US $5.95 Can $6.95

JAN/FEB 2011Volume 16, Issue 1 Selective Hearing:

Phil Keaggy Trio John Francis • Third Day

Improving Musicianship | Inspiring Talent

Community: Life Blood for the Songwriter74470 959620 5

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DiscipleAn Interview with Kevin Young

Product Review:

PRS Sweet 16 Guitar Amp Head

Chrissy SheftsThe Passion of Playing

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Interviews20 RickySkaggs

WhereMusicalTributariesFlow

30 DiscipleAnInterview

withKevinYoung

42 ChrissySheftsThePassion

ofPlaying

The Day the Press Machines Stood Still…

ForonedayrecentlythepressesstoppedatmyprinterinTacoma,WA.ThepatriarchofthefamilybusinessatJ&DPrinting–JohnVitz-thum,waslaidtorestat79yearsold.

IfirstmetJohnwhenImovedfromSouthernCaliforniatoPuyal-lup,WAin1989.IwasoutmowingalargelawnonthecornerhousethatmyfirstwifeTeriandIhadjustmovedintoandmylittlelawnmowerandIweregettingquiteaworkoutfillingseveralyardbagsfullofcutgrass.Johnlivedkitty-cornerfromusacrossthestreetandheambledovertomeandsaid,“Wouldyouliketoborrowmymower?Itwillgetthejobdoneeasier”.Ireachedoutmyhandandintroduced

myselftohim.HiswifeDeloresandJohnbecamegoodneighborsandfriends.Ihaveknownthemforover20yearsnow.

Isoonfoundoutheandseveralofhissonsranaprintshophehadstart-edinTacomayearsbefore.LittledidIknowthen,thatjustafewyearslater,Iwouldstartthismagazineandtheywouldbemyprinterfor16yearsandcounting.Therelationshipapublisherhaswithhisprinterisvital.ThewaythatJ&DPrintinghastakencareofus,withtwomagazines,ourChristianMusicianSum-

mitprogramsandourconcertpromotionmaterialshasbeenstellar…coupledwiththeirtrademarkgenerosityandintegrity.TheyareaChristianbasedbusinessthathasgonetheextramileforusquiteoften.

WhenTeripassedawayduetopancreaticcancerDeloreswouldshowupatdinnertimebringingoverhotmealsformysonsandI.AfterJohn’sfuneralserviceIleanedovertoDeloresandtoldher,“Ioweyouafewhotmeals”.

JudyandIjustlivewithintwoblocksofJohnandDelores’house.Theyweremarriedforanamazing55yearsandhavebeenpartofalocalchurchfamilyhereinPuyallupfordecades.

IwillalwaysrememberJohnforhishelpfulattitudeandsenseofhumor.Hehadagreatlaughthatyoucouldrecognizeanywhere.JudyknewJohnasamanwithaquietstrengthandaworkethicthatremindedherofherownfatherElmer(whowenttobewiththeLordoverayearandahalfagotopancreaticcanceraswell).AlsobothJohnandElmerservedintheKoreanconflictandwegivehonortothembothforservingourcountry.

WhenDeloreswasaskedhowshewasholdingupsheanswered,“Theanchorholds”.Whatawonderfulstatementoffaith.

SotoJohnwewouldsay,“Restinpeacefriend–youwillbemissedhereinPuyallupbyallwhoknewyou…butwelookforwardtoaheavenlymeetingontheotherside.Ohyeah,andthanksforallofthoseSeattleMariner’sticketsovertheyears!”

JudyandIwouldrequestthatyoukeepDelores,herfamilyandmyfavor-iteprinterinprayer.Thankyou!

InHisGrip…Bruce&Judy

Christian Musician

Features 9 BassicCommunication

IntrotoSoloBassArranging(Part3)

10 DrummingDynamicsAGoodTeacheris

Priceless11 VocalCoach’sCorner

EightDaysAWeek12 GuitarWorkshop

NewYear’sResolutions?

14 ShowUsYourGrooveGiving100%in

Music,Ministry&Life

16 ProductReviewPRSSweet16Guitar

AmplifierHead18 ProductReview

UAD-2QuadDSPAcceleratorPackage

26 SelectiveHearingJohnFrancisPhilKeaggy

TrioThirdDay

34 AskJoe37 GuitarFrom

A2ZMulti-task

HarmonizedScales

38 EssentialMusicTheoryfortheChristianMusician10StepstoEffective

Practicing39 DoYouKnowWhat’s

WrongWithYourSong?

46 CODACommunity:LifeBlood

fortheSongwriter

CONTENTS

4227S.Meridian,SuiteCPMB#275,PuyallupWashington98373Phone:253.445.1973Fax:253.655.5001

Email:bruce@christianmusician.comWebsite:www.christianmusician.com

Editor&President:BruceAdolphVicePresident:JudyAdolph,judy@christianmusician.com

CustomerService:BrianFelix,brian@christianmusiciansummit.comStreetTeam:MikeAdolph,JesseHill&CajLayout:MattKeesAccounting:DebiDavis

AdvertisingSales:bruce@christianmusician.comPublishedbytheAdolphAgencyInc.

7

Spreading the Word

“Players at my clinics and concerts are always floored by the tone, punch, clarity and headroom of my GK.”

Norm StocktonLincoln Brewster

POWER TO GROOVEwww.gallien.com

Come See us

at NAMM Booth 4284

Let’sgetbacktoourintroductorylookatsoloarrangingforbass!

Ihopeyou’vehadachancetoimmerseyourselfinthepastfewinstallmentsofBassic Communicationaswe’vefocusedonthemelody&harmonythatwilllaytheground-workforourpendingarrangementofthetraditionalChristmastune,Angels We Have Heard On High(Gloria).

We’llbelookingatthe2ndpartofthechorussectionthistime.Thelasttimeweweretogether,wefocusedonthefamiliar,“Gloooooooo-ria”part,sotodaywe’llbecoveringthe“inexcelsisDeo”linethatfol-lowsit.

Forthoseofyoujustjoiningus,bytheway,you’llfindboththedefaultapplicablescaleandtheintervalsfoundinthemelody(relativetotheunderlyingchord)inthetextabovethestaff.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutanyofthis,Iencourageyoutocheckouteitherthemodesectionfrommy2nd

Intro to Solo Bass Arranging (Part 3)

Norm Stockton is a bassist/clinician/solo artist based in Orange County, CA. He spends much

of his time touring and recording with worship artist Lincoln Brewster, but his 2nd solo project (“Tea In The Typhoon”) has been receiving widespread acclaim from media around the

world. Visit Norm at www.normstockton.com and on Facebook & Twitter for much bass-related info and fun. While there, be sure to check out his blog (The GrooveSpot) and register for his e-newsletter (the groove update) for tips, interviews, clinic invites, exclusive discount prices, and more.

libertiesifyouaresoinclined!IpreferredthesoundofG#-inthisparticularversion…butifitirksyou,feelfreetorebelandcreateyourownversionusingE/G#.:^)

Getyourheadandearsaroundthisandwe’llstartworkingupouractualsolobassarrangementnexttime!

(Adapted from curriculum in the GroovingforHeaven instructional DVDs)

instructionalDVDorLevel1ofmyonlinecourses(oranyotherresourceyoucanfindthatilluminatesbasicdiatonicharmonyinapracticalandunderstandableway).

Anyway,you’llnoticethatthechordmotionforthefirstmeasureisvery“hymn-esque”init’schord-change-every-noteap-proach.Thoseofyouwhoarestartingtocon-vulsejustabit(asyoureflectonyouryearsofreadingdownhymnsonSundaymorningwhileattemptingtomakethemgroove)–pleasehanginthere…it’sactuallykindacoolthistime…ina“traditionalChristmastune”way.:^)

The2ndmeasureresumesourearliercon-ventionofchangingchordsonthe½-note.Thoseofyouwho’vehadsomeexperiencewitharrangingwillprobablynoticethattheG#-chordwe’llbeutilizingonthosefirsttwobeatsiscommonlyaninversionoftheIchord(E/G#)instead.That’sthebeautyofarrangingapiece–youcantakesomeartistic

© 2009 Stocktones Music

Bassic CommunicationIntro to Solo Bass Arranging (Part 3)

Arr. Norm Stockton

Melodic/Harmonic Analysis: Chorus (2nd Section)"Angels We Have Heard On High" (Trad. Christmas Carol)

E

Chordal Walk-UpE Ionian, F# Dorian,G# Phrygian, A Lydian"Roots"

F#- G#- A

G# Phrygian"Root"

G#-B Mixolydian"5"

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9

TheotherdayIwascleaningandIranacrossanotebookfilledwithmyoldles-sonplansfrommydaysofinstructionwithRichardWilson.Iwasamazedatsomeoftheexerciseshecreatedforme.RichardhadtheabilitytopushmetoplacesIcouldn’timagine.

Findingateacherthatopensyouuptonewideas,encouragesyouandhelpsguideyoutonewmusicalfrontiersisthebestwaytoimprovequickly.Richarddidallofthatforme.IthinkitissafetosayIwouldnotbeaprofessionaldrummerifitwerenotforhisguidance.HechangedthewayIplayeddrumsandthewayIthoughtmusically.

Thereissomuchwecanlearnthesedaysjustusingtheinternetbutoneononein-

David currently tours with Fernando Ortega and has worked with Sara Groves, Bebo Norman, Crystal Lewis, Cheri Keaggy, Tommy Walker, Paul Baloche among

others. He has 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

A Good Teacher is Priceless

structionispriceless.Iwanttoencourageyoualltofindthatperfectteacherandcontinuetokeepgrowingandlearningnomatterwhatyourageorability.

BelowareafewoftheexercisesRichardproducedforme.Eachlessonplanwashandwritten,createdonthespotandalwaysverydifferentfromthelast.Hehadtheabilitytofindwastochallengemeoverandoveragain.IhopeyouenjoythissmallsampleofthehundredsofexercisesIhavefromoldles-sons.Ihopetosomedaygetthemallneatlynotatedlikethese.Richardpassedawayyearsbackbutwhathetaughtmewillalwaysstaywithme.

