Musicians if you cant play that hymn or that song you are wrong for that!!

[diverse379]

Anyone that knows me or knows about me will tell you that I practice hard. I have high standards for myself. So high that they are unrealistic. I am never satisfied with the level that I am at. I trash my musical ideas because they are not hot enough. In fact I sometimes hate the way I play because its not the sound that I am striving for. I am my worst critic and that has made it difficult for me to accept compliments because I dont feel like I deserve them. Im not there yet, I need to work harder, I could have been cleaner etc.

I will say that I do understand where the clinician was coming from. I can see accountability, responsibility, initiative, proactive, all of those things. I understand the message he was trying to get across and I dont think that you meant any harm.

(Feel free to skip the next two paragraphs)

(1) I used to have this outward gung ho mentality, trust me. But, I had to dumb it down because I was starting to push people away. Its still haunts me.

(2) I walked in a church last Thursday night and asked the drummer if he would help me out, because my drummer or bass player was not going to be able to make it.  He shook his head nervously and said, "No, um that guy over there is way better than me. Im not on your level man."  I put my hand on his shoulder to try to calm him and said to him, "Listen,I think you will do a fine job. All you have to do maintain eye contact with me. The songs are very easy. I wont leave you hangin." Even though he knew the songs, he still didnt feel confident enough to do it so he passed. I have never met the kid before, never seen him im my life. It was my dumb reputation that got to him, before he even met me in person. Mind you, the kid could play his behind off, but he didnt want to help me because of what he heard about me. "They say you dont play around, you aint know joke blah blah." That didnt make me feel good.


I said all that to say this. We can sometimes be careless. We need to be careful how we say what we say, to the who's we say them too. Me and you and can sit around a table talk to eachother because we are both passionate about our craft. You told me that if my hands were hurting from doing the Hannon exercises, then it was because I was doing something wrong. So, you know what I did, I figure out what I was doing wrong and have not had that problem since. Everyone is not going to be receptive to that stern to the point "get your crap together" correction/encouragement.

All I know is that this:

"3rd day is one of the best musicians I have heard."

meant a lot to me coming from you. 

Jeff Davis is one of my Favorite drummers, hands down. I love his sound. Very seasoned, very humble, very down to earth. I wish that I was there to hear what he said and how he said it so that I could have understood the both of you in a greater way.


 

Seriously dude making grown men cry aint cool it just aint cool.
i cant belive I am freaking tearing up over here.

[diverse379]

first my apologies because if my ideas were misconstrued it is possible I did not convey them properly.
first Jeff lo did say the your wrong for that comments but after the brother asked well what if I am doing my best
one of the piano players who was on the senior staff at the conference said all the other stuff about getting your act together
being profesional if you are paid.
etc it was after this guy laid into us that I sat spell bound I was convicted and encouraged all at the same time.

3rd day is right some people dont respond to this tipe or berating, some need it though to wake up.
my words were my words forget about taking anything second hand
the words of diverse379 are this.

we are all commanded to study to show ourselves approved and to be ever so ready.
so I am calling upon us to make an honest attempt to be a blessing to your ministries in ways you may not have been before.
if there is a style you are not comfortable playing practice that before you practice your favorite shoult
if you dont play well in B stop trying to push sister jackson to the key of c practice your favorite songs in the key of B
if you your church sings a lot of hymns learn how to read it takes as long as it takes. it may be harder for some but then again you are getting paid to sweat.

these are my words. my thoughts my feelings 
of course all may not agree I cant force that

but I never never asked  any other musician to worry about what other people say
I do however ask you to be mindful of how you minister to your congregations that you make an honest attempt to reach all in that congregation.

if you only have two old ladies in that church give them an old rendition of Ill fly away or just a little talk with jesus.if you just have two teenagers in the congregation and you are 75 play them a a littel heekiah or joshuas troop
stepping outside our comfort zone and being professional are what we  beocmes our duty when we take that pay check.
many of you made comments tht a  drummer could not and should not make such comments but a person can see if he were a  reacher like pehaps Td Jaakes or some other anointed speaker you may not have felt that way because what Jeff said and spirit that we all received it was in a spirituaual way,.

not to look at our craft as just music but as LEvites who conscecrated themselves. before they went into the temple.
I dont care if the man played the triangle if you can give me the word if God gave a message to you I can listen.
but again I apologize if I have offended anyone I think I just wanted to shock people and casue a littel whiplash and at the same time maybe help somebody.


before I was laid off I was making 700 per sunday.
yet I still didnt know how to play even me or his eye is on the sparrow even though they sung that song every now and them/

dont get me wrong I practiced I worked.
but I didnt always take this job as seriously as I should have.

