I've been wanting to ask this question for a while now as I've noticed over the years references to Christianity in the posts.

My question is.....who, among the group, are Christians, and who are also deeply rooted in Christianity, and how does it affect you musically.

I've always felt a life-long obligation to my Creator to give back to others what was given to me. It hasn't always been a "cakewalk." I'm wondering about others experiences or attitudes or thoughts.

Please......I would appreciate if this post was not "shanghaied" and, more important, please don't turn this post into a religious argument. I'm more interested in how other Christian musicians view their music talent.

MARK

I�ll bite on this one. I grew up across the street from a protestant church that we attended. From the earliest age, I was exposed to a lot of music, especially choral music---but, also, many soloists, duets, trios, and quartets. Early on, I keyed-in on the harmony parts. I always liked that more than the melody. I�d listen to each part and try to figure out what was going on. And, while taking piano instruction in elementary school, oftentimes, I�d sneak over to the church and turn on the organ and play away. The harmonies in the hymns were a great preparation for later application to country, pop, and all the rest. If I have any musical talent or skill, I credit church music as getting me started in a life-long love of music.

My love for music probably started when I would sit on my mother's lap at the church when she went to practice on the Hammond C3. She would let me turn it on and warm it up for her and play a few notes. Such power!
Later on I played trumpet guitar, bass, drums, etc., but the day I graduated from college I bought myself an organ, joined a band THEN learned to play it!

I am a self-taught piano and guitar player. I started when I was 12 or 13 with a small Casio, playing in the church in my parents village. I was doing that then for the next 10 years when I joined a new church in the city where I live. I lead praise and worship team in the same church for the last 15 years and in between I grew from that Casio to having a personal home studio. I also work for a Christian charity and I am about done with the recordings of an album for promotion. This would be I think the seventh or eighth album with Christian music I've benn part of.

So, yes, Christ and faith is pretty much at the very root of my music!

Actually, in all honesty, I don't think I would've got that far ahead in music if it wasn't for the same desire to honor God through the talent he gave me. Not to say I am such a great music guy, but I just find it full-filling when I can express myself this way too.

The church where I attended did not have an organ. I went to see what was available in our town and purchased Wurlitzer spinet and had it delivered to the church! I had a few lessons ( 6) and the teacher said I would be better off to go ahead and play by ear. The following Sunday the song leader asked me from the pulpit what they could sing. I replied, anything, but I am going to play "What a friend we have in Jesus!" It is the only thing I know! They laughed, but I played for church for 23 years. Then sciatica in my left leg kept me from playing the pedals. I then got a Yamaha psr keyboard and still play it today!

I have been in the church most of my life and am a Christian. I play mostly gospel music which is great because it is not actually a style of music at all . It's just the theme so I have learned to play jazz , funk , rock , country waltzes sambas reggae Blues etc . But as a Christian musician, I am constantly aware of the purpose that I put music to whether that is for entertainment , my own satisfaction , and the satisfaction of others particularly in a worship setting .

And I am grateful that I was raised in a musical family and given the kind of exposure to the gospel through music .

I learned to play piano when I was young, and over the years I purchased Hammond and Lowrey organs, eventually building my own Wersi which was fabulous. When I came to the US 19 years ago I realized the power and potential of arranger keyboards and purchased a Roland G800.

When I took early retirement from Xerox in 2003, God called me to support a small church near our new Florida home, and I served there as music director for 6 years. Out of that church, and at the encouragement of some of the congregation, I started a small gospel music ministry that I took to local nursing homes. As this ministry grew, so did my desire to serve, and I obtained my Masters Degree in Biblical Studies (incidentally my graduation in Shreveport, LA was the opportunity I had to meet and listen to the wonderful Don Mason) and credential qualifications to become a minister in the Assemblies of God.

I now use the arranger keyboard to accompany the singing during church services that I run in nursing homes.

What is amazing is that it was through the arranger keyboard that my walk with the Lord really took off, and conversely it is use of the arranger keyboard that supports the spread of this last chance hope for so many wonderful souls who I have the privilege to serve!