Blessings,David

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10

Roger Beale is one of the nation’s foremost vocal coaches. 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 founder and host of the Christian Singers Workshop (www.christiansingersworkshop.com), dedicated to the teaching of contemporary and commercial vocal techniques. Roger can be contacted at: voicehouse@mindspring.com, web site: www.thevoicehouse.com.

AwhilebackIreadMichaelGladwell’sbookentitledOutliers.Itwasafascinatingreadandwellworthmytimeandmoney.OneofitsmanystoriesdiscussedtheBeatlesperformingexperienceswhilebasedinHam-burg,Germany.Thisintriguingstorygotmethinkingaboutvocalperformanceandwhatisrequiredtoreallygetgoodatit.

DuringthetimethatIponderedtheperformancequestion,ayoungladycameintomyteachingstudiothatsimplywantedtogetbetterasasinger.Weworkedtogetherafewweekswhenshecameinandinformedmethatshewasenteringasingingcontest.Wepreparedapieceofmusic,workedonit,anddecidedtogowithit.Whenshearrivedatthecontestsite,shepromptlyfrozeup.Shestartedtoweepandcouldnotenterthebuilding.Itwasn’tgoingtohappen.Butthenshesawoneofherclassmatesgoinandthatcausedachangeofthought.Thischargedhercompetitivejuicesandshedriedupthetears,enteredthebuilding,sanghersong,andfinishedthird;twoplacesinfrontofherclassmate.

Whathappened?Whythemeltdown?Therewasnothinginthebuildingthatwasgoingtohurther.Idoubtthattherewereanyofthejudgeswhowantedhertosingterriblyandfail.Sowhatwasit?Herbrainstartedtogowayofftrackandcreatedthoughtsthatwereterrifyinganduntrue.Iwonderifwehadtakenherpulseifitwouldofhavebeenintheplus150range.Whoknows?Whatthestudentneededandreceivedwasastimulusthatdirectedherthoughtstothetaskathandandthatwasseeingherclassmatewalkingin.Sometimesitdoesn’ttakemuch.

Afterthisepisode,thestudentwasinseveralmorecontestsanddidn’tplaceinanyofthem.Shewastakingitinstridebutwassomewhatfrustratedandcouldn’tcommu-nicatewhatwashappeningverywell.Well,thissummersheinvitedmetoobserveherinanotheroneofhercontests.Yeah,shedoesabunchofthem.Idecidedtogoandobserveherinthiscompetitiveenvironment.

Assoonasshetookthestageitwasabsolutelyobviouswhatwashappening.She

Allsingerscravethatfeelingandwantitforeverysongtheysing.

Achievingthismaximumsuccessfulper-formanceskillisnotwithoutrisk.Gettinguponthestageitselfisarisk.Butthatiswhenpeopleperform.Theyhaveasingingability,workhardatit,andwanttounleashitsfury.Thisiswhysingersmustsing.Theyneedtofindouthowmuchtheycanachievethroughcommunicatingemotionwithanaudience.

TodiscusstheBeatlesagainconsiderthatinGermanytheyperformedtwohundredseventysixtimesinayearandahalf.Whentheyperformeditwasforeighthoursatasessiondoingcovertunes,jazzandmanyotherstyles.Mostbandstodaydon’tperformthatmanyhoursinacareerletalonewithmultiplestyles.

Areyoulikemystudent,readytoworkharder,Imeanmuchharder?AreyoureadytodoeighthourgigsliketheBeatles?Whatdoyouwanttoattainintheareaofvocalperformance?I’llleaveituptoyouandtheLord.Nowgosingwell!

wasn’tconcentrating!Hereyestoldthewholestory.Shewaslookingup,down,left,right,zig-zaggingandexaminingtheceiling.Shedideverythingbutconcentrateandfocusonhervocalperformance.Shedidn’twin,again.

Atthenextlessonwewenttoworkonthisissue.Thefirstthingwedidwasfocushereyesonasinglepointasshesang.ThatwasverydifficultbutwhenIfeltshecouldcontrolhereyesabit,wemovedtothreepoints,left,center,andright.Thatwasnoteasyforhertodoeither.Butshefinallygotthingsundercontrol,andpromptlyenteredanothersingingcontest.Shedidnotwinthatoneeither.Wasshefailing?Hardly.Shehaskeptatitandjustafewweeksagoperformedatherschoolstalentshowandwonitasafreshman.Thenthreeweekslater,sheaudi-tionedandgottheleadroleintheschoolmusical.Shedidn’tquitbutshedidaddsomeperformancepracticetoherschedule.

Successfulvocalperformancerestsprimar-ilyonhowsingersthink.Thinkcorrectlyandtheappropriateactionwillresult.Youmustthinkwellduringtheactualsingingperfor-mance.Properthinkingduringavocalperfor-manceisaveryrealskill.Andkeepinmindthatvocaltechniqueandperformancearenottwoseparatethings.Theyexisttogether.

Performanceisperhapsoneofthefewtimesinaperson’slifethattheyaretotallyinthemoment.Itisnow!Thatiswhysomeofmycollegiatesingers,aftertheirjuniorandseniorrecitals,comeuptomeandexclaim,“Itseemedtogobyinaninstant.”Intheirmind,maybe,butnottheaudience’s.Theywereinthepresent,thenow!Itwasanin-tensetimeintheirlife.

Theonlyreasonapersonsingsistocom-municatethemeaningofthesong.Singersmusttrusttheirvocaltrainingandletittakeoverduringtheperformance,sotheycanapplyalloftheirmentalenergytocommu-nicatetheessenceormeaningofthesong.

Eight Days A Week

11

New Year’s Resolutions?

I’mnotsureexactlywhyitisthatwepickJanuaryastheprescribedtimetore-evaluateourlivesandmake‘newyear’s’resolutions.Thetruthisthatweshouldcontinuallybeexaminingourselves,makingadjustmentsandsettinggoals.Ifweonlypickonegoalandmakeoneresolutionperyear,we’renotgoingtogroworchangeverymuch,arewe?Also,bypickingoneBIGgoalfortheyear,weoftensetourselvesupforfailure.Bysettingsmallergoalsmoreoften,wearealotmorelikelytoreachourgoals.

Wehavetofirstofallrealizethatweareafallenpeopleinneedofalotofchange.Andthechangesweneedthemostdon’thavemuchtodowithlosingweight(althoughthatisagoalofminethisyear)orwithimprovingourfinancialstatus(thoughmostofuscouldcertainlyusealittleofthat,consideringourrecenteconomicstate).Thetruthisthatourmostsignificantvoidsoftenlieintheareasoftheneedfortruthandgoodnessandloveandforgiveness.WedesperatelyneedallthesethingsthatonlyGodcanprovide.Eventhesecularideaof‘essentialneeds’(food,water,shelter,etc.)areultimatelyprovidedbyGod.Inordertoestablishworthygoalsandtoattainthem,wemustrelyonGodfortheveryinspirationandthestrengthittakestoaccomplishthem.Intheend,allourforwardstridesoriginateandaregrantedbyHimand,hopefully,cometoglorifyHim.

Allthedisciplinesofart(music,the-ater,dance,painting,andmanymore)areexamplesofcreativityandenergy.Theyallreflecttheartist’sviewoflife-andtheyaremeantforthepurposeofsharingwithothers.AsartistsinGod’skingdom,IbelievewearecalledtoreflectHimtotheworld.IfyouthinkofGodastheultimateCreatorandArtist,our

interestinartandourabilitiestocreateitarelikelittleembeddedpiecesofGodHimselfinsideofus.AndifHetrulylivesinourhearts,ourartwilltendtobealotlikeHisart.LookatHiscreations-thebeautyofnature,thebrilliantorderofthings,themiracleoflife,therangeanddepthofemotions,therelationshipmod-elsHehasshownusofloveandpeaceandkindness.God’sartreflectswhoGodis.TheseveryattributeswillshowupinourarttooifwearefollowingHim.AndifourartpointstoandoffersworshiptoHim,theWordsaysthatheactuallycomesand‘inhabitsourpraise.’Helivesinourworship!Thisgiftwehaveasart-istscannotbetakenforgranted.Itneedstobeusedtoitsfullpotential,whichIthinkpleasesGod.Alot.Thereisonerubtothisinspirationalpep-talkthough,andthatisthatweareinchargeofactuallydevelopingthetalentsthatGodgivesus.

Inordertosingorplaymusicwell,asinanyotherartform,wemuststudyandlearnandpracticeanddevelopskills.Inmusic,wefirstneedtosensepitchandtimeandform.Wethenneedtounderstandthetheorybehindallofit,thehowsandwhysofmusic,sowecancontinuetogrow.Wehavetopracticescalesandbuildchordsanddevelopcoordination.And,asmuchaswefightagainstit,weneedtoalsobeabletoreadmusic(oftenintwoorthreeforms).Weneedtodevelopourabilitytocreatemu-sicbeyondjustsingingorplayingasong.Weshouldalsoexperimentwithwritingandarrangingmusic.Weshouldexperi-enceawidevarietyofmusicalstylesandbecomeproficientatallofthem.Weneedtogrowinability,continuingtobeefupour‘chops’anddevelopourmu-sicaltastesforaslongaswelive,neverbeingsatisfiedthatwe’re‘goodenough.’Oursacrificesareactuallynever‘good

Have you seen John’s free ‘Praise Guitar Lessons’ online yet? Go to CCLI TV and start the weekly lessons today. And make sure to look over John’s calendar at www.praiseguitar.com to find an

event near you where you can hear him live.

enough’forGodanyway.That’swhyHesentJesus.Truly,we’refortunatethatHeputsupwithusatall.Certainly,theleastwecandoisofferHimthebestsacrificeswecan.Thebeautyisthatthemoreweputintoourartandthelessselfishwearewithit,themoreourattitudeswilllineupwithGod’sandthehappierwebecomeatbeingwhoweareanddoingwhatwedo.

