# Had to share this



## NorthernRedneck

Just thought I would share this.  When I was younger, I used to attend a small baptist church regularly.  I used to play guitar almost every weekend during the services.  I stopped going when I was around 22.  I missed it.

When I met my fiancee, I was happy to find out that she attends church regularly.  I started attending with her.  Our church has become a big part of our family.  Once a month, we do a special friday eve supper and service for the kids.  I started bringing my guitar and playing for them.  Soon, I was recruited along with another nice lady to organize a childrens choir.  Right after communion each week we take the younger children downstairs and sing songs with them.  Every third sunday we have them perform a song in front of the congregation.  

They also have a friday evening service.  I had never gone to that one before.  It's usually a smaller service with no music.  I started practicing songs with two other ladies last week and tonight, we played the whole service.  Two guitars and a flute.  Three of us singing.  It was great!  I missed that.  Starting March 22nd, we will be doing every saturday service.  I'm excited!  Just had to share this.


----------



## BigAl RIP

It is wonderful to hear you are sharing your God given gift with others .
 Sharing is a wonderful thing !!!


----------



## squerly

That is very cool Groomer. I wish I had some talent but it just wasn't in the cards.  I'm lucky to play a CD without messing it up.


----------



## EastTexFrank

squerly said:


> That is very cool Groomer. I wish I had some talent but it just wasn't in the cards.  I'm lucky to play a CD without messing it up.



Can I use that quote?  It describes me exactly.

Congrats Groomer, I'm glad to hear that you're getting some fulfilment from both your music and your church.


----------



## taffboy

NorthernRedneck said:


> Just thought I would share this.  When I was younger, I used to attend a small baptist church regularly.  I used to play guitar almost every weekend during the services.  I stopped going when I was around 22.  I missed it.
> 
> When I met my fiancee, I was happy to find out that she attends church regularly.  I started attending with her.  Our church has become a big part of our family.  Once a month, we do a special friday eve supper and service for the kids.  I started bringing my guitar and playing for them.  Soon, I was recruited along with another nice lady to organize a childrens choir.  Right after communion each week we take the younger children downstairs and sing songs with them.  Every third sunday we have them perform a song in front of the congregation.
> 
> They also have a friday evening service.  I had never gone to that one before.  It's usually a smaller service with no music.  I started practicing songs with two other ladies last week and tonight, we played the whole service.  Two guitars and a flute.  Three of us singing.  It was great!  I missed that.  Starting March 22nd, we will be doing every saturday service.  I'm excited!  Just had to share this.


Great glad you shared this


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Almost four months later since we first started playing the saturday services and we're still going strong.  We now have 3 guitarists(me being one) and four vocalists(again, me being one).  We also have someone playing tambourine and are looking for a drummer and bassist.  We've been working on expanding our song selection and our sound equipment.  I picked us up a 12 channel mixer board so we can plug all mics and guitars into one amp and adjust the sounds to each instrument/mic.  We practice every friday night at the church for a few hours then play every saturday service.  
This weekend, we are playing for a half hour at the local shelterhouse(homeless shelter).  That is tomorrow afternoon.  Then we head back to play the 5pm service at church.  On sunday following the regular morning service the church is hosting a picnic.  We are playing at that as well.  I can sure feel it in my fingers already.  Nice big calluses.


----------



## EastTexFrank

That is so cool man.  

My wife and I have never been church goers although we have a couple of ministers and preachers among our friends.  One Baptist minister and his wife are a particularly good friends.  Although he probably recognizes me as an unrepentant sinner, he sees that I have a good heart.  

Maybe it's because of our advancing years but we have been talking recently about joining a church.  We both acknowledge that there is an empty corner in our otherwise full and satisfying lives.  

I'm really glad that you found a church that fulfills your needs and that you can make such a worthwhile contribution to it.  More power to you!!!!!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I used to go to a baptist church when I was a teen.  I stopped going around the age of 19-20.  When I met my fiancee, she informed me that she attends regularly and I started going with her.  She has also been the treasurer of our church for the past 11 years.  I started getting more involved.  Someone there got wind of the fact that I play guitar.  Next thing I know I'm playing every sunday downstairs with the children's choir.  

