Christian Musician Magazine - Sep/Oct 2012

Improving Musicianship | Inspiring Talent

DAVE CLEVELAND Insights from the Nashville Session Ace Product Review WCG25SCE Guitar by Washburn

Product Review Line 6 Stagescape M20d

Selective Hearing SEP/OCT 2012 Volume 17, Issue 5 09

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Sixpence None the Richer • Andrew Peterson Blues Counsel w/ Phil Keaggy • Jon Gibson House of Heroes • Rhett Walker Band “Stereotyping” by Bryan Duncan

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Phil Keaggy

New ‘Keyboard’ column by Erick Hailstone

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Finding the Right Music Gear for Your Church Just Got Easier!

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NEW

Get the Newest FREE Issue of Worship Sound Pro — the Ultimate Music Gear Guide for Houses of Worship!

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E FIRSSEUE!

Lincoln’s Go-to Gear:

Real Li Live:

practicals as well — the musicianship. I’ve said this for years, that all really good gear does is better re-create reality.”

LLincoln in Brewster

This approach applies to recording as well as live sound in the church. “People say, ‘If I could just get Pro Tools, then I can make a record.’ Well, no. Pro Tools is just going to better reveal what you have. Pro Tools doesn’t make records; Pro Tools ALLOWS people to make records.” He adds, “We’ve got to be careful of the “golden hammer” syndrome. We don’t worship the tools. They’re just tools. We commit to being smart with what tools we need, how much we need to spend, be frugal, make wise choices, and then get after the task at hand and focus on doing a great job.”

on Music Technology in Modern Worship You would be hard pressed to name a modern worship leader and musician who has better utilized music technology than Lincoln Brewster. Renowned both for his songwriting chops and his virtuosic guitar skills, Lincoln makes the most of his cutting-edge music gear — while sharing the message with heart, grace, and humanity. Currently serving as the worship arts pastor for Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA, Lincoln also continues to tour nationally. He has released seven full-length albums since 1999, including his acclaimed latest, Real Life. A new Christmas album is due out this year, and plans are in the works for a live album. It goes without saying that he has come a long way.

Renowned e o ed singer, singer, ge , so g son songwriter, gwriter, g te , aand ndd gguitari gu guitarist ta st Lincoln co Brewster’s acclaimed latest Bre st re rele leease, ease, ase, Real Lif Life,, is release, available now. To find out more ore about about ut Lincoln Linco coln and hhis is $ 00 3199r.com. uplifting new album, go too linconbrewster.com. lincon linKronos con nX 61brewste nbrewste om. >> KORG

More info on pg. 106

Workstations: Powerful Tools for the Worship Leader

Choosing the Right

KEYBOARD Whether you’re looking for a simple instrument that just plays and sounds like a real acoustic piano, or you’re seeking a powerful centerpiece for all your worship team’s ambitions, there’s a digital piano that’s right for your church. To help you zero in on the perfect keyboard for your needs, let’s take a look at the different kinds of keyboards available, as well as the important factors you’ll want to consider when making your decision.

When Less Is More Many church pianists we work with often feel overwhelmed by the number of choices out there — and even more so by the number of knobs, buttons, and controls on keyboards. “All I need,” they tell us, “is an instrument that plays like an acoustic piano and has a fantastic natural piano sound.”

If this sounds like you, you’ll want to select what’s called a stage piano — and ideally one with a full set of 88 weighted keys (also called weighted action). These keyboards actually mimic the response of a grand piano’s keybed, where the lowest keys require more force to strike, and the upper keys feel light and airy beneath your fingertips. To nail the sound of an acoustic piano, today’s top keyboard manufacturers have gone to great lengths to record some of the finest grand pianos in the world, putting these sounds right inside the instruments. Not only can you get the sound of a classic Steinway, but on many you can also push a single button to get the sound of a Bosendorfer, a Yamaha C7, or a character-filled upright.

If you’re replacing an acoustic piano, you should consider the importance of aesthetics to your church. If you have more-traditional services or are seeking a really natural look up on the platform, then you may want to choose a more authentic-looking stage piano. We have options available with wooden cabinets, in a variety of finishes, so you can choose an instrument that matches the decor of your church.

FIVE Main Features to Consider As you take a look at the keyboards featured on the next few pages, these five factors will help you start narrowing down your decision:

1. Action

Do you want keys that are weighted to feel and play just like an acoustic piano’s? Or do you want keys that glide beneath your fingers so that you can easily play synth and organ parts?

2. Sounds

Do you primarily need an authentic acoustic piano sound, or would you like to have other sounds such as strings, synths, electric pianos, organs, and more?

3. Arranging/Recording Capabilities

Will you be composing songs with your keyboard? If so, you may want to have a built-in sequencer, onboard drum sounds, and a direct-to-computer connection.

4. Size and Portability

Choosing a 76-key keyboard instead of a full-size 88-key instrument can be a great way to cut down on weight while maintaining a first-class playing experience.

It’s bound to happen at some point: the mix disaster. Maybe your church’s regular sound person calls in sick at the last minute. Maybe the new volunteer sound person doesn’t know a volume slider from a sliding door, or a mixing board from a mixing bowl. Whatever the circumstance, something has to be done to save the service.

Without decent sound, the congregation won’t be engaged or inspired by the music, >> Line 6 $ 44999 lost. and the message be completely XD-V55may (HANDHELD)

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This T his digital system actually lets you choose

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Have more questions? Our Sales Engineers are here to help you choose the best keyboard for your church’s goals. In fact, what you see in Worship Sound Pro is just a small sampling of the many keyboards we have available. Give us a call today at (800) 222–4700.

Roland FP-7F Fantastic piano voices plus modern capabilities

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Call us today at (800) 222–4700

RSS V-MIXING MIXING M SYSTEM

Bodypack transmitt transmitters allow you to plug in a lavalier microphone or a gu guitar cable, giving you both wireless and hands-free conveni convenience. If you are going to use a lavalier microphone, you’ll most likely want to choose one with a cardioid (unidirecti (unidirectional) pickup pattern rather than one with an omnidirect omnidirectional pattern. Cardioid lavaliers reject sound that doesn’t enter them directly, making them less likely to create feed feedback. Just remember this: no matter how much freedom wireless microphones give you, you still can’t walk in fr front of the loudspeakers without causing feedback. >> > Shure

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Dropout is just as bad as feedback. Even intermittent dr d dropout opout n line line can ruin an otherwise wonderful service. An unbroken ntennas of sight between the transmitter and the receiver’s antennas is ideal, but seldom is that possible. More times than not, the urfaces wireless signal must rebound off of walls and other surfaces opout. pout. pout to reach the receiver, and that increases the risk of dropout. t, the If you put a bodypack transmitter in your back pocket, signal (unable to pass through you) will have to find an sk of alternative path to the receiver. So, to minimize the risk ket signal dropout, keep your bodypack in your front jacket pocket.

Another major problem is broadband noise and radio interference. If your church is in a city, chances are thatt an ork k inexpensive entry-level wireless system simply won’t work tthe he for you. The same precision technology responsible forr th gh-end high simultaneous channel count common to most high-end g out ou o professional wireless systems is responsible for shutting ich h noise and radio interference. Digital wireless systems, which reject noise and other nondigital signals out of hand, are less excellent cost-effective alternatives to traditional wireless systems.

All professional wireless receivers are “true diversity” receivers, s. That which means that they use two independent antennas. way, if the wireless signal doesn’t reach one antenna, itt can tennas still reach the other. Quality wireless receivers have antennas that twist off, allowing you to mount them on stands and eases spread them out. Separating your antennas vastly increases >> AKG

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Though creatingaamong the perfect sound mixmic fortypes! a service is a mong different modeled true art, a sound person with little or no mixing experience can still achieve good sonic clarity and deliver the message with pleasant and effective audio. Here are some tips for their effectiveness. Even spreading your antennas out just a saving the day with a quick, last-minute mix — whether few feet and moving them away from your other gear will you are working the sound booth yourself or have the help vastly improve your system’s performance. Also, if you have a of a volunteer. multichannel wireless system, you may also need an antenna distribution system, which will allow you to connect only a 1. Keep it simple. single pair of antennas to multiple receivers.

Unfortunately, mix emergencies rarely occur when you have Whether your future wireless system is a single-channel, loads of spare time to work on a solution — it single-speaker setup or a larger system for the whole worship almost always happens minutes before the service is team, it should effectively and accurately spread the message. supposed to start. While your sound booth may have racks Unfortunately, many budget-priced wireless systems may make of processors and sophisticated audio equipment, now is it difficult and unpleasant for your congregation to hear that not the time to experiment with effects or to randomly message. If the number of quality wireless systems you need start turning knobs. Focus on the bare minimum you is beyond your current budget, practice wise stewardship and need to get the job done. Leave the special effects for save your money until you can afford the system that your another time. house of worship deserves. There are excellent single-channel wireless systems that you can start with and expand later. Your 2. Use what’s already there.

Sweetwater Sales Engineer will be happy to help you find the Hopefully, your church. sound system is already set up, the cables and right system for your the snake are run to the mixer, and the monitors are tuned in to prevent feedback. Plug the mics into the mixer or snake in their usual positions. Try to use the same “old standby” microphones and other gear you usually use — again, now is not the time to experiment with new gear!

3. Have a conversation with the worship team.

Explain to everyone that the regular sound person is not available and that help is required to have the service go well. This means guitarists need to turn down, drummers need to control volume, and so on. Explain that the monitor

8. Build the mix by bringing up the volume faders for the basics first.

Start with the bass drum and the bass guitar, turning them up to a comfortable level and balancing them against one another. You may need to adjust the level of the master volume fader to get the overall level to the right point.

9. Turn up the volume faders for the vocals.

system may not be perfect — forewarning the team that everything may not be ideal will go a long way toward easing the process for everyone. At least they will know what to expect!

Now focus on the vocals. Set them to a comfortable level, balanced against the bass guitar and the bass drum. The lead vocalist needs to be the loudest, with the background or harmony vocals filling in behind.

4. Turn it on.

10. Turn up the volume faders on the other instruments.

Turn on the speakers or the amplifiers last; this prevents loud thumps and pops from coming through the system.

5. Reset the mixing board.

Begin by pulling all the volume sliders (faders) down to zero. (Usually these are found at the bottom of each channel on the mixer.) Set the channel gain to a mid position (Usually this knob is found at the top of each channel on the mixer.) Next, reset all the equalization (tone) controls on the mixer to their center position, which is essentially off. Turn the auxiliary or monitor sends off. Make sure that mute or solo buttons are disengaged. (Usually these buttons are off in the up position.) Set the master volume fader to about 50%.

6. Begin testing each sound source through the mains.

Have the main vocalist speak or sing into his or her mic.

Bring up the volume slider until you can hear the vocals in the main speakers. Turn up the auxiliary or monitor sends until the vocalist can hear himself or herself in the monitors.

As you verify that each mic or source works, pull its volume fader back down to zero. You can leave the aux (monitor) sends turned up so that the singers can hear themselves. To prevent feedback, don’t run the stage monitors too loud.

More info on pg. 26

This inexpensive digital wireless system is a real performer onstage!

Photo by Jon James and Troy Behrens

7. Have the worship team begin to play a song.

Watch for red overload or “clip” lights on the mixer. If you see these, turn down the gain controls at the top of that source’s channel.

Call us today at (800) 222–4700

One at a time, begin turning up the other instruments. Start with the rest of the drums, then the guitars, the pianos, the keyboards, and any other instruments; adjust the volume as needed. Balance each one against the vocals, the bass drum, and the bass guitar. This is a place where you can err on the side of being conservative. The vocals are the main focus, and you want to ensure that they are clearly audible. Use the other instruments to fill around the vocals, without obscuring them. As you go, adjust the master volume fader to control the overall level.

The Best Technology for Worship Worship Sound Pro features the latest and most essential music equipment and technology for today’s houses of worship.

Sweetwater-exclusive Interview with Lincoln Brewster

The inspiring songwriter and guitarist shares advice on using music technology in your house of worship — and talks about his favorite gear.

Essential Guides for You and Your Volunteers

Worship Sound Pro 101 Guides

Worry-free Worry W orry-free ffree fre

5. Appearance

Westone UM3X RC

The Basics of

organ sounds Increasing in popularity are keyboards that feature a built-in microphone them themselves sselves up for you, and once you’ve set them up, you don’t need to touch them input. These are perfect for the performing worship leader and great for again. simple technology, how you can put g n n. Here’s a simpl e overview of wireless microphone te scaled-down youth services. The vocal microphone goes right through the again keyboard’s output, so you’ll need to amplify only one signal. Better yet, and$ how to00avoid common pitfalls. it tto w work in your church, ch d some commo there are professional vocal effects built in, so you can refine the vocal sound More info on pg. 111 without having to purchase an extra piece of gear.

There are two basic types of wireless transmitte transmitters: handheld units and bodypacks.

Handheld units combine a microphone m and a wi wireless transmitter into one device.

Don’t Forget About Realistic Organ Sounds They ar are extremely convenie ent for worship lead convenient leaders, and even some pastors prefer Roland RD-700NX them hem because b you can move e a handheld microp microphone away from your mouth if you The organ is still a very popular instrument for worship services. And while Platform-ready playability ee ed to cough. Wirele need Wireless handheld microphones are also less most of the keyboards we carry feature a built-in organ sound, you can get $ 00 ne and sounds ssusceptible su usceptible to dropou dropout, because the transmitter part of the that organ-playing experience — complete with drawbars — by choosing a More info on pg. 108 unit naturally point u points out toward the receiving antennas. dedicated instrument for the task.