Mypersonalgoalthisyear,andIhopeyou’llmakeityourstoo,istostampoutmediocrityinmusic,mostespeciallychurchmusic.Goddeservesmore.Meditateonit.Reallylistentowhatyou’rehearingatchurch.Learntoloathethemundaneandyearnforsome-thingmore,somethingbetter.Searchhighandlowforsonglyricsthathavesomethingtosay.Lookformelodiesandchordsandrhythmsthathelpcommuni-catethoselyricswithpassion.Can’tfindthem?Lookharder-orwriteyourownsongs.Studytoimproveonyourpar-ticularinstrumentandinyourparticulargrouprole.Getoutapadandpencilandwritedownanoutlineastowhatyoucandotogetbetter.Startdoingittoday.Beaninspirationtoothers,thesparkthatmakesyourentireworshipcom-munityglow.Bringlifetothemusicatchurchsothatallcanbeinspired.PraisetheLordwithallyou’vegot!

12

PreSonus • StudioLive “Mix’n’ Mobile” • For Christian Musician • prepared 12/10

With our new free iPad app, “front-of-house” can be

anywhere in your church! Up to ten praise band musicians can control their own monitor mixes1.

Introducing StudioLive Remote, our free iPad app that works with any PreSonus digital mixer2. It gives you hands-on control of channel levels, mutes, panning, EQ and more for multi-ple channels at once. Click for a closeup Fat Channel view. Tweak 1The24.4.2providestenauxm

ixes;the16.4.2giveyousix.2Requiresalaptopwithwireless,runningVirtualStudioLive(VSL),andconnectedtotheStudioLiveviaFireWire.

©2011PreSonusAudioElectronics,allrightsreserved.StudioLiveisatradem

arkofPreSonusAudioElectronics.StudioOneisatrademarkofPreSonusSoftware,Ltd.iPadisaregisteredtradem

arkofApple,Inc.

Baton Rouge USA • www.presonus.com

monitor mix levels, panning and processing. Adjust the graphic EQs, well…graphically.

Combine StudioLive Remote with Capture (2-click multitrack recording program), VSL, plus Studio One Artist DAW, and your church has the most versatile, affordable live mixing/recording solution ever.

Get the whole story on our web site. And then get a StudioLive.

StudioLive Remote.AvailableJanuary

13th

2011 atthe AppleApp Store.

It’sablessingtoallwhenGodallowsustoshiftourpassionfromonethingtoanother.Matt&DeannaDolandoitbeauti-fully!Strongmarriage,soldouttoChrist,diligentinministryandexcep-tionalmusicians.Theydoeverythingwitheverythingtheyhave…fullofpassion,excellenceandlove.Meetmyfriends…

IfirstmetDeannabackintheSummerof2002whileshoppingforanapartmentinFranklin,TN.Shewasaleasingagentwhileatthesametime,asuccessfulandincredibleSinger/Songwriterpursuingarecorddealandrubbingshoulderswithmusicalgiants.IwasayearandahalfintomymovetoNashvilleandhadfinallymadeittothe“BigTime”asadrummer.Aboutamonthearlier,Ihadgoneonmyfirstcattlecallauditionforapromi-nentCountryArtistandgotthecalltobethedrummer.So,IfinallyhadenoughmoneytomovetoanicerpartoftownandluckilyDeannawasmyleas-ingagent.

So,why,after3yearsoftravelingtheworldforfreemakingagreatliv-ingplayingdrumsinfrontof50,000peopledidIdecidetocomeofftheroad?Ihadspentmyentirelifeuptothispointpouring100%intomyarttoachievethisandnowafteronly3yearsIwasleaving?

BeingaroadmusicianisalotoffunbutatthesametimeitisextremelydifficultforaChristian.Wewouldplay100showsperyearbutonceyoufactorintraveldaysonabus,weweregoneover200daysoutoftheyear.Thisisnotagoodrecipeforcultivat-ingarelationshipnottomentionthemanytemptationsyou’refacedwithdaily.Iwasonabuswith13otherpersonalitieswhodidn’treallyhavemybestinterestinmindanditbecamelessfunastimewent.NotonlywereDeannaandIfightingoverthephoneaboutstuffthat’sgoingoninthebackgroundbutalsoIwasbecominglessapartofthebandbecauseIwasseparatingmyselffrombuslife.AchangehadtohappenifIwantedtohonormyfuturewifebutmoreimportantlyGodbecauseuptothispointIhadonlygiven100%tomyart.

Atthesametime,Deannawasgettingachancetoseebehindthecurtainofthemusicindustryandbeginningtosecond-guessherplaceinit.Wasthisreallywhatshewantedbecauseshewasn’tlikingwhatshesaw

andrealizingitwasn’tasglamorousasshethought.

SoI’monthebusdoingastudybyHenryBlackabycalled,“KnowingandDoingtheWillofGod”,becauseIwastryingtofigureoutifIwascrazyforthinkingaboutleaving.IhadspentmostofmylifepouringintomyarttogettowhereIwasandnowI’mthinkingofleaving.Ihaveadegreebutmywholelifehadbeenmusic.I’mabouttogetmarriedandneedtomakealivingbutI’m29andcan’taffordtostartoverandthenIreadaboutthecallofAbraminGenesis12:1-5…

“TheLordhadsaidtoAbram,‘Leaveyourcountry,yourpeopleandyourfather’shouse-holdandgotothelandIwillshowyou.’

WhatifAbramdidn’ttakethatnextstepoffaith?LeaveyourCountry?Leaveevery-thingforwhat?Yousee,Godwillrevealtherestofthestoryassoonaswemaketheinitialfaithbaseddecisiontofollowhisinstructions.IknewrightthenandtherethatIneededtoleavethischapterinlifeandmovetothenext,whateverthatwas…soIquittheroad.

Whatyoudon’tknowupuntilnowisthatDeannawasaMuslim.IwishIcouldtellyouherwholetes-timony,butlongstoryshort,throughthenextyear,shewouldconverttoChristianityandherPalestinianFatherwoulddisownthefam-ilybecauseofit.

Afterherconver-sion,herpassionwouldleadherawayfromthemusicindustryandfullonintoaministrycalledMERGEthatreachesouttoArab

refugeeshereinTennessee.ItisdesignedtobethehandsandfeetofChristtoMuslimsandtolovethemwheretheyare,makingsuretheyhavetheessentialsinlifesuchastoiletpaper,ESL(EnglishasaSecondLanguage)classes,lifeskillsandafriend.ThroughthisprocessthefruitofherlaborhasseenotherMuslimscomingtoChristandbeingdis-cipledtobefaithfulfollowersofJesus.

Atthesametime,Icurrentlyworkatthesamechurchusingmycollegedegreetoheadupthegraphicdesign/videodepartment.Wearealsoareheavilyactiveontheworshipteam.TheinterestingthingaboutallofthisisthatGodhasgivenusallthedesiresofourheart.Iliterally,atonetimeoranother,havewantedtodoeverythingthatI’vedonetheselast35years.IusedtothinkthatwhenGodsaidthatHewouldgivemethedesiresofmyheart,thatmeantIwouldbetouringtheworldatthetopofthemusicalladder,butHeneversayshowlongthosedesireswilllastuntilhehassomethingnewforus.Ithoughtmymusicaljourneywasdoneanditwouldnowbemyhobby.But,sincethen,Deanna

andIhavehadtheopportunitytotraveltoTurkey,SyriaandEgyptandleadworshipatArabChristianYouthconferences.It’sbetterthanwecouldhaveeverdreamedandwegettodoittogether.

Sohowdoweput100%intoourMar-riage,MinistryandMusicianship?Wedoitbecausewelovetoandbecausewearecalledto.Weareblessedtogettospendalotoftimedoingthesameactivitiestogetherbutwemakeitapointtocarveoutqualitytimethroughouttheweek.Wehaveto.

Ministryisaconstanteverydaythingwhetherit’sshoppingforgroceriesorwor-shippingonSundaymorningandthemoreyouareintheWord,prayingandseekingGod,theeasieritis.

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20

Christian Musician: Your new album “Mosaic” has such a fresh sound to it. There is a lot of different instrumentation and musical styles to it. Would you call it a “New Grass” record?

Ricky Skaggs: Well, I wouldn’t quite say it is New Grass; it is definitely a new sound. I heard a lot of these demos come in from Gordon Kennedy and his writing team and I just knew it was something different you know?

By Bruce Adolph

And the way the lyrics were written was an incredible way to express the Word of God scripturally. And to get it out there, in a way to people, that didn’t offend.

It was quite a departure for me, but it was something that I felt like I really wanted to jump out of the boat into you know? It was a little nerving not really knowing how people would take it… people that had bought my bluegrass stuff for years.

I started out playing bluegrass in the 1950’s really (my dad bought me my first mandolin when I was 5 years old) so in 1959 I was all set to play mandolin. My bluegrass roots really go deep with me as a foundational start. Really, all of the music I’ve ever done has been built on top of that.

Then if I jet propel up into the future, I guess it was in the late 1970’s that I had met Emmy Lou Harris up in Washington, D.C.

2011 marks Ricky’s 40th year as a professional musician, and this fourteen-time Grammy Award winner continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music. Known affectionately today as bluegrass music’s official ambassador he has released a new project that stretches the musical boundaries and then some.

When we heard that he had teamed up with one of our favorite songwriter/guitarists/producers – Gordon Kennedy – for this new project - we knew it was time to talk with Ricky.

21

And Linda Ronstandt and people like that, and they really loved the fact that I had this tremendous history (almost a walking Webster’s Dictionary) for bluegrass, old time mountain music and gospel songs and that kind of stuff. Emmy Lou asked me to be part of her band and in 1978 I joined and was with her up until August of 1980. And then I came to Nashville with the idea of trying to blend bluegrass and old time mountain music with modern country music. Not modern music like Ronnie Milsap or Alabama and groups like that were doing. But I wanted to try to bring a traditional country sound of the 60’s and late 70’s back into the mainstream of music and have that bluegrass mixture there, because I knew there was a sound of bluegrass music that people loved. I mean commercials were using banjos, fiddles and mandolins to get people’s attention, so I knew those instruments were “attention getters.”