I heard rumblings for a while how our minister was wanting to change the saturday evening service to more of a contemporary service with more modern music vs the traditional organ and choir.  We started our services in march and they were an instant hit.  The saturday services for the longest time had on average 5-10 people going to them.  We've had over 50 people out at a few of the services.  Since it's summer, the numbers have dropped off as people are out of town, out camping etc.  

We just added a 4rth vocalist to our group last week.  It's been amazing already.  With the different vocal ranges we have now we are starting to do more harmony pieces.  Not one of us is considered the lead singer or lead guitarist.  We tend to practice the songs and decide who's voice is best suited for the song and go from there.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

We played three times last weekend. Once at a local homeless shelter and twice at the church. 
Seeing as our contemporary music service is now becoming more and more popular we started looking around for a set of drums to buy. We just purchased a set of electric drums. We already have a mixing board that can handle up to 12 different things at once. So. We can now plug in the drums and all mics and guitars into one amp and adjust the sounds as needed. 
Best thing about our setup is its very portable. The drum set folds up small and can be stored away in a corner. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	




Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk


----------



## muleman RIP

It is great that you can be a part of attracting more folks to Saturday services. Informal settings and music should be a real draw for younger folks also. Keep up the good service.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

muleman said:


> It is great that you can be a part of attracting more folks to Saturday services. Informal settings and music should be a real draw for younger folks also. Keep up the good service.



That's the plan.  Generally speaking, our church was more of a traditional style church and people were generally scared to venture out and try new things.  Looking around on sunday I'd say 75%+ of the people there are over the age of 70.  We didn't want to mess with the traditional sunday services but want to reach out to a younger crowd.  The feedback we've received already is all positive.  Seems people are more open minded than we thought.

Since it's summer time and most people are out at camp during the weekends our contemporary service was moved to wednesday.  We have been using the drums during the service now.  I guess you could call us an official band now.  We have 3 guitarists, 5 people singing, and one on drums.  We have expanded our equipement selection.  The nice thing about the drums we purchased is that we hook them in through the sound board and we can adjust them so they aren't loud and overpowering.  This way we still play the acoustic guitars unplugged so as not to drown out everyone there at the service.


----------



## muleman RIP

Having something that younger folks can enjoy and participate in will keep them coming back. Glad to hear it is growing and attracting them. The separate day is also a good idea!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Starting in September I will be teaching basic guitar to the younger people at church who are interested in learning.  It will be just a laid back basic course.  

As for the church band.  I'm venturing out and bringing my 12 string guitar tomorrow.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Quick update.  I taught my first ever guitar lesson yesterday.  Three of the guys from church decided to dust off the guitars they've had laying around for years and bring them down.  I started them off right from the very basics with how to tune a guitar.  We then worked into some basic chords and how to transition from one chord to another.  I have a feeling it won't be long before the guys are able to play a song.  It's nice with a group of guys who all know each other and are just there for some no pressure fun and maybe learn a few notes.


----------



## EastTexFrank

I'm glad that you keep updating this thread.  In its own way it is inspirational that someone is reaching out to these young people.  Thank you.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Thanks, I love being able to play in front of others and if I can pass that on to other people to be able to enjoy music, then that's great.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

The lessons are going good.  We're getting together every two weeks now to practice.  I'm enjoying it and the guys are already learning to pluck a few chords.  I'm hoping that by Christmas they'll be able to play a song.  

On the band front...we're still plucking away every week and learning new songs all the time.  We practice and set up every friday evening and play the saturday service.  Our drummer has decided to take a short break for now.  But we still have three guitarists and 5 vocalists.  We also have a name for the band now and the church people all love it.  We are now known as St. Paul's Ambassadors.


----------



## Doc

Good for you guys.   Most church groups for my church did not have a drummer anyway.  I'm sure you can do without him.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Still pluckin away every weekend.  2 and a half hour practice last night followed by two hours of playing today(quick run through the song list before service then the service followed by a short practice afterwards).  My fingers are hurting tonight but it's worth it.  

Our band had been asked to play a variety show coming up on January 30th.  We will be playing three songs.  The show will feature a variety of groups in the city.  So we've been practicing extra every week and are really coming together as a unit vocally and musically.  Turns out our former drummer would rather sing so we now have 6 singers, 3 guitarists, and a 12 year old drummer that rocks the drums better than most adults.  