How important is it that your church’s keyboard resemble an acoustic piano? Do you want an integrated stand, or would you prefer to use a more portable stage-style keyboard stand?

p pg. 22

pg. 34

Building a Mix

Classic Hammond

pg. 130

Line LLi inee 6 XD-V75 XD X D-V75

lincolnbrewster.com

Picks

WIRELESS WIREL WIR W EL LES

Line Li ine 6 POD HD500

pg. 96

Lincoln neatly affirms his path as a musical messenger when he paraphrased a quote by Martin Luther: “Aside from theology,” he says, “there’s not even a close second to music in terms of communicating God’s word to people.” He adds, “It’s obviously a very important part of what we do as a church.”

Keyboard Pro 101 Guides

If you don’t need the all-out power of a workstation, but you’d still like a Roland Jupiter-50 handful of cutting-edge capabilities — maybe built-in drum patterns for Incredible piano and rehearsals and a lighter sequencer for a quick songwriting sketch pad — there synth tones — and more $ 00 are a number of options that fall somewhere in between the two categories we’ve already mentioned. Instead of choosing an 88-key option, which has the More info on pg. 112 same number of keys as a full piano, you can select a 76-key — or smaller — version. These instruments trade a slightly reduced range (many keyboardists never use the highest and lowest keys anyway) for lighter weight and a more portable form factor. You can still get fully weighted keys on a 76-key piano, Wireless Wirel ess technology can be a little daunting g at first. But don’t d worry, wireless or you can choose a semi-weighted version that works well if you perform a Wire Hammond XK-3c blend of classic and modern instrument sounds, rather than strictly piano. are m understand Most wireless systems much easier to un derstand today than e ever before. M

AVID AVID D Pro Tools + Eleven Rack

You can find Sweetwater-exclusive signature Lincoln Brewster patches on both the POD HD Pro and Eleven Rack systems. What’s more, Lincoln has been a Sweetwater customer “for almost 24 years. I could tell even back then: well-run company, thought a little bit outside of the box. If a church calls you up, ‘Here’s what we’re wanting to do,’ Sweetwater is able to really give them a comprehensive view of product options.”

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A Balance of Features for Modern Worship

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Lincoln also relies on Avid’s Eleven Rack to get his favorite guitar tones in the studio. And, speaking of getting guitar tones, he gets plenty from one of his favorite new guitars, the Line 6 James Tyler Variax. “I think every studio ought to own one of those,” he enthuses. “It’s just amazing how spot on those models are. It was pretty stunning; I knew the guitar was cool, but at that point I was just a complete believer.”

While streamlined, piano-like instruments are ideal for a number of worship Yamaha MOTIF XF8 Great workstation, leaders and church pianists, many other houses of worship rely on keyboards $ 99 loaded with free extras for much more than just piano sounds. In fact, if you’re a piano-centric More info on pg. 104 worship leader, you may very well be able to perform and produce your entire service with a single powerful instrument called a keyboard workstation.

More than just keyboards with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of instrument sounds, these instruments often feature multitrack sequencers, so you can layer all the different instrument parts into a full orchestration. It’s very similar to working with audio editing and production software, only you’re Kurzweil not tethered to a computer — and you can easily play these backing tracks >>Sen Sennheiser nheiser heiser $ PC3K8 95 Amazing feel and right from your keyboard during services. And even if you do have a complete EW 33 3355 G3piano soundsMore info on pgpg. 24 $ 00 worship band, you can use a workstation to add a few choice backing Churches es across the country swear by More info on pg. 107 instruments to fill out your sound — perhaps a second trumpet part, a stringChurche pro-level this pro--level UHF wireless system! section, or even an extra kick drum sound for more power.

849

Fender Stratocaster teer

When he heads into the studio, Lincoln uses a Pro Tools HD rig outfitted with Waves and Universal Audio plug-ins.

He also uses plenty of outboard gear in addition to working “in the box.” Mic-wise, “I use a handbuilt ADK tube mic (CS67J) that’s based off of a U-67; it’s awesome. I’ve also got a pair of Shure KSM 44s. I use them for vocals, but those mics work on anything.”

So, how would Lincoln approach gear and technology if he were starting from scratch? With an eye for effective sound solutions that don’t overwhelm the team or the budget, for starters. “”I think, if I were to go back to some of my earlier ministry days and start smaller, I would start with a good sound system,” he says.

“The nice thing is that you can get some great sound systems that don’t cost a lot of money, that have a lot of flexibility, and are designed for volunteer use or for people who aren’t at a ‘professional-caliber’ level. Line 6’s new StageScape PA system is just phenomenal,” he says, pointing to the system’s intuitive touch-panel controls. “What a cool concept! Things like that which are now available are making it possible for churches that are smaller and don’t have the big budgets to come up with really great results.” He warns against looking to technology as the total solution, rather than an aid. “Before you have something in place the way you want it, it can often become your focus. Technology is definitely one of those things that offers that danger. So, we can consistently, day in and day out, be about, ‘Oh, if we just had this, or if we just had this.’ You’ve got to have the right components, but it doesn’t require as much as most people think.” He adds, “Once you get some things in place, I think a lot of people need to ask what they’re going to do with it. I think a lot of worship ministries, if you went, ‘Okay, here’s everything that you’ve ever needed. Ready, go,’ then some of them might freeze for a minute because they’re so not used to thinking about what they’re actually supposed to be focusing on.” He points to the bottom line: “I think that our focus has to be on: how do we get God’s people connected in an authentic way? How we get them worshiping? What’s going to make p y that everyy week when that experience work? I ask myself I’m II’ m ppu utti utt ttin tt ng my set ttogether. ogether. I’m going, ‘Alrig putting ‘Alright, Lord, what’s h it going to ttake aake kkee tth this thi hhii w week? week e What ar are the songs?

AAnyth Anything nyth thi hingg I need nee nne eed eed ee ed to to ssa ay? ay?’ aay yy? y?’ ?’ An And really And r y focu say?’ focus on the exp expe perience ppe erience from om m th thatt angle gle le and a work on the experience Customer-favorite

Take a look at the instruments we’ve highlighted in this guide, including Yamaha’s MOTIF XF8, the affordable Roland FP-7F, and the piano-like Kurzweil Worship h Sou hi Sound und PC3K8. You’ll also want to check out the Hammond XK-3c.

LLine ine 6 J amess TTyler yl James V ariax ri x Variax

Lincoln’s own setup pairs the latest technologies with classic tones. “I’ve got two Custom Shop Strats that are sort of based around ’57s.” Rather than relying upon miked amplifiers onstage, Lincoln opts to run his POD HD 500 rig direct. “Most of the dates I do on the road are fly dates; we’ve got to fly just about everywhere we go. I want something that sounds great, that feels great to play, and will give me consistency every night. For me, that means being able to fly with it. So, for me, that’s where it [using the POD] started. I recorded some tracks on my very first album with Line 6’s Amp Farm, and I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, it’d be great if I could take this on the road.’ And then the POD came out. I started using it, and, back then, running direct was blasphemy. I’d have people show up after we’d play at a festival and they’d say, ‘How do you get your tone? I want to see your rig!’ And I’d go, ‘You don’t want to know, trust me.’ And they’d say, ‘No, no, I wanna know!’ And I’d show them. What I’ve found consistently is that people’s brains would not allow them to hear what their ears heard. They just couldn’t get past the reality of what it was.”

He usually opts for a Line 6 G 30 or the G 50 wireless instrument system for his guitar. Lincoln also points to the flexibility Line 6’s new XD 75 wireless microphone system gives worship groups, thanks to the handheld transmitter’s array of built-in mic models. “I was really shocked at how good the models were inside the microphone. The fact that you could flip through a bunch of different mics and try different ones out and see which one worked was killer.”

For onstage monitoring, Lincoln depends on Westone in-ears. “I think top to bottom there’s not a better company for in-ears. The UM Series is great. I carry around UM 3Xs along with my 5 drivers for backup. They sound awesome and they fit great.”

Lincoln’s upbringing in Alaska was anything but idyllic. He grew up in a broken home, seeking solace in music. Gifted at guitar and other instruments from a young age, Lincoln poured his energies into improving as a player and performing live. By age 19, his talent and hard work got him noticed. Recording contract offers began coming in, but by then, Lincoln had let the Lord into his life and chose a different path. He played on a Steve Perry (formerly of Journey) solo album and toured with the singer for six months in the mid-1990s, but soon returned home — now in California — to be with his new wife and work with his church as a sound technician. Eventually, Lincoln moved to Nashville, working alongside his wife as a youth pastor. Upon hearing his production work during a demo session, executives from Integrity Media took notice of his talent and signed him to their Vertical Music label, and Lincoln relocated to California and began his work at Bayside Church. His experience on the platform, on tour, and behind the scenes gives Lincoln unique insight into what it takes to make technology work in the context of worship. As he points out, “I think that a lot of people have allowed for things to get overly complicated, and ‘technology’ for some people is a bad word — when technology is supposed to be our friend and help us out.”

Worship Sound Pro 101 Guides

Lincoln Brewster puts a lot of thought and experience into choosing the gear he relies on when he’s performing on the platform and recording in the studio. Throughout this issue of Worship Sound Pro, you’ll find several products that are similar to the ones Lincoln prefers. Here es! are a few great examples!

99999

$

>> MACKIE

DL1608

More info on pg. 43

spikes in sound. Ask each worship team member what he or she needs to hear from the monitors — one at a time so that everyone doesn’t speak at once — and adjust the auxiliary sends accordingly.

13. Don’t try to overtune the mix, and don’t make it too loud.

Set things up so that they are clean and clear, and at a comfortable, conservative volume level. Then stop! Once you get to the point where it sounds okay — this should happen fairly quickly — stop tweaking the knobs. It’s easy to lose perspective and get lost in knob turning, even though the goal has already been achieved.

14. Here’s a final tip.

When in doubt, focus on making the vocals, whether spoken or sung, clearly audible. The congregation is there to hear the message, which is contained in the words and lyrics. The music is inspiring and essential to a great service, but it plays just a supporting role in the grand scheme of things. Ensure that the vocals are heard, and the service will be a success!

11. It’s time for the equalizers.

Up to this point, we haven’t touched the equalizers (tone controls) on the mixer. If you find that the sound is getting too bassy or boomy, use the “low” or bass tone control to reduce the bass frequencies a small amount on instruments such as bass guitar, keyboards, and piano. Vocalists, especially male vocalists, may also need their bass reduced a small amount. To increase the clarity of a vocal or an instrument, add a small amount of treble or high frequencies by using the tone controls on that mixer channel. Be careful with the tone controls, as overuse can lead to feedback!

In-depth, down-to-earth articles help volunteers, pastors, and worship leaders to understand the ins and outs of the latest in worship sound technology.

12. Fine-tune the mix and the monitors.

Adjust volume levels so that instruments and vocals are balanced, and adjust the bass and the treble controls on channels ls as necessary to prevent boomine miness, harshness, or or boominess,

>> PRESONUS

STUDIOLIVE 24.4.2

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More info on pg pg. g 43

We'll help you set up u a system that fits your church's needs perfectly!

Call us today today at (800) (80 0) 222 22 222– 2 222–470 222–4700 470

!

Online

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Sweetwater.com/worship 101 Guides

With valuable advice on live mixing, miking techniques, instruments, and more, our informative guides give you the tips and tricks you need to make your services sound better.

News and Articles

Get useful, up-to-date editorials, reviews, and information from experts in worship sound — and stay current on the latest developments.

Practice, Rehearse, and dP Perform f

Here’s the best way to learn, rehearse, and perform today’s top Christian music! Get complete backing tracks and practice mixes, charts, and more.

Try out Pro Worship Music for free — with no obligation! k out Chec orship Download “Before the Morning” for absolutely no charge.

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Features The Dynamic Duo is Back!

Over 10 years ago (back when Judy and I were just engaged) we traveled to California’s Bay area to a conference that was just for Christian guitarists. Reggie Coates produced it for many years there in Castro Valley at the Neighborhood Church, and in fact some of the concepts of our current day Christian Musician Summit conferences were born from attending Reggie’s events.

Phil Keaggy and others would perform and there would be guitar and bass clinics all day long. We had a booth there for Christian Musician magazine and we would sell capos, guitar strings, and other odds and ends to help cover our travel expenses. We would stay at my mother’s house, so that was a bonus as we could visit with her.

At the conference our exhibit booth was in the church foyer, and from that base station we met several people who still remain our friends today. In the booth next to ours was a friendly, longhaired guy wearing lots of tie-dyed clothing. That was the day we met Tim Moon (still one of the last street musicians singing songs about Jesus and life out on the street corners of San Francisco). Tim has since traveled to many of our events and he teaches street ministry workshops for us. In another booth we met Rich and Gail Severson.

Rich used to be a professor of guitar at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. We hit it off well with them, and Rich is a regular columnist for us and also has taught at many CMS events.

Judy and I are both gregarious by nature and we had fun talking to the guitarists who were stopping by our booth. We met Miles and Jillian McKee there, of Avalon Guitars, and for several years after that we would help them find artists to endorse their instruments.

It was at this conference that while we were sitting backstage talking with Phil Keaggy he leaned over to Judy and said, “I would like to audition to play your wedding.” Judy didn’t know that I had asked Phil to be part of the ceremony, so this came as the big surprise that I wanted it to be. Phil ran through a couple of songs for us and Judy was just beaming. It was something I will never forget. She gracefully accepted his song selections and we walked out of the room elated.

We had fun working events together, and then after the honeymoon and with a newly blended family our opportunities for being the ‘dynamic duo of booth working’ started to diminish with Judy’s focus turning towards the duties of home life and two of our boys living at home.

We did go to a local vintage guitar show in Kent, WA where we were a vendor and had fun selling guitars and accessories. That 10+years ago...