I really had a lot of success in the 1980’s and early 90’s with country music. Now Bill Monroe had passed away in 1996 and my father passed away the same year and I had this “deep calling unto deep” to come back to my roots. Mac McAnally and I had recorded one of his tunes a few years before that called “Simple Life” and that song just really resonated in my heart - because it was about living the simple life and condensing

things down. So I got rid of a tractor-trailer and two other tour buses (I kept one bus). I had 25 people on payroll and I really felt like it was a call from the Lord to go back and simplify my life musically and also structurally with my business organizat ion. So all of that happened in 1995 and 1996 and in 1997 I started S k a g g s F a m i l y Records w h i c h

was a really great thing for me to do because it allowed me to record the kind of music that I wanted to record without having to argue with 20 people sitting around a boardroom table. They would be telling me why bluegrass won’t sell. (Laughing) They would tell me why I couldn’t do a gospel record, so with my own label now I could call all my own shots. I can now argue with myself if I want to. (Laughing)

So all that to answer your question in that this record “Mosaic” is kind of a musical mosaic as well as the title of the record. It is a little bit of old bluegrass, it is a little bit of the old sounds that I grew up with in Appalachia (in Eastern Kentucky) but it is also a fresh new kind of wind that is blowing in as well. It is a little bit of everything I’ve ever done.

CM: It is like a lot of cultures mixing, from electric guitars to traditional instruments… I think it is great music.

RS: I’m glad you like it. We have yet to find one negative review. It’s amazing. I look for it. I want to know what people don’t like about it, you know. Not that I’m going to change anything about it because that it is too late. But NPR, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, people out there that would not normally give a gospel record or a Christian record a little nod, have just said glowing things about this record. The fact that the mainstream marketplace has really embraced it is one of the most amazing things about this project.

CM: Now tell us how it all got started. When did you first meet Gordon Kennedy and how did this project come about?

RS: I met Gordon’s dad back in the early 80’s when I first came to Nashville. I did some recording sessions for him for Reba McEntire and sang some harmony for him and maybe played some mandolin and fiddle on other projects for him. But I soon got so busy trying to be a session musician and have a career as well… then my session playing dried up as I got busier playing on my own records. I

didn’t meet Gordon until the Bruce Hornsby record that Bruce and I did together. Gordon wrote a song and turned it in to us called “Come on Out With Your Hands Up.” It was a song that he and Phil Madeira had wrote (those two also wrote “Can’t Shake Jesus” on the “Mosaic” record). Bruce loved the song Gordon had turned in and asked him to come in the studio and record the Dobro guitar part for it and then Gordon showed up to play the CMT “Crossroads” Television program that Bruce and I did for that record. That is what started our relationship. A couple of our engineers (Lee and Brent) had known Gordon for years as well as his father and brothers and Gordon had started sending Lee some demos for me to listen to. Lee would listen to them and say back to Gordon, “Well, I don’t think Ricky is going to like that, he might like this one a little bit”. So Lee finally ended up sending me everything Gordon was giving him and when I listened to them, I just wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do these songs. But as I heard them I said, “Man, I love these tunes and I sure would like to have a chance to record them… just to see if I could sing them”.

So our relationship started not that long ago but I’m telling you, he feels like an old pair of shoes. He is just that constant, good brother that loves to laugh, to have fun and that loves Jesus. I’m telling you. We have the greatest relationship; we love each other. You know Gordon and I were talking about this the other day. If we had to give up our friendship or give up this record (as much as we love “Mosaic”) we both agreed that we’d rather give up the music than our friendship. This was the greatest part of this whole journey… seeing our friendship grow.

CM: That’s terrific. Gordon has been helping Christian artists for so many years it’s not funny. He is a pillar in that community. Switching gears here a bit… tell us about the song you mentioned - “Can’t Shake Jesus”?

RS: The way the story goes is that Gordon was sitting down one morning to write with Phil Madeira and they had piddled around the

22

whole morning and not really had written much so they were getting ready to go to lunch. Phil had mentioned a relationship that this girl he knew had. She was married to a guy who had this really “religious” thing on him and he would take the scriptures and just wear her out and beat her down emotionally with them. If she didn’t come up to his standards, then he would really let her have it using scriptures. This put a bad taste in her mouth about anything to do with the Lord or church or anything like that. She was raised a Christian and had roots but this guy had soured her stomach so much that she started looking at New Age, Hinduism, Buddhism and this, that and the other. And while Phil was relating this to Gordon he said, “You know, at the end of the day… she just couldn’t shake Jesus”. And that one phrase that Phil said, was where the song was born. Gordon being the tunesmith that he is said, “Alright, we are going to lunch and when we come back that is what we are going to write”. I guess that was probably the shortest lunch they ever had. (Laughing). And you know, we have had more positive response on that song than anything else on the record. I have been doing that song just with an acoustic guitar as an encore and man, it is such a powerful lyric… and really it is a great track on the record but when you do it with just an acoustic guitar, people are forced to have to listen to just the lyrics… and it

old 1920’s Gibson A5 mandolin that was part of my life for about 20 years (I had it back when I was with Emmy Lou Harris). The guy who owned it wouldn’t sell it to me and I said, “Please sell me this mandolin.” And he would say, “No, just keep it and play it as much as you want to.” And what was happening was I was building up a pedigree from all of the albums that I was using it on (I had played it on 25 or 30 records). And one day I was in Knoxville where the gentleman who owned it lived and he said, “I’d like to get my mandolin back from you.” And I said, “Oh man no, please sell me this mandolin.” And he replied, “No, I want to give it to my grandson, he really wants a mandolin.” And I could just see the grandson dragging this mandolin across the road and I was imagining all of these nightmare situations (laughing).

I had looked for years to try and find a mandolin as sweet as this one you know, and I just couldn’t. But the owner wanted it back and I had to give it to him. Now about 8 years later he sells this mandolin to a guy in Georgia and that guy calls another guy in Georgia who is a friend of mine and says, “Hey, I just bought Ricky Skaggs old A style mandolin”. My friend in Georgia knew the story and knew my heartbreak over losing it. So

he told the guy (who was a guitar dealer) if you ever decide to sell it, I will buy it from you. The guy replied, “Naw, I think I’ll just keep it for a while.” Well, two weeks later the guy calls up and says, “Hey, I need a little cash so I’m willing to sell that mandolin.” My buddy bought it and called me up and said, “You are not going to believe what I am sitting here holding.” When he told me I couldn’t believe it. He said, “I had to pay more than what it was worth because it was your old mandolin. If you want it back, you can pay exactly what I paid for it.” I said, “I do want it back and I don’t care what you paid for it (it was like $5,000.00 or so). I’ll pay it!” I was so

is incredible.

CM: Yes, I watched you playing it on a YouTube clip and it doesn’t beat you over the head but it delivers Jesus to you.

Can you tell us about both the vintage gear and the newer instruments you used in recording Mosaic?

RS: Well, I’m using two or three new Paul Reed Smith acoustic guitars that we really love a lot. These are

unbelievably clear sounding guitars. I started working with Paul about 5 years ago on this acoustic guitar idea. I hopped on board and said that I would be glad to lend my expertise… we need to come up with something that looks great, plays great and sounds great. That was the criteria. And these Paul Reed Smith acoustic guitars turned out great. Even the pick-up systems we are really happy with.

For vintage stuff, Gordon played some old Gibson acoustic guitars (J45’s & J50’s), I played a bouzouki (which is a Greek instrument that has kind of been adopted now for Celtic music) and I played lots of different mandolins. A long hole

photo by Chris Waits

Ricky with Gordon Kennedy

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thankful to God for it coming back and it arrived right before I started making “Mosaic”. I just felt like it was a God thing and I used that mandolin a lot on the record.

We also used a mandocello and an 8-string octave mandolin. We used a bunch of old Martin guitars and some old Bourgeois guitars. I used a Jerry Jones Dan-electro type 6-string baritone electric guitar that one of my kids had bought me for Christmas last year. Gordon had a very old Fender amp with tremolo that I really loved that hadn’t been made in 40 years and I told him I would really like to get me one of those. The next day – honest to God – Steve Wariner calls to talk with Gordon and mentions that his son had an old Fender amp he wants to sell and it was the exact same amp that Gordon had. We bought it and used it on the record too!

I had another incredible mandolin nick named “PeeWee” that was used on several of the songs that I grew up listening to on the radio make it’s way to me and I just traded for a 1855 Martin guitar (pre-Civil War) that is a “1” size – which is smaller than an ought. So this has been a season where the Lord has blessed me. I love the sound of small body guitars. I have always used big rich, robust sounding guitars but I also like the small ones too. My Martin 00-42 is on the cover of Mosaic and it is just a beautiful and rich sounding little guitar.

24

CM: Wow! I could talk guitars all day. I noticed that your daughter Molly sings on the record. When I first heard it I actually thought it was Alison Krauss, her voice sounded so pure.

RS: She knocked it out of the park! She is such an incredible singer and she has such an incredible relationship with Jesus. Her spiritual maturity and singing voice made it a great performance on “I’m Awake Now”. Again it is amazing to see how the mainstream marketplace has embraced this album. This record isn’t “holding people over hell with a rotten stick” trying to get them into the kingdom you know, by using this fear thing. It is music that doesn’t condemn, but it confronts. The lyrics are not judgmental. I wanted to introduce Molly on this record to the mainstream. The demo that Gordon had sent had a female voice on it and as soon as I heard it I said, “Molly has to sing this!”

CM: Right on. With the few minutes we have left I wanted to comment on an observation of the bluegrass community. I see that they are very serious about raising their children on musical instruments. They take their kids to bluegrass camps for musicianship training and to different festivals and events. I think the modern church can learn a lot from this practice of investing in the next generation musically. What are your thoughts on that?

RS: Well I really think that they (the church) do have a lot to learn here.

