kicking someone off the organ

[DbKeysinCT]

there was post in the Drum room the other day about kicking off drummers when someone has to play for the pastors when visiting a church.
My question how would do that on an organ for it seems when guess musician come to my church I always know because beacuse off the oh so come "Musicians swagger"
u know a nice shirt,
u see them looking for the musicians pit  
and the they make the eye contact to let u know theyre a musician

my problem is how would do it when ur visiting a church and ur choir or praise team is going up and that churches organist is playing.
they way i do it is... as i walk i do the "head nod" "make eye contact"
and say (if there young like me) "yo, lemme touch this real quick" or if there an adult i would "excuse I have to play now"

i just wanna how some of yall would do.

[Muziqmann]

My choirs wouldn't sing with another musician if I was present.  So, since I am young I would sy "yo, lemme git dis" and say "good look" when I got up.

[DbKeysinCT]

Thats how i would but the praise teams regular well know songs if i'm not playing behind them and our original stuff if i'm there.

[B3Wannabe]

there was post in the Drum room the other day about kicking off drummers when someone has to play for the pastors when visiting a church.
My question how would do that on an organ for it seems when guess musician come to my church I always know because beacuse off the oh so come "Musicians swagger"
u know a nice shirt,
u see them looking for the musicians pit  
and the they make the eye contact to let u know theyre a musician

my problem is how would do it when ur visiting a church and ur choir or praise team is going up and that churches organist is playing.
they way i do it is... as i walk i do the "head nod" "make eye contact"
and say (if there young like me) "yo, lemme touch this real quick" or if there an adult i would "excuse I have to play now"

i just wanna how some of yall would do.

Same.

[ManualKeys]

When I go to a Church:
Well as for me I always get to the service extra early to make sure that I meet and greet all the musicians and make myself known. Then I ask about the order of the service so that way I know when exactly to get on and when I need to get off.

When someone comes to my church:
When someone comes to my church I always look for the person during the service if there not there early and nod at them so they know to come on up to the organ.

[nessalynn77]

Around here, it's standard for choirs and praise teams to bring their own musicians, so typically anyone who's on the instruments would look for that choir's musician to be coming up with the choir.  Sometimes if no one is there, the director will ask the musician whose already on if they can play the selection, or if it's someone we know (which it usually is) we know that they'll be able to play for us and if not, we'll have to go acapella.  I always try to be in place to play and have our drummer there as well.

[nessalynn77]

Sorry, just a side note:

I think the "kicking off" part comes in when you are playing for your own church service and someone comes in who's better and wants to play.  That's when it gets a little touchy.  Generally, I'll get off in a heartbeat if someone wants to play, cuz I want to watch and learn.  It's a little awkward when I'm struggling and I know someone is there who can play it better, cuz I kind of want them to just come get on, but I think they kind of feel awkward asking me to get off.  When it comes to drums, which I'm a little better at, I'll wait until i'm invited to get on is someone's already on, or I might ask someone if no one's playing.

[DBG2k5]

Here in Jackson, MS when I visit a church, the host musician pretty much knows who I am and what church I play for and I ALWAYS let them know that when choirs are changing out to STAY PUT until my choir director is ready (in which case now, it's me.)  As soon as that transition takes place, then I take over, to make sure that there is no dead space.  (Plus, since I am the only organ/keyboard player at my church, if I'm at a church that has one musician, I'll just go to the other instrument to allow that musician to play with us.  I don't have no problem with other musicians playing with us.)

When I'm home, I play until the musician taps me on my shoulder, from there, I ask what key is his/her first song is in, then I transition to it, and hold a certain note, until they take over.  The transition is very smooth and some people don't even realize musicians were switched.

[cbanks1]

This was a great question, I've been playing for about three years and at first when I started going to other churches i was nervous as chicken cornered by 6 foxes I'd be sweatin and everything but the churches musician would normally be ok I had one situation where I went to a church in Maywood Il I'm from chitown and I got on the keyboard and we were singing a song that I wrote, granted they caught on and thats cool but the organist were playing so loud I couldnt even hear my self I though that was so rude ...Im more a producer learning gospel piano and organ ad dont mind a person with the right spirit playin with or taken over but this dude though he was God 's gift to the organ thats the attitude I dont care for.

[Brorich]

When I visit a church, I usually move up when my choir is called! When a church visits, normally I'll wait until their choir gets in the choir stand. their musician soon follows.

[2tight]

When I go to a Church:
Well as for me I always get to the service extra early to make sure that I meet and greet all the musicians and make myself known. Then I ask about the order of the service so that way I know when exactly to get on and when I need to get off.

When someone comes to my church:
When someone comes to my church I always look for the person during the service if there not there early and nod at them so they know to come on up to the organ.

we do the same thing.We really never had that problem because everybody know who the musicians is at my church.

[ddw4e]

there was post in the Drum room the other day about kicking off drummers when someone has to play for the pastors when visiting a church.
My question how would do that on an organ for it seems when guess musician come to my church I always know because beacuse off the oh so come "Musicians swagger"
u know a nice shirt,
u see them looking for the musicians pit  
and the they make the eye contact to let u know theyre a musician

my problem is how would do it when ur visiting a church and ur choir or praise team is going up and that churches organist is playing.
they way i do it is... as i walk i do the "head nod" "make eye contact"
and say (if there young like me) "yo, lemme touch this real quick" or if there an adult i would "excuse I have to play now"

i just wanna how some of yall would do.