All the more reason this post belongs in THE BAR. Perhaps a better question might be, "What in your life has shaped or impacted your music", rather than pitch a post at a few highly selected devout Christians.

chas

The impact or influence of Christianity on my music, during my very brief brush with former when I was quite young, was the opportunity to play the Hammond organ (in this case, a C3) and discover (and learn how to operate) the instrument that was making that awesome sound on the records I listened to in my room back in the day...much of which was ironically considered the "Devil's music", R&B and Jazz for example.

Due to that early exposure to that iconic instrument and sound, I bought a Hammond of my very own at the earliest opportunity, and, although Christianity (or any religion for that matter) hasn't played a part in my life for many, many years, that Hammond sound still influences the way I arrange/perform my music today.

Ian

My earliest influences were watching my dad play guitar in church along with other family members. What I have found interesting is how various parts of church/gospel/spiritual etc music are influenced by other styles. High church hymns have a classical influence, Black Gospel has a R&B or jazz feel, Southern Gospel has country and western, the scripture songs from the 1960's/1970's were birthed from the folk rock hippie music, the 1980's saw an influence of Jewish/Hebrew sound sounds come in, and modern praise & worship / contemporary christian can be traced back to influences of pop/rock and other modern styles. That's not to forget about New Orleans and Dixie Land Jazz, Island, Reggae and many others.

I lead the music in a small church in the community that I live in and make use of all of those styles. Back in the 1990's I used an arranger since we didn't have any other musicians. And now I find it interesting how we in the arranger community have been doing what we do for so long and the younger generation is doing the same thing with Ableton Live and computers on stage.

I had a conversation with one person about the use of Ableton in a church setting and I made the comment that I had been using loops for years. They proceed to try and tell me it wasn't the same thing. LOL. I just stood there and smiled.

Joe

I taught myself the organ in 1963, well enough to play church suppers. I started with a Conn spinet, but bought a Hammond "A", the predecessor of the B3. then a B3. Within a couple of years I was playing church services, and graduated to the director of music for several churches until last year.

During the past 50 years, I played with drummers to a 20 piece band, and whorehouses to 5 star restaurants and everything in between.

I still play out 5 times a week on the average, but I will always cherish my church music stint.

Bernie

Chas.....post it in The Bar so you have free license to "rip" it apart like you have a tendency to do? Does anything make you happy? I never hear anything positive come out of your mouth.

Now, I'm a full-time, professional musician and a Christian and a long-time member of the group, so I believe I have the right to post to "selected members." And.....I'm also wise enough and smart enough to know how to "word" a message!

Would you get as upset if I "pitched a post" to Yamaha Motif owners. I think not!

If I had to post the subject again, unless Nigel objected, I would not hesitate a second. It's an issue that's important to me.

BTW......I don't make remarks like you did on the posts of others. I just "stay out of" what I don't agree with or understand!

MARK

Would you be able to put into words how you knew it was a "calling?" And what prompted you to pursue that "calling?"

When I was in my early 20's I also had a "calling" to move to Europe where I flourished as a musician. I knew nothing at the time about a "Higher Power" but in later years as I looked back, I began to realize that "decisions were being made for me" and that if I went along with them, that I was on my Spiritual path.

Is that how you would describe your own experiences?

MARK

Mark,

I stand strong in the faith and I do believe God leads us down a path. 50 years ago I was a wannabe "Beatle". Just reconnected with my lead guitar player from those days. It really inspired us to find that the Lord led two young "rock and rollers" 40 or 50 years later to be prominent members of their respective church praise teams.

4 or 5 years ago I started to write faith based songs. I had never really written anything before. Suddenly, I am using my God given talents to honour the Lord. The lyrics come pretty easy when you consider the source of inspiration and I have written and recorded close to 100 songs in that 4 or 5 year span.

I can still do all the old country, rock, reggae, R&B and pop stuff but the songs I write are the driving force in my music now. I just made this into a You Tube presentation last night.



