Any Musicians????

Mike, You are right and I have a couple theories on why you are right. You mentioned that some Christians or maybe christians bands may think a solo is a sin. What they are thinking is that by doing the solos or doing things like secular bands, especially the heavier metal kind of stuff, they are becoming those type of bands. Bands like Stryper that started out "Christian" and went secular scare other Christian bands and they stay away from the "jam" concept. I also think for many electric guitar players and listeners the long jamming solo reminds them of their party days and listening to or playing the "wild" electric guitar. We tend to want to avoid parts of our lives that were "extra" sinful. Anyway, thats my quick thoughts on why. Also, there are books by people like Jeff Godwin(I think that is his name) that say certain beats come from voodoo and conjure up demons. Jeff also finds Satan in just about every type of music, even Amy Grant. No, I am not an advocate of Amy and what she has done, I believe she is a bad example to the world but not Satanic.

BC and Mike, I have a worship CD that is called "More Like You". The group who made it is something like "Calvary worship" or something like that. It is very Christian but includes a few guitar and other instrument solos. In "more like you", the cover song there is a lenghthy and well done guitar solo, I think the organ and flute weigh in as well. A different song the lead singer says to the lead guitar player "testify brother" and the guitar player plays a blues type of solo. It is a cool CD. Find it if you can, you will not be disappointed.

In Christ our Lord,
Brian

 

I saw Phil Keaggy in '81, in Virginia. Loved him, live. Very nice tone, and he wasn't afraid to jam out a little.

I think, also, a reason Christians don't jam is this verse...

"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, ...,"
Proverbs 6:16 & 17

But we aslo have these...

Psalms 66:1 To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
Psalms 81:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
Psalms 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Psalms 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psalms 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Psalms 98:6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
Psalms 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Context....balance....proper motives...

 

Tatortot,

I am impressed with your degrees in music. WOW.

I only minored in music because of all the one hour courses that it took to get a major and all those hours of practicing. I took piano and organ, sang in the chorus, but my voice teacher always frowned when I sang. I always wanted the gift of singing, but it was not given to me. I do love to make a joyful noise.

Currently, I am church organist.

 

And last but definately not least....

Phil Lesh
Tom Petty
Bob Dylan
Elvis Costello
Duane Allman
Thelonius Monk
Sam Bush
Darrol Anger
Kieth Richard
U2
Ralph Stanley
The Carter Family

That's about it.

 

OOPSIE!!!! Forgot two....

Scottie Moore
Isaac Stern

 

Oh yeah......

Stephan Grapelli
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Charlie Christian

and I call myself a music fan....

 

I don't listen to metal (much) but 99 44/100% of the music I listen to is "secular". Does that count?

 

Hi Mike, We are told in scripture to searh our hearts. No one besides God knows our heart the way we ourselves do. My first reaction to what you said is why would someone not listen to music that uplifts in music and words, but my heart reaction is I feel sad for you because you are missing some real good music and some moments with God that you can't get from Hendrix, even though he cranks(that was a term from the 70's). So my advice is for you to search your heart. If you are comfortable with your musically choices in that light then who am I to judge. God judges the heart not the music we listen to.

In Christian love,
Brian

 

But I don't find it uplifting. Listening to the vast, vast amount of Christian music out there is like watching paint dry.

Not the message, mind you, but the music.

Like what?

First of all, I can't stand Jimi Hendrix. I never really got the whole "feedback as art" thing.

Secondly, I've never needed music to work me up into a state so I could worship God (Not knocking music or people who listen to it or even saying that that's why they listen to it, just speaking for myself, alone).

God uses songs and artists at times (often those big, bad, "secular" artists) but, for the most part, I find God through the reading of His word and good expository preaching.

Well said.

Mike

[ December 04, 2002, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: Mike McK ]

 

Honestly? I'm really not familiar enough with it to be able to say.

I do like SCC.

Even though I'm not a big fan of that kind of music, I do like him and I have several of his albums. I think his songs are well thought out and he has a good sense of proportion (for lack of a better word) that's missing in CCM.

Iona - Yes, they're very good. I love ceilli music and pub rock (like the Pogues, Saw Doctors, Electrics, Bhoys From County Hell, etc) but what I've heard of theirs, is more the etherial, new age type stuff. That kind of loses me.

