Forum for P&W

[Jamos5790]

Anyone know of a good forum to discuss praise and worship music and the learning of it?

I know it is kinda frowned on here so just looking for somewhere to chat about it with some people that do it.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Jamos5790

Anyone know of a good forum to discuss praise and worship music and the learning of it?

I know it is kinda frowned on here so just looking for somewhere to chat about it with some people that do it.

Hi Jamos...

Discussing Praise and Worship music is not frowned upon here, we need only avoid religious discussions.

There are several good Worship forums, but I don't have my computer here (just my iPad since we are traveling). Perhaps someone else will refer you to one.

[Joe F]

There is a vast community here:

http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/

[TRW1]

www.worshiptogether.com is not really a forum, but it is a great site and a great resource for worship leaders. They have discussions with many different contemporary Christian songwriters such as David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, and others where they break down a particular song and show how to play it. It's a pretty cool website. Check it out, I'm sure you will find something you like on there.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Joe F

There is a vast community here:

http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/

Hi Joe...

Thanks, that was one of several I have bookmarked on my main computer.

[Jamos5790]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Jamos...

Discussing Praise and Worship music is not frowned upon here, we need only avoid religious discussions.

There are several good Worship forums, but I don't have my computer here (just my iPad since we are traveling). Perhaps someone else will refer you to one.

Well I'm not even sure what religious discussions are so I was trying to tread on the good side of the forum.

Thanks for the links guys I'll check them out.

[jeepnstein]

We'll discuss certain points of acoustic guitar playing here that some of the P&W boards will not really be well-equipped to handle. Even the decidedly secular players here are more than willing to give solid technical advice. I use the other sites to grow my spiritual skills. I use this place to grow my technical skills. If that isn't a fair assesment I'll gladly take correction from any of the other members here.

Oh, and some of the most loving yet brutally honest smack downs I've ever received with regard to my church service has come from a frequent poster here. I won't name names but he's the real deal as far as I'm concerned.

[trpullen]

To help clarify: Religious discussion is anything that tries to persuade or dissuade someone regarding a belief system. You can talk about the nuts and bolts of playing in church. When you get into discussing faith and reasons for or against, the line has been crossed.

Ex:
I play guitar in church (GOOD)
I play guitar because the my master the gourd created me to do so (NOT ALLOWED).

Not a full definition by any means but, I hope that helps.

[slewis]

I continue to frankly be baffled by how and why some people classify P&W as a type of music and being somehow different from everything else. That just seems so odd. Isn't it made up of many styles of music and guitar-playing -- pop, rock, acoustic, fingerstyle, strumming, lead, celtic, clawhammer, blues, hip-hop, funk, what have you -- and instead, far more defined by who's playing it and the type of building it's played in? Sorry; just don't get it!

[trpullen]

Originally Posted by slewis

I continue to frankly be baffled by how and why some people classify P&W as a type of music and being somehow different from everything else. That just seems so odd. Isn't it made up of many styles of music and guitar-playing -- pop, rock, acoustic, fingerstyle, strumming, lead, celtic, clawhammer, blues, hip-hop, funk, what have you -- and instead, far more defined by who's playing it and the type of building it's played in? Sorry; just don't get it!

True indeed. I think the VENUE does have some challenges that are unique to the genre. Rarely do other gigs possibly take place in a stone building with 30 foot high ceilings, lots of wooden benches and a volunteer soundman.

I would liken it to saying, I am a coffeehouse player. I need help with..... There are certain tips and tricks to be learned from more experienced player in that arena.

[jeepnstein]

Originally Posted by slewis

I continue to frankly be baffled by how and why some people classify P&W as a type of music and being somehow different from everything else. That just seems so odd. Isn't it made up of many styles of music and guitar-playing -- pop, rock, acoustic, fingerstyle, strumming, lead, celtic, clawhammer, blues, hip-hop, funk, what have you -- and instead, far more defined by who's playing it and the type of building it's played in? Sorry; just don't get it!

It's a peculiar gig. Your expectation of what constitutes a good performance is quite different from a secular show. The expectation of much more audience involvement is just a small part of it. You're also much more likely to have to play songs you personally dislike. And it has to fit in with the overall structure and tone of the service. Praise bands and their unique approach to rehearsal also varies greatly from what is common in a secular setting.

You are absolutely correct about musical styles and forms being the same, though. Music is music even if the audience is different.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by slewis

I continue to frankly be baffled by how and why some people classify P&W as a type of music and being somehow different from everything else. That just seems so odd. Isn't it made up of many styles of music and guitar-playing -- pop, rock, acoustic, fingerstyle, strumming, lead, celtic, clawhammer, blues, hip-hop, funk, what have you -- and instead, far more defined by who's playing it and the type of building it's played in? Sorry; just don't get it!

Jeepnstein already answered this very well, but I'll add a slightly different perspective: some of us on this forum have a broad range of experience in various styles of music and in different settings. I played in bars for years, I was a street musician before that, I performed in a festival in another town just last week.

But there are a great many church musicians who have literally never performed in any other setting. Whereas you and I might be able to listen to an hour of modern Praise and Worship songs and hear their constituent parts - this one song sounds country, that one sounds like a power pop song from the 70's, and what have you - to someone whose main focus is P&W, it comes across as just one big, far-ranging style.

Let me give you a parallel example from my own life: I was raised listening to classical music and have a pretty fair grounding in it. When I hear pieces played on the radio, I instantly identify them as baroque, romantic, folkloric and so forth. But my wife didn't grow up with classical music in her house. She never started listening to classical music radio until we got married.

She loves it and doesn't want the radio tuned to anything else, but she can't pick out the different styles the way I do: to her it's all classical, and while intellectually she understands that there are different musical styles within it, she doesn't and often can't tell them apart. It's all the same thing to her.

So for many dedicated P&W musicians and listeners, it's a distinct style, even though there are discernible sub-genres within it.

But to be fair, "rock music" is much the same way. There are a huge number of different styles encompassed within the general designation "rock music," yet nobody gets puzzled by the use of that term to describe such widely divergent bands as The Allman Brothers, Yes and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

So "Praise and Worship Music" might be thought of in a similar way, as a "big tent" sort of general designation.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Coffeeaddict]

I think Wade and Jeepnstein nailed down a great way of making the distinction.

I have to agree with another thing Wade said, as from my experience it is hard to argue that many of those who are part of P&W bands at church have not performed publicly in other situations.

[Jim Owen]

Hi Jamos,
I hope you're getting the feeling that you're welcome here. We just avoid talking of our specific religious beliefs. There are many highly respected members of this forum who play regularly at their churches.

I'm glad they are here. I got my start playing in public at a church-affiliated coffee house.

The forum is about guitar playing and guitarists. We all belong here.

[RGtheMusicGuy]

Tell you the truth, I lead worship... in fact I'm getting my Masters degree in it. I usually avoid Praise and Worship type forums though. The discussion on technique and gear is so much better and more informative on forums like this than what you'll get over on those.