Musicians forgetting about the older members

[blessedone]

I was wondering how many musicians just did away with the hymns?
I was talking to someone and they told me they don't sing anything but up-to-date songs at the church.So what about the older group of people who like traditional music? That is just like riding in the car with someone who loves rock & roll to me.
I try to play a variety so everyone can benefit.

[kaytweetie]

What are some of your favorite hymns?

[ggrosse]

We do a variety of styles (old and new) at my church. I found that when I started doing the old ones, I found a unique anointing to them and just keep them a part of the service.
I think it's important to have a balanced ministry that ministers the old as well as the new. I hate to leave anyone out!

Do you think more younger musicians don't do the older stuff music because they're just too lazy to learn the music? Or maybe it's the fact that most of it isn't available on CD.

ggrosse

[treetree]

i love old gospel and the latest gospel. yes there is something bout them old hyms and songs that just always seem to get you goin.
some of my favorites are: i need thee o
                                      bread of heaven(not fred)
                                      o come let us adore him
                                      God is worthy, to be praised, etc...

[blessedone]

Well one of my friends told me that they have a new musician who is only playing contemporary music. He doesn't play hymns at all. Also he doesn't play anything for the older members of the church. How do you think the older members feel? The older members are the backbone of the church. All musicians should play a variety of songs.

To answer your question ggrosse, I don't think they are lazy and don't want to learn. I think they just really don't know how to play the older stuff. The reason I say this is because someone told me they didn't know how to play hymns. This person is young and know mostly all the up-to-date songs. I am not saying all young people don't know how to play hymns. There are just some though.
There are several CD's out with hymns so there is no excuse not to learn

Just being true.

[simplesymon]

B3 You spoke my language on that. I'm a 20yr old keyboard\organist. Whenever we play a older song like "The lord is blessing me", and I get tired of hitting the same few chords on that repeat part even my fellow musicians look at me funny. They also sometimes say I put too much in a song. My response is this. First of all I let them know I understand their point. They're saying that everyone's used to hearing a song a certain way, and if I deviate from that too much, the focus becomes whatever the heck I'm doing. The point I try to get accross is that playing is a gift from God. Every new chord I learn I thank God for enlarging my praise capasity. In appreciation, I try every time I play, to give my all, whch in cludes jazz. No doubt though, sometimes I get tired or unmotivated, but that spark is still in me to push the service. As musicians we hold the responsibility of ushering in the spirit of God. THAT'S A POWERFULL PRIVELAGE. I don't see how some musicians do what they do. I understand nobody's perfect, but that's not a reason to act a fool. I applaud all musicians on this site. You all make me proud to be a part of an elite group of spiritual minded musicians.  .

[ggrosse]

I was just talking to my wife this morning before we went to work and I told her that the "World" doesn't really seem to appreciate our Seniors in society. As a society we often neglect them (health care) and basically seems as if the world says "Just go away".

I often speak of "The Spirit of the Age" and how we have to be carefull in  not to allow the "Spirit of the Age" to influence our churches attitudes, mission or image.

I've seen a lot of churches do away with old stuff that the seniors could appreciate, dare I say even OLD TIME HOLINESS and striaght up OLD SKOOL PREACHING.

Maybe we are seeing a pushing away from the "Old Way" and "Old Standards" because the "Spirit of the Age" has influenced us so much.

Finally, for all musicians who don't know how to play hymns. It's simple.
CRACK OPEN A HYMN BOOK, FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP YOU READ THE MUSIC and LEARN IT. If you can't do that, grab one of the Older Saints and ask them to teach you the songs.
There are a couple of CDs out now that have been recently recorded and they consist of ALL HYMNS -- the old time way. Not revamped or re-written.. .just plain old sung the way they should be sung.

(Which reminds me -- STOP RE-WRITTING THE HYMNS OF THE CHURCH - THEY DON'T NEED TO BE UPDATED!)

As far as chords go... stick to the basic  --  I, IV, V. Hopefully, you'll be blessed enough to run across an old skooler like I did and they'll play them for you.


ggrosse

[SisterT]

I was wondering how many musicians just did away with the hymns?
I was talking to someone and they told me they don't sing anything but up-to-date songs at the church..

Good topic Sharon!

At my church we do mostly contemporary. Every now & then we'd do a hymn. Amazingly, when we do a hymn, everyone get so into it and ministered by it. That's a clear indictation that a hymn should be thrown in more often.

I was telling my husband, the young people and the young in Christ here at my church will not know and be able to appreciate the old hymns because we don't do them often.

AT the previous church, where I was MOM, I would select a hymn of the month that corresponded to the time of year, i.e., Christmas, Easter, Black History Month, etc. We would sing the hymn every Sunday for a month. This way, everyone would have learned a hymn by the end of the month. It really worked out well. My 8 & 10 yr old have learned so many hymns this way. Now when I practice a hymn, they start singing and don't need a hymnal!

