Keyboard Player Trying To Play Bass Too

[Stinsok]

Tell him his playing makes Jesus cry.

[Projectile]

Someday I will have to try going to a church. I didn't realize they had full bands playing like that. Seems pretty cool the way people talk about it here, but it never seemed appealing to me when I watch one on television. It always just seemed so serious... not the kind of thing I'd be interested in doing during my free time. Do they have free food? Does it cost anything to get in?

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by Stinsok

Tell him his playing makes Jesus cry.

[dbassman59]

You know ... I didn't really go to church much before I was married ..; I always believed in God and stuff .. just didn't like going to church. My wife is a Catholic and was a pretty regular church goer. So during the first few years of our marriage .. we went maybe 10 times a years or so. I didn't mind .. because the church had a real good band. To be honest ... the music was a large part of the reason I didn't mind going

About 8 years ago in the church bulletin, my wife noticed an ad for a bass player ... Well you know how few bass players there are ... let alone in church. So I went out ... I've been playing with them ever since. The leader is a woman in her mid 40's she can sing literally like an angel! Her a husband is a drummer ...the best drummer I have ever played with because he listens to bass line ... We work together as rhythm section ... not just bass following drums ... but bass and drums complimenting each other ... (he also plays in a "classic rock" cover band)

This is the best experience as a bass player I ever had. Why? Because I was never really familiar with the church music .. .It's not something you hear on the radio. I was just given chords to follow .. and I really had to listen to the guitar, melody, drums and everything to fit my part. Every bass line is 100% my own creation. It has made me a way better player IMO.

I play a lot of classic rock in my other band (we gig regularly) so I'll borrow for example a Beatles riff on a similar chord progression and interject into the church song.

Some of the music is solemn as you can imagine ... but other's are really uptempo!! On some of those uptempo songs, the drummer and I will do what we call a "production ending" ... with crashing cymbals and 20 - 30 seconds of running a bass solo up and down the neck with the drums whirling all around it and ending on the big bang!

Going to church .. as corny as it sounds ... is also good for the soul. Good things seem to happen when you go to church. It basically encourages you to be a better person. Something we all strive for IMO .. whether you go to church or not ... Church just helps you get there faster ... I really believe now that God has a plan for me and it includes playing in the church band .. which in BONUS.

I play in front of an audience of 400 - 500 at church every week! I have recorded 3 CD's with thius Church band and I have even played concert in front of 5000 people with this church band.

Give church a try .. you never know ...

Originally Posted by Projectile

Someday I will have to try going to a church. I didn't realize they had full bands playing like that. Seems pretty cool the way people talk about it here, but it never seemed appealing to me when I watch one on television. It always just seemed so serious... not the kind of thing I'd be interested in doing during my free time. Do they have free food? Does it cost anything to get in?

[ericmknight1906]

Originally Posted by Projectile

Someday I will have to try going to a church.

Great Idea!

[lindseyp]

Originally Posted by JustDavid

...Plan B; build him a "level correction cable": get a 1/4 to XLR adapter, replace XLR with 3 prong wall plug, plug 1/4" into their keyboard & their power bar.

That's not something you pull in any church. I have had to do all of the following at one time or another, sometimes all three at once :
1. Tell the keyboard player he's in your sonic space and learn to keep his left hand closer to Middle C.
2. Learn to play around his left hand, Funkadelic style. I found a LOT of people like hearing this, but it can be overdone if you don't know scales by ear.
3. Play guitar or help run the sound system.
Yes, in one instance I had to do all three. He was a kid just learning, but learning fast and I didn't want to discourage him. Within a year and a half he became downright good. Sometimes you leave well enough alone.

[jaywa]

If you can get a keyboard player off sheet music (where every bass note is written out), and to the point where they are comping off charts, that is a huge step toward progress. At that point they are playing by ear at least as much as by sight, which means they are probably listening more to everyone else, which may make them more sensitive to overplaying and/or playing in your sonic space.

Anytime you are working with a pianist or keyboard player who only plays off traditional sheet music, that is a huge red flag because unless you can also read sheet music and are willing to play exactly what is written, you're in for a long day (night).

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by jaywa

If you can get a keyboard player off sheet music (where every bass note is written out), and to the point where they are comping off charts, that is a huge step toward progress. At that point they are playing by ear at least as much as by sight, which means they are probably listening more to everyone else, which may make them more sensitive to overplaying and/or playing in your sonic space.

Anytime you are working with a pianist or keyboard player who only plays off traditional sheet music, that is a huge red flag because unless you can also read sheet music and are willing to play exactly what is written, you're in for a long day (night).

This is a really good point. The worship group I play in at my church is adding a pianist this week who we haven't played with before. The kid has a RIDICULOUS sense of melody (seriously, one of the best I've ever seen) but I know that he's been trained in classical music and is mainly a sight-reader. I think he has enough skill to play from chords, so I'm hoping that he works out.