any church players here??

  • Thread starter Thread starter King Elvis
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The biggest headache????? Stage Monitors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Feedback, "I'm not loud enough", "I'm too loud if I sing louder - can you fix that?", etc.

LOL!!!!

In the words of Al from Happy Days....

Yep, Yep, Yep, Yep, Yep, Yep,....

Actually my biggest headache is my pastors wife!:eek:
I think she has a hearing problem, no matter whats going on she ALWAYS comes into the soundroom asking us... "can you please put it louder"....
I actually listened to her once and cranked it up... oh boy, were the people in the first row upset... I kept on getting the ever famous "It's to damn loud" stares.
Now I just pretend to put it up... Kinda like a sugar pill, it actually works!
 
I've been leading worship off and on (mostly on) for about 20 years now, about 10 years at my current church. Currently I'm singing lead vocals, and playing a Roland RD-100 and a Yamaha TX-802, and using an old TR505 drum machine (don't laugh!). There's also a guitar player, with a Takamine acoustic/electric going direct, and a female vocalist.
 
Wow, I had no idea there were so many of us on this board (when I say "us" I include myself even though I'm just getting into this) All we need now is Gospel from the Fostex forum, he doesn't play but he has an awesome voice...and we could all do some kind of collaboration......or no?


bd
 
Dunno... could get ugly. I can see it now: "Don't you think that lyric is a bit too Calvinistic/Pre-millenial?"

What do you have in mind?

:D
 
beaverbiscuit said:
Anyone else find it hard to adjust to contemporary worship when your own music is completely different? It's frustrating because, as much as I don't enjoy the musical style, I continue to play every week (no other guitarists to make a rotation, like we have for drums and bass), mainly because I don't want to sing this stuff and clap my hands to it. Don't misunderstand me, I respect the writers who put this music together (and their love of the Lord), and I love the message contained in these songs, but the music itself just leaves me feeling indifferent.

I am just the opposite. I find the music to be very uplifting. Its funny because before I became saved I used to think of contemporary Christian music as all blond haired, blue eyed people singing some very unemotional stuff. I was familiar with Gospel music which I liked because it had a lot of rhythm and feeling. Once I started to attend church with a band and choir, that did it for me. I think that I appreciate "Praise and Worship" music more than regular Christian music though.
 
We've had a contemporary service at a conservative Presbyterian church for six months. Tiny congregation, especially in the summer. Baby grand piano, unamplified, and my 12-string (Guild JF 30-12), mic-ed to the PA, and a four- or five-person choir. Percussion: a tambourine on some songs. Altogether, a very acoustic sound. We would like more musicians, but are not really actively recruiting--it's on one's job.

After six months, we have funding to upgrade the PA. I know many of you are into the gear, but I can't tell you what we've got or what we're getting for PA. We mic the guitar, but have no real monitor to tell how the ensemble sounds, other than to send someone to the back of the church to tell us whether it sounds OK. (In most cases, the most important sounds are the ones coming from the congregation as they sing along.)

We do six or so songs a week. My wife plays the piano, and provides a musical foundation for us. (I'm an advanced three-chord player.) Every other week my wife and I play a hammered dulcimer/guitar instrumental during the offertory. Every other week, I get to play five minutes of solo fingerpicking as the congregation finds seats.

Prior to this gig, I had next to no performance experience. Lots of good things have come out of it. The importance of timing and counting, how to play an introduction so the vocalists will know when (and where) to come in, when to hammer a bass for emphasis. A highlight for me is accompanying soloists with fingerpicking. Did it once with As the Deer... and again with a very bluesy version of on of our hymns. Plus, it's not a bad idea for me to show my face in church regularly.

I have just added an electric archtop (Hofner New President) and amp (Evans JE 150) to my gear, and will play electric probably every other week, once I get the feel for how to control the thing (my first electric).

So far, we are a pretty compatible group, and I am sorry to hear about that some had to quit for various reasons. To King Elvis, who started this thread, if you are dying to play, you might think about getting out and talking to other worship groups, to see if you can spell their musicians (which you should be able to work in without turning your back on your present church). We have no backup, literally. I have missed a couple of services for work and play, and those services had piano only. When our family goes on vacation, it might be acapella....
 
The first church we were attending was huge. It has a huge choir and a big band with 2 guitars, bass, piano, organ, drums, horns...the works. Very impressive. When we started attending our current church I was kind of let down at first because it was a lot smaller and I was used to such a large scale band. I have really come to love our church's band and choir now. They are kind of like a work in progress. They are not always as tight as they probably should be, but, they just got a new guy on drums and I really like his playing. I think he comes from a rock background because he keeps the time and plays some great fills and stuff. We just lost one of the vocalist to a military move. She was fantastic. She really had that powerful Gospel quality to her voice. It amazes me how many AWESOME singers there are in the churches. The artists that are on top and selling right now are nothing compared to some of these singers in the churches!!!
 
