Me Playing Nigerian-style Praise Music

[B3Wannabe]

My God E Good OOOOOO!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk-Xd4vSxjg&feature=channel_page

[csedwards2]

whats Nigerian about it. Sounds like contemporary stuff I hear all the time. Sounds good, but I was thinking something fast and rhythmic with a non-standard song form.

Im hearing alot of tritones, Id want to put in a groove like that too btw

[betnich]

Not Bad! Like the voices and your musicians' groove...are you on the keys?

[B3Wannabe]

whats Nigerian about it. Sounds like contemporary stuff I hear all the time. Sounds good, but I was thinking something fast and rhythmic with a non-standard song form.

Im hearing alot of tritones, Id want to put in a groove like that too btw

Sorry. For some reason it didn't post the right link. I fixed it. NOW, it's Nigerian.

Not Bad! Like the voices and your musicians' groove...are you on the keys?

Yea. I was on the keys in the last video, and the current one.

[csedwards2]

nice. How can I learn how to play the style? Or what could I listen to? What is the general differences in the style than contemp Christian?

[B3Wannabe]

nice. How can I learn how to play the style? Or what could I listen to? What is the general differences in the style than contemp Christian?

I'm not giving it justice. This is just a pattern that I learned from listening to videos on Youtube.

My right hand is doing 1-4-1-5, and my left hand is doing 1-3-1-4-1-3-7-2.

Imagine Lord I Lift Your Name On High or Bless The Lord With Me, with same sort of pattern. That's how I had to play it, if I wanted the service to be live! If I played the western way, they'd sit and look at me. LOL

It's all good. I got bored at times, but I loved (and now miss) how they praised. Many American services are dead in comparison. This is just a little taste. They would be dancing all over the place--especially the two ladies and men in the front! Just off of that little 1-4-5! The ladies in the front are the ones that like to drop it. Sweet.

Just do a search on Youtube for Nigerian (Ghanaian or Kenyan) Gospel. All of them sound ABOUT the same. It reminds me of island or Hispanic (merenge-type) music, a little.

[csedwards2]

The ladies in the front are the ones that like to drop it. Sweet.

Just do a search on Youtube for Nigerian (Ghanaian or Kenyan) Gospel. All of them sound ABOUT the same. It reminds me of island or Hispanic (merenge-type) music, a little.

Indeed, I'll have to do a search then. Ive had to play for an African church, and yes I played the Western way, and they tried to hang but I wished I would have really known it you know

[csedwards2]

I'm not giving it justice. This is just a pattern that I learned from listening to videos on Youtube.

My right hand is doing 1-4-1-5, and my left hand is doing 1-3-1-4-1-3-7-2.

Thanks man, I can hear it now

[Fenix]

Hey B3 nice one. You got the rhythm down pat too.

At the core, Nigerian P&W music is so simple. Most praise songs are simple 1-4-1-5 or 2-5-1 progressions, and many worship songs are 4-5-3-6-2-5-1 progs.

One thing about playing for a Nigerian church is that these dudes do not give keys. It has its pros and cons. The pro is that when P&W starts, you wont have to bother switching keys. The con is that if you get a bad singer who swtiches keys anyhow, you are screwed.

[easeraelkiiz]

Sounds a little Nigerian but if you think you got it all,think again bro.There are like One jillion traditional styles in Nigeria LOL.

[B3Wannabe]

Sounds a little Nigerian but if you think you got it all,think again bro.There are like One jillion traditional styles in Nigeria LOL.

I know. That's why I said "I'm not giving it justice." LOL

Hey B3 nice one. You got the rhythm down pat too.

At the core, Nigerian P&W music is so simple. Most praise songs are simple 1-4-1-5 or 2-5-1 progressions, and many worship songs are 4-5-3-6-2-5-1 progs.

One thing about playing for a Nigerian church is that these dudes do not give keys. It has its pros and cons. The pro is that when P&W starts, you wont have to bother switching keys. The con is that if you get a bad singer who swtiches keys anyhow, you are screwed.

Sweet. You said "anyhow"!

Thanks. There were a couple people that'd always tell me I wasn't playing it right, but most people said I played it well. I think I was "OK".

There were times when a visiting American musician would play for a service. When the PW team started singing African songs, the musician would get the look. I had to go rescue them with the "1-4-5". There were some songs that I could never hear the pattern, though.

[csedwards2]

When the PW team started singing African songs, the musician would get the look. I had to go rescue them with the "1-4-5".

<----------------------------------- look lol

[B3Wannabe]

<----------------------------------- look lol

Happened to you before huh?

[BigFoot_BigThumb]

Pastor was breaking it down.  Sounds good though.

[csedwards2]

Happened to you before huh?

I forgot the descent, or either she didnt tell me. But this girl asked me to play for her churches anniversary revival Fri-Sun (pro bono, btw and she called me the night before). She said, they do the same songs, and theres one African tune we're going to do. SO I agreed, since it sounded like she had no other option. They hit that song, and I think one or two others, and I couldnt figure out the song form to save my life. It was like an odd number of measures or something, or maybe like a 14 bar tune or something weird. I tried. I didnt go back the other two days though.

[Mysteryman]

Don't think I could sit there every Sunday without prayer. lol Africans really get down.

[csedwards2]

lol

[B3Wannabe]

Pastor was breaking it down.  Sounds good though.

That wasn't the pastor. He's just one of the ministers. The pastor was sitting behind me to the left.

[Fenix]

I forgot the descent, or either she didnt tell me. But this girl asked me to play for her churches anniversary revival Fri-Sun (pro bono, btw and she called me the night before). She said, they do the same songs, and theres one African tune we're going to do. SO I agreed, since it sounded like she had no other option. They hit that song, and I think one or two others, and I couldnt figure out the song form to save my life. It was like an odd number of measures or something, or maybe like a 14 bar tune or something weird. I tried. I didnt go back the other two days though.

I don't blame you at all. I should have clarified something earlier; the songs USE simple progressions, but the rhythm is not necessarily simple. My church's former bassist always stepped down when it came time to play Nigerian praise songs (for baby dedications and such). THe guy just could not get the timing. I was always amused by that cuz i could hear it very plainly.

B3 did very well considering.

[T-Block]

So B3, why was the whole keyboard shaking and bouncing when u was playing higher on the keys? LOL, just messing wit u. Great job!!