Same thing for me doc...but the weirdist thing about that is that when I am getting up, they make me sit right there and they direct knowing that they never direct in thie lives LOL!!  I went to SEVERAL anniversary services when I played for every single choir and I never played for them before...but I am in a small area so that could be the case. :lol:  :lol:

[Freddy229]

Well, you hafta consider yourself when you 'move' someone from the instrument. 'How would I like for someone to ask me to move?' Some people don't care. When I come with my church, they(the other church) know who I am and there is never a question. Sometimes, though you have to be more forcefuland think: who else is gonna play for your choir if you don't sit down and play?

When I started out, there were a few guys that would come in and the members would ask them to play and move me away. Now, that hurt but it didn't break my spirit. If I go to a service where a musician is 'struggling' I stay away from the instruments as not to cause unwanted attention.HOwever, if I am asked I will play or 'help a brotha out." I always remember how I felt when I was booted off my organ so I never try to do that to anybody...that's being kicked off the organ!!!!!

[RMS2003]

I play the piano and organ and one Sunday night I was on the piano, this girl in our church was coming up to sing and she asked the lady playing the organ to play the piano. I didn't hear what she said to her but the lady got off the organ and said "she wants me to play the keyboard I don't know why". I was fine with that, but I knew the song she was singing so I thought it was kinda strange since I knew it real well. So I sat down on the organ to play. Well one of the other organ players got up and walked over and kinda gave me the "i'm gonna play" look. Well she was older than me and a ministers wife so I had no choice but to get off. Kinda upset me though. Maybe she thought I didn't know the song because I was young.

The only other time where I was sorta kicked off an instrument was when I first started playing. I asked to play for the altar call and the lady who was playing the piano at the time said that would be fine. She had to interpret for the deaf during the preaching and usually just stayed there for the altar call too. Well when that time came I got up to sit at the keyboard when her son (who would normally play when she had to interpret) comes up and says "i'm gonna play the piano". That was a time when getting to play was an extra special treat so I got kinda upset about it and went back to my seat. I was like 14, and one of the girls I was sitting by leans over to me and says "it's okay ryan". I kinda laugh about it now because I guess she thought I was gonna cry or somethin. I was just mad though. Anyway, afterwards, the lady who played the piano at that time apologized because she forgot to tell her son not to come up.

There were a few other times when I wasn't really kicked off, just not allowed to play. They would make some bogus excuse. But I know it was just because I wasn't experienced enough.

Usually I know before hand if someone is gonna play the instrument I'm on, like when we have a guest preacher.

[musician_organist]

At my church, if I'm playing and a visiting choir or praise team comes up, I automatically move from the instrument unless I see no other musicians.  If someone comes over and stands by the instrument, i assume they're either the director or the musician.  If they're a director without a musician, then i'll play if they ask me to.  If I'm at someone else's church, I'll just sit with the choir until it is time for us to sing.  If someone is sitting on the instrument, I let them know that I'm the musician (actually I just go to the instrument and they pretty much know I am) then they move.

If I was playing at my own church for my choir and someone wanted to play, I'd probably let them if they asked if they could play.  If they told me to MOVE, then there is no way i'd get up and let them have it.

[min_amw]

If we're at my church and a guest is going to play for a group that I don't belong to, I get up and introduce myself to that person as they approach the instrument and show them some love. If I am at someone else's church, I approach the instrument, introduce myself, show them some love, and kindly ask them to play the instrument. The biggest thing here is introducing yourself and showing some love. If you do that in some form or another, you shouldn't feel to wierd about the whole thing.

[ES7Mike]

If i usually go out to a church i get there before the service starts and let the fellow musicians at that church know that i am with the visiting church. if i'm at my church i just get the organ/piano ahead of time.

[atwell92]

Most of the churches that visit my church, we are already well aqqainted( is that how you spell it?) anyways, when its there time I finsih up the little sonf Im playing and I move on to the pew, and sometimes if Mary(our pianist) leaves after our part is over. I play the piano for the visitors, to help them out.

[Dooley]

I guess theres a right way and a wrong way to do anything.  If your choir is visiting a church, hopefully the musician would know that you are going to play for your choir...So just go up, shake their hand, and say enjoyed you...And if you really did enjoy, tell them to sit in with you. 

Now if you are a host church, just wait for the musician to get up, and get on your instrument.  And shake their hand, and say bless me, or something encouraging. 

Musicians have a bad stigma for being sensitive, or having a bad attitude.  for instance, if someone gets on the organ and takes you off, you tend to have your feelings hurt, or might be mad...But its all for God anyways...And when we go to get someone else off of the organ, we tend to do it in a disrespectful way...I havent got "kicked off" before, but Im sure its not a good feeling.  I have asked some people to come take my place though so I can do other things.  But its a right way and a wrong way to do everything.  Make sure you do these things with LOVE...Amen

[Ransome-notez]

Usually ill be like, "i got this" or like "ima play this one"