Continued on page 45.

CONTENTS

8 Product Review

by Bruce Adolph Creature Comfort with the 34 The Indie Mechanics new WCG25SCE Guitar by Keith Mohr & Sue Ross-Mohr

by Washburn Who is Your Audience?

No Really???!? Who are They?

10 Bassic Communication

by Norm Stockton 36 The Fretboard Less Traveled Developing Your Inner Clock by Rich Severson (Part 4) “What A Friend We Have In 12 Guitar Workshop

by John Standefer Smoothing Out the Rough Spots 14 Drumming Dynamics

by David Owens Grooves from Africa 16 Vocal Coach’s Corner

by Roger Beale Basics (In)Sight 18 Show Us Your Groove

by Chance Scoggins That’s What Love Does

Jesus” ~ Analyzing a Jazz ReHarmonization

38 Ask Joe

by Joe Riggio 41 Guitar From A 2 Z

by Roger Zimish Re-encounter Your Guitar 44 Product Review

by Michael Hodge Hagstrom Tremar Swede 46 Stereotyping

by Bryan Duncan

26 Selective Hearing

by Shawn McLaughlin Sixpence None the Richer Andrew Peterson Phil Keaggy Blues Counsel w/ Phil Keaggy Jon Gibson House of Heroes Rhett Walker Band 30 Product Review

by Doug Doppler Line 6 StageScape M20d 32 Keyboards

by Erick Hailstone

Interview

20 Dave Cleveland Insights from the Nashville Session Ace

by Bruce Adolph

4227 S. Meridian, Suite C PMB #275, Puyallup Washington 98373 Phone: 253.445.1973 Fax: 253.655.5001 Email: bruce@christianmusician.com Website: www.christianmusician.com Editor & President: Bruce Adolph VP/Office Manager: Judy Adolph, judy@christianmusician.com Customer Service: Brian Felix, brian@christianmusician.com Street Team: Mike Adolph, Jesse Hill & Winston Design & Layout: Matt Kees Copyediting: Kevin Wilber Advertising Sales: bruce@christianmusician.com Published by the Adolph Agency Inc.

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

SEP/OCT 2012

7

PRODUCT REVIEW

Creature Comfort with the new WCG25SCE Guitar by Washburn

by Bruce Adolph

can get your bearings as you play.

It is noticeably more comfortable. I thought to myself, “Well, that is a lot of money, but it sure feels nice to my arm.”

The WCG25SCE is a Grand Auditorium style acoustic/electric guitar with a Venetian cutaway. A highlight of this model is the beveled top at the lower bout, which becomes part of the beautiful mahogany binding.

The first time I ever saw a beveled top on a guitar was at the Winter NAMM show about three years ago. It was on a R. Taylor custom shop acoustic guitar that retailed for around $6,500. I wanted to see what it felt like on the strumming arm, so I gingerly picked it up and played a few chords. Oh, my gosh!

A maple/mahogany/maple strip splits the book-matched rosewood back as well. The rosewood-capped headstock features a pearl inlaid Washburn logo and stylized ‘W’ as well as Washburn branded die cast tuners with ebonite buttons. The rosette is made of alternating maple and mahogany.

Judy’s comment was, “That is a beautiful guitar!” Right away she wanted to hold it and Now Washburn has added test out the bevel. Her next thought was the a bevel top with a blue-collar price tag. clincher, “How come all guitars don’t come Kudos! They call it part of their Comfort with that”. Well-said honey!

Series, and this guitar is just that… very comfortable. I played it, talked with my wife How would I describe the sound of this guitar Judy while holding it, and then played some to you? Warm and woodsy. The more I played more and my right arm just felt great. The it the more it grew on me. The tonewoods give bevel will help fight arm fatigue and even give it a nice sustain. The fretwork is well done, and you more of a reach to play over the sound whether chording or soloing… the neck felt hole easier if you are a person of smaller good. The cutaway’s construction gives you a firm foundation to comfortably reach quite stature. high on the fretboard. You can easily chord on The WSG25SCE guitar features a bookthe 12th fret and higher (you are almost into matched solid Sitka spruce top, rosewood mandolin territory at this point). back and sides, and a mahogany/maple bound body and headstock. The mahogany neck The WCG25SCE sports premium Fishman has a rosewood fingerboard with no inlay electronics; namely, the 501T unit, which is markers, and in tandem with the mahogany an integrated tuner/mic/under saddle pickup bound rosewood bridge adds a sense of combo for versatile amplified tonal shaping. understated elegance. There are fret markers The tuner is easy to use and quite cool visually. on the top of the fretboard binding so you I always tell folks that the best combination for a performance stage guitar is a solid spruce top with rosewood back and sides, a nice cutaway, and a good pick-up system.

This Washburn guitar delivers all that plus the beveled edge so you can strum yourself silly and feel great the whole time… the WCG25SCE is a very good value.

Suggested Retail Price is $1069.90. It will street around $699.00 or so. The only thing I wish was included was either a hardshell case or a nice padded gig bag. This guitar is too beautiful not to come with something to protect it.

For more information on Washburn, visit www.washburn.com

8

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©2012 SANTA CRUZ GUITAR COMPANY

Pastor Frank Montgomery and his 2006 Vintage Southerner Model frankmontgomerymusic.com

Handmade, Handed Down. santacruzguitar.com - 831.425.0999

Developing Your Inner Clock (Part 4) Welcome back to the woodshed!

We’ve been putting in focused time on calibrating our internal clocks, with the added benefit of working on sight-reading rhythms at the same time! I hope this finds you well on your way and getting comfortable with the click. It really is the “eating your veggies” part of music…but SO worth the investment of time and effort!

One of the common traits of really grooveoriented players is that they internalize the subdivision of the groove, whether they’re actually playing those subdivisions or not. They can play a really syncopated and busy line, or a relatively simple and legato part, yet any embellishments or variations they play are completely lined up with the underlying subdivision or grid.

We’ll be exploring that idea in this installment.

If you look at Exercise 1 you’ll see a fairly straightforward rhythmic motif. If you compare the first and second measures of the phrase, it’s

quickly apparent that they’re identical except for the added 8th note on the “and” of beat 1.

Exercises 2 and 3 are the same rhythmic motif, but with some of the notes tied together. For those of you who are new to reading, simply let the first note sustain through the tied note as well (don’t pluck it on the tied note).

Exercise 4 is almost identical, except for the added 16th-note right before beat 1 of the 2nd measure.

These exercises imply an underlying 16th-note subdivision, although neither the click nor the majority of the line do. If you can internalize that subdivision as you’re playing these, you’ll be well on your way!

Here’s our list from before on things to keep in mind: • Feel free to spend a moment getting the exercise in your head and under your fingers without the click. Once you’ve assimilated it, play it with the

Bassic Communication Developing Your Inner Clock (Part 4) Metronome Clicks on quarter notes (Tap foot on each quarter note)

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Norm Stockton

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• Don’t take the repeats literally (i.e., playing each figure only twice) – play each figure as many times as it takes to really internalize it…then play it some more!

• Listen intently for flams (two distinct, nearlysimultaneous hits) resulting from your note not occurring precisely with the click. Keep repeating the exercise and see if you can execute it “flamfree”.

• Make sure to tap your foot on the quarter notes and assimilate both the tempo, and how the various subdivisions feel over those quarter notes. Ensure your foot doesn’t depart from those downbeats, regardless of the rhythmic figure being played or metronome figure used.

• We’re still working with ghost notes, so just mute the strings with your fretting hand and pluck as normal. Ghost notes are perfect here, as the click should disappear when you’re locking with it.

• Once these exercises are coming together, practice them at a variety of tempos – the slower tempos can be surprising challenging to play accurately.

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Exercise 3

• Once again, we have our two rhythms for the metronome or click in the top 2 staves. The first one is really straightforward, clicking on each quarter note (“1, 2, 3, 4” – try setting the click to 90 bpm), while the 2nd staff reflects the click hitting just the backbeats – it should feel like playing to a drummer’s snare drum.

• Record yourself repetitively playing these exercises and listen back critically for flams.

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Exercise 2

metronome.

• Play them while dynamically alternating between loud and quiet (gradually getting louder or quieter over the course of several repeats), striving to keep the rhythmic accuracy regardless of dynamic level.

Have a blast and see you next time!

(Adapted from curriculum in the Grooving for Heaven instructional DVDs and ArtOfGroove coursework) Norm Stockton is a bassist/clinician/solo artist based in Orange County, CA. Recently departing from his long tenure as bassist with Lincoln Brewster, Norm is focusing on equipping bassists around the world through his new instructional site (www.ArtOfGroove.com), as well as freelancing (including tour dates with Bobby Kimball, original lead singer of TOTO). Also visit Norm at www.normstockton.com, Facebook & Twitter.

“...Gallien-Krueger continues to astound.”

Norm Stockton

Norm’s Clinic and Appearence Schedule 2012

Unite Conference at WFX, Atlanta, GA Sept. 19-20 Unite Conference, St. Louis, MO Sept. 24-25 Virginia Bass Forum, Fredericksburg, VA Sept. 29 Unite Conference, Pittsburgh, PA Oct. 1-2 Bass Specialties, Philadelphia, PA Oct. 3 Conference, Boston, MA Oct. 8-9 Unite Conference National Worship Leader Conference, N. San Diego, CA Oct. 11 Concerts with Bobby Kimball (TOTO), Pleasanton, CA Oct. 18-19 Bass Player Live, Hollywood, CA Oct. 20 Instrumental Music, Ventura, CA Nov. 7 Christian Musician Summit, Redmond, WA Nov. 9-10 The Outtengrand Orchestra, Yorba Linda, CA - Dec. 1-2

Photo by Glen La Ferman ©2012 Gallien Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved

Gallien-Krueger 2234 Industrial Drive Stockton, CA 95206 (209) 234-7300 www.gallien.com

MB212 II 212MBP

Smoothing Out The Rough Spots

Have you ever noticed that the best guitar players seem to make their performances look nearly effortless? You can also hear it in the sound, which is often as smooth as glass.

This is an effect that I’ve strived for all my life. When I was a kid, I learned to play many arrangements of my guitar hero’s note for note; but still my performance didn’t sound like theirs because of that ‘smoothness factor’.

Over the years, however, I began to unlock the secret to smoothing things out. There are actually two key factors at play that are working in harmony with each other. One is ‘minimum movement’: the art of economy in motion. The other is ‘overlapping notes’: allowing notes to sustain as long as possible past the moment in time when they are played. Here is an exercise for you to work on.

chord arpeggios that use the T,1,2,3 pattern on the right hand while holding common chords with the left hand. But... now try this.

Go slowly at first and make a hard and fast rule of not picking up any left hand fingers until they absolutely have to move. And don’t mute any open notes that are ringing either.

You’ll find that you still have fingers holding down notes from previous chords as new ones arrive - and the overlapping of these notes from the previous chord sound like a piano player pushing down the sustain pedal.

It takes some concentration and coordination to do this well, but keep practicing until you get it.

In line 2 of the exercise, syncopation enters the picture where the last note of each phrase is an anticipation of the chord in the upcoming First of all, play the top line a few times to measure. You actually begin to change chord familiarize yourself with it. You can see that positions a half beat earlier than in line 1. This the exercise is just a series of fingerpicked adds a bit more difficulty but produces a cool

groove to the rhythmic feel.

Now try playing an accompaniment arrangement of a tune where the chord progression and style is similar to these exercises (‘My All In All’ is a good place to start). The more you incorporate these ideas into your playing, the smoother you’ll sound!

- JS

Check out John’s 5-DVD set ‘Praise Guitar Lessons’ at the ‘store’ page at www. johnstandefer.com. You get 52 video lessons similar to these CM articles, but you can see and hear the lessons! Includes charts.

Also consider private lessons with John via Skype!

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Grooves from Africa

For the last several years I have had the pleasure of drumming for The Tommy Coomes Praise Band. One of the things we do is play for all the Franklin Graham events worldwide.

Last April we went to Accra, Ghana in West Africa to play for a Jesus Festival. These grooves are from a local group from Accra I met called Joyful Way Incorporated. The CD is called Higher Praise. Excerpts of these songs can be heard on iTunes for free.

The first time I saw Joyful Way play I was knocked out by the music. It was impossible to stand still. The drummer was fantastic and I was very moved by his worshipful and joyous attitude when he played. Paa Kojo Amos is his name, and after meeting him it was apparent he was on fire for Christ. We have stayed in touch via e-mail ever since. He is trying to start the first drumming school in West Africa so I am trying to help him learn to transcribe drum parts.

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Learning rhythms like these can open us up to finding creative and different grooves of our own. I’m not an expert in African rhythms, but I love to let them influence my playing. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to experience foreign cultures and make new friends. All the drummers and percussionists I saw play in Africa were amazing and I can’t

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I have always enjoyed different kinds of wait until my next visit. I hope to spend more world music, and West African rhythms in time transcribing many of their grooves and particular have intrigued me for years. One sharing them with you all. of the traditional rhythms of West Africa is Blessings, David called high-life. The first song, “Higher Praise”, is a derivative of the high-life groove, but at a faster than usual tempo. Some may call it Jama, or traditional church high-life. “Ose” (Praise) is more of a traditional high-life groove. “Di De” (Rejoice) is what they call hip-life, which David currently tours with Fernando is a hybrid of high life and hip-hop/funk. “Wo Ortega and has worked with Sara Din” (Your Name) is a six over four groove Groves, Bebo Norman, Crystal called “Adowa” from the Ashanti region of Lewis, Cheri Keaggy, Tommy Walker, Ghana.