God Bless,
Don

Mark, most of your posts have more to do with personal introspection, etc. Maybe we need a separate forum for group therapy. In the meantime, politics and religion usually fare poorly on MUSIC forums and should probably be discussed in a different venue. Sorry if I didn't respond the way you wanted to your introduction of religion (and your personal views on it) into a music forum. I think that's why Nigel provided a BAR for such topics.

As far as "does anything make you happy", I thought it was you that claimed to be sufferering from burnout and depression. As far as "posting to "selected members" and "knowing how to 'word' a message"......has some pretty sinister implications; this is a public and open forum to discuss arranger music, not your personal religious philosophy. There is a reason that Nigel created THE BAR. IMO, that is where your post belongs.

BTW, my likability or lack thereof, has nothing to do with the validity of my posts. Since this is a public forum, I don't believe you have the luxury of posting to a "select few".

chas

back on topic ....

I come from a musical family and we have always been singers whether that be in choirs or small groups. But my first instrument was the guitar because my sister played the guitar and I loved everything about my eldest sister 😃( I love all eight of my sisters by the way ) . But I felt limited with the guitar because in my head I could hear the bass strings horns keys brass . None of these could be adequately replicated on an acoustic instrument . I started playing keys very late in life when I was 28 years old. I have a client who is a jazz piano teacher and one time when I was providing him with advice on his finances ,I asked him to play something for me. He asked me what sort of music I liked . I told him hymns and he started to play abide with me in a jazz style something that I've never heard done like that. I was mesmerised that religious music could be so beautifully reflected through the Jazz form .

So I started taking music lessons from him and I guess his influence helped shape my direction in terms of my musical journey and its adaptation to gospel music.

and I discovered arranger keyboards when I went to a popular music shop in Birmingham and heard a gentleman playing a Yamaha keyboard . but as he was playing the keys I could hear drums and bass, and strings and it was the most stunning thing I've ever heard. he was playing a Michael Bolton song " how am I supposed to live without you " and it blew me away. I decided I had to have that keyboard and I purchased my Yamaha PSR 8000 keyboard soon after. I was a member of the choir at the time and we had a musician that would be very unreliable. Sometimes he would come to practice sometimes he would come very late and sometimes would not come at all.

So I would bring my Yamaha to practice and just play along to the tunes and if he was there I would a play bass Or drums until I got better and could play accompaniment . And then I discovered that I could remix songs instantly using the various styles on the keyboard adding new life to old hymns and all songs. And from there i progressed to being choir leader musical director and a have assisted numerous choirs throughout Birmingham with my now korg PA1X keyboard . Right now as we are going through the Christmas period I have been singing and playing with a small group of friends at various old folks homes Christmas carol services et cetera.

most musicians really don't fully understand how much the music can impact a person's life but as I have gone on my journey playing for lots of different people, the most gratifying experiences have been playing for the old folks. Many of them are old enough to be my parents grandparents. Last night we were at such a home and we performed for about an hour. We sang Christmas carols and religious songs with my arranger and my friends and everybody sang along and got up and danced and jumped and clapped like young people would.

Music can be so powerful and can bring people together in such an awesome way. It saddens me that music is not taught as a foundational course at schools throughout the country. I'm convinced it would have a major impact on the way that communities grow together and how young people interact with one another .

One of the greatest challenges I have had as a Christian musician is using the gift that I have responsibly but that's for whole different discussion.

Very interesting thread, certainly about arrangers and many of us who use them, and very relevant for a lot of us. The title aptly describes what it contains and can be easily ignored by those not interested in it, just as we can ignore posts of those who complain about it.
Merry Christmas to all! Even if you don't believe. I still love you!

Merry Xmas to you too, Don...even if you believe, I still love you too!

Ian the Skeptic

I do and don't believe - not sure of what either. I'd probably be best described, as Aldous Huxley put it, "an agnostic with doubts." So, as far as music goes, I was born with this incredible gift. Trouble is, a 'gift' is, by definition, something given to one. And, since I can't fully ascribe to any deity doing the actual giving, is what I have truly a 'gift', anyway?

That said, I love music of every stripe, exclusive of nothing, and will play whatever the muse dictates at that point - as best as my natural ability will allow.

