Playing in Church.

[LukeFRC]

5 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

I have realised that I only play while on stage - my worship is reserved for those weeks when I am not playing in the band.   

What @Owen said

 

also it’s ok, sometimes depending on the band your worship may be desperately trying to keep a band in time with one another, other times it’s to create something to help others, sometimes if you’re practiced enough as a band you get to feel like you are connected, and sometimes putting the bass down and singing (ie not into a mic) and being part of it models and helps everyone else. Don’t worry about it.

my one suggestion would be before the meeting take some time to worship for yourself. For me it looks like a quiet house before everyone is up and a quiet cup of coffee others will do other things

Edited March 29, 2022 by LukeFRC

[bass_dinger]

3 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

What @Owen said

 

also it’s ok, sometimes depending on the band your worship may be desperately trying to keep a band in time with one another, other times it’s to create something to help others, sometimes if you’re practiced enough as a band you get to feel like you are connected, and sometimes putting the bass down and singing (ie not into a mic) and being part of it models and helps everyone else. Don’t worry about it.

my one suggestion would be before the meeting take some time to worship yourself. For me it looks like a quiet house before everyone is up and a quiet cup of coffee others will do other things

 

Good answers.

 

I see now that the other people on the course were sharing examples of great worship while they were part of a congregation - and I, as a full-time church bassist, was wondering why I had not experienced that as part of the band.  Of course, why would I, when I am focusing on playing a setlist of 7 to 9 songs, after a 45 minute run through, complete with key changes. 

 

One thing that I identified at last night's session was the need for a private worship time.  I have already realised that I need to avoid having an instrument in my hand, as it quickly becomes a music session - I think that I shocked my worship leader when I told him that I don't play acoustic guitar and sing at home.

 

Part of the reason for that is because I am not a natural guitarist - and I don't have a quiet house before everyone is up.  At those times, my wife, daughter, son in law, and two grandchildren are all sleeping!  Likewise, when I arrive home, they ready for bed again.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by bass_dinger
typo

[bass_dinger]

3 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

What @Owen said

 

" . . . take some time to worship yourself. "

Worshipping myself has been my lifelong problem - I have found that things get better when I worship my God! 

[LukeFRC]

37 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:

Worshipping myself has been my lifelong problem - I have found that things get better when I worship my God! 

fixed!

[Richard R]

6 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

I have realised that I only play while on stage - my worship is reserved for those weeks when I am not playing in the band.   

Anyone else struggle to raise their metaphorical hands while playing the bass?

 

 

 

Absolutely this.

 

If I am in the congregation then I can worship. If I am playing, running the sound desk or manning the video feed then it's work and that is what I am concentrating on. Even if the band are in full flight and you can hear the spirit moving in the congregation,  if I'm on the desk then I am listening and making sure everything is working, not participating. Which is why too much time supporting is draining.

The only time that is different is preaching. That isn't work in the same way as all the prep is done and then it's up to the Lord how the delivery shifts depending on the unknown needs of the congregation, and then there can be a very definite sense that one is delivering God's words. I imagine if I was as experienced playing bass then the same could be true of playing, but I don't think so. Preaching is being a channel for the spirit, all the physical aspects of worship are, for me anyway, enablers for the congregation. 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Richard R
I have no idea what happened with that quote, seem to have half the sentence and an unwanted attachment link. Sorry.

[LukeFRC]

so Easter Sunday apparently the kids have been learning a dance to a song and are going to do it for everyone... 

kicker is that apparently we're playing it... with a small band and cajon ...  

 

 

[LukeFRC]

(and no practice) 

[Sardonicus]

@LukeFRC Great song but whoever plays the cajon will have hands like tenderised steaks after that workout 🤣 

[Owen]

That video is giving me a migraine. It must have taken days to edit.

 

I am aware that this makes me sound like a miserable old git. I own that.

Edited April 12, 2022 by Owen

[TrevorR]

At least with Tim Hughes tunes when you strip away the production trappings they’re just pretty straightforward indie guitar anthems. 
 

Going to be fun to see how the kids cope when all of the cues they’ve been used to listening to just aren’t there - like the Euro-trance keyboards kicking in for the refrain/bridge. What’s the betting they’ve not been tracking their section changes to chorus sequences or lyrics but to production/arrangement/sound  changes!

 

Much much better just to play the CD/YouTube video as a backing for them.

[bass_dinger]

8 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

 

 

Much much better just to play the CD/YouTube video as a backing for them.

 

Spot on - they don't need a home-grown version of the song.  They need the right, and familiar, version. 

 

As for learning a dance to a song, is this the 2022 equivalent of learning hand-actions to a song?   For me, one of the reasons I started playing guitar in church  was to exempt me from songs with actions . . .   

 

 

 

[bass_dinger]

10 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

so Easter Sunday apparently the kids have been learning a dance to a song and are going to do it for everyone... 

kicker is that apparently we're playing it... with a small band and cajon ...  

 

 

 

I would be tempted to add in some musical quotes from Avicii's Wake Me Up.  To my untrained ear, it sounds like the same chord sequence, and the Euro-pop-synth motif evokes the Avicii riff.  “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”  

 

 

  

[Richard R]

I agree with the others, suggest playing the recorded track so the kids can dance to what they know and have more confidence, and give yourselves a break for that song.

[LukeFRC]

3 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

 

I would be tempted to add in some musical quotes from Avicii's Wake Me Up.  To my untrained ear, it sounds like the same chord sequence, and the Euro-pop-synth motif evokes the Avicii riff.  “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”  

 

 

  

Avicii crossed with Coldplay 

goes back to my answer of “what does current Christian worship music sound like” 

“Coldplay with a 5 year delay”

[Richard R]

1 hour ago, LukeFRC said:

"...  a 5 year delay”

That's one heck of an effects pedal!