Paul Baloche among others. He has

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played for Billy and Franklin Graham Crusades, Harvest Crusades, Maranatha Worship Leader Workshops and for over 2 years he was the house drummer for the Los Angeles production of The Lion King. His home church is Plymouth Church in Whittier, California.

www. DaveOwensDrums.com

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Basics (In)Sight Recently I was asked to do a vocal praise team rehearsal. I agreed to show up at the proper time and began to prepare. I was sent the set list, recordings, worship flow chart, and list of personnel. All this was done by using the Internet tool, Planning Center.

I then ordered the vocal chart through the Internet site, Praise Charts. I had all of the music organized, collated, and placed on each singer’s chair. I was ready to teach them their vocal parts in three-part mirror harmony and two-part rock harmony. I also planned to add a touch of ‘blues’ vocal style on one song and discuss changing from head to belt voice on two of the other songs. I was ready!

At the appropriate hour the singers arrived, greetings were exchanged, and prayers were prayed. We were about to start the rehearsal when one of the singers held up his collated music ordered from Praise Charts and said, “What’s this?” I responded by telling him that it was the vocal charts for Sunday’s service music. He replied, “Oh, I don’t read music.

I just need the words.” He then held up his own stack of papers with just the words of the songs downloaded from a different source.

Yes, you guessed it. The words were different from everybody else’s and we spent much of our limited rehearsal time trying to correct the “word sheet” because the pre-chorus and the bridge were in the wrong place. All of my organizing, planning, teaching methodologies, and use of super-duper Internet products couldn’t help me here. My rehearsal was doomed! Not only this gentleman, but three out of the four other worship team members couldn’t read music or find their way around a vocal chart. Yikes! Have we gone backwards with music education?

I then decided to do an informal survey with some music ministers I was acquainted with.

I questioned them in regards to their vocal team members. The questions dealt with five areas: 1) Sight-reading. 2) Rhythm reading and subdivision of beats. 3) The ability to recognize and correct musical problems. 4) The ability to read a voice part in three-part 16

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mirror harmony, and 5) The ability to retain singing skills. a voice part in a three-part mirror harmony In your rehearsals, may I suggest several ways setting. to emphasize basic musicianship? 1) Have the In the opinion of those who completed singers prepare the rhythm and pitches of the survey, the majority of their vocal praise one song per rehearsal. 2) Require the singers team members were at the most, minimally to break down and fix any musical and rhythm skilled in the first three areas of musicianship mistakes that occur. 3) At the rehearsal, listed above. While not highly skilled, their constantly question the singers about the vocal team members could somewhat retain time signature, the beats per measure, and a voice part in a three-part mirror harmony the basic subdivision of the song (2 or 3). 4) setting. Those surveyed did not seem overly Ask the singers to demonstrate the tempo, concerned about this skill as long as at least and 5) Have the singers speak the words while a two-part harmony was in existence. One maintaining the beat with their hands. Good fellow said that “three-part harmony was just musicians realize that pop/rock music really too hard for his singers to learn, so we just do comes alive when the rhythm is precise and two-parts, if we’re lucky.” Yikes, again!! No drives the song. You are then “in the pocket.” wonder the band won’t hang out with the Once this process of musical learning is singers. started, your singers will get used to it and Wouldn’t having basic skills in musicianship work to the advantage of vocal praise team members? Indeed! I would hope so. Vocal praise team rehearsals usually have time constraints that impact the rehearsal process.

Limited rehearsal times do not offer the luxury of numerous repetitions. Few vocal praise team auditions even require sight-reading at the audition. But some singers may not be retained when other singers, who read music, become available. I have seen this happen many times.

This informal survey also indicated that expectations from ministers of music are very low. They tend to teach voice parts by rote with many vocal team members recording their own vocal parts during the rehearsals.

Some even used computer-transposed recordings where the voice parts sound like Alvin the Chipmunk, or Lurch from the Addams Family. This can’t be good! Praise team rehearsals are for vocal ensemble work, and singers who can sight-read definitely have an advantage. While vocal rehearsal cannot be expected to substitute for basic music theory and sight-singing courses, it is worth the investment in time and energy to give just five minutes of the weekly rehearsal to the teaching and reinforcement of sight

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

derive great satisfaction from being able to solve musical problems on their own. A consistent application of a musicianship and sight-reading agenda will lead to a functional understanding of the music. Much will be gained with better musicianship. The Levites did it. Why can’t you? Now go sing well!

Roger Beale is one of the nation’s foremost vocal coaches.

He presently works with professional singers in all areas of musical performance. His teaching and coaching facility, The Voice House, is involved in the management and care of the professional voice.

Many of his students have won prestigious vocal competitions and scholarships. In addition, he has worked with Grammy and Dove award winners and nominees. He also offers vocal clinics and seminars, as well as assistance in recording sessions. Roger is an adjunct professor in the Fine Arts department at Point University (formerly Atlanta Christian College), website: www.point.edu. Roger can be contacted at: The Voice House, 1029 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 276, Peachtree City, GA 30269, (404) 822-5097, e-mail: voicehouse@mindspring.com.

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That’s What Love Does

by Rick Cua Recently, while visiting family in our hometown of Syracuse, NY, I had an interesting encounter with an elderly woman while spending some time with a friend at a rehabilitation center. When I was walking down a hallway on my way out of the building, I saw a woman in a wheelchair barely moving, head down, and looking very sad and distant.

I walked up to her and said, “How are you doing today?” She slowly, and with much effort lifted her head, looked directly at me and said “Not good!” Then almost without pause said, “I’ve been waiting for you…I need to go someplace.” “Where do you want to go?” I asked. “Wherever you want to take me”, she said with a smile.

all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Not just second to it, but like it!

side there’s always someone looking like a fish out of water, or someone standing near but not being included in the conversation. How awkward that must feel for them. I actually remember that feeling well, and many of you The benefit of loving God and loving people may remember it too. That’s when you say to is always the same: possessing the comforting yourself, if just for a moment, “Never again. knowledge that you are living life God’s way, Never will I venture out of my comfort zone.” and also knowing that ALL are being blessed The truth is, we can change everything in in the process. that single moment for someone if we decide We’ve all heard the saying “A smile is to go into situations looking for people who contagious”. How true that is, but I would are disconnected, bringing them in to the also add “Love is contagious”. To see love conversation and engaging them with interest. displayed through kindness not only brings a They will walk away feeling loved and maybe smile and warms you up, but also make you even braver for their next encounter.

want to duplicate it.

After a few more minutes I finished our brief chat and realized that although we can’t always In 1 Peter 2:17 we read, “Honor all people, take people where they physically want to go, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the we can take them places through love with king.” In this verse Peter encourages us to “fear God” and to honor everyone from “all just a few words and a show of kindness. people” and “the brotherhood” to “the king.”

THAT’S WHAT LOVE DOES, Not only a good king or ruler who we respect IT REACHES OUT AND PULLS YOU IN but also the tyrants of that day. What would These lyrics, from a song I co-wrote with Bob love do to THEM? On the surface maybe not Halligan Jr., jumped out at me and made me much, but if we believe in the power of love again realize that love transcends perceived and the importance of love according to God obstacles, penetrates hard places of the heart, and His word, maybe more than we could imagine. and brings life back into the soul.

In my life I have realized over and over again Love covers, love forgives, love protects, that the single most effective weapon I have love encourages, love lifts up, love draws, love available to me for living life in Christ is Love. shares, love believes in, love sacrifices for, love goes above and beyond…LOVE PUTS 1 Corinthians 13:13 says “And now these OTHERS FIRST. three remain: faith, hope and love. But the Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another greatest of these is love”. in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

How many times have we heard this verse?

Over and over I’m sure. My question for us is, THAT’S WHAT LOVE DOES, do we really know what love can do and how IT TAKES YOUR HAND AND CALLS YOU important God’s message of love is to us all? FRIEND

The real question is, are we willing to do the work. It does take effort, and there is a price.

It’s no different at church, work, or school where much of our joy comes from seeing our friends each week and getting to catch up a bit. That’s great and needed, but don’t forget to ask God for a connection to others that need us as well. YOU DON’T HAVE TO ABANDON ONE TO LOOK AFTER ANOTHER. I am fully convinced that in God’s economy we can do it all and not miss a thing.

There will be a difference though: a greater feeling of purpose and completeness at the end of the day.

That’s What Love Does!

Not just a musical artist, Rick knows the business of music as well. Besides being a music publisher, artist manager and booking agent, he founded and ran his own record label, UCA Records, in the 1990s which led to a position for five and 1⁄2 years as Vice In Matthew 22: 37-39 – When asked which We’ve all been there…you’re at a party President, Creative/Copyright is the greatest commandment in the law… or an event and there are groups of people Development at EMI CMG in Nashville. There he Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with talking and having a great time, but off to the managed a large songwriter roster and exponentially grew revenue through film and TV licensing, song promotion and print music development. He is currently on staff as the minister of Pastoral Care and Visitation at Grace Chapel in Franklin, TN.

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DAVE CLEVELAND

Insights from the Nashville Session Ace interview by Bruce Adolph

Dave Cleveland is one of the “most in demand” Nashville session guitarists. He is also one of the nicest guys in all of Nashville. He has played on so many mainstream and Christian artists recordings that you have already heard a lot of his guitar playing and didn’t even know it. Here are a few to help you capture that last statement… Steven Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace, 4 Him, Crystal Lewis, Michael O’Brien, Cindy Morgan, Anointed, Russ Taff, Steve Green, Wes King and Out Of The Grey, Girls Generation (23,000,000 views), Miley Cyrus, Paul Brandt, Martina McBride, Stephen Stills, Judy Collins, Damien Leith (Australian Idol winner) and with the Nashville Symphony: Winona Judd, Phil Stacey, Jordin Sparks, Melissa Doolittle. Not to mention also playing live with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, the Katinas, David Baroni and the aforementioned Steven Curtis Chapman.

way it made me feel. I trusted my instinct and it worked! It was a simple part I hummed to myself and it made the song come alive. So, little by little, I started trusting that first idea that would come into my mind. Sometimes it’s not exactly right, but at least I’m not afraid What are the advantages and disadvantages to go for it. I think we should all learn to trust of being a session guitarist, compared to a that inspiration that God gives. It will allow “stage guitarist”. And if you had a choice, what creativity to start flowing. would you recommend?

So, I love that part of doing sessions. Plus, after a song is done I don’t have to try and Dave Cleveland: The thing I love most figure the part out again. I get to leave that to about doing session work is the creative the guys playing it live! The disadvantage to process. When I first started doing sessions I doing sessions is the lack of interaction with didn’t trust my instinct. I would hear an idea an audience.

I used to so enjoy coming on in my head and immediately think, “That’s the stage after the prelude and kicking into, not a good idea.” I would stop the creativity “Saddle Up Your Horses”! We would work from flowing before it ever got started. I can’t really hard to play parts over and over until remember the project that I finally gave in to the band was super tight. There is a joy and that first inspired idea, but I remember the unity in a well-rehearsed band.

I went on my FaceBook page and asked if there were any questions you would like me to ask Dave. Several of those appear below along with my own questions rounding out the interview. Read on – there are good things here to gain insights from.

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As far as playing in a worship band, that is another part of live playing I love. A few weeks ago we played at a Gospel Music Association event where Michael W. Smith was the worship leader. We all knew the songs, and with very little rehearsal we started flowing in worship together. Everyone was listening intently to Michael and his piano so that there was no room for “me” moments. There was just a conscious effort to honor God with all that we had.

There is so much power in a band that is fixed on Christ, playing reserved, flowing, and listening to everything that is happening so when it is time to play intensely it is in the flow of what God is doing in that moment. Some of my most memorable worship experiences are of me playing no more than a big chord and letting it ring out. You start to understand that the anointing of God on one note is so much more eternally powerful than a multitude of notes played in our own strength.

For me, playing in the studio is where God has me now. But I do love being a part of live events as well.

Apart from God-given talent, what is it that enables a session guitarist to be so versatile, in terms of playing different genres? Is it helpful to listen to other guitarists’ styles of play? And, if so, who do you like to listen to?

DC: As a session player I listen to all styles.

It just gives me more info to draw from. I grew up listening to Django, Roy Buchannon, Larry Carlton, and all the iconic rock players: Clapton, Hendrix, Page. But now I get as much out of listening to a drummer or pianist as I do guitar player.

I work with Steve Brewster, Mark Hill, and Jason Webb a lot. They are always inspiring me by their playing. It’s like, by listening to them in my headphone mix, I am really listening to everyone that influenced them.

So I always have my ears open to all instruments, not just guitar.

Pedal boards… please tell us about some of your favorite pedals and how are you using them?

DC: It seems my pedal board is in a constant state of change. I’m always trying new pedals to find “that” tone!

I will say this. I have recently been turning the output of my pedals down and turning the gains up. I do this so I don’t clip the front of the amp too much. There is a sweet spot 22

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complications led to 5 miscarriages and another tumor. God led us to adopt, and Olivia came into our lives at 1 day old. Hope was there. Then we had 2 kids biologically. Hope! And just a few weeks ago we adopted a 15-year-old boy from the Ukraine. So ultimately, the source is God’s never ending hope, but it has been shown over and over again through my wife and the family He has blessed me with.

I know you have quite a few different guitars at your disposal for your sessions.

Tell us about a few of your mainstays (Acoustic and Electric) and then maybe mention a few of the more unique instruments you utilize?

DC: I’m really going through a phase of using older instruments. I’m not saying they are better than what is being made today, but they do have a certain vibe that I like. Here is a list of guitars I use everyday.