[sbinf]

I play for a methodist church and hymns are part of the liturgy each week. We follow the liturgical calendar (Epiphany, Lent, etc...) in choosing the hymns. We normally have a morning hymn, sermonic hymn, then an invitational hymn. In addition to that, we use many hymns in the unchanging liturgy like Old 100th, Gloria Patri, and the like. We have however found a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary. Depending on the choir, they'll sing either gospel, traditional, or contemporary music.
I think it's very important to be exposed to all of these types of music. Everyone has their favorite, but if we aren't cognizant of the old hymns, how can we ever get a full idea of what praise through music is. I think the big reason why contemporary seems to be winning the battle is because it's easier to play. 95% of gospel songs coming out these days consists of the same basic chord progressions. If you open up a hymnal, you'll see the text uses a greater number of words than what contemporary music consists of today. As well, the music is, harmonically, much more invovled than the contemporary gospel song. Hymns aren't easy to play, nor are they easy to sing. It takes time to learn how to play hymns well. That perhaps is the big reason they're falling out of use....
My two cents.

[kadman92]

I think I was blessed with that revelation from the wonderful ministry of Carlton Pearson and his recording of "Reminding the Saints of the Hope" where he basically says that the older generation sometimes doesn't understand a Fred song or a Kirk Franklin song and you have to reach back and hold their hand.... whoooo, I'm feelin the Holy Ghost..  The song he plays after minisistering is "I Know The Lord", and does THAT song bless me.  You have to minister to the Mothers and Fathers of the church as much as the youth cause they are the corner stones that where there in the beginning of the work.

[Jniles_NCF]

I have been told sometimes that i have an old soul, i'm 20 years old and to tell you the truth i love hymns, the only problem is that i didn't know how to play them, i mean like All hail the power, holy holy holy, great is thy faithfullness ( my fav) my faith looks up to thee,on christ the solid rock i stand, i need thee, just to name a few .

 the way i try to do it is to mix it up, it's all good to do the contempory stuff but when it comes down to it you neeed to know that you are washed in the blood and that morning by morning new mercies we see. these are the songs that bought the older saints thru, i think sometimes the church is trying so hard to be like the world to bring poeple from the world into the church which is good to some point but then they never show the change that God has made or the difference between the church and the world.

We should never forget that worship is not in the song or chords or the notes but it's ultimatley about the relationship we have with God, and i'm not saying that the new upbeat soulful gospel songs don't do that but it's sometimes hard to hear the clear cut message of the Word in the song when your so rapped up in the chords and phrasing.

Just my piece be blessed

[blessedone]

Thanks Sis. T. :wink:

Musicians we must never forget about our old members of the church. If you don't know how to play hymns, ask someone to help you.

Lets do a variety of all songs. It will make a difference in your service. I do try to jazz things up a bit. Sometimes my Mom say,"Sharon you playing the blues". I tell her, "No just jazzin it up a bit". The older crowd love it!

How many musicians still play "Amazing Grace?"

[kadman92]

I still play Amazing Grace... and I Know it was the Blood...  among others.  We have 2 sisters in the church, Sister Fox... she's a character you'd love.  She has the old country church hairdo and a quaker spirit.  She sings only a few songs.  

The other older sister in our church is one of the church Mothers... Sista Mathews... she doesn't have a beautiful singing voice but man can she sing the old stuff.  She pours her heart and sole into it.   She knows a bunch of old songs...  I never know what she is going to pull out her spiritual hat.  I follow eventually with Gods grace....

I too love the old stuff as much as the new and both have equal play in our church.

[SisterT]

How many musicians still play "Amazing Grace?"

What about, how many musicians know how to play Amazing Grace? New musicians are so concerned about playing the contemporary songs, that some don't know how to play Amazing Grace.

I was a a church where the musician couldn't play the song. I had to scoot the brother off the organ.

[divinemusician]

What SisterT said was sad but true that goes for me too, I try to learn how to play all songs because my church sings, old and new, we have fun doing it, you know I think if both young and old respect (not saying they dont) each others music and learn to know where each other are coming from it would be a blessing, I am 21 and I love singing old songs, they the jam but I love my new songs too, I learned to respect the songs and really listen to the words, and allow God to minister.

[blessedone]

How many musicians still play "Amazing Grace?"

What about, how many musicians know how to play Amazing Grace? New musicians are so concerned about playing the contemporary songs, that some don't know how to play Amazing Grace.

I was a a church where the musician couldn't play the song. I had to scoot the brother off the organ.

Ok Roline you have me crackin up over here :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Let me rephrase that.

How many musicians know how to play Amazing Grace?