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