I think that they certainly can adopt that lifestyle. That is one thing that the world does really good that the church does need to be doing. We have seen that and we have other kids that we pour into here in Nashville. We are involved with a pretty intense 90-day program for youth that includes bible study and street ministry along with feeding the poor. Many of the kids in this program are interested in music and they want to take music out to the marketplace and use it as a tool to minister and evangelize with.

So I do believe that the Levitical community of the church many times doesn’t see how important that ministry is. There are some colleges like Liberty University, that have a worship school now. There are a lot of people pursuing studying to be worship leaders. I’m on the board there and I keep saying to them, “Look, we don’t need to just stop with the church, that is a good place for kids to go and get some experience but God wants to get these kids out of the church and into the streets.” We have to get the “salt out of the shaker.” We have got to get the church out there in the marketplace where people are… where people are dying and going to hell everyday and that need a Savior! It is one thing to minister inside the church building where everything is comfy-cozy but it is something else to go to a casino or a bluegrass festival or out in the marketplace somewhere and live as one who loves Jesus… and be able to withstand out there. It is something that we need to be about, in training the next generation… I totally agree.

CM: For my last question I went to my FaceBook friends and I asked them what question would they want to ask Ricky Skaggs. Here is the one I selected. If you were down to your last song… what song would it be?

RS: “Oh, how I love Jesus… Oh, how I love Jesus… Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.”

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Collaboratingwithlongtimedrummer,JohnSferra,andmutualfriend,keyboardistJackGiering,PhilKeaggyreleaseshisumpteenthalbumofthemillen-nium:ajazzy,funk-fueledrompthrough12melodicallyconcisesongsthatfocusmoreonthematicunitythanunbridledimprovisation.ThealbumcameasaninspirationfromJackGiering’smiraculousrecoveryfromaheartattack.Asheputsit,thealbumis“anattemptatproducingasoundtrackofmyshortdeath,asIrememberitbeforethedoctorsbroughtmebacktolife.”Keaggyisinfineformonthedisc,mostlyplayingelectricandutiliz-ingonlysimpleeffectslikethewah-wahonthetitletrack,whileGieringemploysasmorgasbordofkeyboardsounds,relyingmostlyonorganbutaddingafewsynthesizedtextureshereandthere.OftentheinterplayhasaslightSteelyDanfeel,subtlyon“Let’sThinkAboutIt”andmuchmorepronouncedthroughout“ColdGirl,”whereGeiringaccentsthemixwithkeyboardhornsandSferra’ssteadydrummingprovidesthetrack’sanchor.Tuneslike“PorchpuppyTheme”and“OurGirls,”atributetothebandmember’sdaughters,aresimilarinstyletoKeaggy’sworkonPlay Thru Me.ThealbumhasacharmunlikeanyofKeaggy’srecentprojects,perhapsowingtotherenewedkeyboard/guitarinterplaythathasn’tbeenheardsoblatantlysincealbumslikeEmerging,whichfeaturedtherock/soulBANDdynamicofPhilMadeira,orthemoreimprovisatoryinterplaybetweenKeaggyandRichardSoutheronHow the West Was Won.Regardless,Inter-Dimen-sional Travelerisarealtreatforfansofguitar,

keyboard-funk,jazz-rockers,ballads,goodmusicingeneral.You’dexpectnothinglessfromanamelikePhilKeaggy,andhisfriendsbringinafreshelementthatmakesthisoneoftheguitarmaster’smostmemorableinsometime.

MoveThirdDayEssential/

Provident/SonyConsolidatingthe

strengthsofpastwork,ThirdDayreleasestheirlatestopus,Move.

Thealbumisanassimilationoftheband’ssouthernroots(bestrepresentedbytheirdebutandTime),themorerockingdynam-icsofWire,RevolutionandConspiracy#5,andthepop-worshipmovesoftheOfferingsprojectsorWhereverYouAre.Lyrically,ThirdDayalternatesbetweenstraightupworshipdeclarationsandsongsthatexhortandin-struct.Highlightsintheformercampinclude“ChildrenofGod,”asurefiresingleifevertherewasone;“TrustInJesus,”whichmarriesathoughtfulandinventivearrangementwithtriteworshipsentiment;and“SoundofYourVoice,”anothercongregationalpleaserthatfeaturesalovelyguitarfigureandvocalhar-moniesfromChristyNockels.Itistheforaysintorockandgospelterritory,however,thattrulyprovidethemusicalmovementreflectedinthealbum’stitle.Albumopener“LiftUpYourFace”isarockerthatmarriestheheavierproductiontricksofRevelationwithaninsistent,minorkeyhookandthekillervocalchopsofTheBlindBoysofAlabama,whilethenexttrack,“MakeYourMove,”featuresheavybassandthetypeofpunk-meets-southernbluesriffsthatyou’dhearonaBlackKeysrecord.“Surrender”and“Gone”mixexcellentchoruseswithsomeserioussouthernrockswagger,resultinginthemostconsistentlypropulsivemomentsonthere-cord.WithapologiestoformerguitaristBradAvery,hisdeparturemightbethebestthingthathashappenedtoThirdDay,asithasallowedMarkLeeandhisheavilyrootsandbluesinfluencedaxeworktobecomecentraltotheband’ssound,givingthegroup’slasttworecordsarawnessthatbenefitsamoreruralvibe.Alwaysabandthathasriddenthefencebetweencommercialhitmachineandsolidbluesbasedrockband,Moverepresents

by Shawn McLaughlin

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ThirdDay’smostfullyrealizedamalgamationoftheirmusicalinfluencesinapackagethatdoesn’tcompromisetheircommercialaspira-tionsatall.

ThisisChristianMusician’s(andmy)firstattemptatayearendlistanditwouldbefoolishnottodiscusstheparametersIusedtoarriveatthesechoicesandthisorder.Inoticethatmanymagazineshavetop10’sofeachwriterthatreviewsalbumsforthem.IamthesolereviewwriterforCMsoIfeelalittlelessfreetosimplylistmypersonal20favoriteshere.Artisticexcellenceisabout90percentofmycriteriawhilesalesisabout.001.Therestofthe9.9%iscomprisedofsocial,politicalandspiritualimpact,originalityandhistori-calsignificance.However,Irealizethatmytastestendtowardgenresthataren’taswellrepresentedinthemarketplacetodaysoafewreleasesmaybeabitlowerthanIwouldlistthemifsolelygoingbymyownpreferences.Withthatsaid,thisisMYlistanditcertainlyrepresentsmyownideaofthebestmusicthathasbeenreleasedin2010.Iwouldventurethatyouwillfindfarmoreindependentart-istsonthislistthanalmostanyotherChris-tianbasedmagazineorwebsiteoutthere.However,Ihavealsolimitedthechoicestoreleasesbyartiststhatwouldnotdenythattheywrite,predominantly,fortheChristianaudience.Thisisdonewiththeunderstand-ingthatmostofourreadershipismadeupofpeoplewhomakealivingintheChristian

musicindustryandwewanttohonortheirefforts.Withallthatstatedlet’sbegin.

1.OldAngel-LostDogs:Hardlyasurprisefor

thosewhoreadmygushingreviewintheJuly/Aug.IssueofCM.Simplythebestal-

bumyetbytheseveteransofthemusicbusi-nessandastunning,folk/country/rocksongcyclethatcutstotheheartofwhatitmeanstoseekafter“TheAmericanDream”.2.Suburba-HouseofHeroes

HUGEalbumthatmergedmodernsoundswithclassicformsandfur-thercementedtheformida-bletalentsofTimSkipper,oneofrockmusic’sbrightestlights.

3.InFeastorFallow-SandraMcCracken

Asimplybrillianttakesonclassichymnsbutwithaconceptualtwist.Subtleelectronictoucheswith

richorganicinstrumentationhighlightsomeclassicandnewhymnsdonewithlyricalandmelodicintegrity.4.BurningLiketheMidnightSun–TheChoir

Thisband’sfinestrecordsince1991’sCircleSlide.

Hasalltheelementsthatmadethebandgreatinthefirstplace.Fetchingsonics,searinglyricsfromSteveHindalongandtheterrificmelodiesofDerriDaugherty.

5.FallowGround-JanKrist

LongMIAforallbutthemostfanaticfollowers.Janhasbeenreleasingfolk/popgemssporadicallysinceshe

recordedacoupleofbeautifulrecordsontheshort-livedbutfondlyrememberedStoryvillelabelintheearly1990’s.Thisisfulloftendermelodies,spareguitar-centricarrangementsandKrist’swonderfultalesofthehumanheartandit’ssometimesdifficultsearchfortruth.6.Mosaic–RickySkaggs

Stunningsetthatpushesstylisticboundar-iesforSkaggs.HisusualinstrumentalprowessisdownplayedindeferencetothewonderfulsongsofGordonKennedyandBenCooperwithsinglecontributionsfromacoupleotherwriters.ThesongscertainlycontainelementsofSkaggs’bluegrassroots,buttheyaremerelyusedforcolor,ratherthanasthetemplateonMosaic.Instead,pop/countryandeven60’sflavoredrockmakeupanalbumthatdoesn’treallyhaveoneclunkeramongstits14tunes.ThelyricalfocusisdefinitelyspiritualasSkaggscallsthisagospelrecord.Butalongwithsimpledeclarationsoffaitharefleshand

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bloodstoriesthatpaintthepictureofGod’sprovidence,eveninthemosttryingcircum-stances.“I’mAwakeNow”featuresthelovelyvocalsofdaughter,Molly,keepinguptheSkaggstraditionoftalentedmusicians.

7.BeautifulThings-Gungor

Theonlyworshipalbuminthetopten,Gungortranscendstheinherentmusicalandlyricallimitsof

thegenrewithoneofthemorevariedproj-ectsonthelist.ShadesofSufjan,SigurRos,IsraelHoughton(whoguestsontherecord)andSunnyDayRealEstatecanbeheardonthisexpansiveset.Therealtriumphisinthesongwriting:Uniquechordvoicings,soar-ingmelodies,exquisitelyinventivearrange-mentsandMichaelGungor’smuscularguitarplayingarethemainingredientsofthistastymusicalstew.8.IWantMine(TheUnavoidableSurrenderofLiberalismtoSocialism)–RickAltizer

AnotherCCMhermitresurfaceswithauniqueconceptalbumthatmergespoliticsandtheentertainmentbusi-nessinordertoexposetheinherententitle-mentthatplaguesoursociety.EmulatingthePrince/StevieWonder/ToddRundgrenmodel

oftheonemanband,Altizercomesupwith15scintillatingslicesofpop/rockthatarehighlyinfluencedbythefirst(60’s)BritishinvasionandPsychedelia.