1967 Gibson Es-335 with pedals and amps. Sometimes you need to really drive the front end of the amp. But 1965 Fender Jazzmaster I have found that if you have a great clean 1967 Gretsch Nashville tone you can hear the character of the pedal a lot better. I also like gain stacking the pedals. 1958 Gibson Les Paul (this guitar was meant We could have a whole article just on that to be played, not kept in a vault!) subject!! I use Tyler amps to get that great Chad Walker 51 nocaster tube amp sound. And on the subject of amp Rust Strat (made by 30th street custom in tones...

New York. It’s a great 60’s feeling strat) Things translate differently in the studio with your cabinet far away from you in another As far as Acoustics go I always use a variety of room, rather than sitting right next to you. McPhersons, including an amazing 12 String Sometimes you think you’re getting the best they just built me. tone in the world while the amp is in the room A 1991 Olson Dreadnaught, 1943 Gibson with you, and then you put a mic in front of LG-3, and a mid 80’s Guild JF-30(I use 9-42 your sound and it sounds thin, or buzzy, or electric strings on it and tune it up a minor muddy. Try and mic up your rig sometime and third) Also I like to have a Ganjo, mandolin, be really honest about what you hear. When and a Bouzouki with me. Always a classical everything is right you will feel that electricity guitar too! in your fingers like the notes are jumping off What is your approach to guitar strings? Do the fret board. Yet another subject that could you use one brand for all of your instruments? go on for days!

DC: With strings I let the guitar tell me what I just love to hear folks talk about the depths of it likes. I try different gauges on a guitar until God’s love and how that inspires them in their I feel like the guitar speaks. I know it seems work. What is the source of your “Hope with No like putting big strings on your guitar would End”? produce bigger tone, but I have found that DC: That song was inspired by my some guitars actually resonate better with relationship with my wife. Tammy and I have lighter strings. It’s a low cost way to get better been married 25 years, and she is a constant tone. Once you find the ideal string gauge you reminder to me of God’s hope. can go even further by finding the brand of We have been through so much together. string that speaks the best for that guitar. On She almost died 3 months before we got some acoustics the 80/20 nano web from Elixir married. A tumor had ruptured in her uterus is perfect. And on other guitars it’s D’Addario and they thought they would have to do a phosphor bronze, or Martin marquis. hysterectomy. This didn’t happen, but the

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ball or D’Addario. There is no hard fast rule.

Actually, my old Gibson acoustic has a set of strings that is 3 years old. They have been boiled and coated with a butter-based concoction!

everyone does the right thing. They listen you can add to the list as finances permit. to the producer, they listen to each other, The Line6 HD series is great for direct, and and the goal of doing something special is my favorite now is the Kemper profiling amp. accomplished. The players I get to work with have great musical sensibilities. If one of them Know how to operate the gear you bring to the studio!

I would also experiment with flat wound is passionate about an idea, the other players Learn to play slide. Keep extra strings, picks, strings. They are the winner for my Jazzmaster. usually will defer to that. tubes, cables, and anything else that you And yet another aspect would be where the What advice would you have for guitarists might need if something was to go out. guitar is tuned. Your combination of all the who are pursuing session work? above could be: 12-54 flat wounds tuned DC: For sure I would learn the Nashville Always be early enough to the session that down a half step. Or it could be 9-42 nickel number system. Learn to play well in all keys. you have everything ready to go at the official wounds in standard tuning.

Learn to use a capo. Learn to play in as many start time. (or Down beat) When someone Ok, I’m done with that! There are endless styles as possible for acoustic and electric. says they want to downbeat at 10 am, they possibilities!

Make sure whatever guitars you have are set expect you to be able to start recording the first note of the song at 10 am.

You are teaching the Guitar Bootcamp for the up and properly intonated. Have a great amp and have a great direct rig.

Always leave bad attitudes out in your car!

Christian Musician Summit in Nashville. What are some of the topics you will cover in your Make sure your pedal board has a lot of You will be paid well to do your job. Respect class? tonal options. Here is an example of some the producer and artist by not showing up with a bad attitude. Do everything as unto DC: I’m so excited about the Guitar pedals you should have: Wah, Compressor, the Lord. He is willing and ready to give His Overdrive, Distortion, Tremolo, Modulation, Bootcamp! I’m really going to get everyone inspiration and guidance to every session. involved. We are going to talk about all Pitch Shifting, Delay, and Reverb. It should be wired professionally with no, or very little You help a lot of other people with making aspects of playing in a worship band, like noise. their own music. Tell us about your own music how to create parts, how to navigate through that you make, and is it available? charts, and how to support the worship Here are guitars I would recommend to have leader. I’ll have a bunch of gear there so we as you get started: DC: And I am so thankful that people have can learn about the way different guitars can Strat trusted me to play on their projects. I’m happy affect the way a song sounds. to say I have 4 CDs available. 2 are all-original Tele and have a smooth jazz acoustic sound. They I’m going to help the players put it all Les Paul are: Within Reach and Hope In Motion. Both together by creating groups of guitarists are available on iTunes. where they will have to present a song as Nylon string a worship team. They will have to create The 2 other CDs are all guitar: Guitars Acoustic steel string parts and dynamics as an ensemble utilizing in Worship and Guitars in Prayer. These 2 acoustic and electric textures. Beginners and Variations on the above are fine and then instrumental CDs are played regularly at advanced players will be mixed together to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church for their come together in unity to worship God. I prayer meetings and in between services. can’t wait to see how the groups interact to Guitars in Praise (cd number 5) will be out create an “all guitar” worship experience! later this year.

I know a lot of times you are working with I also have a DVD coming out called creative types, and I’m sure things can get Chord Crunch. It is designed to help singer/ tense. How do you handle the pressure songwriters play in every key with minimal of those times when creative minds are hand movement. It will be available as an clashing? iBook as well.

DC: You are right! Things can get tense.

I hope and pray that God will use something Everyone wants the song to be as fresh and I have said here to inspire someone to know as modern as possible, so you can get a and love God more. At the end of the day lot of opinions and ideas. I always try and all the talent, gear, and knowledge of music listen to the producer and/or the artist is so insignificant compared to knowing first. They should have the first say in the Christ and His love. But while we are here creative process. Usually they will have the let’s use all the resources and talent He has vision for what the song needs to be. This given us to see as many come to Christ as helps focus the players and keeps them we can. Let us really experience loving God on the same page. In situations where the with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. players can’t agree on everything you have And love our neighbors like we love to defer to the producer to make the final ourselves. decision. You might not always like that Thanks for the opportunity to share in your idea got overlooked, but it’s okay. your magazine.

Don’t lose the creative flow over pride.

Most of the time when the pressure is on 24

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Light for the Lost Boy Andrew Peterson Centricity Records.

Lost in Transition Sixpence None the Richer Credential In the landscape of the current Christian music market, Lost In Transition is an unqualified success; full of strong melodies, the supple guitar wizardry of Matt Slocum, and Leigh Nash’s beguiling, clear-eyed vocals - all in support of a rapidly maturing lyrical craft that sees Slocum sharing the load with an increasingly prolific Nash. However, in the scheme of all things Sixpence, the new record is not quite up to par with their past 3 discs, especially in terms of musical continuity.

The album starts very strong with three GREAT tracks; the bright, somewhat fuzzy guitar-pop of “My Dear Machine” replete with blaring horn charts; the fetching “Radio” the sweet melody of which belies the melancholy of the lyric; and the ‘faith in the midst of storms’ anthem, “Give It Back”. Each of these tunes features an appealingly aggressive sound and some of Slocum’s sharpest and most varied guitar work. However, the tempo and pace of the album slows down considerably after this. The next three cuts are still quite strong with the “Fleetwood Mac meets Abba” groove of “Should Not Be This Hard” which, again, provides counterpoint to a paradoxically darker subject matter. “Safety Line” offers a piano based intro that segues into a lilting, beautiful melody with strains of Pedal Steel softly crying in the background. From this point on there are still highlights of the duo’s songwriting prowess (The emotionally charged, “Sooner or Later”, written by Nash and her husband, Stephen Wilson, about her recently deceased father) but they are somewhat undermined by repetition and, perhaps, too much musical simplicity.

Still, after a 10 year layoff, save for a 2008 Christmas offering and an EP, (from which all four songs make an appearance) It is refreshing to have Sixpence back, as even a somewhat uneven album by these masters is better than the majority of market driven music being made today. Like every album since This Beautiful Mess, this one was held up by industry red tape and distribution snafus. It will be interesting to see how a Sixpence project, NOT marred by the sometimes-staggering ups and downs of the music business machine, might turn out!

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First, a huge ‘Bravo’ to Centricity Records for having the temerity to trust Petersons artistic instincts and giving him full reign on Light for the Lost Boy, a song cycle, first intended as a work dedicated to his boys, which quickly revealed itself to be far more universal: A tome for the fallen man, searching for what was lost in Eden.

Opening with the eerie, anticipatory percussion/keyboard/acoustic guitar intro of “Come Back Soon” the theme of life’s duality is clearly intoned in images of Nashville’s Mayday 2010 flood (it actually started the night before) as one is struck by the dichotomy of God’s might and it’s reflections in our world alongside of the simultaneous beauty and bitterness of nature, indeed, daily life. Yet, the song is imbued with the hope of Jesus’ impending return. “The Cornerstone” is a stunningly provocative offering that utilizes particularly cranky guitar sounds and enhanced (in relation to prior releases) production, courtesy of Cason Cooley, to effectively mirror the paradox of God’s mystery and power, subtly weaving biblical references throughout the song’s tapestry; “You’ve been a mystery since the moment that I met You / You never move but I can never seem to catch You.” After “Rest Easy” and “The Voice of Jesus”, two cuts that trade in gentle, lullaby like melodicism and tender lyrical encouragement, Peterson unleashes his considerable literary influences.

“The Ballad of Jody Baxter” name-checks the youngster in the film, “The Yearling” likening the loss of innocence (That scene we all fast forward through in the movie) to humanity’s banishment from Eden – while “Day by Day” owes its genesis to a trip Peterson’s family took to Kensington Gardens, a setting made popular by J.M. Barrie in his “Lost Boy” masterwork, Peter Pan, the influence of which is echoed all throughout Light for the Lost Boy. In it, Peterson masterfully applies a Barrie metaphor to spiritual matters ““We just can’t get used to being here / where the ticking clock is loud and clear / Children of Eternity / On the run from entropy.” Yet soon after, encourages us with the promise of Christ’s regeneration; “Don’t lose heart though your body’s wasting away / Your soul is not--it’s being remade / Day by day.”

the delicate and conversational tone of his vocal delivery. One such adventurous soundscape is “Carry The Fire”, which features ascending rhythmic backing, sparingly used electric guitar, and appropriately atmospheric vocal-backings to convey the assurance and hope we have in Christ. Finally, the closing cut, “Don’t You Want to Thank Someone”, starts innocently enough before slowly building into an epic statement that brings Light For the Lost Boy full circle.

Again using the backdrop of nature, Peterson continues to lament the heartache of the fall, but slowly reconciles being “eaten by this endless ache” with the realization that nature sings of the promised kingdom yet to come before deciding that the ache is worth the promise of redemption by Christ’s love.

Peterson is a singularly remarkable songwriter who is able to satisfy BOTH those who need more lyrical clarity and Christ-consciousness, as well as those who prefer literary allusion and artistically obtuse ideas. Very few writers have done this effectively over the years, especially with any radio or market success ( Probably Rich Mullins and, to a lesser extent, Derek Webb) but Peterson gets closer to that ideal with every project and, mark my words, Light For the Lost Boy is one for the ages!

The Cover of Love Phil Keaggy Strobie Records

Of course, any release from CM’s old buddy, Phil Keaggy, is a cause for celebration and, despite the unusual genesis of the project; The Cover of Love is certainly full of solid musical moments. A vocal album focused, as the title would imply, on songs of love and devotion, the collection is made up of 6 cover tunes (by the likes of Paul McCartney, The Moody Blues, Elvis and former Beatles confidant/author Ken Mansfield) as well as 4 Keaggy co-writes and two he wrote by himself. Several cuts (“Motor of Love”, “Good Vibrations”, “My Auburn Lady”) are lifted from past projects, but the songs selected all fit within the theme of romantic love, even though “Motor” is probably McCartney’s most spiritually aware moment on record. Slower and mid-tempo songs abound, a highlight being the duet between Phil and daughter, Olivia, “Where Are You Love”, which is a spare, haunting song of love, lost. Mansfield’s “Between Wyomings” is a nice, jaunty pop number, belying the influence While Peterson hasn’t changed his presentation of his former employers, while “I Want You, much, he does benefit from the fuller I Need You, I Love You” is a particularly ‘Fab’ production on several cuts, often propelling the take on the old Elvis chestnut. Making the songs to stirring heights, yet never obscuring

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

Beatles thread even more explicit is “Where the Morning Dawns” a Phil original that starts as a lovely, McCartney-esque folk song before making a left turn into “Magical Mystery Tour” style psychedelia, replete with trumpets and a descending melody line eerily reminiscent of “I Am the Walrus”. Which is to say that The Cover of Love is typical Keaggy: Warm spirited, melodic as all get out, and of interest to any aficionados of terrific guitar work, though the master’s axe takes a back seat to his voice on this one.

Live at the Ramp Blues Counsel w/ Phil Keaggy Independent. www.bluescounsel.com www.eightydaysofhope.com This labor of love was created to address the needs of the many people devastated by the tragic tornado outbreak that resulted in the destruction of property and loss of lives in Alabama on April 27th 2011, allowing the band to live up to the “counsel” portion of their name by encouraging people that healing from this devastation can be found in the person of Jesus Christ. Of course, the Blues component is also quite apparent as this crack band of Nashville area musicians proves that they are, at least equally, if not more dynamic and tight live than they are in the studio. This record just oozes the sound of people who love playing together and, as befits the name, trades in the ‘form’ more than the subject matter of the blues, providing an antidote for the daily vagaries of life that tend to plague humankind. The group members take turn on vocals, with Tony Hooper and Will MacFarlane taking the lion’s share.