Ever see the movie "school of rock?"  Well, this kid could perform on there no problem hands down.  He plain rocks!


----------



## EastTexFrank

Glad to see that your music is still bringing you pleasure although it seems to be really hard work.  I hope that the hard work doesn't detract from the fun.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Oh. Its not hard work. It only takes me about 15 minutes to set up our sound system every weekend. We've got roughly 60 songs to pick from now. Every week we pick 5 songs to play at service on Saturday. We get together Friday night and set up the sound system including drums to make sure the balance is right. Then we run through the song list once to practice. Before service on Saturday we run through the list again. 

Its great to see the people out now to participate. Used to be on average 5-10 people there. Now we average 40-50. Its great.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

YIKES!  Nerves are starting to hit me this week with the band.  We've now been playing since march last year every weekend and it's been great.  But that is always at the same place, same crowd.  No big deal, right?

That all changes on Friday.  We've been invited to play a variety show/concert in the city.  Three songs.  Ten minutes.  In and out.  It's a benefit concert with other groups also performing in the city to raise money for a scolarship program.  So it's not about worship this time around.  It's all about the performance.

We've also decided that we need a bass player.  We've tried to find someone willing to play without success.  So I've decided to pick up an acoustic bass guitar and learn to play so I can join in occasionally with it on certain songs we do.  

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk


----------



## Doc

Good luck with your gig.   Maybe you coudl have someone record it and put it on you tube, if it is acceptable to your liking.  I know I'd like to see yall perform.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I'm hoping to have someone record it.  I do have a short clip I took a few weeks ago when we were practicing and doing sound checks but I'm not in it since I was listening to the sound to see if we need adjustments etc.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

We just finished playing. Time for a group shot.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

So I've tasked myself with learning the bass guitar this week since we have three guitarists in the band and no bass.  I'll still play guitar on some songs where the bass isn't required.  I picked up a sweet deal on ebay last week.  It's an acoustic electric bass which is perfect.  I always wanted to learn bass and had an electric bass last year but found that for regular practice at home it was a pain to have to deal with an amp and cord.  I ended up selling it without really learning to play the thing.  What I like about this bass I just picked up is the fact that I can play unplugged at home then bring it to the church and plug into the sound system to play along with the band.


----------



## Galvatron

My son is thinking of getting a bass,he plays all other forms so i guess it is a curious natural progression for him,not sure where he will put it as at my last count he is up to 8 maybe 9 various forms of electric and acoustic guitars with Ibanez being his preferred choice of maker.

Good luck Brian....rock on dude


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I can understand that one.  I'm up to six guitars in the house now.  I have one electric, a 12 string, 3 acoustics(one for home, one for camp, one for my son to learn) and now the acoustic bass.

I actually picked the bass up fairly quickly.  Came naturally considering I got it last monday and was already playing with the band friday night and performing saturday.  Was great to be able to bring it there and plug in to the acoustic bass we use for the PA sound system.  I set us up with a nice simple setup that meets all our needs.  

For those interested in the sound system we use, here it is:
-30W acoustic guitar amp with two channels.
-12 channel behringer sound board running into one channel on the amp
-6 mics, electric drum set, 2 acoustic/electric guitars all running into the sound board
-acoustic/electric bass guitar plugged directly into the second channel on the amp.  

If needed, we can pick up another sound board and run it into the second channel in the amp.   It's a sweet simple setup that works great.  I can adjust the sound levels while we're playing.  We also have a computer hooked up to an overhead screen with all the lyrics to the songs playing overhead for the people to sing along.  

Considering most famous bands out there performing have their 10-20 songs on average they perform on a nightly basis over and over, I think we're doing alright with a selection of roughly 60 songs we currently do.  Taking into account the fact that we pick 5-6 each week, practice them, then play during the service the following day then we may not play those songs again for a couple months.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

We had a good jam session last night. Practiced our regular songs then decided to break out into some sixties Beatles type songs. Good fun.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Wow.  Time flies.  Seems like yesterday when I started this thread saying how we started playing together.  We started out with two guitars and a flutist.  Two people singing.  Since then we've lost a member here and there and have gained some.  We are now a full band with the finishing touches being added only two weeks ago when I purchased a bass guitar and started playing.  It's been a slice!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Time for a little update.  Things were a little slow this summer and I took some time off the band to recover.  While I'm still in a long uphill battle to fully heal which may take years, I did play a couple times in August with the band at the service.  We've lost a couple members of the band over the summer for various reasons but still have a core group of 4-5 people including a fourth guitarist which will allow me to focus more on the bass.  

