LeftyP

Hope this link works!

It's a bit long and wordy but highlights what playing in church is all about. Have a brew and enjoy.

I was at a local village hall on Saturday night to see the Haley Sisters from Yorkshire. I first met Jo-Ann and Becky in the early 90s when they were in their late teens but Becky has just become a grandmother! They have been a fixture on the British country music scene since they hit the road and provide close sibling harmonies with some good guitar work. Becky married Brian Smith who has played in Nashville and recorded and toured with Crystal Gayle. He is an amazing guitarist and adds a lot to the overall sound. Becky plays semi acoustic guitar and Jo-Ann the Hofner violin bass. I love Jo-Ann's playing as it is perfect for the songs they do and the harmonies they produce are so natural. Their sound system is also excellent and consists of a Yamaha powered mixer feeding a Bose tower set up with small woofer to handle the bass. The sound is clear and loud enough to not be uncomfortable. As I play their songs on my radio programme I was asked to compare the show before sitting back to enjoy the evening. To add to the event we enjoyed pie and peas before hand! The photos and video were taken on mobile phones and the stage lighting played havoc with the focussing but I hope they give some idea of how the evening went. They do have videos on their YouTube channel which will give you more of an idea of what they sound like and their song selection. received_531472272572035[1].mp4

I was playing bass this morning to a packed church - it was standing room only which is why we are looking for a larger building. We only did four songs; "Praise To The Lord The Almighty", Our God Is A Great Big God", "All People That On Earth Do Dwell" and "O God Beyond All Praising". The last one is to a tune by Gustaf Holst from his Planet Suite. There really wasn't much I could do with the tunes so I just stuck to root notes. The result was very affective and the congregation responded with gusto! I usually try to put in some fills and approach notes but today proved that less can be more. I enjoy playing the bass and always try to be innovative without going over the top but just sticking to the root notes for every chord change let the songs breathe. The band sounded tight and it was a pleasure to be part of it. To top it off our pastor gave a great message before we all had tea and cake! Roll on next time.

I'm left handed but play right handed. When I was learning my teacher said that, as I hadn't played before, it would be wise to adapt to playing right handed. I'm glad I took his advice. He also said that you don't find any left handed pianos etc! I now find it very awkward to even hold the bass in the lefty position! Enjoy the instrument and the memories it contains and don't fret about being just like your dad.

Is Chowny still on the go? Their website does not appear to have been updated for some time and their last blog was May 2018. Can't find anyone who has hem in stock.

We have one small music shop in our city. The last time I visited they had a handful of Fender look-a-like basses hanging up (no leftys) and that was it. I either have to travel out of the county, generally to Morecambe in Lancashire, to try any bass guitars or use the internet and buy "blind". I bought my Italia on-line after reading a review of it and seeing demo'd on YouTube. I like the Italia but have nothing really to compare it to. There may be more suitable instruments out there but I'm happy with my choice. Try before you buy sounds great in theory but the paucity of music shops up here makes the chance of doing so impossible.

For the second year running we had a Church Weekend Away at a Scout/Guide centre just a 10 minute drive out of the city centre. Set in several acres of parkland and woodland it provided a great escape from the urban scene. Friday night kicked off with barbeque food followed by a ceilidh (had to look up how to spell that!) with the main event being on Saturday. The centre has dormitories and plenty of room for camping which some members used. After a year of rain the weather played ball and we had a great time outdoors. Saturday morning opened with a family service with a guest speaker and we played five songs; "How Great (Psalm 145)" - Sovereign Grace, "Day After Day" - City Alight, "Brick After Brick", "Gracious Father Son and Spirit" and "We Are The Church". The main hall had breeze block walls and a solid floor so the sound was well contained. I used my 35 watt SubZero bass amp which was set at only a quarter volume. Even then we had to turn it to face the back wall so as not to overpower the rest of the band; Cajon, Oboe, Keys, Acoustic Guitar and vocalist! Lunch was served before another bible talk and then it was fun and games for the afternoon. Try Frisbee Golf it's great fun! An evening meal was served while some people watched the England/Switzerland match on a big screen. My wife and I live a short drive away so we slept in our own bed that night. Sunday morning we were back at church to sing; "Come People Of The Risen King", "Day After Day", "All Through History", "By Faith" and "In Christ Alone". The congregation were in full voice for those! Then it was back to the Scout/Guide Centre for a picnic lunch and more games in the sunshine. I tried my hand at Kube which turned out to be rather addictive! All in all it was a brilliant weekend and we got to know some members of our church much better in a relaxed and happy atmosphere. If you haven't tried such an event I can highly recommend it.

From our Swiss holiday last year! P1050406.MP4

You'll need medium length strings. My Italia bass is short scale but needs medium length strings because of how the bridge is designed.

Italia Maranello Cavo Bass – Pre-Owned £899.00 Italia Maranello Cavo Bass - Translucent Cacao Used – Excellent Price£985 + £15 Delivery I was surprised to see that Bass Direct has a bass identical to mine up for sale. It's second hand and they are asking £899.00 for it. The same guitar is for sale on the Reverb site for £985 + £15 Delivery. It is the same bass because Reverb list the seller as Bass Direct. I bought my Italia Maranello Cavo Bass just over 5 years ago for £670.00 - new. I'm stunned that a second hand one is now around £1000! It's a great little bass but not at that price. I can't find any dealer that has new ones in stock so I can only guess what they cost now. I must take better care of it!

I'd like to be able to play any bass line well! Two that spring to mind are; "Let The Sunshine" as played by Joe Osborne on the 5th Dimension version and "Tin Man" by America.

