Some feedback...

I have had 2 feedbacks today that people sitting in the congregation liked the music yesterday.
I know. So it was good to hear that the music and the singing enhanced the quality of worship. I think people pray better and are more uplifted after mass when the music is good.

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I've been listening to the charlotte church cds that was loaned to me.
Christmas carols like Oh Come All ye faithful; Mary's boychild was done in a refreshing way. It'd be good to try that out.

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Conceptualisation and delivery...
Take We Stand For God for eg.
When I played it on the pipe organ, the singing was just so unenchanting?
And I was like....hmmmm.....
And then the military band style really zest up the singing.

So is it the singing?
The playing?
The choice of styles?
The speed?
The choice of instrumentation and registrations?

And then doing a fine balancing act of assessing what works.
And what does not?
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Luke 4: 4
"When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch."

The Deep Water...
I took 3 grades of exam on the yamaha electone. I actually went down to yamaha, took lessons first under an award-winning teacher. Then went on and did my grade 5 under a teacher that was trained in Japan.

The march-style is a basic organ style that you learn very early on like in grade 9 or 8. (organ grades go backwards). So the same dom-cha is what accompanies pieces like Mickey Mouse March and It's A Small World. So if you don't master the style there, you cannot apply it.
Basic rhythms done at the lower grade will be: waltz, march and swing.
Intermediate styles: 8 beat, 16 beat.
Advanced styles: the latin beats like rhumba, samba, cha-cha, fusion, jazz.
Well technically playing church music is very different and takes on a more reverant air, but the exposure to various styles and hearing instrumentation is always helpful.
Plus, in the advanced level, you have to do arrangements and orchestration of classical pieces on the electone.
If you have a solid piano background, the rest is chicken feet.

Pipe Organ...
Again, you have to hear THE CALL.
Mine came through the telephone when fr. AA called.
I called little J yesterday. So now that O's are over, when are you taking lessons with Fr. C?
Some long story later....sigh.

So what actually happens at lessons with Fr. C? Do I play hymns?
Actually....No.
My lessons comprised of playing Bach Chorales.
Then I moved on to the Little Organ Book....that took me about a year of lessons to complete.
Then I subsequently have bigger pieces thrown at me like Bach Toccata and fugue in D minor.
Now the legs....
Yep, that's about the only new thing to learn.

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Point is....

The Spiritual Dimension...
Do I stop praying just because I am playing? No. The playing actually magnifys the praying and worship.
I suppose same with singing.
If you are singing with the attitude of a secular singer....it can get rather egoistic. I'm good I'm very good....and the head swells bigger and bigger.
Conversely, you may have the skills to play beautifully but you think....cannot, cannot....I cannot do it.
Of course you can't, I agree.
Not unless God is in the picture. And we are at different faith destinations....so just have to let God work on it.

The Gift...
I read somewhere, that you won't be called into a ministry if you don't have the gift in the first place. Don't expect to cantor if you cannot go up and lead the singing. Don't expect to accompany if you don't grow musically.
Yet if you have the gift, don't bury the gift....I will dig it up and give it back to God when the time comes.
By that I mean choosing NOT to grow.
So how to grow musically?
Keep gaining new insights. Keep listening. Keep exploring new styles. Take lessons. Go for seminars. Practise.

Cantors MUST PRACTISE......I can always tell if they don't...
(Just as I can tell which student practises before their piano lessons.....I can even tell how many days and hours of practise you've had.)

Instrumentalists MUST PRACTISE.
Why?
Because it has MAJOR impact on the quality of worship!

That is a BIG responsibility.
If you seriously think how many people fill up the church on 6:30pm sunset mass.
Do you want to give them a headache?
Or do you want then to be enriched and spiritually full from the heavenly banquent?

***
Last week I attended mass at Holy Trinity.
Well....it is different.
And I did not feel spiritually uplifted by the music.
But the preaching was very good.

****

Back to Charlotte Church....
One voice.
But each christmas carol tried to capture a different style and mood.


http://www.msosingapore.org/Books/harry.htm