How many play in a non-worship setting?

[RainCaster]

I am feeling like I need to stretch my abilities, so playing in a casino band (or a second congregation) comes to mind. What do ya'll do to grow yourselves musically?

RC

[kewlpack]

Lessons from a teacher who is into material DIFFERENT than what you already know.

Friday night jam (with at least 2 other guitarists from church) - we bounce lots of ideas around.

Practice stuff you find online (see the resources/links forum area for TONS of material) and noodle around with new theory stuff.

Practice genres of music that use other instruments to do leads - convert those leads to guitar licks.

Get yourself a modeler and play using completely new tones than what you are used to - a different tone can steer you into a cool new direction sometimes...

Online open jams too...

I would be careful with secular bands simply because you will be thrust into environments that may tempt you unnecessarily or bring you into playing music that is anti-Moral/God/Christianity. A word of caution. I realize that isn't always the case - but be careful.

[Teleguy]

I've played Jazz around the local scene for decades.
Keeps me tuned up.

[stephen]

I get to do about 2 blues jams a year on average. Its fun, and you hear a lot of really good players too! Thats always good for raisin your bar a little.

I'm lucky in the sense that I have several real good musicians at my church, and a couple of em, I've jammed with away from church a couple of times: this opens us up to some different material, and a different way of approaching it.

Also, I plug in a CD a lot, and jam away. I like to figure out the songs without tab or song charts. I find it helps my ear for finding the right key/chord.

And I try to have fun with it too! One time, me and a buddy just kept doin over and over again a broken, synchopated ending ala blues-rock. It just kept getting wilder, and wilder everytime we did it! It was driven everyone else nuts, but we were laughin our heads off, sayin each time, "Ok, no more." Then one of us would start it up again: Du. du-du-du. .... bah-da-da, dudududududududu, wahwahwahwah, weeeeeeee, shooom, shooom sqweeellllbadadadadada- badum/crash!

Laughed so hard I almost pee'd my pants!

[ptrallan01]

Play piano, percussion, violin. Don't spend a lot to get the instrument go to a pawn shop and get something cheap. Learn to play two songs on that and watch what it does for your guitar chops AND your playing in a group situation.

Peter

[Old Believer]

I go and play at a country/oldies jam about four times a year. The band lets me get up and cut up some blues tunes.

I have had a couple of friends try to get me to join their bar bands. I won't do it. It's not a matter of temptation, as much as a matter of not wanting to be out late.

Our worship team leader doesn't have much truck with anyone that plays in a secular setting. He canned a bass player for playing in clubs on Saturday nights. I find that a bit unfair, because some musicians actually play for a living.

[jazzrat]

I still work the local jazz scene(what there is of it) wedding receptions, furniture store openings, an occasional nice steak house, you name it, but No Bars! Not being judgemental mind you, just a personal choice for my family.
A few weeks ago I played with a trio for a grand opening kind of thing for Macys. It was booked out of Seattle so we got big city scale. $600 for the trio!!! :cool: I sure could use some more of those gigs. :-)

[refin]

I do alot of jams on other forums....guys are putting up some pretty decent tracks,and it ranges from country to blues (lotsa blues) to jazzy stuff,and even the odd free form thing now and then.
I also play odd gigs about 3 times a year,when my friends need another player to flesh out a wedding band.I'm still in the loop here in town as a journeyman if needed.

[Crunchyriff]

Our worship team leader doesn't have much truck with anyone that plays in a secular setting.
Ahh..one of those...

I wonder if they take their family out to Christian restaraunts only.
:roll:

[prscustom24]

[
I wonder if they take their family out to Christian restaraunts only.
:roll:

:-) The Abbey?

I've been in and out of secular groups since about age 15. Put myself through college doing Polish & Italian weddings in Detroit during the '60s. Typical of many of those affairs, somebody from the bride's family would usually, at some point, deck somebody from the groom's family, and the ensuing melee would put an abrupt end to the evening. But the gigs paid well, the food was plentiful, and we surprised ourselves at the many variations we could invent on Hava Nagila.

None of the bar bands were particularly good nor memorable, other than one that might have become a regular act at the Walled Lake Casino had the place not burned down, taking a friend's Dual Showman with it. Something told me not to leave my rig there that night.

I did a brief stint in one of the house bands at the Garland Opry in '92-'93. At that time there were three or four groups that rotated through there. Guest singers would come in Thursday or Friday night to audition and by Saturday night you had to cover 30 songs you may have never played before.

From about '93 through '99, my company encouraged a core group of us to form a band. We played company functions, fund-raisers for charities the corporation supported, civic things like the Richardson Wildflower & Music Festival and Plano Balloon Festival.

Forty-plus years after first putting pick to strings, there's still so much to learn. . .

[refin]

Our worship team leader doesn't have much truck with anyone that plays in a secular setting.
Ahh..one of those...

I wonder if they take their family out to Christian restaraunts only.
:roll:

Ditto...........does a Christian dentist pull Christian teeth?

[Micter]

I play in a band that does original Christian music as a ministry. Sort of allows me to cut loose and have fun without the normal "Church" stuff.

[MrMike]

Me too. This weekend we're doing a benefit for a local homeless shelter/soup kitchen. The vast majority of what we do would be considered praise and worship, but doing it outside of church allows us a great deal more creativity.

[kewlpack]

I would really enjoy getting into a non-congregational Christian band (I enjoy P&W a lot just the same). Mixing it up with good lyrical songs as well as instrumental stuff (ala Satriani, Vai, and now Miller!). Something that pushes the envelope in a good way. :)

[Ravindave_3600]

we surprised ourselves at the many variations we could invent on Hava Nagila.

\:D/



I play in a band that does original Christian music as a ministry. Sort of allows me to cut loose and have fun without the normal "Church" stuff.

I do the same. We play church block parties, local festivals, fairs, that sort of thing, and it's a lot of fun. We call it pre-evangelism, and hope to open non-believers to the concept that "Maybe being a Christian isn't necessarily a drag!" We're sort of on hiatus right now, because I'm gearing up for a 2-week mission trip to Kinshasa, Congo, but I hope we'll be in playing shape by 7/4.