And a Merry Christmas, if applicable, or whatever you choose to celebrate, to all of you regardless of whether you believe in anything or not.

I don't believe any of us has the complete answer, but we will know soon enough. I'm not in a hurry. I believe there has to be a bigger power than we can imagine. I choose to call it God.
Joe Lewis said: "Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die."
I can't imagine contemplating death if I truly believed there was nothing ahead.
To relate this to music, it would be really hard to do anything but sad songs!

+1 Don ...
and to quote Kenny Chesney "Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to go now"
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kennychesney/everybodywantstogotoheaven.html

I choose to believe that my talents, whatever they might be, are a gift from God, and that He wants me to share them with others ... that's why I perform on gigs or at home, and sing loudly in Church ... - I've actually had a number of people tell me I should join the choir - ...hmmm, maybe they just want me out of the pew behind them ...

Well not necessarily. Me personally, I would want to know more about where it is I'm going. I mean, stuff like,
1. Is it even in this universe? If yes, where? If no, where?
2. What's the climate like there?
3. Is my ex-wife or mother-in-law going to be there?
4. Is everyone equal there? I mean, if I barely squeak in, will I have the same status as Mother Theresa, MLK, the Pope, Gandhi, Michelangelo, St. Peter, Lady Gaga?
5. How do I actually get there? Wormhole? Starship? etc.?
6. How long is the trip?
7. More importantly, is it going to start soon.
8. If I don't make it, will I suffer as much as say Hitler, Idi Amin, Jack the Ripper, Milli Vanilli?

Inquiring minds want to know. Or maybe not.



chas

Two ninety year old men, Joe and Sam, have been friends all their lives. It seems that Sam is dying, and Joe comes to visit him every day.

"Sam," says Joe, "You know how we have both loved baseball all our lives, and how we played minor league ball together for so many years. Sam, you have to do me one favor. When you get to Heaven, and I know you will go to Heaven, somehow you've got to let me know if there's baseball in Heaven."
Jesus playing baseball
Sam looks up at Joe from his death bed, and says, "Joe, you've been my best friend many years. If it is at all possible, I'll do this favor for you." And shortly after that, Sam passes on.

It is midnight a couple of nights later. Joe is sound asleep when he is awakened by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calls out to him, "Joe.... Joe...."

"Who is it?" says Joe sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?"

"Joe, it's me, Sam."

"Come on. You're not Sam. Sam just died."

"I'm telling you," insists the voice. "It's me, Sam!"

"Sam? Is that you? Where are you?"

"I'm in heaven," says Sam, "and I've got to tell you, I've got really good news and a little bad news."

"So, tell me the good news first," says Joe.

"The good news," says Sam "is that there is baseball in heaven. Better yet, all our old buddies who've gone before us are there. Better yet, we're all young men again. Better yet, it's always spring time and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play baseball all we want, and we never get tired!"

"Really?" says Joe, "That is fantastic, wonderful beyond my wildest dreams!
But, what's the bad news?"

"You're pitching next Tuesday."

Terrific post Don. I loved it!

God Bless,
Don

As Bosnian/Canadian I played so many times for Croatian Chatolic Church or Serbian Orthodox Church or many many times I played for Bosnian Mosque.And basically in all of them I am something like honorable member.I always tried to help especially when any of them are raising money to help back home.And I always will.But, it ends there for me .

Chas........do you actually play an instrument or are you here just to break the b#%@'s of those who post? Do you consider yourself judge and jury and prosecutor? Does every post here have to meet with YOUR approval and YOUR standards? Does everyone have to "check in" with you to ensure their post meets with your criteria?

I was under the assumption Nigel monitored everything. Now if I'm wrong about that, please advise me so that, in the future, I consult with you instead of relying on Nigel's wisdom in what should and should not be posted.

There's a saying in the Christian world: "Evil men can't sleep at night until they've done their misdeeds for the day." You can take that any way you want to.

MARK

Don......thanks for the laugh.....I needed that after going into battle with Chas!

That joke was so FUNNY, buy I was more impressed with the fact that you typed that all out.....without a single mistake...unless you were using "Dragon?" Even Chas couldn't find fault with that post!

