my wife).  What a response we had from our members who sang the choice of songs with gusto. You don't need a big band when the congregation don't hold back.  Friday night started with a ceilidh which was preceded by a meal.  Saturday morning brought two meetings with good Bible teaching and singing and the youngsters had their own Bible themed activities out in the sun.  After lunch the afternoon was full of fun with adventure games (water was involved) and a chance to explore the vast fields and woodland paths.  Another early evening meeting was followed by another meal!  We returned to our church building for the Sunday morning service before returning to the site for a lunchtime picnic.  The whole event was a great way to get to know the wider church family and enjoy good Christian fellowship.  The weather could not have been better! 

Playing in the church band is a great privilege and it certainly keeps me on my toes and makes me pick up the bass every day.  Much of what I play is pretty simple because that is all the songs need but I do slip in the odd riff now and again.  I would recommend anyone here who attends church to join the music group.  I only play about once every three weeks as we have a rota but I practise the songs for the weeks I am not scheduled for just in case I get called in at the last minute.  Roll on the next event!

I was born in 1950(!) and was brought up on the Ann Shelton/Vera Lynn/Jimmy Young style of popular music played on the BBC Light Programme.  In the early 60s we found Radio Luxemburg at night with sponsored shows by Helen Shapiro and Co and then the pirate radio stations dropped anchor and everything changed.  The records being played on Radio Caroline (North) were amazing to a 13 year old lad and some of my favourite artists and songs still come from that decade.  The Beatles (of course), The Hollies, The Searchers, Cliff and the Shadows plus female singers like Dusty, Cilla and Sandi were my top home grown picks.  From the USA we had The Association, The Rascals, The Lovin' Spoonful, Beach Boys, Mamas & Papas, Tamla Motown and soul singers like Aretha and Wilson Pickett and a host of one hit wonders.  Carnaby Street fashions hit the headlines with mini-skirts to the fore and there were many Pop Music magazines to scour through.  It was the perfect storm for teenagers and I don't think a revolution like that will happen again.

This morning's service is one I will remember for some time.  We are blessed by having lots of young people in our congregation.  They range from babies through all school years to college and university students - plus their parents who are in their twenties through to forties.  At 72 I am old enough to be most of our congregation's grandad!

We have thriving youth programmes which meet on week nights to cater for the various ages.  They attract our own young people who also bring along school friends who do not attend church on Sundays.  This morning the church was packed with about 170 people following a youth camp over the Friday and Saturday nights.  It was held at a youth centre about 40 miles away and involved silly games coupled with the message of Jesus.  The group (including non-church goers) arrived from the camp about 15 minutes before the service started and were fed tea, coffee and hot pastries.  Their parents came along to collect them and stayed in the service to find out what had gone on.

Our assistant pastor pitched his message just right with plenty of fun but loaded with the Gospel.  I was playing bass in the band.  We started with "How Great Thou Art" (one of my favourite old hymns) and the singing was terrific.  That set the tone for the rest of the service.  Further up this thread I posted a video of "Behold Our God" and commented that with a small band I hoped we could do it justice.  Boy did it work!  Where I was standing I could hear many male voices belting out the song and I don't mind admitting that I choked up a bit.  We see many young folk lost in a world that feeds them all kinds of lifestyles and to see a packed hall of teenagers and younger kids praising God and enjoying each other's company was very heart warming.  When it is not seen as 'cool' to attend church, having so many young men in our fellowship is encouraging.  The fact that we have many young female students may have something to do with it!

Playing in church is a privilege I do not take for granted and today was a blessing in more ways than one.

We are doing this song on Sunday.  Just five of us in the band including me on four string bass.  I'm not sure we can replicate this version and I won't come close to the 6 string bass player at 3'53"!

It's always a bonus to own nice things - bass guitars included.  Will your average punter down at The Dog & Duck notice the difference in sound between an Argos special and Fodera - probably not.  Most folk don't even notice bass players.  Just think back in the skiffle days and the old tea chest and broom handle, it worked and no-one bothered.  Should you buy an expensive bass?  If you can afford it and it brings you pleasure, why not.  Is it necessary - no, but if we only bought stuff that was necessary wouldn't life be a little dull?

I was born in 1950(!) so we had the BBC Light programme which played stuff like Victor Sylvester and Billy Cotton with Kathy Kaye and Alan Breeze!  Then came Lonnie Donegan and "Saturday Club" with Brian Matthew so we could hear Kenny Ball and his Jazz Men and very early 'pop' songs.  The big band sound was still popular with Glen Miller to the fore and we had vocalists like Vera Lynn and Ann Shelton as well as Sinatra and co.  We discovered Radio Luxemburg (Fab 208, your station of the stars) and I fell in love with Helen Shapiro - I was 11 she would have been about 14 - the older woman!  I was playing the mouth organ back then and would perform at school concerts playing tunes like "Wheels", "African Waltz" and my party piece "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" - although I didn't know that was the title.

