The Praise and Worship Band Bassists Club part 23

[caeman]

I admit I also used this power for evil, to make "not so good" singers not as present in the mix. I took it has my job to uphold Psalm 33.

[HereIGoAgain]

Originally Posted by caeman

"Can I have more reverb?"

"Sure thing"

"Hey, sounds nice!"

*out in the house, they hear the clean signal, which actually sounds better*

I've tried to talk our soundman into giving the singers a 1/2-second delay with the dry signal turned off. Needless to say, it wasn't a popular suggestion.

[mtb777]

Wicked........lol!

[iceboxbass]

Originally Posted by tbplayer2

Congrats Billy!
I just played my 2nd service ever last Sunday. Only baby grand, drums, and me. And we pulled it off again! Stumbled a little, then jumped back on track but that's live music. Worship continued (that's the goal), we got several compliments, and I got invited back. Really enjoying playing in the worship setting!

My Savior Lives- Desperation Band in D
My Hope is in You- Aaron Shust- A
Always- Kristian Stanfill in B
Whom Shall I Fear-Chris Tomlin in G
I Surrender- Hillsong in Dm
If We've Ever Needed You-Casting Crowns in G

I really like playing "My Savior Lives"!

[iceboxbass]

I love the Easter Season! Remembering Jesus Christ's resurrection...and lots of bass playing time! Ill be playing this Wed. for our Ash Wed. service and this Sunday morning. Hoping my new bass comes before Wed. evening. Might have the UPS center hold it for me to pickup, otherwise the ups truck doesn't get to our house until 6-7pm. EVERYONE, have a blessed first week of Easter celebration! For those who celebrate Easter.

[praisebass]

Originally Posted by caeman

I admit I also used this power for evil, to make "not so good" singers not as present in the mix. I took it has my job to uphold Psalm 33.

This just makes sense and I would consider it pragmatic. I would suggest an inverse setting on monitor versus FOH for singers. The higher someone wants to be in the monitor, the lower they should be in the house.

[tbplayer2]

Originally Posted by iceboxbass

I really like playing "My Savior Lives"!

Agreed! It's a great song to start the service. Everyone gets out of their seat and jumps right into worship with both feet! No one can browse the bulletin, or text through this one!

[Versatek6]

We got a bundle of music for Ash Wednesday last night. Mostly from the liturgy in the hymnal, so I am mostly playing variations on the written vocal bass line. The music runs almost constantly through the service.

The choir is adding one piece, as are we. The pastor requested we play, "Dust in the Wind." It is being done as a duet with just our guitarist and a tenor singing. I get to play the fiddle part on the GR-33 guitar synth. It went pretty well in the run through; the guys sound good, but I have to be careful with the pick attack. Even with lowering the sensitivity, I may have to ride the volume pedal into the phrase.

I've used it as a background instrument, but this is the first time as a solo on the Gr-33. Wish me luck!

[caeman]

Luck?

Pushaw!

With G-d, you will succeed.

[chuck norriss]

Originally Posted by caeman

When I would run soundboard, I will give the finnicky musicians what they want...in their monitor...which may not be the same thing that goes to the house. I never tell them otherwise.

Same here. But when I'm playing with them I need their dry signal; I don't want 2 seconds of delay, especially while I'm on drums.

[Paladin54]

Wondering how many of you know about this website:

http://www.worshiptogether.com/index.aspx

They offer a lot of free mp3's and free lead sheets on songs.

[rotis]

I went to a network meeting this past week in North Carolina and they had Amber Brooks leading worship one night. WOW, she sounded nothing like her albums. They are really mellow but live her songs take a whole different route.

Which leads me to... Does anyone have a chord sheet for Still I Rise by Amber Brooks? I can't find it anywhere. Here is the live version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4IWIJi7VCM

[iceboxbass]

Originally Posted by tbplayer2

Agreed! It's a great song to start the service. Everyone gets out of their seat and jumps right into worship with both feet! No one can browse the bulletin, or text through this one!

Amen!

Originally Posted by Versatek6

We got a bundle of music for Ash Wednesday last night. Mostly from the liturgy in the hymnal, so I am mostly playing variations on the written vocal bass line. The music runs almost constantly through the service.

The choir is adding one piece, as are we. The pastor requested we play, "Dust in the Wind." It is being done as a duet with just our guitarist and a tenor singing. I get to play the fiddle part on the GR-33 guitar synth. It went pretty well in the run through; the guys sound good, but I have to be careful with the pick attack. Even with lowering the sensitivity, I may have to ride the volume pedal into the phrase.

I've used it as a background instrument, but this is the first time as a solo on the Gr-33. Wish me luck!

That sounds like it'll be awesome! What's a Gr-33 guitar synth? Is it a pedal that you use with your bass? Let us know how it turns out!