MARK

That joke is older than Don - and he's almost as old as me.

All the best,

Gary

Mark,

You don't seem to know anything about Chas. He's one of the two greatest guys on the forum. Yes, he plays an instrument (better than most SZ members) and he has a heart of gold. You see, while you guy praise your god or whatever you call him, Chas is actually out there in the trenches helping those that are needy. And, guess what, you don't need to be religious to do that.

It always amazes me how quickly "friends" turn on each other here whenever they disagree. Don't call people "friends" unless you actually are their friend or have an inkling of what it entails.

Just be a little patient. Another week or two and you'd all be wishing each other a happy new year. Then again, it's only words...

This has always worked for me...

�Live a good life.

If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by.

If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them.

If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.� ...attributed to Marcus Aurelius .


Any musical talent I have was a product of the home environment I grew up in, as the aunts and uncles who raised me after my adopted Mum and Dad were killed in a car accident on Xmas Eve when I was a little boy, were all musically gifted and they fully supported my interest in music.

They were secularists, and, although I was given complete freedom in choosing a religious doctrine for myself, I found their rational and humanistic code of ethics quite suitable, and in spite of their disbelief in the "supernatural", they instilled in me a true sense of wonder for music in its many forms.

I am very grateful to them for these valuable gifts that were given so freely and unselfishly and have imbued my life with so much happiness and peace.

Ian

What puzzles me is why you feel you have to ... you know it won't have any constructive result. Just let it pass and don't provoke yet another response. Everyone can have their own viewpoint. You know only negativity will result from challenging an opposing view to your own with this sort of subject matter ... SO DON'T !!!! unless you want to provoke an argument. Simply ignore it let people have their say and it will pass on. I certainly don't want to read an endless back and forth. That is when I will lock or remove the thread.

On the other hand I also don't understand why people feel the need to have to disrupt a thread that is obviously not pertaining to what they do or do not believe. I guess I don't understand how people on both sides can be so egocentric. Drop it please or I will start getting annoyed ... and believe me I WILL get my way. Whatever it takes.

While I haven't banned sensitive issues involving religion or politics from forums other than The Bar I could if need be.

I grew up in a Christian household and I have relatives that are/were men of the cloth. My uncle in Houston, TX was pastor of one of the largest churches in North America. Some of my relatives on my mom's side are talented musicians and singers and one of my uncle's in particular used to lead the music ministry at his church which was in addition to his regular job as an insurance adjuster. That uncle, whose name is Bill, can pick up practically any instrument and play it with precision and skill and though that is hard to believe it is nevertheless accurate and I am just as flabbergasted as anyone else on how he does it.

They say that a person's musical ability can in some cases be inherited and that may be true at least in my case. I started playing guitar at an early age (11 or so) although I didn't pursue it on an advanced level or professionally but I did belong to a band growing up. As far a church goes I was a second tenor in several choirs throughout the years although I don't belong to one currently. I have never taken professional voice lessons but I was vocally trained in the choirs I attended. I have always loved music and I like just about every genre with a good beat but my favorites are Gospel, Jazz and contemporary Christian which I believe produces some of the best music around.

I was in my forties when I decided to take up the piano keyboard. I always wanted to play the piano and the arranger keyboard was my ticket into the world of piano music. It's never too late to pursue your dream and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to branch out musically. Guitar sounds on the higher-end arrangers are getting better as time goes by and perhaps the new Pa4x will give the Yammie Tyros5 a run for its money. My Tyros 3 that I acquired this past summer has some very good guitar sounds but the Tyros5 has raised the bar up a notch and so Korg has a tall order to fill if it wants to gain market share in the high-end arranger segment which Yamaha currently dominates. But I digress.