Into my teens and Radio Caroline (North) hit the airwaves and everything changed.  Being a teenager in the 1960s was amazing.  Pop music exploded along with the Carnaby Street fashions and the off shore radio stations opened up the airwaves to great music.  I loved the Beatles (still like their early stuff but cannot get into Sgt. Pepper), The Beach Boys, Mamas & Papas, The Association and most of the Motown catalogue.  Later I became a fan of singer songwriters like Jim Croce and Harry Chapin and folk/rock bands like Fotheringay.

I am so glad that I was exposed to such a wide variety of music as I can enjoy the delicate voice of Alison Krauss alongside the raunchy sound of Tina Turner and the soul of Aretha.  I'm a huge fan of harmony vocals and the Carpenters and ABBA are never far away from my CD player.  Heavy rock/metal and rap pass me by as I really appreciate great melodies in the mould of Cole Porter, Burt Bacharach etc.  These days I generally listen to country and Christian music (I play bass in church).  I like a song that tells a good story and has a pleasing melody to it.  

3 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

General issues.

 

○ We have a rota supposedly showing attendance 3 months in advance, maintenened by the Worship Leader.  It is  regularly allowed to run out, leaving the team to ask on Friday whether they are playing on Sunday. 

○ The rota should include one person from the church choir. The WL regularly forgets to invite someone or they can't make it and tell him- but he forgets to invite a replacement.

○ We did a Worship Central course but the last one clashed with the August summer break. He never rescheduled it.

○ The song chord charts are often late, or never sent. Apparently I am the only one who asks for them

○ A guitarist plays from memory, while the rest of us use the chord charts.  Occasionally the guitarist will play differently to the rest of the band but won't tell us that he is doing his own thing.

○ 3 ½ years ago, I was told that I would be on the rota for guitar.  A year ago, I gave up waiting for it to happen. 

○ the WL said that new singers would be given 3 rehearsals before they were allowed in a service. It never happened.

○ I have frequently mentioned these issues, but they are not dealt with. I have concluded that it does  not matter to them.

 

Specifically 

○ The guitarist for that rehearsal played something that other than what written.  "What are you playing for the bit that says C G C?" ",oh I am not playing that" (,(but did not say what he was playing).

○ The WL was the drummer, and was speeding up. I told him so - and he said that he knew, and carried on.

○ The WLs wife sang, and one phrase was so off key that I stopped, and asked the WL what had happened (I thought that I was in the wrong key). He said that it was "a bit pitchy ".

○ When I asked for clarification and guidance, they carried on playing. 

○ When I packed up (which took about 3 minutes) they carried on playing. They did not stop to ask what the issue was.

○ Over the next day, I got two WhatsApp messages saying not to turn up for the band .

 

I have been asked to meet up with the leaders.

 

So lots of general issues, that make me wonder how supportive the band is, and if I want to be part of it. Indeed, if I have the ability to play with elastic drummers, fretless singers, and guitarists who go off piste in the songs. 

 

Walking out was not my finest moment, but I am not impressed with them either. 

 

Right now I am off to visit my dad, in a Covid ward where he is on oxygen. Somehow, that feels worse his mild stroke and heart attack that hospitalised him on Christmas eve,  and his next hospital visit on new year's eve. 

 

My feeling is that I just wanted to play in the band, and not have to deal with the hassle of the band.

 

When I read posts like this I feel blessed to belong to a music group (and wider church) who just seem to get on with each other.  We have a team of singers and musicians who play on a rota basis.  I play bass on average about once every three weeks with different personnel each time.  We do not have set teams and it makes for interesting sessions.  Cliques cannot form and we get to know a wider group of people.  Most of us only play at church and run through the songs about an hour before the morning service.

At 72 I'm one of the oldest members of the music team and we have secondary school students contributing too.  It is a great mix and the Sunday morning run through can be good fun.  We try to play well but don't get hung up if anyone makes a mistake.  Our thinking is that when the 120+ congregation start singing they won't hear our fluffs anyway!  That doesn't mean we don't care about the standard of playing but we accept that we are human and things can go wrong.  We mix outside of band duties at other church activities and tend to enjoy being around each other.  The main thing is giving our best for God and we park any egos at the door.

"I hate Mondays".

I haven't had the chance to catch up with all the posts on this thread but my favourite bass design is the Hofner "Beatle Bass" as used by Paul McCartney.  I have a cheap copy of it and just like the look of the thing.

Here we go....