Playing in Church.

[LukeFRC]

9 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Nothing to do with digital decks, the problem is the problem either way. Your one task is to take all the instruments and make the best sound you can. If you can't actually hear an instrument is missing (well, unless it is so bad you think it is better without, or maybe you are mixing for metallica), then you are not doing your job.

Unless you are a 50 piece orchestra or something, counting is a pretty basic skill

I disagree - for an amateur PA operative a digital desk with everything pre-set and saved discourages thinking and learning - and often will hide any problems behind layers of screens - the bass EQ might be behind 2 button presses - on an analogue desk it's always infont of you. 
With an analogue desk you plug everything in, zero everything and have to go across the channels getting things roughly right - it's a process the PA person has to do each time - and as they do they are learning to listen, learning to mix and how EQ works - what I've found with digital that the non musical operatives will take the "John set this up and saved it so I don't want to touch" approach

 

[SimonK]

The problem in my place is the sound team are not there because they like doing it, but rather because there is no one else to do it. As such they are only concerned that "any" sound coming out, not getting a good mix. The digital desk helps to a certain extent as we can pre-set a mix and also on occasion fiddle with things through a remote ipad, but it is far from ideal.

 

As far as being heard goes, if I don't think I am in the mix one week I bring an extra cab the next week, and the next, and the next... until they get the hint 😎 \m/ !

Edited June 17 by SimonK

[Nice Guy Rich]

I just had a coffee and a chat with the Worship Team Leaders at my new church and I’ll start playing in August, when the new rota comes out.

 

I’ll be playing bass, a bit of acoustic guitar and no lead vocals 😁👍🏻 I’m a very happy person 

[Nice Guy Rich]

…and my new church uses IEMs so, I bought myself a set of KZ ZS10 Pros 👍🏻, I’m looking forward to using them.

[Risk101]

Great choice - love mine !! If they’re well “seated” the bass response is top notch!

[Richard R]

There seem to be lots of manufactures making very similar looking earbuds with various Z10 designations, or the same factory churning out the same thing at different price points. There are also variations with the number of drivers.

I know the Linsoul ones were recommended,  if anyone has a variant it would be good to know how they perform.

 

[GoodShowSir]

15 minutes ago, Richard R said:

There seem to be lots of manufactures making very similar looking earbuds with various Z10 designations, or the same factory churning out the same thing at different price points. There are also variations with the number of drivers.

I know the Linsoul ones were recommended,  if anyone has a variant it would be good to know how they perform.

 

Yeah I always wonder if its like a tax avoidance thing

 

I have actually had a problem with my Linsoul ones though. It just couldnt cope in one ear with certain frequencies, I guess it might just be a broken driver or something. My wife has another pair and now I know what to listen for I can hear it struggling a bit, especially with a full band playing, but saying that its really no where near as bad as my broken one.

 

I'm actually considering at the moment really forking out for some proper molded ones, pricey, but I think I can just just about justify them.

[Nice Guy Rich]

Mine are Linsoul and they sound amazing, great bass response 😁👍🏻

[bass_dinger]

We have a band of 11 people on Sunday.   Just four of us turned up to the rehearsal.  Some had excuses and sent their apologies, others simply didn't turn up.

 

And the smaller band was wonderful! No need to worry about "key negotiation" (" I can't sing that key. Can we go higher?" "No , it is already too high for me ").

 

The songs, the music, and the words, became a musical conversation between the musicians- a time of worship. 

 

Lovely.  Roll on Sunday, when the stage will be filled with yet more proficient musicians, and a mix of vocalists who can't sing, or even remember to arrive on the day. 

[bass_dinger]

56 minutes ago, Nice Guy Rich said:

Mine are Linsoul and they sound amazing, great bass response

Mine are Linsoul too and they sound good - great bass response but only down to low E. Anything below that and it breaks up, acoustically.

[Nice Guy Rich]

1 hour ago, bass_dinger said:

…others simply didn't turn up.

 

Wholly unacceptable, this sort of self-centred, disrespectful behaviour is one of the very reasons that I left my last church. In my book, if you couldn’t be arsed to turn up to the rehearsal….. you don’t play on the Sunday.

[Rosie C]

7 minutes ago, Nice Guy Rich said:

Wholly unacceptable, this sort of self-centred, disrespectful behaviour is one of the very reasons that I left my last church. In my book, if you couldn’t be arsed to turn up to the rehearsal….. you don’t play on the Sunday.

 

We used to have someone like that. NEVER came to rehearsal, and would turn up 5 minutes before the service asking where her music was. Fortunately she doesn't play anymore, as it used to upset me that she made me think un-Christian thoughts just as eucharist was starting.  