I plug my bass into a Tascam GB10 and listen through headphones. The Tascam plays mp3 tracks that I can play along to. I can change the key without altering the speed or change the speed without altering the key. I can even loop sections of the songs if there are tricky bits to practise. It's a great piece of kit.

There are many songs that I can live without but Come On Eileen has to be one of the worst records ever made.

We had a great Easter morning service on Sunday. The church was packed (we can seat 150 people) and we played five great songs; Come People of the Risen King. See What A Morning. Who Is This Man? (Kids' song from Emu Music) Living Hope. Glory To Jesus (Thine Be The Glory) A good band line-up of male and female vocals, semi-acoustic guitar, bass guitar (me), oboe (my wife), drums and keyboard had the congregation singing loud enough to cover up all my mistakes! There were fun and games for the kids while getting the Easter message across and hot cross buns and chocolate egg nest cakes with tea and coffee. People stayed long after the service had finished for fellowship and food. Then some of us met up at a church member's house for a meal in the afternoon. The group consisted of; Three people from Egypt (our hosts), five from India (four of whom worked in London but were visiting one of our church members) one guy from Brazil with his English wife and their two boys plus five of us from the UK. We had great food and fun games. Our church contains people from all over the world, from South Africa and the Philippines to Asia and Eastern Europe. A few months ago we had an afternoon get-together where the various nationalities brought food from their countries and we learned about how they were trying to adapt to the British culture. There were some funny situations recounted. I can recommend Filipino Chicken for lunch! Christian fellowship at its best. I feel blessed to belong to such a diverse yet united family.

Not an exact match but close enough.

Does anyone, apart from the player, care how much the bass costs? I have an Tanglewood version of the Hofner violin bass (Beatle Bass) which I bought about 20 years ago for under £200 new and with hard case. You can get Chinese made versions for around £400 these days. A genuine, German made Hofner violin bass costs over £2000 but will it be that much better than the cheap versions? Most punters don't consciously notice the bass so wouldn't know the difference between a custom made, expensive, one and a tea chest and broomstick model! We all like to have nice things, whether that's watches, bicycles, or basses but if a cheap model does the job - what's the problem?

I posted this earlier but it went onto the general list instead of the "Playing in Church" thread. I am quite open to hearing new versions of traditional hymns. Stuart Townend's interpretation of "The Lord Is My Shepherd" works very well and we sing it in our services. EMU music do some nice arrangements of older hymns too. I know some people may throw their hands up in horror at any changes to well known hymns but they can become so familiar that we can often sing them without really thinking about them. Re-working a song can sometimes bring out hidden depths to the words. I came across this version of Fanny Crosby's great song "To God Be The Glory" by an all female band called Faithful. Check out their latest album, from which this is taken, on YouTube - they are very good. Not sure a "traditional" congregation could adapt to it but I find it very refreshing.

We don't usually have a mid-week rehearsal for our church band but with our carol service coming up on Christmas Eve we had a get together last night. I really enjoyed trying out the songs and arrangements and felt that I was a better player by the end. We had the usual situation of several different versions of the same song. Three of us had the lyrics for "O Come, O Come Immanuel" while the rest had different verses to "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"! One of my chord charts must have been put together by Eric Morecambe as I had all the right verses but not necessarily in the right order! Our usual run through happens on a Sunday morning about an hour before the service but I would really like a mid-week rehearsal to explore the arrangements and just spend time with the rest of the band. Sadly I am in the minority so playing along to mp3s at home will need to continue. Do you have regular band rehearsal during the week?

I have back issues (trying to snowboard for my 60th birthday!) and as a result play a semi-hollow, short scale bass that weighs a little over 7lb (2.69kg). I only play in church and we do between four and five songs on a Sunday morning - sitting down between each of them. If I was a gigging bass player on stage for two 45 minute sessions I would go for an even lighter bass, like the Hofner violin (Beatle) model.

I was a teenager in the 1960s and well remember hearing "River Deep, Mountain High" blasting through my little medium wave transistor radio from a "pirate radio" station, based on a ship anchored off the Isle of Man. It still sends tingles down my spine. Aretha's "I've Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)" was another track that got to me. There have been many classic tracks that have stood out from the crowd like; "The Power of Love" by Jennifer Rush and "Macarthur Park" by Richard Harris. They made an impact even if they may not be personal favourites. I love Macarthur Park by the way! Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" is a classic country song with a beautiful arrangement. Personal taste obviously comes into our selections but some tracks just have that certain something that sets them apart.

We had a informal get-together of the church music group members last night. It was refreshing to sit and chat about what was good about the music side of worship and what we could improve. Our church has a number of musicians and singers who are on a roster to supply the music on Sundays. I end up playing bass about once every three weeks and do not often play with the same people each time. It was an opportunity to meet up over tea and biscuits to chat and listen to new songs that we may be doing over the coming months. We agreed that the relationship between us all was good and there were no prima donnas amongst us. When I read about the difficulties that some people have with their music team it makes me sad. We all get along well and can have a laugh with each other when things go a little awry. That doesn't mean we don't try to play to the best of our abilities but we do not stress over being human and making the odd mistakes. Last Christmas (I feel a song coming on!) we were warming up before the service with "While Shepherds Watched". It didn't sound quite right until we discovered that we had three different versions of it between us! Playing in the church band is a privilege and we do it to honour God and help the congregation lift their praises to Him. I do feel that some church musicians need to chill a bit. It's not about you or your ego it's about God. Enjoy it.

I only play in our church band and use a four string. There are some worship songs that feature an Eb but I just play it up the octave on the A string. With our 100+ congregation belting out the words it makes no difference. I also use a short scale, hollow bodied bass to ease my injured back and I don't know of a five string version. There is also the point that I only have four fingers so four strings are perfect! Having said that, I only have two feet but my car has three pedals!