Originally Posted by Paladin54

Wondering how many of you know about this website:

http://www.worshiptogether.com/index.aspx

They offer a lot of free mp3's and free lead sheets on songs.

I do now! thanks!

[rotis]

Anyone seen this article? Talks about hiring non church folk to be on worship teams.

Drunken Worship Leaders and Mercenary Musicians http://goo.gl/me8MH

We have talked about it but never felt comfortable with the idea.

[SoCalBassman]

Originally Posted by rotis

Anyone seen this article? Talks about hiring non church folk to be on worship teams.

Drunken Worship Leaders and Mercenary Musicians http://goo.gl/me8MH

We have talked about it but never felt comfortable with the idea.

That's a good article. They say you can't lead someone somewhere you haven't been yourself so how could a non-believer lead someone into the throne room?

[steve_rolfeca]

The article makes a lot of good points. I'm still very conflicted on this issue, though.

I was prayed into the kingdom by a whole bunch of people, including the worship team at my wife's church. This was while I was serving on the worship team as an unsaved person.

It was getting to make music with church-goers that actually broke down a number of the misconceptions I held about church and Christians, and helped me to finally take the step to accept Christ.

Some points to consider:
- There was nothing levitical about the worship teams at that church.
- It was a conservative, relatively stiff suburban CRC church, and the leading of the Holy Spirit was not acknowledged.
- I was a clean-living guy with a laid-back attitude. I brought no problems and caused no rifts within the church during the year and a half that I played there as a non-believer.
- I played my parts competently, and helped to improve the musical quality of the Sunday services.
- It was a volunteer position.

I would not recommend this as a regular way for churches to build their worship teams, but looking back, I don't think that they took the step lightly:
- They knew me well enough to know my character, and to know whether I was going to disgrace them on the platform or off.
- My presence on the team was bathed in prayer from the get-go.
- They used it as an outreach opportunity, and I will be (literally) eternally grateful to them.

[TodB]

Originally Posted by rotis

Anyone seen this article? Talks about hiring non church folk to be on worship teams.

Drunken Worship Leaders and Mercenary Musicians http://goo.gl/me8MH

We have talked about it but never felt comfortable with the idea.

You know the old story about how no plan survives the first contact with the enemy?

The Christian corollary is that no doctrine survives contact with the people affected by it. What I mean is that it's fine to be doctrinaire in the abstract, but that all changes when you are face to face with the people you are talking about. One of the examples in the article was a guitar player who said he was an atheist but whose father was a member of the church. We can all make a petty good guess about dad wanting to keep the conversation open with his son, and how lots of prayer might have surrounded the whole situation including not just the quality of the music but also wanting to open the door to a lost sheep. The facts might make a difference.

I don't think Moses brought the answer to this issue on stone tablets as one of the Ten Commandments. There probably is no one answer which is right for everybody in every situation. In other words, it all depends.

[SoVeryTired]

+1 to Steve and Tod. For every rule we make, which may have perfectly good reasons behind it, there's always an exception. Like the generally applied rule on not dating non-Christians - in most cases it is absolutely the right thing, but then you meet the person who was saved through the influence of their Christian boyfriend/girlfriend.

I like rules and order but the older I get, the more I see that any rules we make ourselves have to be flexible to go with what God wants to do.

[rotis]

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

The article makes a lot of good points. I'm still very conflicted on this issue, though.

I was prayed into the kingdom by a whole bunch of people, including the worship team at my wife's church. This was while I was serving on the worship team as an unsaved person.

I have seen similar situations but I am guessing you considered yourself to be right with God before getting saved.

And I think most would agree there is a difference between a moral unconverted person and a drunken f bomb dropping worship leader.

[Hawkeye]

When I led my church's music ministry for a couple of years we took on a fellow who was a bit of a project both musically and spiritually. He had rudimentary guitar skills and was not a believer. I'm in agreement with what's been shared so far. The decision to accept unbelievers on the worship team should be taken intentionally and carefully.

We did draw the line however at musicians only. We did not want unbelieving vocalists to be singing God's praises, singing about personal spiritual victory and forgiveness from sin etc if such public declarations were not part of their personal experience.

So I think it would be simplistic to make a "one size fits all" rule as there are different situations and people involved. An opportunity to draw unbelievers into Christian community is a good thing generally speaking.

Some unbelievers who are musicians would not darken the door of a church if it weren't for their affinity towards fellow musicians.

As it is the two churches I play at I do so as a "mercenary". Both are large churches but have shortages of musicians in a couple of areas. The one church where I play drums about once a month has two other drummers who are volunteer mercenaries too. They're blessed with a lot of musicians but not a lot of them are drummers. Or maybe they have a lot of drummers but not many are musicians .

At any rate, while we're between churches I am thankful to be able to minister with two great worship teams.