Friday
Jan262007
I always wanted to play professional background music
Friday, January 26, 2007 at 10:16PM
I lost a best-of-3 rocks, paper, scissors contest with Cliff tonight, so in a few minutes I have to play background music while somebody prays.
I never know what to do in those moments, because, personally, I don't like to hear music while people talk, let alone pray. I usually find it really distracting.
Also, as a player, I always start out playing some hymn and end up in a (very prayerful) Zeppelin tune. Or possibly "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago.
Thoughts on this? Or requests?
I never know what to do in those moments, because, personally, I don't like to hear music while people talk, let alone pray. I usually find it really distracting.
Also, as a player, I always start out playing some hymn and end up in a (very prayerful) Zeppelin tune. Or possibly "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago.
Thoughts on this? Or requests?
Reader Comments (22)
total eclipse of the heart
THESE are the kinds of theological tidbits that are nice to hear ; ) HA - i love it
Maybe something by Clay Aiken.
Play some Skynard!
Work in some Hendrix
Was playing the guilt-music behind this preacher one night and he said something about Braveheart so I busted into Braveheart. Also, Home Sweet Home by M. Crue is a nice little tune to sneak into the tinklings.
You should slip in "Marilyn" as a subliminal message.
A college friend of mine used to play the organ at his quite conservative church. He found that just about anything by Billy Joel, played slowly enough, worked very nicely. So we had him do the same at our wedding!
The Addams Family theme song at a very slow tempo really brings conviction and the Holy Spirit just falls! :)
4 words: "The Gambler" Kenny Rogers
Let It Be.
Theme song from Jaws.
Axel F (might be a little difficult on guitar)
Sexyback
Theme From The Dukes of Hazard.
Seriously?
Jesus Loves Me.
A few I've slipped in recently:
"Cold November Rain" GNR
"Here I go Again" Whitesnake
"She"ll be coming 'round the Mountain"
The third one was strictly to make the band laugh...we saw an old guy at a charismatic church get up out of the audience saying he had received a song...so he came up to the mic while the band was vamping slowly on E...looking real serious...and busted right into..."She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes"...and the band followed him...and so did the congregation...they were worshiping to that...seriously...people were shouting: "Yes Lord...send her around the mountain!"...oh, man...it was weird...we were laughing so hard we had to go out back..."She'll be riding 6 white horses when she comes"...
-chall
Never liked background music during prayer. Sounds cheesy. I keep waiting for the televangelist to show up.
Wham or Culture Club would be great.....
amazingly enough...
nirvana tunes played slowly and picked sound *awesome* for "make them cry and 'come down the aisle' music.
-stephen (actually arpeggiated 'rape me' one time.... i still may be going to hell fo rthat..)
It seems a little goofy to play during prayers. I used to think it was a great idea, but now I feel that it plays to easily on people's emotions. Sometimes, I suppose, it's the job of music to dig into those heart-corners to bring emotions into light (yet I recall someone running "to the arms of another song" and I can't say how many times I've done so).
I suppose that, lately, I appreciate silence a great deal. Not that I seek it out enough, but I feel that those awkward moments bear the same sort of potential as the scriptures that are most difficult to understand (even in context). Silence, in our Western mind, goes under-appreciated.
The cover of Roger Waters' "Amused to Death" comes to mind, but so does the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.
Funny. Reminds me of when my band used to play youth gigs and right after the obligatory altar call, the speaker would turn and say "Hey band, you guys know that 'Yes Lord' song?" Our traditional response was "No, never heard that one, man."
I don't dislike music playing in the background as long as there's not singing that goes along with it. A church I used to attend would have the praise team singing while the pastor was praying right before the invitation, and it was incredibly distracting. And really, I'd prefer no music at all. It can be a way to appeal to people's emotions instead of letting the Holy Spirit work.
Alove - I have the same response, my band has banned that song.
I always feel awkward too. I typically do a three chord finger pick and if the producer wants the music he'll turn my channel on, otherwise it just looks like I'm tuning.
Mack the Knife has a pretty catchy tune, but I wouldn't want to hear it as background music in church no matter how slowly it's played.