Hooper, in particular - perhaps because he is the least nationally known member - really impresses on this release with powerful blues wailing and fiery guitar work, while MacFarlane, as per a guy with his insane talent, is especially great on more traditional fare like “Worthy, So Worthy” and “Lay My Burden Down”. Hooper’s specialty is in line with that of wondrously talented percussionist, Emedin Rivera, as both shine while essaying blues-rock with a Latin kick.

Of course, CMS pal, Rick Cua, regales with his inimitable ‘rocker’ vocals on the stadium ready, “Way Down Low”. Guitarist/vocalist, Tom Lane gets the ‘tearjearker’ moment of the evening with the sweetly melancholic rocker, “Brother Roby”, a tribute to fallen comrade in arms, Roby Duke.

All members of this band are ferocious players, and that is even more evident when they back special guest “the delightful Phil Keaggy” on his classic rocker “Time.” Keaggy also does a solo set that is, typically, outrageous, but it takes nothing away from the blazing musicality and generous spirits of the ‘Brothers in arms’ that make up the wonderful Blues Counsel.

The Storyteller Jon Gibson Soul Scan Records www.jongibson.com Sometimes, when creating music, simplicity is best and, in a musical climate where soul, funk and R&B have been practically emasculated with samples, programming and automated percussion, Jon Gibson reminds us of the joy that a song, organically conceived and produced, can bring to a listener. Not to mention.....the dude sings the CRUD out of the material on this record.

After an almost 10 year absence from the record shelves – In the interim, Gibson has focused on being a husband to wife, Lisa, a dad to his three boys, Jonathon, James and Jesse Earl, a worship leader in Irvine CA for the past 3 years as well as working on his current projest for the last 7 years

– he returns with a supremely confident, assured work.. Limited, early in his career, by what was perceived as too large an indebtedness to the voice of Stevie Wonder, Gibson has since developed his own, unique vocal style, still reminiscent of the Motown “Wunderkind”, but with a relaxed phrasing that gives his songs a distinct color all their own. The Storyteller is definitely of a piece with Gibson’s mid 90’s masterwork, Body and Soul and shares in that work’s lyrical “matter of fact-ness.”, which, while not artistically ambitious, definitely has its charms and is wholly appropriate in the personal narrative Gibson essays here. Along with terrific vocals, Gibson also plays a large amount of the instrumental tracks on the album (another subtle nod to Wonder) including some sweet guitar work, yet still retains a refreshingly ‘live’ feel. While songs alternate between confessional story songs

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(title track, “Ghetto Hippie”, “So Let it Rain”) and more worship oriented material (“Sanctify Me”, “We Serve a Mighty God”) they retain a strong sense of continuity, all helping propel Gibson’s message forward, as he tends to champion the ragged and dispossessed while singing to them of the ONE who has set him free from his own shackles of sin and tyranny. The entire project is a delight.....there really is not a misplaced idea or out of place note....but make sure you hear the uplifting funk-rocker, “Ready, Gone” with its horn-laden arrangement and Gibson’s opening shout to “Hit me!” for an example of the joy that this artist creates and performs with. Gibson has ZERO problem communicating where that joy comes from on The Storyteller.

Cold Hard Want House of Heroes Gotee Records

the lightness of the latter is supplanted by a desperation and an urgency emblematic of the former that seems to imply that the band thinks their careers ride with this record. The disc certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of tunefulness, but despite the presence of top-notch songcraft (“Dance (Blow it All Away)”, “Angels of the Night”, ”Comfort Trap” and the tear-inducing ballad, “The Cop”), the almost humorless tenor of the material virtually takes away one of the bands greatest gifts: The ability to induce a goofy grin. Cold Hard Want is, CERTAINLY, miles ahead of the competition when it comes to faith based modern rock...really, only Reliant K even comes close to these guys...but I just miss the fun of their past work.

Come To the River Rhett Walker Band Essential

After the awesomeness of The End is Not the End and the stunning Suburba, a new House of Heroes disc almost seems anticlimactic...a sense that the band addresses directly with Cold Hard Want, an album that seems almost surly in comparison with its predecessors. The band has always been informed as much by classic rock as they have been by the modern pop-punk movement they are most often identified with. However,

A band basing its ministry approach on the tried but true “Prodigal Son” back-story – Walker wandered quite a bit in his teen years only to return to the faith of his childhood in his early 20’s. The Rhett Walker Band fly their confederate musical flag high on Come to the River, their Essential records debut. With material ranging from Southern rock anthems to Dixie fried folk ballads, it is RWB’s adeptness at the latter that marks them as a band to watch. The majority of Come to the River

The New Deering Phoenix The Phoenix 6 String banjo has a beautiful organic tone that results in warm and well-rounded full notes. When ampliied, these characteristics are enhanced by a combination of brilliant highs via the piezo pickup and warm mid range from the Kavanjo®.

As well as a master volume control, players can dial in the tone even more with the addition of a blend control, the centre position of which is marked with a centre notch. This allows for a seemingly endless combination of Kavanjo® and piezo mix, bringing out the best from both pick ups and truly enhancing the natural sound of the banjo itself.

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is, largely, ‘been there, heard that’ with almost 3/4ths of the material the type of blazing guitar/ mid tempo/southern pop anthem that are Third Day’s stock in trade. Yet, when the band strips it down some – like the more recent offerings of Needtobreathe - and fully commits to the folk ethos of the southern musical experience (The lovely title cut, the country inflected “Brother” and the intimately sung, “Singing Stone”) they unleash a sonic direction they would be very wise to base their future projects on. That said, the band more than adequately plays a variety of rural genres with equal aplomb, and Walker has a voice for the ages . . .a strong, clear, but extremely emotional instrument that, alone, is worth the price of the album. Come to the River is definitely not a bad first attempt, yet leaves the Rhett Walker Band plenty of room for further growth.

NOVEMBER 9-10, 2012 : Overlake Christian Church, Redmond, WA PAUL BALOCHE

PHIL KEAGGY

BRENTON BROWN & THE WORSHIP REPUBLIC

BENJI GREGG NORM BISSONETTE STOCKTON COWART

MICHAEL FARREN

ONE SONIC SOCIETY Jason Ingram Stu G Paul Mabury

LINCOLN BREWSTER

JENNIE LEE RIDDLE ELEVATION WORSHIP

JESUS MUSIC AGAIN Bob Bennett Bill Batstone Alex MacDougall

THE HYMNALS Dwayne Larring Jonathan Thatcher Stephen Petree Arie Tidwell

AMANDA NOELLE

BOB KAUFLIN

CROWDER

ONE-DAY INTENSIVES on NOV. 8, 2012

for songwriters, singers, guitarists & audio techs 2012 will feature our 9th

CMS NORTHWEST 2012 10th ANNIVERSARY WILL FEATURE...

• Worship led by Paul Baloche and Brenton Brown • Keynote messages by Bob Kauflin & Pastor Mike Howerton • Performances by David Crowder, One Sonic Society, Phil Keaggy, Jesus Music Again, Lincoln Brewster, Gregg Bissonette, Norm Stockton, The Hymnals, Elevation Worship, Jennie Lee Riddle, Michael Farren, Benji Cowart and more!

• The Presentation of the 5th Annual “Roby Duke Creative Life Award” • Lots of new workshops and clinicians

with

Jason Ingram Brenton Brown Jennie Lee Riddle Michael Farren Benji Cowart Dwayne Larring and more...

www.ChristianMusicianSummit.com

PRODUCT REVIEW

Line 6 StageScape M20d

by Doug Doppler

The Line 6 StageScape M20d does a fantastic job of addressing the challenges we face each week, and it does it all via a touchsensitive user interface that can be mirrored on one or more iPads.

WORKFLOW One of the biggest challenges we face on Sunday mornings is developing a streamlined workflow for sound check, monitor levels, and front of house mix. Workflow is an integral part of how this unit was designed, and is key to its effectiveness in a worship environment.

MODES The five Mode Buttons allow you to toggle between the Setup, Tweak, Record, Monitor, and Perform views in the UI. With the exception of Record Mode, these buttons trace the exact production path you’d follow on a Sunday, making for a streamlined approach on an architectural level.

SETUP MODE While the M20d helps configure smart workflow, it also offers an extreme amount of flexibility in approach. From within the Setup View you can use one of three approaches to configure a channel. While these channels have the traditional functionality associated

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with channel strips, the M20d makes a paradigm shift away from this workflow via contextual menus, which are more effective in a touch screen environment.

TWEAK MODE

Once you’ve selected an icon on the stage in Setup Mode, hitting the Tweak Mode button allows you to edit that channel. Selecting the Quick Tweak Tab from the Toolbar calls up a sleek touch and drag UI for a visually-driven approach to tweaking effects. The Deep Tweak Tab loads a traditional UI. What is wonderfully unique about the Deep Tweak Setup from Input Jacks The UI is how it color maps functionality to the 12 combi-jacks, 4 balanced TRS twelve Rotary Encoders, taking the guess jacks, and Aux In audio sources are all work out of adjusting parameters. auto-sensing and their status appears in MONITOR MODE the Main Toolbar at the top of the Setup View.

Once an input source is active it shows up as If you move directly from Tweak to Monitor a basic icon on the seven-inch touchscreen, then the same channel will be active, including input number. Selecting a basic icon supporting a seamless workflow. Selecting the triggers a contextual menu enabling you to Mon (monitor) Tab in the Toolbar allows you name the input source and associate an input- to select which of the four monitor mixes you specific icon. While there are icons for nearly want to edit. Once you’re done you can select every type of input source, in the background and edit the other Icons on the stage. they load editable source-appropriate signal Effects You can assign any of the four global processing presets. effects to each of the monitor sends. Adding Setup from Icon Strip You can also create a some reverb to the BVs or choir can be a big setup by selecting any of the icons in the Icon help in establishing a better blend in the lead Strip and dragging it to the desired location vocalist’s monitor. on the stage for a visual representation of Channel Link Defeat-able Link functionality the actual layout of the instruments on the enables both the FOH and monitor levels to platform. Once again, this automatically loads be tethered together, making for faster, more the appropriate channel type for the input intuitive monitor setups. Icon-driven sources source. It also associates an input source that is like vocals are automatically Link-enabled, editable on the fly in case of a patching error. while electric guitars are not, noting that While you can easily do a physical re-patch guitar players are most likely getting stage via the top mounted input jacks, being able to volume from their amps. reroute input sources internally is particularly PERFORM MODE valuable when leveraging the remote iPad functionality. While the free iPad app (you’ll Once again, the last Stage Icon you selected need to purchase a Line 6-authorized WiFi will be active when you enter Performance USB stick) mirrors all functionality, it is also Mode. screen independent, which means Scenes Selecting the Scenes tab from the that two people can be working on Toolbar enables you to save, recall, end edit setups simultaneously. Being able scenes. In combination with Setups you can to re-route inputs from the platform dramatically reduce setup time, reducing user will be a huge time saver on Sunday error in the process. mornings.

Level Selecting the Level Tab pulls up a Setup from Memory Selecting contextual menu from which you can adjust the Setups tab allows you to save, Level, Pan, Trim, and the four Global Effects. load, and edit Setups, ideal for teams with instrumentation that varies from RECORD MODE week to week. Production-wise, this Whether for rehearsal, service, or allows you to map and save individual songwriting, the M20d also offers smart, easy “stations” into a Setup and recall them to use recording integration, the most basic of when that team is scheduled.

Continued on page 42.

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Chris Tomlin and Collings Guitars

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KEYBOARDS

by Erick Hailstone

My name is Erick Hailstone and then this is the first of, hopefully, a regular column dedicated to keyboards, software, controllers, and helpful information on how to use them in the Church. I am a guitarist, keyboardist, and composer. I tour with “The Mike Phillips Band” playing guitar, and am also a clinician with Yamaha for Christian events. For years I made my living writing music for TV and film. For a number of years I programmed synths for a living. I have worked on synths by Yamaha, Akai, Peavey, Korg, EMU, Oberheim, Kawai Alesis, McDSP, and Kurtzweil; as well as numerous General MIDI sound sets in racks, boxes, software, and phones, and tons of sampling sessions.

My first synth was a Moog Micro Moog, a single oscillator synth with no memory. If you wanted to save a sound, you wrote all of the parameters down on paper so you could recreate it. I remember making blank paper replicas of the face of the synth so you could write all this info down. It was great way to learn about signal flow and how things work. My playing rig was a Hammond M3, a Wurlitzer A-200, or Fender Rhodes and the Micro Moog. I feel like I have lived through the history of modern synthesizers. My first polyphonic synth was a Sequential Circuits Profit 5. Just amazing! You could play chords (up to five notes) and change patches at the touch of a button (no more data sheets).

What I want to do with future articles is explore the different categories of instruments that we use and look at specific instruments from each of these categories. I will try to put out helpful, hands-on information for you to use. We might also look back at some of the classic synths that laid the foundation for what we have today. I will introduce you some of the top sound designers of modern keyboards, and we will learn from them. I hope to get feedback and ideas from you, the reader, to shape this column. Think of it as interactive. Think of it as your column.

Let’s start with an overview of the various products that are out there. I’ve put this together by looking at marketing materials 32

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from Roland, Yamaha, & Korg.

