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Worship Bassists Unite

#301
Hi fellow worship bassists. I play about 3 weeks a month at Lord of Life Community Church in Oswego, Illinois. The only other bass player is my 16 year old daughter. She plays my old Ibanez BTB 400. I am beginning to have right hand problems due to bone spurs growing into my spinal cord, so I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. The good news is that she will be able to take over when that day comes.

There are a lot of songs I love to play. Right now my favorite may be Our Love is Loud, because the way we play it, it starts out with just bass and drums and our primary drummer now is my 18 year old son. Playing regularly with my son and being able to serve in a music ministry with my kids is an amazing blessing. Unfortunately, I don't get to publicly play with my daughter too often. We don't normally use two bass players simultaneously (though we have done it!).:hyper:

I play a Peacock Blue Peavey Cirrus USA through a Sansamp DI into the sound system plus an Ibanez 65W amp onstage for me.

Oh, btw, about four years ago my son starting learning drums on a really beat up, really cheap set that my cousin started on. My son kept complaining that he needed a better drum set if he was going to be able to learn properly. I told him that we didn't have the money for a new drum set, but that if God dropped the money into my lap I would buy him a new set. God has an interesting sense of humor. A few days later, I won $2000 in a (secular) radio contest. The TAMA drum set my son plays at church is the set that I bought him with the money. And my daughter got her first bass from that money too.
 
#307
Not sure I qualify just yet...but soon I hope. I just started the bass this past June and I've been trying to learn on my own. Probably not wise, but with one in college and two more to go...you get the picture.

Working on learning contemporary stuff for teen group worship. We try to use teen instrumentalists, but they keep graduating! Have an adult guitarist leading them and hope to be able to add a few other instrumentalists and use teen vocalists.

Had the first chance to play with the guitarist the other night. Still have a lot to learn, but was able to bang out the roots for most of what he wanted to do. He has created a lot of medleys with bridges with most chords handwritten all over the page...bit much to sight read and keep up.

Did finally feel the push to go pick up an Ampeg BA115HP amp. Became clear to me why the bassist who just graduated never cranked it up. Tried using the house system through DI matchbox. Had absolutely no idea what I was playing. No way he could have heard himself either.

My daughter and another girl have asked me to help them learn how to play (like I have any real idea,) so I'm going to try and get them started. Daughter has laid claim to the Fullerton Ventura 5 I picked up, so she's on her way.

Primary worship bassist in the main sanctuary is already talking to me about rotating in and covering for him when he travels. Uhhh...not just yet, thanks!

Playing a Brice Beatle-bass clone and loving it.
 
#308
Hey everyone, I just would like some support, advice, and prayer in my decision making. I'm a senior in high school, and the time is coming to choose where to go to college and get an idea of what I want to do as a career. Music, especially worship music and/or session work, is a possible field of choice along with History and Anthropology. I really have a passion for music, but I'm worried about being able to get into the music industry or a church after college, and I'm worried that I might not get there at all as a paying career. I have a backup plan of being a history teacher, which I do like, but it isn't my main aspiration. If you have had any experiences with this, how did things turn out? What do you suggest I do to be successful? Thanks for your help.
 
#309
Hey guys...

This is not quite "worship"... but my new band (as yet unnamed) has had a couple practices... we decided for the next one we would bring a couple originals... I have a couple bouncing around my head (lotsa room in there) and have written my first. Basically an upbeat contemp. praise/worship type setting of Psalm 103:1-5. My "translation", but essentially still David's thoughts... I have another couple ideas that're a little more "rock n roll"y...
 
#310
Nighthawk551 said:
Hey everyone, I just would like some support, advice, and prayer in my decision making. I'm a senior in high school, and the time is coming to choose where to go to college and get an idea of what I want to do as a career. Music, especially worship music and/or session work, is a possible field of choice along with History and Anthropology. I really have a passion for music, but I'm worried about being able to get into the music industry or a church after college, and I'm worried that I might not get there at all as a paying career. I have a backup plan of being a history teacher, which I do like, but it isn't my main aspiration. If you have had any experiences with this, how did things turn out? What do you suggest I do to be successful? Thanks for your help.
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Seemingly simple answer is...walk through the open door. Far more complicated in application.

I am serving a church board for a church of 850-900 people. We are looking for a worship leader and finding it harder than anticipated to find the right person. Another friend serves on the board of a much larger church and they looked for a year-and-a-half before finding a well-qualified music/worship leader. Know of another church that has stopped looking because of a dearth of musicians able to lead worship in a way they felt comfortable with. Say all that to say, there does seem to be a market for trained musicians with a heart for leading a congregation in worship...not just making music.

Staying in state to attend school? Several good schools with decent music programs in IN.
 
#311
oldrookie said:
Seemingly simple answer is...walk through the open door. Far more complicated in application.