I also belonged to a a couple music ministry bands which allowed me to advance my playing skills but over the last few years I've been busy with other endeavors and so I haven't been able to play my keyboards as much as I had previously. I am a little rusty as they say since I was without an arranger for several years before getting the Tyros 3. My Fantom G7 has 76 keys but the adjustment to playing on 61 keys again was basically seamless. The situation now is finding the spare time to play in the manner I would like to in order to become sufficiently proficient with my recently acquired Tyros 3. If the Tyros 6 is a revolutionary step forward (in other words, the bees knees as far as cutting edge features go) I will probably trade up to the Tyros 6 if it meets my meticulous standards. I don't mind paying $6,000 if a keyboard is worth the price of admission which includes all the bells and whistles. The Tyros 5 lacks certain features i.e. no USB 3.1, no SSD drive, no real Sampler, limited system memory, no touchscreen, sub-par vocal harmony, cheesy B3 organs, not to mention quality control issues along with its astronomical price tag to boot. Again, I don't mind the price of admission if the keyboard in question meets all the criteria of a truly high-end product. If the Tyros 6 is head and shoulders above and beyond the competition I will be the first in line to get one. Time will tell.

All the best, Mike

Amazing, so many people telling others what they know very little about.

There is not a one-of-us that really knows. I baptize as a Christian and have had many ops and downs. Right now my relationship with God is the strongest it�s ever been.

Let me share;
I love everyone out there no matter what their beliefs might be. I believe that one of the gifts I have received is the freedom of choice. To attack another person�s beliefs (what they has chosen to believe in) is in conflict with my belief; it goes against the freedom of choice. I feel that whatever belief/opinions are giving here is a gift, I want to learn about what others believe in � it gets me out of my small world. Is what people say effect my beliefs? NO WAY! In my opinion my judgment about others is not healthy; it makes life difficult for everyone. It starts wars!

I respect all opinions knowing that they are only opinions and not necessarily facts. Keep writing what your heart tells you, this is great. From the writings on this post I have learned more about them, and that's a positive.
Getting angry is a no, no. Getting angry about what? -- That my beliefs are true and everyone else is wrong. ?????

Have a great Christmas and a healthy New Year.

John C.

Well said John

The crazy thing is this post was specifically aimed at "Christian musicians " . And specifically how their Christian beliefs influence their music .

Even as I am writing , I know this should not be necessary to write .

As much as I respect and genuinely love other musicians, whatever their beliefs or non belief , I don't understand why non Christians musicians feel they have anything to contribute of any relevance to this specific post . That's not saying they have no right to contribute if they want to . It's a public forum .

But what relevance can their contribution possibly have to the subject matter ?

This post went south very early ( as most here knew it would ) not because of the subject matter but because of the unnecessary irrelevant posts . Thanks to Nigel's intervention it was saved .

This post is not about stating your faith or about what you believe . The description in the post title settles all that . What would be really helpful is just some more relevant contribution on the subject matter from those folks who fit the description of the subject matter .

That's not too much to ask really .

Yes this post started Christian musician, but what might be considered the irrelevant part has its value. Why? Because for the last 12 years Synthzone has been a place where I learned a lot about music and keyboards � and equally important is that I found posts that brought the personalities which have turned into great friendships. I can leave my house and go to at least a dozen homes where I am welcome by musicians who post here; and not all are here in Florida.

I miss some of the musicians who posted who are no longer here. They did not leave because they shared their music/keyboard knowledge, they left because personality clashing. How sad!

Donny, Don, Bernie, Ivn, Don M, Gary to mention a few that have helped me spend my music time. Let me not forget NIGEL and MARK.

Every time a new post came I hated Donny�s reply, he came from left field. Now I look forward to Donny post, he�s like a brat, (haha) I like him.

Spalding I find your post also has value keep posting. I have not met a man that I could learn from!

Enough--- All posts have value, thank you Nigel. After coming home from my last vacation the first thing I did was On Computer � On Synthzone. I would miss this place --- because there is no place like this place.

Peace to all, have one great holiday, John C.

Thanks for the complement, John.

Gary

Mark, you're as wrong about Chas as you can be.

Great player...great intellect...great friend, with many accomplishments. A true renaissance man.

Questioning the suitability of something here is only out of place unless when action is in conflict with your personal beliefs.

You seem like a fine fellow. Let's all just leave well enough alone.

Russ