Synthesizers/Workstation: Analog, Digital: Subtractive, Additive, Granular, FM Frequency Modulation, PD Phase Distortion Stage Pianos: Wurlitzer A-200, Fender Rhodes Organs: Hammond B3, Vox Continental Combo Organ, Reed based: accordion, melodica Electro/Mechanical: Mellotron, Hohner Clavinet & Pianet, Wurlitzer A-200, Fender Rhodes Samplers: Ensoniq Mirage, EMU Emulator, Native Instruments Kontakt 5, Motu Mach 5, Steinberg Halion Arranger Keyboards: The Yamaha Tyros4, PSR 910; The Korg PA2XPRO, PA 800; Roland GQ-8, BK-5 Controllers: Typically the white and black keys of a piano used to play notes. Alternate controllers can be Pad based, Buttoned based.

Modules: any of the above minus the keys.

Now that we have our list, lets look back in time.

shaped by subtracting qualities using filters and ADSR envelopes. Although some artists performed with these, it was a small group, due to the expense and the complexity. It’s not until 1970 that the MiniMoog shows up.

Now we have an instrument that is affordable and controllable. Synthesizers by MOOG and ARP are the standards. In the 70’s & 80’s we see bands with stacks of keyboards consisting of organs, electric pianos, synthesizers, and clavinets. Although they were inspired by acoustic instruments, these are all original voices. Again, in the 60’s an instrument shows up called the “Mellotron” which emulates REAL acoustic instruments. This is an electro/ mechanical device using recordings of instruments (Strings, Flutes, & choir voices).

They are recorded on analog audiotape that is played back from a tape head when you press the keys. The Mellotron is historically the beginning of the sampling revolution.

As samplers and polyphonic synthesizers evolved, they started to merge with instruments like the “PPG” & “The Fairlight CMI”. Affordable Wavetable synths started to appear in the mid 80’s. These set the stage for almost all of the instruments we use today.

Please write in with your thoughts and In the beginning there was the PIANO requests. I will attempt to put up some tips and it was good. It was also big and hard to and interviews up on YouTube and other move. The only thing that could be moved video sources. (portable) was an accordion. As we enter the 20th century we have electricity, which leads Contact me at erickhailstone@hotmail.com to electronic organs. The Hammond B3/C3 became the de facto standard. Although fairly heavy, compared to the piano it was portable. Erick Hailstone attended the Berklee In the 1950’s two Electric Pianos, the College of Music (Boston, MA), where Fender Rhodes and the Wurlitzer A-200 he studied arranging, composition, guitar. He has served as a Clinician appeared. These instruments were primarily and for the Yamaha Corporation for guitars, thought of as teaching tools and were not synthesizers, and recording equipment. taken seriously by pianists until the late 1960’s He has played professionally and and early 70’s. The Synthesizer shows up taught for 20 years. Erick has done around this time as well, although at this point music composition, recording, and production for several major networks, it was Modular, meaning: to create a sound including ABC, NBC, ESPN and CNN. you have to patch a bunch of components Erick has written several books and articles on synthesizer (Modules) together with patch cables. These programming and production. He has worked in music synths are Analog. The type of synthesis is production at Crossroads Community Church, and has been Music Director at Rolling Hills Community Church. He teaches called “Subtractive”. The sound starts with students of all levels on both acoustic and electric guitar. a source; an analog Oscillater and is then

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Instruments | Sound Systems | Audio Equipment | LED Walls | LED Fixtures | Projectors Video Equipment | Truss | Rigging | Conventional & Moving Lights | Lighting Equipment

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-Keith Moorman | Worship Pastor @ Neighborhood Chapel

Call Us Today | (425) 422-5904 | www.focus-worship.com

Who is Your Audience?

No Really???!?

Who are They?

by Keith Mohr & Sue Ross-Mohr

As a singer/songwriter, one of the questions that you are always asked, right next to “What is your genre?” is “Who is your audience?” We can do some of our own ‘on the surface’ research and find the answers to the questions regarding their age, where they live, what they do for a living, where they went to school, and even their political stance. But I believe to truly know your audience; you need to find out what is in their pockets.

As a drama teacher, the first thing I would have an individual do after receiving the part of a character, was ask them to tell me what was in the pockets of their character.

If they were playing a construction worker the answer would be: nails, a screwdriver, a pocketknife, some keys, a stick of gum, and possibly a receipt or two from Home Depot. Another actor who took on the role of a young mother states there is a rattle, a doctor’s appointment card, some Kleenex, a pacifier, and a half-eaten food bar in her pockets. This role-playing of finding what the character kept in their pockets helped to identify the essence of the character and to develop the story from the inside out. It truly allowed the individuals to step into the role with a foundation of knowledge by imagining how the character spent their day.

Here are 6 points on how to start knowing who your audience truly is.

1. Start a FOCUS group.

2. Ask questions. Utilize a service such as http://qualaroo.com/

really makes a difference, not just at the moment but along the journey. A connection with them and knowing the ‘more’ of them has been indispensable to me and my sisters.,” exclaims Julia Ross, Singer/Songwriter, Everlife.

3. Prepare a Prayer Grid and fill it up with 365 days of Prayer Warriors. Let them know what your needs are, and in exchange, pray for them. Ask them what they need prayer for.

4. Develop interactive capabilities into your website.

5. Support them! Follow them on Twitter; comment on their Facebook pages, etc.

Have a ‘fan of the month’ page.

One step to take in the discovery process would be to put together a questionnaire 6. Blog, and give them credit/mention their that your friends, fans, followers, and funders names, their websites. would answer. Begin a research study as a method to obtain this information. Start with Your business/ministry and its growth are a group of 100 people, and then sort and directly related to knowing your audience in a more intimate way. For you as a songwriter, explore their answers. following these steps will enlighten you in With this vital information in hand, the areas that you have never realized before. So strength of your music and songwriting will here’s to connecting well!:) reach new realms. Communication moves mountains. Tailoring your music to the needs of your audience, even though still maintaining Creatively His, the heart of its creation, will allow you to sync Keith Mohr and Susan-Ross Mohr it all together. Instead of the guessing game INDIEMECHANICS of who it will reach, you will have a complete www.indiemechanics.com How does your audience spend their view of who you touch because you took the day? What are their needs? What are their time to put this all together. dreams, their desires, their hurts, and the Keith Mohr and sacrifices they have made in their lives? What From the music to the stage to the branding Sue Ross-Mohr have to the marketing, now you have a blueprint; do they need to hear? How will your music years of experience affect them? As a singer/songwriter, it is vital one that you need not veer from. When a serving independent artists, that you know these answers. To truly be in foundation is strong, it is easier to build upon Christian and tune with your audience you need to realize it. The outcome and the building will be musicians, songwriters.

Keith stronger, and last longer.

When you crawl up that it is extremely important to silently listen founded www.indieheaven.com in 2002, the leading and pay attention to them. Devise a way a ladder and look around you, it is easier to portal for Christian independent music. Sue Rossto uncover their interests, motivations, and see what the whole picture looks like instead Mohr founded www.theinnervizion.com in 2003, a of just glancing around from your left to your creative promotions /marketing/ consulting service behaviors. to individuals and companies worldwide. right.

“Having a two-way relationship with your fans 34

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Analyzing a Jazz Re-Harmonization Last edition I showed you a guitar fingerstyle jazz re-harmonization of this classic hymn. Written in tab and standard notation, it was my hope for guitar players interested in jazz to get the arrangement “in your hands” and have it memorized before we dive into the reasoning behind the new chords and progressions. All of the ideas in this arrangement have been explained in my previous CM articles.

If you worked on the arrangement in the last issue, I’m sure many of you experienced some new “grips” on the guitar. Again, my hope with this piece is to open your ears to some new sounds in harmony and get you playing some new chords.

Also, playing a melody supported with chords underneath is probably a new experience, and I’m betting once you’ve done it, you’ll want more. I’ve had to eliminate the guitar tab this issue to make room for the analysis, so you might want to get it so you’ll have it on hand if you can’t read the music. If you would like to get an instructional video on playing this arrangement go to 99CentGuitarLessons.com, click on the” Christian” button, then “Fingerstyle Video Lessons” I hope this gives you some new ideas in playing and arranging.

Till next time may God bless your hard work.

Rich Severson, guitarist, clinician, author, band director, former GIT instructor.

To preview Rich’s music and guitar educational products go to www.GuitarCollege.com and www.99CentGuitarLessons.com

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NEW AcCeSsORIEs

By B-Band!

TUN-E Chromatic Headstock Tuner, Retail $24.00 • accurate and fast tuning • back-lit display that changes color when in tune • works for guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, mandolin and more

B-Band, Inc. P.O. Box 342394 Austin, Texas 78734, USA Tel: (512) 266 3820 Fax: (512) 266 7203 sales@b-bandusa.com

B-Band Ltd Konttisentie 8 B, 40800 Vaajakoski, FINLAND Tel: +358 14 332 9050 Fax: +358 14 332 9001 sales@b-band.com

BHS-101 Hygrometer, humidifier and feedback suppressor, Retail $49.99 Avoid drying of your guitar which causes loose braces and cracking • Humidity and temperature read-out inside the guitar • Comes with a sponge that humidifies the guitar and insert that can be used to cut out feedback on high stage volumes

B-Band GmbH 81377 München Germany Tel: 089-990 176 41 Fax: 089-990 176 42 germany@b-band.com

B-Band & B-Band logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of B-Band Ltd in the United States and / or other countries. Patented, patents pending. List of patents are available from B-Band Ltd upon request. All specifications are subject to change without prior notice. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1996-2012 B-Band Ltd.

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Ask Joe

by Joe Riggio

Q A

There are so many acoustic guitars with onboard pickups and electronics. What should I look for in an acoustic/ electric?

It can be very confusing to shop for an acoustic/ electric these days. Onboard preamps are getting pretty fancy with all those bells and whistles: tuners, EQ’s, microphone modeling, etc. The fact is that many of these onboard systems can be a little tricky to dial in and also have a fairly high rate of failure. For the unsure, I recommend purchasing a guitar for it’s acoustic properties first and plug-in-ability second. In other words: shop for the acoustic tone and add a pickup system later. In my opinion the more simple systems, like those from companies like L.R. Baggs and K&K tend to have the most natural sound when plugging in. If you want more tone control, consider adding an outboard preamp. They’re much more reliable and usually give you a built in D.I. as well.

almost impossible to make a well thought out decision. Secondly, you will rarely be able to play a friend’s guitar, or something you might have to borrow or play in a pinch. The outlook for future guitars you might want to purchase becomes even worse. As your tastes become more focused it becomes even more difficult to fill the needs with a LH version. Obviously, if there is a physical limitation of some kind that makes it impossible for someone to play a right-handed guitar, by all means go LH, but My son is left-handed. if at all possible stay away. After all: there are Should I purchase him no left-handed pianos or saxophones! a left-handed guitar? I can’t seem to find many to What’s the most effective choose from. modification for new and This is a touchy one. I have reissue tube amps to get met people that, for some that sweet vintage sound? reason, are very sensitive There are many about their left-handedness. components to a vintage However, I will not step tube amp that make them lightly with my opinion on very different than their the subject, as it relates to the guitar. I almost modern counterparts. Many always try to discourage learning on a leftof the parts used on the old handed (LH) instrument, for the following tube amps are simply not available today. reasons: There are only a tiny percentage You can follow an original schematic, but that of LH guitars on the market, as a whole, to doesn’t insure the same outcome that it did 40 choose from. This usually eliminates whole years ago. I find that one of the best sounding price groups from your selection, making it

Q A 38

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Q A

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

mods is also one of the least expensive and easiest to do yourself. Try replacing the first preamp tube in the circuit (called V1) with a genuine vintage long plate version of the same tube model. These can still be easily found in both New Old Stock and used versions. These will usually cost around the same as an hour of a repairman’s shop time and even a used one will generally last many times longer than any that are currently being manufactured.

Joe Riggio is a professional guitar repairman/technician and recording engineer, based in Tacoma, WA. He owns and operates “Service Guitar Repair” and “House Of Sound Recording Studio” He has a deep love and knowledge of vintage guitars, as well as modern and loves to share his passion with others. He can be contacted at ServiceGuitarRepair@ gmail.com, website: www.ServiceGuitarRepair.com

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20-Input Smart Mixing System for Live Sound StageScape™ M20d is the world’s first smart mixing system for live sound. Utilizing a groundbreaking touchscreen visual mixing environment, StageScape M20d streamlines the way you mix to get your sound dialed in quickly and keep you in the creative zone. The M20d features 20 inputs, massive DSP power on every channel, multi-channel recording with or without a computer, and remote control of the system via one or more iPad® devices. StageScape M20d is the integrated professional mixing system that lets you focus on what’s most important: your performance.

Touchscreen Visual Mixing

The groundbreaking 7” color touchscreen mixing environment streamlines the way you use a mixer.

Dial in the mix the way you see it, as musicians on a stage.

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Set individual monitor mixes from the stage, tweak the FOH mix from the audience.

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L6 LINK ™ Digital Networking

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© 2012 Line 6, Inc. Line 6, L6 LINK, StageScape and StageSource are trademarks of Line 6, Inc. All rights reserved. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Re-encounter Your Guitar Have you ever been away from your guitar for several weeks? Work, summer vacations, graduations, family trips, etc. . . and when you get back you realize you have a gig or church service to play the next day. I know I have, and I am sure a lot of you have too. Here are a few steps I take to get back in musical shape fast.

First, listen to music in your car or on your mp3 player. I try to listen to guitar music in the style I will be performing mixed with the material I will have to play for the gig. This helps to get you motivated and your ears back in tune. Second is the physical encounter with my instrument. I have put together a routine to get back some chops or technique that I may be lacking on from my absence away from playing the guitar. This “Re-encounter your guitar” can be done in less than an hour.