I am serving a church board for a church of 850-900 people. We are looking for a worship leader and finding it harder than anticipated to find the right person. Another friend serves on the board of a much larger church and they looked for a year-and-a-half before finding a well-qualified music/worship leader. Know of another church that has stopped looking because of a dearth of musicians able to lead worship in a way they felt comfortable with. Say all that to say, there does seem to be a market for trained musicians with a heart for leading a congregation in worship...not just making music.

Staying in state to attend school? Several good schools with decent music programs in IN.
Click to expand...


Good advice.
 
#312
oldrookie said:
Seemingly simple answer is...walk through the open door. Far more complicated in application.

I am serving a church board for a church of 850-900 people. We are looking for a worship leader and finding it harder than anticipated to find the right person. Another friend serves on the board of a much larger church and they looked for a year-and-a-half before finding a well-qualified music/worship leader. Know of another church that has stopped looking because of a dearth of musicians able to lead worship in a way they felt comfortable with. Say all that to say, there does seem to be a market for trained musicians with a heart for leading a congregation in worship...not just making music.

Staying in state to attend school? Several good schools with decent music programs in IN.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for sharing your experience. That really has me feeling better about going with worship music as a career. I am looking at several colleges in Indiana, especially Anderson University. I am interested in their Music Business major with a minor in Music Performance (emphasis in bass). There are several other colleges offering Worship/Church Music as a major, but I'd kind of like a Music Business major at this point because of the added opportunities I might have by being a producer, engineer, manager, etc. as well as a musician. I am still worried about being "tethered" to a 6-String in order to be a worship leader. Also, I'm not sure if churches would consider my major as suitable for one applying as a worship leader. Does anyone have any information regarding those issues?
 
#313
Nighthawk551 said:
Thanks very much for sharing your experience. That really has me feeling better about going with worship music as a career. I am looking at several colleges in Indiana, especially Anderson University. I am interested in their Music Business major with a minor in Music Performance (emphasis in bass). There are several other colleges offering Worship/Church Music as a major, but I'd kind of like a Music Business major at this point because of the added opportunities I might have by being a producer, engineer, manager, etc. as well as a musician. I am still worried about being "tethered" to a 6-String in order to be a worship leader. Also, I'm not sure if churches would consider my major as suitable for one applying as a worship leader. Does anyone have any information regarding those issues?
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Nighthawk

I've been involved in several worship teams in various capacities. I doubt that your major is going to be much of an issue at all. I think where you might have more of a problem is in convincing the people doing the hiring that a bass player can be an effective worship leader. Most churches are used to the worship leader being a guitarist or keyboard player. What I think would be most helpful is to get experience leading worship, on a volunteer basis, if necessary. That may mean building a worship team from scratch at a small church, reviving a struggling team, or even leading a youth group worship team. Work your way up, help the current worship leader in leading the team (e.g., offer to lead in the absence of the current leader), and always be a team player. If you can demonstrate that you can be an effective worship leader, especially in a number of different settings, that will help dispel the notion that you have to play guitar to lead worship.
 
#314
Anderson has a good music program and a good business program. One of the profs there was a business prof at Olivet Nazarene when I was a student. He served as our worship leader at my current church for several years.

I've never served as a music director, but I believe Flash51 has some good points. Being able to demonstrate that you can do the job...and that you have been able to build a program...will likely be more important than the instrument you play.
 
#316
Thanks to you both. I figured that proving to a church staff that I have the ability to lead effectively would be the deciding factor for them to want to hire me. I do know how to play guitar fairly well, but obviously my main instrument is bass and I feel more comfortable playing it. I am willing to be flexible either way.
 
#319
oldrookie said:
I was there from 77-83. Met my wife there. Oldest daughter is a freshman right now. 35 kids from our youth group are currently enrolled.

Lots of connections!
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Well, OldRookie, considering the name I figured you were probably not a recent Olivet alum. But you are still younger than I am. I received my Bachelor's degree from Augustana College in 77.

While we don't attend a Nazarene church, my son decided to go there because he was interested in going into Christian radio and we listen to Shine radio. We visited the campus and the radio station and were treated really great. Tower even put my son on the air during our visit. Of course, a few weeks before he started at Olivet he decided he didn't want to go into radio after all. Now his major is History. [But he still likes it at Olivet anyway.]

Now the next two kids are doing the college search thing right now. So, for at least 1 year we'll have all three of them in college at private Christian schools. Oh joy! I guess I'll retire at age 108!
 
#320
Old is a state of mind...and I feel a bit long in the tooth be trying to learn everything involved in playing the bass. Really love it, just wish I had hung tough with it years ago.

Radio can be a very tough way to make a living (broadcast journalism professor.) Glad he found ONU to his liking anyway.

Sounds like you need a paying gig as a worship bassist! Three at once...ouch. Big-box stores are always looking for 108-year-old greeters. :)

Was supposed to meet with full praise team tomorrow night for a first practice...really looking forward to trying out my new-to-me Ampeg combo in the teen center...and now have to attend a meeting about possible sale of land for debt reduction.
 

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