Church Music Help

Tejano Joveno · #1 08-09-2008, 06:12 PM

Hey guys, today I offered to play bass at my church but I've kinda hit a wall. None of the music I was given has a bass part written. I've got a general idea about the theory to write it and I have the chord changes but any suggestions would be helpful guys. I was thinking of using roots or arpeggios as most of the songs are slow and in 3/4 or common time, would a quater note pattern be more effective here rhymithcally(sic) and harmonically? Any advice you guys have is great and I'm grateful to anyone willing to help.

Thanks in advance guys.

capnsandwich · #2 08-09-2008, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejano Joveno

Hey guys, today I offered to play bass at my church but I've kinda hit a wall. None of the music I was given has a bass part written. I've got a general idea about the theory to write it and I have the chord changes but any suggestions would be helpful guys. I was thinking of using roots or arpeggios as most of the songs are slow and in 3/4 or common time, would a quater note pattern be more effective here rhymithcally(sic) and harmonically? Any advice you guys have is great and I'm grateful to anyone willing to help.

Thanks in advance guys.

Is there a drummer? If not just think of a metronome clicking in your head and play quarter notes. If there is then just feed off of him and his kick drum. Arpeggios are fine as long as you're not over playing. I've learned over the last 10 years that less is definitely more in church.

Tejano Joveno · #3 08-09-2008, 06:36 PM

There isn't a drummer with a kit, just a percussionist with a set of conga drums keeping time. The quater note root progession sounds good when I play it out but will roots be enough or should I throw in some arpeggios, I've only got two days to throw something together so arpeggios would take longer to get down. Any advice there? And thanks for the advice you've already given me, I needed the reassurance.

bassmodder · #4 08-09-2008, 06:36 PM

I just play the guitar chords and improvise over those. We have acoustic piano, bass (me), and the choir singers. The bass really caries the choir as much or more than the piano does at times.

jconary · #5 08-09-2008, 06:48 PM

At our services (without a drummer), I try to tap into what the song is doing. Some work really well with a whole or half note on the chord root. I have also had a fair degree of success playing the first beat and the second half of the fourth beat (the and if you think in terms of eighth notes). Both of these work well for the more acoustic pieces. If the guitar players are on their electrics, I try to do more quarter and eighth notes with arpeggios or in some cases a walking bass line. Again it depends on how the band is interpreting the song and what the bass line needs to be to hold it all together.

lunker · #6 08-09-2008, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnsandwich

less is definitely more in church.

+1

If the music is of the contemporary sort, look it up and listen to it. I'm not suggesting copying the bass lines, but get a feel for what the bassist is doing. Actually just listening to contemp Christian music in general would do you good. A lot of the bass work is really kinda neat, but never busy/complicated.

capnsandwich · #7 08-09-2008, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejano Joveno

There isn't a drummer with a kit, just a percussionist with a set of conga drums keeping time. The quater note root progession sounds good when I play it out but will roots be enough or should I throw in some arpeggios, I've only got two days to throw something together so arpeggios would take longer to get down. Any advice there? And thanks for the advice you've already given me, I needed the reassurance.

You may not need to be all that technical. It's not like you're doing sweep arpeggios.

Try just roots and fifths maybe. I'll second the advice from lunker about listening to some Christian music. Some of the best practices I've ever had were when I never picked up a bass. Ear training is just as important as finger exercises, IMO.

Dave Muscato · #8 08-09-2008, 07:11 PM

Are these original pieces?

If they are covers of the standard Redman, Tomlin, Hillsong United, etc, you can just listen to the recordings and play the existing bass parts.

cb56 · #9 08-09-2008, 07:15 PM

Non of the music I'm given at church has the bass line written. I usually get the piano music or a lead sheet with chords written over the words. Most of the stuff is contemporary christian so I download it and listen to what the bass player on the recording is doing and try to cop the same feel. I don't copy it note for note just the feel of it and do my own thing. But I agree, keeping it simple is usually the best thing. Also prayer helps alot! Stay humble and play for the Lord and it'll all work out.

cb56 · #10 08-09-2008, 07:19 PM

btw, last week I was put in the same position of only having a couple of days to learn the music at a friend's church. Their bass player had a family emergency and they needed help. So I'm telling you that if I can do it, so can you 'cause I'm not all that great. Let us know how it turns out.

Dave Muscato · #11 08-09-2008, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb56

Non of the music I'm given at church has the bass line written. I usually get the piano music or a lead sheet with chords written over the words. Most of the stuff is contemporary christian so I download it and listen to what the bass player on the recording is doing and try to cop the same feel. I don't copy it note for note just the feel of it and do my own thing...

+1
The church I play most often uses a program called Worship Organizer, and their music license allows them to post links to Free Napster, where the musicians can legally listen to streaming audio of the songs we're going to play that week, ahead of time. We don't play the songs note-for-note either, but we're able to, and use the recordings as a basis for our own parts.

http://worshiporganizer.com/

davec · #12 08-09-2008, 07:24 PM

[quote] If they are covers of the standard Redman, Tomlin, Hillsong United, etc, you can just listen to the recordings and play the existing bass parts.
Today 08:06 PM/QUOTE]

+1

unless you get a Gouche' or Skylar line it should be simple and straight forward.

Good luck!

Tejano Joveno · #13 08-09-2008, 07:31 PM

Thanks for all this adivice guys, but I'm mostly sightreading a chordchart for this stuff, I think I'll got with roots and mabye a root/5th/root or root/5th/b7th, and I'm probably overthinking this. Anyways this is standard Catholic contempory(sic?) pretty slow stuff and luckily the precussionist is better than a met my problem is matching the slow rhythm, hopefully I can work it out better at the rehearsal on monday.