Waterdeep - Everybody keeps telling me about them and says that I should like them (actually, I think you might have been one of them). The couple of songs I heard from them were OK.

Phil Keaggy - "Sunday's Child" is among the top five Christian albums of all time and some of his instrumental stuff is really good, but I can take him only in small doses. Worked at one of his shows and found him to be a real jerk. When I hear his music, that's all I can think of.

Steve Bell - I don't know who that is.

I admit it. I'm a music snob. I like a lot of different kinds of music but what I like within those kinds of music is kind of narrow.

I think I'm getting better, though.

I used to like Hosanna stuff, but then they started to get a little silly.

I loved the Rosewood Praise Band but all of their stuff is long out of print and nearly impossible to find. They did country-esque versions of old hymns with people like Heirloom and Sharon White-Skaggs. Their version of "Great is Thy Faithfulness" is stunning.

Randy Stonehill's music always ministers to me. So does Buddy Greene.

I love Rich Mullins, but he doesn't get around much these days.

Julie Miller's first album, "Meet Julie Miller" really spoke to me. So did WhiteHeart, Wes King and, to a lesser degree, Margaret Becker.

Even Bash-in-the-Code is one of my guilty pleasures(and if you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it!).

Ruscha. I don't know if you remember them, but their music was great and really ministered to me.

Jerome Olds' "No Disguise" was fantastic and Petra's very old stuff from the 70's spoke to me.

I always found the Alter Boys very challenging and convicting.

As you can see, there's a drop off around 1989. I don't know why, but Christian music just changed all of a sudden and left me behind.

There is stuff out there but it's either out of print or just old.

If I'm going to listen to Gospel, I'd really rather just listen to Doyle Lawson or one of the Louvin Brothers' or Jim and Jesse's gospel albums.

If they ever make a CCM artist like Lyle Lovett, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, the Texas Tornados (I'm starting to sense a trend here), or an alt.country or Americana band, I'd listen to that.

Mike

 

Any musicians?

Sorry, I'm jumping in quite late....

Am I a musician...yes and no....it is an aspiration which I am working towards, but I am an inactive musician at this time....Granted, I play piano and sing at home...but as far as blessing others through my music, at this time, I sadly must say that I am not an active musician

But I will be active soon!

~Teresa~

 

I am a musician. My main instrument is the Trombone. Have studied Classical, Orchestral, Band, Jazz, Blues on the instrument. Also took several years of Voice lessons and was trained in opera and lyrical style singing. I have a BA in Music Education. I am a Band Director at the local Middle/High School. Every now and then, I also play with a group called Jubilation Jazz which takes old style hymns and turns them into big band jazz arrangements. When I was in High school, I played guitar in a local Christian Rock Band. During and since College, I have composed music for piano, Brass Ensembles, Guitar and voice, etc...

A year ago, I wrote and recorded a song, using both Biblical Hebrew and English, based on Isaiah 6 for my wife's pre-school graduation. I also ended up singing this for the Church where we attend on Sunday Night worship service. I am currently also learning to play the Shofar in the traditional manner.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Hi Mike, Good point about the singers vs. the soloist just playing a musical solo. The singer gets to "show" their talent, gift, if you will, by singing whole songs, sometimes with many verses but it to some it seems wrong for a gifted instrument player to use their gift by playing part of a song that showcases their gift. How strange that is indeed. The kicker is when Christians think that electric guitar cannot be played to God's glory. It is just an instrument but some have made it evil. The evil comes in the player not the instrument.

I mentioned the voodoo beats before. I just don't think it takes a voodoo beat to conjure up a demon, seems if someone wants to conjure up a demon they just need to ask. I don't care what beats Christians use, God will find glory from the effoert if the heart of the person is desiring to serve God.

Thanks for your thoughts on this,
In Christ,
Brian

[ December 11, 2002, 08:42 AM: Message edited by: Briguy ]

 

I consider myself a late blooming musician of sorts. I play percussion in the praise band at church and love lifting up these offerings of praise. I play the tamborine, cowbell, chimes, top hat, maracas, triangle, and a whole gamut of items I do not have names for.