 

[Nice Guy Rich]

@Rosie C I know exactly where you’re coming from.

 

In my last church we always rehearsed on Friday nights, one week someone asked if we could move it to Thursday as they couldn’t make Friday, we all agreed and changed it, Thursday night came and he was nowhere to be seen, he didn’t turn up because he forgot it got moved 😡 , moved to the day that he bl**dy asked for.

 

 I’m not going to miss behaviour like that.

[Risk101]

I’m thankful in our church that if you aren’t there at Thursday rehearsal you don’t play on the Sunday - end of.

[SimonK]

For years I was in churches where the band only quickly went through the songs once each before the service. My current church normally rehearses on Friday nights which I do resent as the purpose seems to be more about confidence for one or two people rather than the actual music. Indeed often the Friday night is a bit of a disaster as people are a bit tired and just want to get through it all, but Sunday is always fine! My suspicion is that if people didn't worry about it until Sunday morning they would be less anxious... afterall most Christian songs are more or less the same...

 

This week no one was available on Friday so finally we are just going to go for it on Sunday morning - hopefully it will be no different to normal and thus ditching the Friday practice might finally be on the cards!

[oldslapper]

Some of the more bizarre behaviours I’ve witnessed:

- Someone not even in the music group or even a musician turning up early to play percussion because she “felt it was right”. I told her she heard wrong and i felt it was right she didn’t play.

- A mother telling me that her 9 year old son should play his trumpet that morning. I told her he wasn’t.

- Someone turning up with a flute and playing it in the congregation. 
 

All good fun. 😊

[Richard R]

I had a Christmas Eve service once when an unexpected trombonist turned up.

[SimonK]

...maybe not as harmful as a trombone or flute, but my daughter likes to play an egg shaker and be "in the band". She sits on the floor next to me (when the rest of the family are not there) but cunningly positioned on the otherside of the drumscreen to the drummer(s) so they can't hear it!

[bass_dinger]

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

afterall most Christian songs are more or less the same...

Spot on! 

 

I am increasingly going through my home run-through without even bothering with a chord chart.  

 

 

I asked if the chord charts could be shared with the band. No, because the leader would have to go to the church to do that. So, I can't practice what we rehearsed in the week. It makes the midweek run through somewhat pointless, so I have concluded that I won't need to go again. There is no point in turning up to learn songs I already know, while the ones who don't know the songs don't even come along. 

 

We don't have a "no rehearsal no Sunday " rule - if we did, then the leader wouldn't get to play!

[SimonK]

1 minute ago, bass_dinger said:

Spot on! 

 

I am increasingly going through my home run-through without even bothering with a chord chart.  

 

 

I asked if the chord charts could be shared with the band. No, because the leader would have to go to the church to do that. So, I can't practice what we rehearsed in the week. It makes the midweek run through somewhat pointless, so I have concluded that I won't need to go again. There is no point in turning up to learn songs I already know, while the ones who don't know the songs don't even come along. 

 

We don't have a "no rehearsal no Sunday " rule - if we did, then the leader wouldn't get to play!

 

I originally bought a fretless to make the songs more interesting to play!!

[bass_dinger]

11 minutes ago, SimonK said:

 

I originally bought a fretless to make the songs more interesting to play!!

 

I think that even playing left handed, tuned in 5ths, in a minor key, wouldn't make it interesting....

 

Nevertheless, at your word, I shall cast my net in the direction of fretless, here:

 

 

[SimonK]

1 hour ago, bass_dinger said:

I think that even playing left handed, tuned in 5ths, in a minor key, wouldn't make it interesting....

Now there's an idea... and it justifies buying a new bass as well...

[JapanAxe]

3 hours ago, Richard R said:

I had a Christmas Eve service once when an unexpected trombonist turned up.

‘The Unexpected Trombonist’ could be the title of Richard Osman’s next Thursday Murder Club novel.

[Richard R]

10 minutes ago, JapanAxe said:

‘The Unexpected Trombonist’ could be the title of Richard Osman’s next Thursday Murder Club novel.

 

Or as the self service machines at Tesco might say:

"Unexpected Trombonist in the Worship Area "

[SimonK]

No rogue Trombonists this morning, and pleasingly everything went fine despite the band only having a very short run through before the service. I mentioned to the worship leader that not having a weekday practice was the way ahead - he said maybe... Thus said we did the classic hymn "blessed assurance" (in 9/8) and it was only by the last verse that I had worked out the whole bass line!