9.WeWalkThisRoad-RobertRandolphandtheFamilyBand

T-BoneBurnettpro-ducedalbumthatdialeddownthejambandethos

ofpriorreleasesforastudiedwalkthroughRandolph’sBluesandGospelroots.Originalscombinewithwiselychosencoversthathigh-lightthesocialandhistoricalsignificanceofBlackmusicthroughouttherock&rollera.10.DonnellyCarterPayne–BillyCerveny

AlittleknownNashvilleartistwhoclaimsmember-shipinthetheSquarePegAllianceofartists,includ-ingDerekWebb,JillPhillips,AndyOsengaandmanyothers,CervenyimpresseswithabiographicalconceptalbumofaCivilWarerainfantrymanandthesocial,politicalandspiritualchallengesoffightingandraisingafamilyduringthatsadtimeinourcountry’shistory.Cerveny’sfinevoiceaccompaniesastrongheartlandrock,folkandbluessoundthatdrawsobviousparallelstothelatterdayworkofJohnMellencamp.

Thenextten:11. CountingStars-AndrewPeterson12. TheLawofGravity-AndyGullahorn13. DowntownChurch-PattyGriffin14. RaisingtheDead-Caedmon’sCall15. DisappearingWorld-Fair16. TheChangingoftheGuard-Starflyer17. HorseshoesandHandGrenades–

Disciple18. JetVelvet-Jetvelvet19. Achor–JoshWhite20. IntheMiddleofIt-Waterdeep

5EP’snottomiss.:LetitShine–KevinLawsonTravelI–FutureofForestryTravelII–FutureofForestryTravelIII–FutureofForestryTheNighttheCumberlandCameAlive–

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Francis

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MAY 13 & 14, 2011at the Chapel at Crosspoint

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CMS@theChapel will also feature

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SEPTEMBER 16 & 17, 2011at Cornerstone Fellowship, Livermore, CA

OCTOBER 14 & 15, 2011at Scottsdale Bible Church, Scottsdale, AZ

NOVEMBER 11 & 12, 2011at Overlake Christian Church, Redmond, WA

MARCH 26, 2011at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Tacoma, WA

MAY 21, 2011at Calvary Community Church, Westlake Village, CA

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CMS 2011 - mag ad.indd 1 12/20/10 11:46:32 AM

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With the release of their new album, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Disciple enters a new era that, while featuring original lead singer Kevin Young, now contains an entirely new cast for the rest of the band. Christian Musician Magazine caught up with Kevin Young recently while on tour and he filled us in on the new lineup, new album, and his devotion to Jesus Christ.

The original Disciple members formed the band way back in 1992. It was difficult for Kevin to see his longtime cohorts (Brad Noah, Tim Barrett and later addition Joey Fife) leave the band. Brad Noah departed for several reasons, including back problems that made touring difficult.

Tim Barrett departed for personal reasons. “When the other original guys left that was tough because it’s kind of like getting a divorce,” commented Kevin. “I really felt like I was married to these guys and with them leaving, it was not easy. They are my brothers and I love them and I definitely miss them for sure, so it has been tough.”

In stepped the capable Micah Sannan and Andrew Welch on guitars, Israel Beachy on bass and Trent Reiff on drums. “I loved Israel from the band Staple,” said Kevin. “He’s a cool guy, a super nerd, my kind of guy. There was no option number two for me when it came to bass players, I was going to ask Israel.

by Bob Waller

“Trent, our new drummer was our tour manager/sound guy for a couple of years, but he would get up on the drums and mess around and we were like ‘how is he so good?’ Trent shined and he fit right in when Tim left.”

Replacing Brad Noah was perhaps the hardest aspect of putting the new Disciple together. “Replacing Brad was not a very easy thing to do,” explained Kevin. “Brad always did a lot of rhythm work and then lead work over the top of that. I felt we needed a couple of guitar players to do what Brad had always done and there was a lot of things we did on our albums in the studio that we needed to do live and so we started a search for two guitar players.

33

“We had played with a band called Falling Up and Micah was a guitar player for them. We knew Micah and he could do back flips off his guitar amp and I felt we should ask him to try out. The question put to me was ‘can he play guitar?’ And I said, ‘who cares? He can do back flips off his guitar amp.’ The truth is that Micah is a really phenomenal guitar player. He wrote some great songs on the new CD. Andrew is the second guitar player and when we met him he was doing guitar tech work for Pillar after being in previous bands as well.”

Once Brad Noah left, Kevin began questioning whether he should indeed carry on. “When Brad Noah left the band I really had a serious time of questioning and asking ‘is this my time too?’ Brad and Tim and I started this band together when I was sixteen and they were eighteen. When Brad was leaving I really had to answer that question seriously…’am I going to keep going, or am I going to go home too?’ I began to prayerfully seek God’s guidance in that and a couple of things happened. For one, a girl came up to me and told me how she had heard our song After The World, and she had her suicide planned out right to the last detail and then heard the song and gave her life to Christ and decided to live. And in that moment for me, it was like God saying ‘see, I need more of that. You’re not done.’

“When I was 12 years old, and before I was a musician, a lady came up to me and said that she felt that God told her I was going to have a music ministry and was going to go all around the world,” Kevin continued. “I was playing Little League as a 12 year old. I was not singing or anything, and yet that happened. And that was God preparing me for the call he had on my life, and he reminded me of that when I was asking about going home. He was telling me ‘this is why you’re here and you are not done yet’ and so I’m still here and I’m not done yet.”

Alternative metal, Christian rock, heavy metal, Christian metal. These are terms out there that have been used to describe Disciple’s music. We asked Kevin Young what term he uses. “Rock,” came the reply as he laughed. “Just rock. I love and hate the term ‘Christian Rock’ or ‘Christian Metal’. I love it in the fact that it says the word ‘Christian’ because that’s what we are and that’s what we talk about and we are all Christians and our faith is very important to us. And being a Christian we feel that that is the answer to life and so we want to share it with people, but not do it in a way where we’re looking down our nose like we’re better than anyone else, but in a way of love that says we have something amazing we really want to share with you.

“But I also hate the term ‘Christian Rock’ he continued, “because it is the only musical

genre term that addresses what people are talking about. Every other musical genre term addresses the sound. Whether the term is blues or hip-hop or jazz or rock or R&B or pop or whatever, it is saying ‘this is what the music sounds like’. But if you just say ‘it is Christian’ it’s like, oh, this is what they’re talking about. Everyone else has the opportunity to talk about whatever they want to talk about and not be labeled, but if we talk about God we get labeled.

“There are some artists out there that have been able to bypass the term ‘Christian’ and are very fortunate for it, like U2 or Lenny Kravitz, who are able to talk about spiritual things in their songs and not be termed Christian. I would love the day when we all could do that, but at the same time I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am not afraid of that term but feel a little pigeon-holed by the music community in being the only genre that gets labeled for what we talk about.”

Disciple is certainly one of the hardest rocking bands touring and recording today, and Kevin Young is one of rock’s most fired up performers. His passionate preaching is evident most nights during the band’s live set. We asked him why he finds it extremely important to quote Scripture on stage. “Music is powerful and it moves you,” began his reply. “It’s very ultimately true as we are looking here at this picture of Toby Mac on the cover of Christian Musician magazine, and I heard him say one time something that just changed my life. I think he had heard somebody else say it, so who knows where it came from originally, but I heard him say ‘music is powerful and the Gospel is powerful and you combine those two things and you’ve got the ultimate powerful thing.’

“Romans 1:16 says ‘I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God and the salvation to those that believe in it,’” said Kevin, “and that is true, so when we share the Gospel, when we share bible verses with people I literally, in my spirit and in my heart believe that we are sharing power with people; the power to be free from sin, the power to have a relationship with Christ, the power to know what life is really all about, the power of truth, and the power of knowing the direction their life was designed to head in.

“I believe that with all my heart. So me just saying something is one thing, but me saying ‘this is my source of why I’m saying what I’m saying,’ then it’s not really about Kevin Young anymore, and it’s not really about Disciple anymore, it becomes about this source. I feel that is what we have wanted to be about since the very beginning. We’re a band that points to someone else. We’re a band that literally takes glory and praise and defers it to someone else.”

We inquired as to what the lead singer of Disciple feels is the best aspect of being the front man for the band. “There are so many good things about it,” he answered. “I get to be surrounded by a great group of guys that I’m with right now and just being friends with them is amazing. I really love the opportunity that I get to share and to speak and I think that if I were to get up on stage right now in front of a thousand people and just speak, I think that a few people would listen to me. But for some reason when Disciple gets up and plays some songs and then I speak I can get just about everybody to listen to me. I don’t know why that is, but it is the way it is and for some reason Disciple grabs people’s attention and gives me the platform to share my faith in Christ with people. I think that is probably the best thing about being the front man.”

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades continues in the tradition of hard rocking heavy music that Disciple has always offered. We wondered which track on the album would Kevin Young consider the most important? “From an industry standpoint, I would say Dear X - You Don’t Own Me is the most important song on the album because it has opened up new doors,” he explained.

“Someone at Columbia Records liked the song and we have a relationship with Columbia Records and they said ‘we think it’s a hit and we want to re-record it with Howard Benson and see what it can do with Active Rock’. And so we just did that. The song has a great message about being set free from your past.

“But from a spiritual standpoint I think the song Invisible is probably the most important song on the album,” the singer noted, “which is talking about how you may be invisible to the world, and the world may not be able to hear you or see you, but God hears you and God sees you.