[bass_dinger]

9 minutes ago, Richard R said:

That's one heck of an effects pedal!

It's not an effects pedal - it's the natural acoustic reverb  in the 300 foot tall vaulted ceiling . . . .   

[xgsjx]

5 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

Avicii crossed with Coldplay 

goes back to my answer of “what does current Christian worship music sound like” 

“Coldplay with a 5 year delay”

More like a 20 year delay. Most CCW leaves me cold & uninspired, which is the opposite from what it should be doing. 
I’m planning on stepping away from playing at church.

 

Talking of church, there’s a hillsong documentary on National Geographic.  Well worth a watch (we used the 7 day free trial to watch it, as there’s only 3 episodes). 

[LukeFRC]

On 11/04/2022 at 23:39, LukeFRC said:

so Easter Sunday apparently the kids have been learning a dance to a song and are going to do it for everyone... 

kicker is that apparently we're playing it... with a small band and cajon ...  

 

 

So in practice this sounded good, hx stomps recent synth stuff meant that I could do a load of the synthy trance stuff on the bass and theworldsworstelectrickeyboard could do piano chords I think… 

and then something change in my inears and I had to play the first two songs more or less deaf with the sound of cajon in my left ear and a massively loud keyboard peaking everything fuzz in my right … it could have been amazing sounding could have been a dogs dinner, kids jumped around and I didn’t do major damage to my hearing so chalk that down as a win. 
happy Easter everyone, he is risen!

[Sardonicus]

Our Easter Sunday service went well despite people slipping back into their old ways. 

 

I picked the songs for the past few weeks and on a Monday, without fail, I sent out the the songs for the following Sunday, sadly I wasn't picking the songs for Easter. 

 

Bearing in mind that we had to rehearse on Wednesday last week due to people being away etc, the person picking the songs decided to send out the list at 11:35pm Tuesday night.  The song picker then rang me on Wednesday morning to proudly say that they had sent out the list and it should be fine as we weren't rehearsing until Wednesday, I casually told them that today was Wednesday, and that the first chance I would get to properly listen to the songs was that very evening, AT THE BL**DY REHEARSAL !!   During the rehearsal another song was added, the song picker said that they would work out the key and let us all know, come 3pm Saturday afternoon and we've heard nothing.  I messaged the song picker to ask what key the new song was going to be in, to which they replied that they had completely forgotten about it, hadn't practised it and could I sing it instead. 

 

I love playing in church but sometimes, it drives me up the wall.

[oldslapper]

Thought some of you guys might like this. 

[bass_dinger]

23 minutes ago, oldslapper said:

Thought some of you guys might like this. 

No theology, but lots of truth in that tattoo.  I like it.

[LukeFRC]

@Sardonicus - so the music is unlikely to challenge you so focus on the positives - you are being trained to pick up songs quickly, improvise parts, change key on the fly… all that stuff without paying Scot’s bass lessons* for the “pick up songs quickly”, “improvise parts” of “change key on the fly” lessons 

 

 

 

* other online bass lessons exist but don’t show me adverts everyday on YouTube so might as well not

[Sardonicus]

@LukeFRC I think I'm just being punished 🤣. 

 

Yesterday, the Song Picker announced that they now can't play for the whole of June and July, the Worship Team rota had already been finalised up to the end of July and so this has now got to be totally re-written.  This was not the best decision as we have recently lost the two brothers that both play bass, drums and keys. 

 

This now leaves me as one of two bassists, the only lead vocalist and the only guitarist, so we all know what I'm going to be doing for the foreseeable future.  The worst part is that I'm now stuck on 6-string and vocal duties and the only other bass player is.....The Learner !

 

You may remember from my previous posts that The Learner has played for around 3 years but has NEVER tuned, and NEVER touched the D and G strings on their bass.  Also, by their own admission, they don't even want to be in the Worship Team.

 

I've now got to play 6-string and sing whilst listening to The Learner buttf*ck every bassline...my idea of purgatory !!

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, Sardonicus said:

@LukeFRC I think I'm just being punished 🤣. 

 

Yesterday, the Song Picker announced that they now can't play for the whole of June and July, the Worship Team rota had already been finalised up to the end of July and so this has now got to be totally re-written.  This was not the best decision as we have recently lost the two brothers that both play bass, drums and keys. 

 

This now leaves me as one of two bassists, the only lead vocalist and the only guitarist, so we all know what I'm going to be doing for the foreseeable future.  The worst part is that I'm now stuck on 6-string and vocal duties and the only other bass player is.....The Learner !

 

You may remember from my previous posts that The Learner has played for around 3 years but has NEVER tuned, and NEVER touched the D and G strings on their bass.  Also, by their own admission, they don't even want to be in the Worship Team.

 

I've now got to play 6-string and sing whilst listening to The Learner buttf*ck every bassline...my idea of purgatory !!

Erm if you are the only worship leader does that leave you in charge? Can you start changing things thst might solve the problems… like pick the songs yourself, and give the bass guy some time off?

[dmc79]

We have lost way more people from the team than have joined in the last few years. The same core of people have been there all along, it is of course best where possible to have a good rotation where people don’t feel like they’re playing every single week and getting burnt out. 
 

In a church of say 250-300 on a Sunday, I find it hard to believe that only one person can play drums. On an electronic kit which is like a glorified kids toy. Don’t get me started on that.