There are 6 steps that you can spend 5 to 10 minutes each on that will help you to get

mentally and physical back in the groove.

Step1. Get familiar with your guitar again.

Dust it off and tune it up, check the condition of your strings, and plug it in to check your output jack and move your volume and tone controls, if you have them, to make sure there is no dust in the controls that may produce unwanted noise. Most of the time just rotating the volume and tone knobs a few times will help clean them out. Next it’s time to get your fingers acclimated again to your guitar by running some familiar exercises. Steps 2 through 5 are exercises that will help your motor skills between your hands get back in sync. Step2 is a finger exercise that ascends up the neck and should be played on all strings starting on the low “E” string using all down strokes with your pick, move to the “A” string and continue up the neck but this time use all up strokes with your pick, repeat

this picking pattern on the rest of the strings.

Step3 is a standard finger exercise moving across the neck and back using “down up down up” picking. Step4 Chords- play several open chord shapes that you know with full strumming followed by a “Harmonized Chord Scale” using a variety of finger style patterns.

Step5 is a combination of major bar chords followed by the major scale ascending up the neck. Step6 - rehearse some of the songs and go over parts you may need to get a better grasp on for your upcoming gig or service.

Following these steps in order will help get you back up and playing after a short time off. Several of these exercises will work well as warm ups before you have to play. Try to come up with your own set of steps and exercises. Use minor bar chords and scales, combine finger style picking etc. Remember, don’t neglect the gifts GOD has given you.

Roger is available for private lessons on Skype and at Email: rogerzimish@yahoo.com, www.rogerzimish.com, Endorses Greg Bennett Design Guitars by Samick, G&L Guitars, Visual Sound and PedalTrain Pedal Boards.

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SEP/OCT 2012

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(cont. from page 30) was excellent on my test tracks. This opens up several other noteworthy features. which requires no connection to a computer highly effective workflow for worship leaders Feedback Suppression Each channel or MDs looking for a robust way to document features per-channel multi-band feedback or hard drive. and share arrangements with their teams. suppression.

Quick Capture Once you’ve got the monitor and FOH mixes dialed in, Quick Auto-sensing Mains and Monitors Capture allows you to record twenty One of the key benefits of the UI is the second snapshots of any one or more ability to see which of the auto-sensing instruments. This kind of virtual sound input and outputs are active. A Monitors check is priceless for fine-tuning EQ on Icon automatically appears on the Stage competing instruments like guitar and upon input, and small Speaker Icons fully keys. It’s also great for shaping the how illuminate when mains are connected. far you want the BVs to sit behind the Mute Mics The Mute Mics button is lead vocals. The best part is that all of this highly visible on the interface and is easily can all be controlled from the platform programmed within Perform View to cue via iPad, with no need for an external any combination of mics and instruments. media source.

Mute All There may be time you want Recording What virtual sound check L6 LINK total P.A. silence and this button will get you does for a mix, Recording will do for your there fast.

Line 6 first introduced this proprietary datarehearsal. You can record up to 18 channels of 24-bit uncompressed audio at 48k including networking format with the POD HD series. Master Level Encoder If every device we aux inputs and main mix to an SD Card or USB This allows you to digitally connect, configure, used had a big giant volume knob, the world drive. If you’re using Planning Center, you can and feed audio and data to multiple would be a better place. This is a great example post the mix file online and add performance StageSource speakers via a single daisy chain of how the shift away from the channel strip of AES/EBU XLR terminated cables. and production comments. paradigm is particularly effective.

As an end result these systems are easy to Recording to Computer After installing While the M20d is the first StageScape mixer the Line 6 M20d driver Pro Tools was setup and configure. to hit the market, it is one of the best realized immediately able to recognize the M20d as KEY FEATURES products I’ve come across. Everything about an audio interface. You can record up to 18 the M20d was brilliantly designed and channels of 24-bit uncompressed audio at In addition to the Mode Buttons, twelve executed—especially for a House of Worship.

48k as well as the main mix. The audio quality encoders, and top mounted i/o, there are

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PRODUCT REVIEW

Hagstrom Tremar Swede

By Michael Hodge

stripe, giving the guitar an expensive look. Tuning keys are 18:1 die cast metal with a very cool Art Deco design, and were also designed

by Jimmy D’Aquisto and Hagstrom.

The Fretboard is made of a resonator wood This month I’m happy to review the Hagstrom composite to prevent dead spots and add Tremar Swede. You may be unfamiliar with the sustain and upper harmonics to the tone. I did notice this guitar has incredible sustain.

Hagstrom brand, so here’s a little history.

Hagstrom is a Swedish Guitar manufacturer The neck plays very fast, and is straight and that started production in 1958. They were stable. I was happy about this since some glueknown for high quality and innovation, on necks still move around a lot, messing with previously being an accordion manufacturer. the intonation.

They make a full line of Acoustic and Electric Guitars and Basses. Artists like David Bowie, Frank Zappa and even Elvis were seen playing them back in the day. After a period of silence, Hagstrom is now making a strong comeback and finding it’s way back into the USA market.

All models have a proprietary H-Expander truss rod inside the neck, preventing the necks from twisting and adding a unique attack to the tone of the instrument. This design is also a very efficient way of keeping the neck straight, and yet thin. The original Hagstrom had the When the Tremar Swede showed up, I was reputation as the fastest playing guitar in the impressed by how beautiful the instrument world. was. The big unique headstock, originally The body and set neck are all solid mahogany. designed by Jimmy D’Aquisto and Hagstrom in Mahogany is one of the great tone woods. It’s the early 1970’s, sets the guitar apart visually a little bit heavy, like a Les Paul and slightly and adds a little sustain. It has Pearloid inlay bigger, but it’s all about tone and sustain. The on the binding and logo. Pearloid inlay is complimentary pickups are custom designed also used on the fingerboard block position Alnico 5 Custom 58 PAF Humbuckers. They markers. Both neck and body have beautiful have that really sweet signature PAF sound in 5 piece multi-ply binding, cream with black the middle position, and the bridge pickup has a ton of growl. Hagstrom has also gone the extra mile by employing a custom spaced, cut Graph Tech Nut to help intonation and Never drop your pick again. tone. The Tremar Swede, “Tremolo Bar” has a clean retro design, and the red Hagstrom “H” Coat of Arms emblem at the bottom gives it a classic vintage look. It’s very Fantastic tone smooth and has the feel of Glides on the strings a Bigsby though the arm Clings to your fingers is longer and very retro looking.

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adjustable, with individually adjustable saddles for i n t o n a t i o n .

The Roller Bridge is great for keeping a tremolo in tune. I always lubricate the rollers, tremolo, and nut each time I change strings, which is at least once a week. Living in Houston, this has become a necessity because of the crazy humidity. Planet Waves makes a good product, or I find Hoppes 9 Gun oil in the Orange plastic bottle works great. http://www.hoppes. com/products/lubricating_oil.html The guitar has four sleek looking chrome knobs, comprising standard individual pickup, volume, and tone pots. There are also two switches. The top switch is a 3-Way pickup selector and the bottom is a 3-Way Sound Filter Toggle switch (Hi-Mid Cut/ Center Bypass / Hi Cut). It’s similar to a Gretsch. I really find it useful, especially if I’m playing live with an Ebow or slide, and need to cut the high end quickly without having to grab knobs and twist them.

In conclusion, I’m impressed with the Swede.

This guitar is really fun to play and sounds great live and in the studio. The guys in the Lakewood band and FOH thought it looked and sounded killer.

I wouldn’t think twice about showing up with it at a recording session. If you are in the market for a Les Paul vibe, with a little more personality and retro look, check out this guitar. This series of Hagstrom guitars have their manufacturing facility in China, which happens to be run by an American Luthier. The woods are all high quality, as are the pickups and hardware. The MSRP list price for this guitar is $1,299.00 and the street price is around $849.00. This is a great value, since a similar quality Gretsch or Gibson would be more than twice the price.

This isn’t what you might usually think of as a Chinese made guitar. No offense meant of course! Not much on my wish list on this one.

I would like to see a chambered version with some TV Jones pickups though. I think you will see these guitars come on strong, especially at The Tremar Swede uses a these prices. For more information: Roller Bridge that is height http://www.hagstromguitars.eu

(cont. from page 7) is where a guy walked up to me and said, “If I give you $600.00 and my old Gibson acoustic guitar would you trade me your CA composite guitar?” The CA guitar was worth around $1,200.00 back then, but I only had about $600.00 into it. I asked him how old of a Gibson acoustic did he have. He replied that it was a 1966 B-25. It was a really cool looking and bluesy sounding acoustic. I took it over to another booth there at the show to ask a good friend (who is well versed in vintage instruments) and he gave me the thumbs up on the trade.

I was pretty stoked to get the old Gibson and for such a good deal. Judy was pretty excited about it to and asked me, “Since this Gibson was born in 1966 and so was I, can this guitar be mine?” I could see it meant a lot to her, and since she didn’t really play guitar at the time I said, “Yes, as long as I get to play it”. We still have that guitar hanging on the wall in our home and I still get to play it.

Oddly enough, after going to that guitar show for 11 years – the Seatac Guitar Show, we were given the opportunity to be a majority owner of it. I produce the event and yes, we do still have a vendor table or two to try and sell our musical gear at the event. It is a really special gathering of the Northwest guitarist community and I am grateful for it in my life.

years Judy’s role kept her on the home front… but now that is about to change.

We are empty nesters now and are glad to be planning the return of the Dynamic Duo of not only booth working at events but also having her beside me at our conferences, events, and in the home business office too!

We do like to interact with the people that read our magazines (like you) face to face when we can. I have to watch her sometimes as she is a generous person and likes to throw in some free things when people buy stuff from us (so if you ever come up to our booth somewhere at a music festival, one of our CMS conferences, or a vintage guitar show please come and buy whatever you need off of me instead… Ha!).

In the next few months the Dynamic Duo husband and wife team will be at CMS Nashville and Seattle and then we make the trip to Winter NAMM in January. We are not a famous enough couple where you can blend our first names together like Brudy or Juce… but we will be there together, so come by and say “Hi”.

In His Grip…

Bruce & Judy

But, for the most part, for the last several

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“I’d Do This for Free” by Bryan Duncan

STEREOTYPING

by Bryan Duncan

Ever edit yourself based on what you think other people think you are? I can’t recall the author of one of my favorite quotes, but they said, “You wouldn’t worry so much about what people think of you if you realized how seldom they actually think of you”

sometimes it comes with a discount. Being typecast does not just happen to actors in the movies. I know of some great players I use in recording that have complained about being typecast as a three chord rocker to the point of never being asked to sit in on a jazz I’ve gone around the block a few times in my compilation. tiny mindedness about “being” and “doing”, In my forty years of music experience I know and the significance of these elements in that labeling yourself as a “Christian” musician defining ourselves. What I come away with is allows outsiders the opportunity to attach a tune with no words.. “do be do be do”. all kinds of atrocities, done in God’s name, I’ve spent most of my time writing music with to you! And you can find yourself defending a particular visual of whom I might be singing and defining your life more by what you are and playing to, and it’s worked well as my not, than what you are. To “serious” musicians gigs were well defined as “church outreach and writers, you might as well show up to the concerts”. This is where the back of the stage gig with a Casio, or a Peavy guitar, playing has a different agenda from the front of the through the once laughable Bose speaker stage. Suddenly there you are in the middle systems. You can’t even be heard over the trying to make two sides happy, but leaving definitions they’ve already created in their yourself wondering how you feel about it all. head.

“Labeling” yourself with the moniker of “Christian” Musician has its upside, mind you. Call it marketing, if you like. It’s a free pass in some circles if you work it right. But

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told me “better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something that doesn’t matter to you.” Success can become the path of least resistance once you’ve attained a portion of it. But it has boundaries and limitations that have been made up in other people’s heads too.

The truth is that stereotyping is a pitfall we all fall into. Everyday we pre-define what we think we see in those around us. Most of the time it’s a convenient way of filing away people on shelves in a pantry we never intend to revisit.

My point here is that “Christian” is my personal conviction. I follow Jesus because I don’t trust anyone else! But even that is based on some typecasting of the general population. God asks me to be obedient to his will. And there again I have a disposition and projection of what that should look like.

What I fight most often, however, is the It limits my own perspective of what God will incestuous use of inbred terminology, familiar do. and safe to Christians. The Church world is In my mind, we should never run out of new filled with generalized and unimaginative ways to “worship” God. We should never reflections on what should be the greatest run out of new words and descriptions. But relationship we could that will take more work than the cut and possibly have in this paste regurgitation of all things acceptable to life: Knowing God “success”. personally outside the boundaries of an New technologies have changed everything earthbound blindness. in the way we interact with others. Twitter What I hear mostly, is gives you 140 characters to say something the punch line to an significant. YouTube gives you a small window inside joke. The way I to do something spectacular. Facebook gives see it, if it does not set you the opportunity to file all your friends you free, it is not the under a number to be quoted as significant.

And all have a paragraph where you can Truth! define yourself in a few words.

Being successful is poorly defined most So, what does that look like in your mind? of the time. It’s based Do you reflect the truth, or simply refract it? on how many people Are you a Human Being.. or a Human Doing? like your “do be do I think its both, it’s just a matter of what you be do.” Of course, you sing first.. “Be.. do be do be do! can scratch off most of the prophets in the Old Testament and the Bryan Duncan... CCM artist for Apostle Paul based on thirty years. With the Sweet that description.

Comfort Band, then solo and I think the worst now with the Nehosoul band. inhibitor of our own Owner of Red Road Records potential comes from and Host of Radio Rehab the very thing we’re at www.radiorehab.com inducted into the Christian going after... Success! music Hall of Fame in 2007.

It was my mother who

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