“I have met a lot of people and talked to them about either cutting or depression. I asked a kid one time, ‘why is it that you cut?’ His answer just blew me away, which was ‘because I feel like no one is listening to me.’ That is important to somebody, to be able to communicate.

“We’re here on this earth, not meant to be alone, but meant to have community with each other and meant to be loved by each other and when someone feels like no one can hear them and no one sees them, no one loves them, it really gives them this sense of hopelessness. To know that not only does somebody love you, but THE somebody loves you, and he not only has the ability to hear us, but he’s like anxiously waiting to hear us…He’s wanting us to speak to him, more than we’re wanting Him to speak to us…so when we realize it, that is a major turning point in a human

31

being’s life to know that there is a supreme God that not only loves them, not only has the ability to hear them, not only has the ability to see them, but wants to see them, desires to see them, desires to hear them and desires to love them…and that’s really what the song Invisible talks about and so from a spiritual standpoint I think it’s the most important.”

Everyone has a different song writing style and we wanted to know about the song writing process for Disciple. “If I’m writing a song and I’m writing the music I usually start with the chorus,” Kevin noted, “because I want to have a good and powerful theme to talk about and write around it.

“If the guys are writing music, and we all wrote together on this album, normally that will start first; there will be music and then lyrics. But it is different every time. I’ve done a couple of co-writes. I wrote Dear X - You Don’t Own Me with an outside guy named Ben Glover. I just showed up at his house with no ideas and he sat down at a keyboard and said ‘here’s a little string part I’ve got’. He also had a little melody. So I just started writing ‘dear pain, it’s been a long time’ just as if we were writing a letter to the things in our past. It just happened. Sometimes you just go in and it just happens.”

There is no question that the music environment today presents major challenges unseen in previous years, partly due to economic reasons. We asked how difficult it is for Disciple. “We feel like we were called to do this and we’re all very low maintenance guys and we don’t make very much money,” commented Kevin. “Because we are doing what we love to do, we’re not really worried about it.

the Explorer and Veggie Tales. It’s about cooking hot dogs and French fries and having tea time. So that’s what my life is about when I’m not performing right now. I used to have hobbies and now I play pretend kitchen with my daughter.”

Lastly, we noted that Disciple has been nominated in the past for Dove awards and had big hit records, but we wanted to know what was most important to Kevin Young. “The obvious answer is to see peoples lives change,” he replied, “but it is good to get awards and to be nominated. It feels good and it gives you a sense of ‘these are my peers and these are my friends’. For example, Thousand Foot Krutch are my friends and to be nominated for something with them is a huge honor and to win something feels really good. To go record with Howard Benson is a dream come true.

“But honestly, at the end of our life all of those awards will be forgotten and all of those things nobody will remember. But if somebody came to our show, heard the Gospel, and their life was changed, that is something that lasts for an eternity because then it is a ripple effect because the person is probably going to change somebody else’s life, and so on and it is going to be an exponential result.

“There was a guy who came up to me one time and thanked me,” continued Kevin,

“and I think from that moment changed me in the question of what’s most important. He put it so eloquently and he said ‘I just want to thank you because now my wife has a Christian husband. She’s always had a husband, but now she has a Christian husband, and now my kids have a Christian father.’’ When he said that to me, that changed everything for me because that was important that an entire family had been changed just by saying what we say.

“We are not very serious people. We play our show, we get on the bus and play video

games and watch football. But there is something powerful about the Gospel and when you take time to share it with people there is a God that is real that wants to be in people’s lives enough to give his son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and when people discover that, it is life changing.

“We have the opportunity to share it, and we do it and when that actually happens, when a life is changed, there is nothing greater. Nothing. If we got every award there is to get, and platinum records, and not one person’s life was changed, at the end of my life I could honestly say that my life would be worthless.”

“If money is a big issue and you need a lot of it to survive you are not going to be very happy doing this because right now the music industry is at an all time low. We don’t really worry about that. When I started tithing somewhere along the middle of my walk with God, he began to show me how he would take care of me. We would tithe 10% of our money to Him in some way, whether it’s the local church, or charity, or whatever. Because of that we’ve always seen God take care of us.

“We are constantly, as a band, in financial need. We’re also constantly getting taken care of financially. I’ll open up our books and I’ll be looking at them and asking ‘oh man, how are we going to do this or that‘, and then every month it always gets taken care of somehow. That being said, it’s all in the type of person. If you need to make a lot of money, go to college and do something else, because we sure didn’t.”

We asked the hard working, hard rocking Kevin Young what he might be doing if he were no longer a musician? The answer surprised us. “I have a two year old daughter, and right now when I’m not performing my life is about Dora

Disciple

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Product Review (cont. page 18)

Continued on page 40.

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whatgenerallyworkswellandwillatleastgetyoustartedintherightdirection.TrytokeeptheOD/Disteffectsfirstinthechain.Theyreactbestwhenreceivingtheirsignaldirectlyfromtheguitar(orvolumepedalifyou’reusingone).Thiswillmakethemfeelmostlikethenaturaldistortionfromatubeguitaramplifier.Secondly,feedingtheModulationeffects,afterOD/Dist.willmaximizethedesiredcolorsfromthem.Usingthesefirst2categoriesbackwardswillyield“muddy”and“hazy”resultsfromtheMod.effects.KeepingReflective/Ambientpedalsattheendofthechainwillinsurethattheirsoundsareclearand“washclean”intoyouramplifier.Lastly,acoollittletrickistoinsertanoisereductionpedaljustbeforetheReflectivepedals.Thiswillreducemostofthenoisefromtheprevi-oussignalchainwithoutcancellingouttheReflectiveeffects,whichtendtobelowerinvolumethanthemain,ordrysignalandcanbeunintentionallymuted,byhavinganoisereductionpedalafterthem.

Iencourageyoutospendtimebothlisteningpersonallyandgettingsuggestionsfromplayerswhosetoneyoulike.Therearethousandsofchoicesoutthereandmorebeingaddedbytheminute,sodon’tgettocaughtupinwhatsomebodyelsesaysisthe“bestever”.Createyourowntonepalettebygoingwithwhatfeelsrighttoyou.

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bearrangedin?Pedalboardshavebecomethenorm,

thesedays.Itseemseveryguitarplayerhasone.Thisdemandhasspawnedthelargestarrayofchoicesthattheguitarworldhas

everseen.Therearepedalsineverypriceandqualityrange,sohere’sageneraloverviewofmythoughts:

Pricevs.Quality-Trytospendatleastintothe“middle-of-the-road”category:

($75-$125ea.streetprice)ThiswouldincludeproductsfromBoss,Ibanezandotherwell-

knownprovencom-panies.Itisofmyexperiencethattheexamplesfromtheunder$50range,althoughtempting,tendtoaddnoisetoyoursignal,evenwhentheeffectisdisengaged.Thebattleofnoisefromaccumulatedped-alsischallengingenough,withoutonepedaladdingsignificantly,allbyitself.Upper-endor“Boutique”pedalsareusuallywellworththeinvestmentandarewellbuiltandgenerallymorequietthatthecheapies.

TypesandFlavors-Let’sboilitdowntothebasics.Mostessentialswillfallintooneof3categories;Overdrive/Distortion,ModulationandReflection/Ambient.Havingoneortwoineachofthesecategorieswillgetyouofftoagoodstart.It’sgreattohavetheoptionofatleastoneoverdriveandonedistortionpedaltochoosefrom.Thedifferenceissimplythis:overdriveisthesameasdistortion,butwithlesssaturationorgain.Modulationeffectsincludethingslikechorus,flanger,phaseshifters,wah-wahandeffectsthat“color”thesoundverydistinctively.DelayandreverbeffectsfallintotheReflective/Ambientcategory.

OrderintheCourt-Keepinmindthatthiscanbesubjectiveterritory,buthereis

QQAA

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

Ask Joeby Joe Riggio

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WelcomebacktoGuitarfromA2Zfor2011.IwasrecentlytalkingtomyfriendskeyboardistAustinBielandguitaristShanePatrickattheCovenantSchooloftheArtsinLakelandFloridaaboutworkingonyourcreativegiftsandcreativeworshipconcepts.Practicingyourinstrumentisaformofwor-ship!IwanttoencourageyouforthisNewYearnottoprocrastinate.WeneedtobediligentinprayerandworshipandequippingourselvestobereadyforspontaneousHolySpiritledworship.Reclaimingourgiftstocre-atenewsoundsandsongsyetunheardthatwilltouchtheheartofGOD.

Inthislessonwearegoingtomulti-taskwithaharmonizedscaleusingaFlatpicking,HighbredPickingandFingerstyleexercises.Wewillbeusing2notesharmonizedinthekeyofGMajor,therootandthirdandtherootandtenth.Therootisthe1stnoteofthescale“G”andthethirdisthe3rdnoteofthescale“B”.Example1isthe“G”MajoralsoknownastheIonianscaleintheopenposition,GABCDEF#G.Example2isthe“B”PhrygianscaleopenpositioninthekeyofGMajor,BCDEF#GAB.Using“FlatpickingTech-nique”playbothoneoctavescalesusingalternatepicking“Down-Up”.

NowcombinethetwoscalestogethertomakeaharmonizedscaleinThirds.Example3ascendsuptheneckonthelowEandAstrings.Example4ascendsuptheneckontheGandBstring.Firstuseapickwithalldownstrokes,andthenplayitwithyourfingers.Useyourthumbtoplaythelowernotesandyourindexfingertoplaythehighernotespluckingthestringssimultaneously.Thiscanalsobeknownas“doublestops”.

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twooctavesmakingitthetenthnotefromtherootnote.Thismovesthe3rdnoteB(intheGmajorscale)toitsoctaveB.Example5ascendsuptheneck,usea“HighbredPickingTechnique”withacombinationofapickandyourfingertopickthehighernote.Youcanuseyourmiddleorringfinger,which-everworksbestforyou.Example6movesacrosstheneck,watchfortheopenstrings.Use“Fingerstyle”pickingwithyourthumbplayingthelownoteandyourringfingerplayingthehighnotes.YoumaynoticepartofaBeatlestuneinthereatthebeginningoftheexample.Youmayhavealsonoticedthatthe3rdispartofthetriadchordconstructionof“Root,ThirdandFifth”,butthat’sanotherlessonsonitsownforalaterdate.