Tonight was my first official night back in action and I plan on being there every week now during the winter months.  We learned a new song tonight and after practicing it twice we decided to play it in the service during the eucharist.  It's a very uplifting song.  Anyways, here it is. (not us performing it of course)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTThPMWzxRs

Another of the songs we do regularly is "Forever" by Chris Tomlin.  We went down to Minneapolis to see him perform live back in March.  It was an awesome concert with around 12000 people there.  We were basically right in the first row.  Very moving.  Here's the original version of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Rb6cQh-sk


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Back to regular routine now. We've been back to our regular practice and services since September. We meet at the church every Friday evening at 7 for practice and play Saturday.  I used to stand up to sing and play but until my back gets better it's the chair for me. Just thankful I can still walk. [emoji3]


----------



## pirate_girl

Awww!
That's wonderful Brian!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

We've got a big ole church.  It was built over 100 years ago starting in I believe 1903.  Our bell tower has the only manual bells played this way between the Toronto area and Winnipeg.  Tomorrow night, we are hosting an open house for people to come tour the bell tower.  Just prior is the usual 5pm service I play at.  I've picked the music already that the congregation will be singing. 

If you click on the news link and watch the video, it shows the bells being played.  Some friends of ours in the video.  

http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Artsente...h_open_house_to_let_people_try_carillon_bells


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Here's a few pictures I took tonight of the belltower and the church where I play. 












Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## pirate_girl

This is what my church looks like Brian, inside and out.. and a little history.



http://www.n8rrb.com/pipeorgans/stjohndelphoscc/


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Nice looking. 

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## NorthernRedneck

So I've added another member to the herd. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I now have seven (I believe ) guitars. Why so many you might ask?  Well, I have one for at home playing. One for the kids to learn on. Two sitting at church that I use every weekend. One of which is a sweet sounding 12 string. An acoustic base I bought last year for the band. A nice electric I haven't played in years sitting in its case downstairs. And now this one to have at camp as a cheap  little plucker around the fire. It's awesome to play and has a really nice sound. [emoji2] 

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I went to a small concert last month in town here. The band "the color" was performing. They are an upcoming Christian band that has been touring the country. I got to meet the band and chat with them during intermission. They informed me that they'd be back on November 30th opening for a big name band "building 429".  Both bands are a Christian rock genre. They had a contest on Facebook if you liked and shared the ad for the concert. I normally don't share anything but this time I did. They posted a short video on the tour page tonight announcing that I won 4 vip tickets.  I originally planned to go anyway but now I'm taking a friend and our two older boys since my wife is taking a course weds. 

https://youtu.be/-r88mz7vNT4

https://youtu.be/9pv5wVS7yzk

living the dream


----------



## pirate_girl

NorthernRedneck said:


> I went to a small concert last month in town here. The band "the color" was performing. They are an upcoming Christian band that has been touring the country. I got to meet the band and chat with them during intermission. They informed me that they'd be back on November 30th opening for a big name band "building 429".  Both bands are a Christian rock genre. They had a contest on Facebook if you liked and shared the ad for the concert. I normally don't share anything but this time I did. They posted a short video on the tour page tonight announcing that I won 4 vip tickets.  I originally planned to go anyway but now I'm taking a friend and our two older boys since my wife is taking a course weds.
> 
> https://youtu.be/-r88mz7vNT4
> 
> https://youtu.be/9pv5wVS7yzk
> 
> living the dream



The Color.
I love their sound.


