Irrelevant Skills

Today's electric guitar practice session, unplugged on the Strat, leaning against the kitchen counter:
- 24/7 - long scales in all twelve keys and relative minors using patterns and right hand finger combinations from the Segovia "Purple Book",
- Single note tremolo picking exercise (16th notes with gradual increase in speed using a metronome,
- Strumming chord progression "From the Day" with metronome as above,
- ii-V-I progressions in all keys using drop 2 and drop 3 7th chords and inversions,
- Sight reading practice using Ricci Adams' online music theory exercises,
- Preparing from the written guitar score for an upcoming performance of "Bye Bye Birdie" at my daughter's high school,

And almost nothing having to do with memorizing worship music.
Or practicing tapping in a delay tempo. Or fiddling with overdrive settings. Has my electric guitar skill set become irrelevant to modern worship?

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Permalink Reply by Greg Newhouse on September 6, 2017 at 6:37pm
Few things are at this time. In response to your post, I typed out 3 full responses and deleted them. Then I went again to listen to a tutorial on Hillsong Cornerstone, which we are rehearsing tonight. Learning the fiddly bits with the delay and whatnot is fine. So then, without being the leader, I'd still have to suggest that we play it slower, more gently, and not so full score-ish on the keys and piano, back off on the straight arm strumming, sing gently and with feeling, keep a steady tempo, stop speeding up, stop it, SLOW DOWN, and please tune because it really does matter, and then stop speaking only inside my head and say something out loud that doesn't cause eyerolls. Because Wednesday night, then Sunday. Humor, praying quietly, and rocking back and forth seated in the corner with my arms hugging my knees are all I've got at this time. Anyway, two year anniversary mopping floors and cleaning up after the questionable loo habits of adults hasn't got my confidence in a good place to attempt positive music changes at church.
Permalink Reply by Greg Newhouse on September 7, 2017 at 12:51pm
So, long story short, it'll be the strat straight into the FrankenMarshall this weekend, no board. And every problem I've had is ME, and my struggle not to inflict advice from other venues and denominations on our team when, as it has been expressed to me directly, I'm the only person to whom it matters all that much.
Permalink Reply by Daniel Read on September 8, 2017 at 5:53pm

Or, in my opinion, don't play Cornerstone at all...  unless you know what a sweetest frame is.  But maybe that's another thread!

Permalink Reply by Nathan Gifford on September 8, 2017 at 5:59pm

Nice Daniel. :) Of course, that lyric isn't a Hillsong lyric but comes from the old hymn "The Solid Rock". Like MANY old hymns, there are lyrics that are confusing and mean absolutely nothing to the average listener today. In this case, "I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name" is referring to a "frame of mind"... basically referring to a "state of mind", a foundation, anything that you could create a frame or foundation from... being physical, emotional, financial, political, etc.

But, yes, that is a whole separate thread! haha

Permalink Reply by Daniel Read on September 8, 2017 at 6:15pm

Yes, I used to sing the old hymn in the church I attended as a child. Probably didn't understand it then either!  Anyway, will say no more about it on this thread...

Permalink Reply by Greg Moore on September 17, 2017 at 3:45am

Wow - I had always thought the "sweetest frame" referred to the pretty-boy evangelist with his honeyed words and daunting appearance, or easy-cheesy doctrine which overlooks the difficulties in truly following Christ.  Thanks for the extra dimension.

Permalink Reply by Lorraine Doswell on September 9, 2017 at 12:41pm

Wow, I'm impressed that the term 'Shut yer gob' is so widespread, I thought it was only reserved for us North Easterners - of England that is!  

Ooh, must have run out of indents as this is a reply to Toni and Greg on the previous page.

Permalink Reply by Greg Newhouse on September 9, 2017 at 6:58pm
I looked it up. There's a glossary. At least I didna add "ya grrreat numpty." :)
Permalink Reply by Toni on September 13, 2017 at 1:59am

No need to. :-)

Sounds like you've been having a tough gig for a while now, Greg.

Cornerstone responds well to rubato and dynamics. I usually play it in C, alternating C major and Csus by fretting the D string on the 3rd fret with an open bottom E string for the intro, but keeping it simple & open as much as possible. I appreciate this may be an exercise in staying awake for someone a little more advanced in the craft. ;-)

Words for hymns like this require thought and sometimes investigation, which can be a shock after songs that are 10 feet wide and 1 inch thick, although sometimes they were poor when first written too, but have acquired a patina of respectability.

Permalink Reply by Greg Newhouse on September 13, 2017 at 2:23pm
Sounds similar to what I've done with it. At work and at church I must simply go and do, and be satisfied with an absence of complaint. Unprofitable servant, and all that. First world problems, I suppose - I've never lacked food, clothing, a dry place to sleep, and I get to play with my toys regularly.
Permalink Reply by Vic Salt on October 5, 2017 at 8:11am
I like what we do now. Which is rehearse for the hour before the service. We have two very talented teenage boys (drums and keyboard). So they are out in the youth group at the end. Sometimes we practice this great arrangement for a song then when we get to it they’re not there. Makes for an interesting on the spot rethink. We are supposed to be having midweek band rehearsals but they haven’t happened so far this year
Permalink Reply by Greg Newhouse on October 21, 2017 at 8:38am

Retro or Ratchet?

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