I am now realizing that my ministry is to god and god doesent leave any of his sheep behind and as his servant neither should and I and neither should any of you.
I realized my anger was not in the fact that people disagreed with me .It was because I felt that this simple petition was allowed to be taken out of context. and a beautiful concept of being more professional about how we do things fell to the wayside.
I was called asinine  for trying to help my fellow musicinas see something that they may have been to proud to see.

[malthumb]

Drummer should be thankful that he's even ALLOWED to hang out with musicians.

 

Dave,

Take it......



just take it....I mean, you never know when you might be in the presence of a drummer

[malthumb]

Diverse379,

Your last several posts make it clear that you (and maybe also Jeff) were describing situations where musicians KNEW what they were responsible for and still fell short of the mark.  I certainly agree with you on that.

I initially took your position to mean that any musician was responsible for being able to play anything in the hymnal, just on the ocassion that it might come up.  Being in situations where stuff changes between service and the pre-service meeting, and sometimes "one more again" during the service, that's the frame of reference I replied from.

Your point is a lot clearer now.

Peace,

James

[Ljenson2009]

     I agree and dissagree to a point. I'm a musician whose been out of it for about 20 years ,  I had no intentions of going back playing, but my church was in need of a pianist for the junior choir..I started playing in high school, was pretty good..but of course that was back in the late 70's-1982, but anyway..  I played by ear and can read music, but have become LAZY with that!!! I can pick up pretty well, but sometime I can't, and when I can't...I don't..If anyone can understand that,, certainly CHURCH FOLKS..should....I don't take it personally... neither do they... Gettin' paid or not....and if they want to fire!!you because you  're not able to pick  up a song every now and then...Just PRAY..for them

[c3hamby]

In the jazz world there are certain standards that every jazz musician must know. All Of Me, Autumn Leaves, Girl From Impanema-if you are going to a jam session you better know these and many more. As far as keys go with vocalists, there are certain keys that you don't ask a musician to play in, or the vocalist loses respect for the singer. Key of B for example.

I can see where there are hymns that everybody in a gospel church has been singing forever that are kind of like these songs. Some of them I know, some I don't.

With the hymns I grew up with, I can play those pretty much in any key.

The way our church starts, the deacons always start singing some songs. Some of the little what I call devotional songs have a different melody than what I grew up with but the same words. Plus, the deacons don't give us the time to do the standard turnaround at the end of the song, so we have to adapt to them. They are wrong for that, but they are the deacons and you don't want to make them look bad.

My philosophy as an accompanist to a singer is if you mess up, it’s my fault. If I mess up it’s my fault. It is my job to make the vocalist look good no matter what. It’s served me well, and they always call me back.

There are a some headstrong leaders out there that are going to sing the song in whatever key they start it off on, and they don’t necessarily have perfect pitch. It is a touch of professionalism to get the key ahead of time from the vocalist and the pianist could give a intro to establish it, but doesn’t always work that way.

[diverse379]

     I agree and dissagree to a point. I'm a musician whose been out of it for about 20 years ,  I had no intentions of going back playing, but my church was in need of a pianist for the junior choir..I started playing in high school, was pretty good..but of course that was back in the late 70's-1982, but anyway..  I played by ear and can read music, but have become LAZY with that!!! I can pick up pretty well, but sometime I can't, and when I can't...I don't..If anyone can understand that,, certainly CHURCH FOLKS..should....I don't take it personally... neither do they... Gettin' paid or not....and if they want to fire!!you because you  're not able to pick  up a song every now and then...Just PRAY..for them

I hear you and I wont judge you
but I am only calling you to be the best you can be for your service to God
not man.
I dont ask you to worry about what the people say or whether or not you get fired.
but if you play by ear
there is a way to develop this skill.
find out the genre they sing most often and begin
going on rhpaody
pay the 75 annual membership
and listen to all the music you want from every genre.
play along.
pick an artist and learn all his work.

by ear.
I am just saying
when we are paid for the sunday we are also being played for our practice during the week
just start playing smart.

get a teacher.
if you have time.
do it For God and your own integrity.

or dont.