----------



## pirate_girl

I like the other one too, What I Would Say To You.
Nice!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Yes. I like that song too. Hits home to me. I had never heard it till I went to the concert last month. During intermission I was talking to the singer who asked me why I was walking with two canes. So I told him what happened to me last summer. When they came back on the stage they gave a little talk about  how everyone goes through tough times then he pointed out to me and dedicated that song to me. I damned near broke out in tears while they were playing it. I came home and grabbed my guitar and learnt it. 

living the dream


----------



## NorthernRedneck

living the dream


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Had a great time last night. Front row seating. Place was packed. 









living the dream


----------



## squerly

EastTexFrank said:


> Can I use that quote?  It describes me exactly.


lol, it's been a couple of years since you made the post but I missed it all this time.  Yes, of course, it's all yours!


----------



## NorthernRedneck

On average we have a crowd of 20-25 people attending the 5pm service I play at. We have a song inventory of around 75 different songs to choose from every week so we are familiar with them. 

This week though, we are down 2 members of my band for the upcoming 5pm service. Plus, it's Christmas eve. So we will most likely be playing to a packed house and the song selection will be of course Christmas carols. And I've been asked to play an acoustic fingerpicking version of silent night during the offering. No singing. Just me and my guitar playing to about 200 people. Some friends of ours from camp have said that they plan on being there too as it's intended for families with younger kids. 

living the dream.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

We posed for a picture after the Saturday evening service to put in the annual church report. Still going strong after 4 years. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk


----------



## NorthernRedneck

It's shrove Tuesday so that means pancake supper at church. Our old organ was 110 years old and finally died last year so it was replaced by a new one just before Christmas.  Rather than scrap the old one, we moved it downstairs and converted it into a cafe for coffee hour after sunday morning service. Check it out. Freshly ground coffee. It's even plumbed in with a water line.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

NorthernRedneck said:


> So I've added another member to the herd.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I now have seven (I believe ) guitars. Why so many you might ask?  Well, I have one for at home playing. One for the kids to learn on. Two sitting at church that I use every weekend. One of which is a sweet sounding 12 string. An acoustic base I bought last year for the band. A nice electric I haven't played in years sitting in its case downstairs. And now this one to have at camp as a cheap  little plucker around the fire. It's awesome to play and has a really nice sound. [emoji2]
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


While the epiphone was setup great and a nice player guitar, I found the large dreadnaught body size to be more difficult for me to handle as I have a hard time lifting my arms. 

I opted to sell it and replace it with a Parlor guitar. I picked this up. The setup is near perfect making it a great little player. For a smaller body it really projects the sound. It's an Alvarez ap610s. It has electronics built in including a great and accurate tuner.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I'm still playing every Saturday at church with my band. We now have 6 members. Still 3 of us playing acoustic and all of us singing. Tomorrow, we have a busy afternoon as we are playing Christmas carols at a seniors luncheon down the road from my place. As soon as we're done that and all packed up, we head back to the church and play the service. I just came back from a 2 hour practice at the church. It's a 25 minute drive to get there from our place.


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Since all public gatherings are now suspended because of the coronavirus, we've been streaming live worship services every week. I've been voluntold that I will be playing music at every Saturday service until this is done. Here's a link to our more contemporary Saturday service. Sunday's is more generic with the organ. 


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NsO9C2-IosE&feature=youtu.be


----------



## NorthernRedneck

I just got home from playing the 5pm service again. If you don't want to watch the whole service (it's 55 minutes long) and want to hear yours truly playing, listen to the first 5 minutes. I was just doing some fingerpicking stuff I wrote while we were waiting for the service to start. 


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KWOnjnjZ49g&list=PLcQ3iEBrSnbBHqzjrueCaW7eTlEfEXY2Y&index=3&t=0s#menu


----------



## NorthernRedneck

Now that camping season is over, I'm back playing at the church. How it worked when covid hit in march, we started doing livestream services online with no congregation in attendance. In September, they were able to start back with people attending but maintaining social distancing and wearing face masks. What did that mean for us playing? Well, we normally have 7 people in the band. Now, we're only allowed 2 people. Sitting like 10 feet apart. 

Over the summer while services were still suspended, our church invested in new lighting and a whole new sound system. So that means that our guitars are now connected wirelessly. We each have a wireless headset with microphone and earphones so we can hear each other. We also have someone at the back of the church mixing and blending the sound so it's even. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=94EKqewRJzM

I talk to myself to get an expert opinion.


----------