I'm gonna post some pictures tonight of the sound room and the instrument setups on the altar so you guys can check it out.
Do the same guys, I would love to see it.
 
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DonF said:
Dunno... could get ugly. I can see it now: "Don't you think that lyric is a bit too Calvinistic/Pre-millenial?"

What do you have in mind?

:D

One of my first thoughts, after getting into Church music, was that there really needed to be a "hands-across" kind of ministry. Across race lines, across denominations, across borders...

I'm better at ideas than I am at follow-through, but it's so like us to dwell on our differences when all Christians have so much in common in our beliefs. It was NOT a big theological change for me to convert from Presbyterian to Catholic - not that they agree on everything, there are big differences - but the similarities really outweigh them.

For most of us, it boils down to John 3:16 - the rest is details. Important details to be sure, but still just details.

I bet we could find plenty of common ground. A collab would be cool. I promise no Pope songs...

Daf
 
dafduc said:
For most of us, it boils down to John 3:16 - the rest is details. Important details to be sure, but still just details.

Amen brother.
 
I occassionally play backup guitar for soloists or choir, usually around Christmas time but would like to offer my talents for the offeratory. I'm working on some fingerpicking solos that are appropriate for less than one minute (we also have a small congregation and the offering doesn't take long to collect). If any of you have some tab that is Christ-centered, beautiful, and short, I'd like to see it.

thanks,

rpe
 
dafduc said:
...there really needed to be a "hands-across" kind of ministry. Across race lines, across denominations, across borders... I bet we could find plenty of common ground. A collab would be cool. I promise no Pope songs...
OK, I'm game!
 
So, what are some of the songs you guys are doing during praise and worship?? Give me some of the titles.
 
Fall at your feet
You Alone (Lincoln Brewster)
Awesome God (Vicki Beeching)
Never Cease To Praise
Bring Me Back
Holy
King
All Who Are thirsty
Hungrey
Better Is One Day
Open the eyes of my Heart
Arms Of Love
Creation
Enough
Ever So Gently
Freedom
Heart Of Worship
Surrender
Once Again
More Love More Power
You Are In Control


We attend a Vineyard church so most of what we do is from a Vineyard label. We really stress that a worship song should be to God and not just about God the focus is on intimacy and a direct connection to the heart of God.

http://www.vineyardsmokyhill.org
 
"If Jesus Christ came back today and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up." - Woody Allen
 
Thanks for the quote hix, Woody Allen....such an intelligent man. Isn't he the one that was playin hide the salami with the teenage babysitter? I know it was something like that.

bd
 
hixmix said:
"If Jesus Christ came back today and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up." - Woody Allen

Actually, Woody wasnt far off with that quote. Now this is not really the forum for this, but... I am sure that Lord Jesus is not happy with a lot that is happening in this world today. We serve a just God and those without him upon his return are gonna wish that he did something as simple as just throw up. I, for one, am looking forward to his return. Let me tell you this, I dont care who you are...Marilyn Manson, Charles Manson,me, you, whoever...EVERY knee shall bow before him and EVERY tongue shall confess Jesus Christ as king of kings and Lord of Lords. And dont think that if you pass away before he returns that you are off the hook...He is gonna make the terminator look like nothing!!!
 
Hey Fret...
I didnt see SHOUT TO THE LORD on your list...you guys must do SHOUT TO THE LORD!!!
 
King Elvis said:
Hey Fret...
I didnt see SHOUT TO THE LORD on your list...you guys must do SHOUT TO THE LORD!!!

Shout to the lord and Breath... Please no more... make it stop...

Yes I supposed they could be on the list as well. Thankfully the worship leaders I work with (my wife being one of them) are sensitive and realize when a song should be shelved for a while. Both great songs, but for us they needed a break. Also we like to rotate in a new song at least once a month. Although being new to the Vineyard everything is new. We come from more of an Integrity Music background.


Edit
Actually I just checked and Shout to the Lord is not in are official Repertoire. I believe that is actually an Integrity song.
 
I play bass for my Church worship team. We face many of the musical challenges that some of you have listed.

THe soundman says my bass is always to loud but I keep my amp cranked anyways :)

I love to infuse lots of funk and slap style into some of those song listed earlier because the bass technique used in Heaven is slap bass:)



clif
 
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