Iencourageyoutopursuethislessoninotherkeysandintervals’overtheneckandseewhatnewideasyoucancomeupwith.Tillnexttime,keepyoursightssetonHeaven.

37

Rich has a 6 CD audio program for learning, hearing and memorizing music theory called “Theory For The Road” which can be found at www.GuitarCollege.com. It

explains everything in detail and includes audio music illustrations on keyboard and guitar, and ear training.

MostChristiansknowit’simportanttosetasidetimeforthingsthathelpyougrowasaChristianlikeprayer,biblestudy,fellowship,etc.Soifbecomingabetterplayerandmusi-cianisalsoimportanttoyouhereare10stepsthathavehelpedmeandmanyothersmakethemostofpracticetime.Givethematry,you’llnoticegrowthrightaway.

Have the proper material to prac-tice. Stopplayingthesamethingsoverandover.Findasystematicstudyplanthatwillchallengeyoutotakeyourplayingandknowledgetothenextlevelandinspirecreativity.(ObviouslyI’mpartialtothegreatmaterialsatwww.GuitarCollege.comandwww.99centGuitarLessons.com.)It’shelpfultohave2or3differenttypesofstudymaterialssuchastechnique,theory,chords,soloing,reading,etc.toavoidboredomandfrustration.Organizematerialsforseveralpracticesessionssoyouwon’thavetodoiteachtimeyousitdowntopractice.

Studies show that using a music stand while you practice helps you learn faster.Probablybecauseitisthemostcomfortableandeffectivewaytoviewyourmaterialandavoidcrampinginyourneck,back,shoulders,etc.Plusfollowingalongwiththematerialwhetheritistabornotationwillimproveyourreadingskills.

Create a practice nook and have your materials and equipment ready to prac-tice before you sit down to begin.Don’twaituntilpracticetimetohuntforyourbook,dragoutyourinstrument,practicelog,etc.Makeitpleasantandinviting.Addaplant(re-laxing)andpictures(CDorLPcovers)ofyourmusicheroestomotivateyou.Keepthingsneatandorganizedsoitwon’tbeaneyesoreandyou’lllookforwardtoreturningsoon.

Use a practice log to keep track of your practice time and what you’ve practiced.Thismakesyoumoreaccountableforyourpracticetimesandyoucanseeyourprogress.Youcanalsoseewhattimesandma-terialsaremostproductiveforyou.Keeptrack

10 Steps to Effective Practicingofmetronomesettingstouseasastartingpointforthenextpracticeandtogageyourimprovement.

Practice daily!Someofushavedifferentdailyroutinesandcan‘tpracticeatthesametimeeachday.Studyyourscheduleforaweekandchartoutthebestandmostproductivetimesforeachdayforyoutopractice.It’simportanttoplanyourpracticetimeandmaterialforatleastaweekatatime.

Small consistent units of time pro-vide great results.Weretainmoreinforma-tionfromshortregularperiodsofstudythanfromlongirregularintervals.Ifyourgoalistopracticeanhouraday,three20-minutesessionsisthemosteffectiveplan.After20minutesofpracticingyourretentiondecreasesrapidly.Shortmultiplesessionsreviewingthesamematerialincreasesretention.It’susuallyeasiertosqueezeintwoorthree20-minutepracticesessionsthroughoutabusydaythanfindingafullhour.Onceyoulearnsomethingnewthenitneedstobeconvertedtomuscleorfingermemory.Thistakestime,haveyourinstrumentwithyouwhileyouwatchTVtoworkonyourfingermemory.

Use a timer,when the bell rings the session is over.Onceyougetstartedpractic-ingit’sarealtemptationtokeepgoingevenwhenitinterfereswithotherimportantthings.Youcertainlydon’twanttofeelguiltyaboutpracticing,soputinyourtimeandstop.Ifyoudon’tyoumightsay,“IdidanextrahouryesterdaysoI’llskiptoday”NotGood!

Always use a metronome to develop good time and to measure your progress.Somesaypracticingwithoutametronomeisawasteoftime.Itendtoagree.Whetherwork-ingonscales,chordchangesriffs,whatever,you’vegottobeabletoplaythemintime.Usethemetronometomeasureyourprogressbykeepingtrackofthesettings.Ifyoucanplayanexerciseat110bpmtrybumpingitto120.Ifyoucandoitgreat!Thenmoveitupevenhigher.Ifnotgobackto110andplayitafewtimesthentrymovingthetempouptillyougetit.Thisisthemosteffectivewaytolearn

apiececorrectly.FYI,getametronomewithadeeptone,it’shardertoignore.

Move on if you get frustrated.Don’tspendsomuchtimetryingtoperfectthingsitfrustratesyou.Workitasufficientnumberoftimesandthenmoveon.Somestudentsprefertoworkthroughanentirebook2or3timestoavoidgettingstuckonsomethingandbecom-ingfrustrated.Thedifficultpartsseemeasierwhenyoucomebacktothem.Youmaylearnsomethingnewinthemeantimethatmakesthattoughparteasiernexttime.

Make your recorder your best friend.You’llneedsometypeofrecordingdevice.You’vegottogetarealisticideaofwhatyousoundlikeandtherecorderwon’tlietoyou.Recordeveryexerciseandsongyou’repractic-ing.Thequalityoftherecordingisn’timpor-tant;gofortheeaseofonebuttonrecordingwithnolevelchecks.Thiswayyouplaysome-thingshortandplayitbackeasily.Makesureyourmetronomeisaudiblewhenyourecord.Endeachpracticesessionrecordingandbeginthenextbylisteningsoyoucanworkouttheroughspots.Listenforbadspotsbutalsolistenforthegoodandtheimprovement.Don’tstartnegativeselftalk,staypositive!Savesomeofyouroldpracticerecordingsandwhenyoufeellikethereisnoprogress,gobackandlisten,you’llheartheprogress!

Practice these steps consistently press-ing toward your goal. You’ll get results, don’t give up. If God has blessed you with a desire to make music do your best to cultivate it and give it back to Him.

Tillnexttime,mayGodblessyourhardwork.

38

Bryan Duncan... CCM artist for thirty years. With the Sweet Comfort Band, then solo and now with the Nehosoul band. Owner of Red Road Records and Host of Radio Rehab at www.radiorehab.com inducted into the Christian music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Ifanyoneoffersacriticismofyoursongthatyouhavenotalreadyconsidered,thenyouhaven’tputyourtimeinforsuccess.Granted,someofthemostwonderfulsongswerewrittenwithouttheslightesteffort.Indeed,someofmybiggesttuneshavebeenafterthoughts.ButIthinkthatphenomenononlycomeswhenawriterissofamiliarwiththeprocessthatithappenswithoutthinking.

Now,Iknowmostofyouhaveeitherhandedsomeoneademotapeorreceivedafew.And,ifyouarewillingtolisten,youknowwhatI’mgoingtotalkabouthere.Mostofthetime,therearesomanyvari-ablestodiscussaboutwhat’snotworkingthatyoudon’tknowwheretostarttalkingaboutit.I’mexhaustedsometimesthink-ingaboutwhatneedstobefixedevenwithmyownmaterial.

IwasbackingupsomefilesofoldsongsIwrotetwentyyearsagowhen“GladMorning”cameup.Wow,whatagreatchordprogression!ItwaslikeI’dneverhearditbefore.ButthenIcameinsingingandIthought,“No,that’snotit!Whereisthisgoing?”Themelodywasmemorable,butthelyricsweresovaguethatIwasem-barrassed.Andthen,whenIthoughttherecouldbenomorecriticismaboutthesong,ithitthe“hook”andIthought,“Thisisn’tmuchofaconclusionanditdoesn’tsoundbelievable.It’semotionallydetached.”AndIwondered,whycouldIhavenotseenthatwhenIwaswritingit?ThenIremembered,Ihadlikedthesoundofthetitleandtriedtofitmyfeelingstoit.Well,Inevergotthere.

Foracareerthatismorethanaone-hit-wonder,you’dbettercomeupwithmorethan“YouAreMySunshine.”Therearesomanyelementstoawellcraftedsongthat,shouldIthinktoomuchaboutit,Iwouldneverwriteagain.Ifyouaregoingtobegoodatsongwriting,youwillhavetostartthatfirstrewritewiththisconsideration:“What’swrongwiththis?”Iprobablysingthelyricstoasonginprogressthreethou-sandtimesbeforeI’mconvincedthatit’sright.Butthereisalwaysonemorethingthatyoucouldconsider.Likevisualizingtalkingtoatherapistatahundredandtwentybucksanhour!

Ifyoucompareanygreatsongtoanothergreatsong,onewillalwayslosestrength.Someofthatcan’tbehelpedbecausesongscalltodifferentfeelingsofempathyinthelistener.Betruetoyourselfandhonesttoyourfeelings.Noonehas

Do You Know What’s Wrong With Your Song?by Bryan Duncan

experiencedanythinginthislifethathasneverbeenexperiencedbefore,butthewaythatyoucommunicateitcanbecompletelyoriginal.Theattack,thestructure,andthewayyousayitcanallbenew.Sometimesit’sgoodtoimagineacharactersayingthewordsifyoucan’tfinditinyourself:“Isthistruetothecharacter?Wouldhesayitlikethis?”

Theoriginalityinasongmustresonatewithmorethanjustyourselfifyouwanttobeheard.There’sathousandwaystomessupasong.Sometimesyoucan’tgetoutofyourownway.It’swhyco-writinghasalwaysbeenstrongermostofthetimeinthiskindofwork.I’llgiveyoumybiggestweaknessasanexample:overwording!Iwillusebiglongstatementsthattendtodeflecttheemotions,whichleaveyoubusytryingtofigureoutwhatIjustsaid.Atleastthreeofmywriterfriendshavecommentedonthistendency.Thebestcommentwasfromaclosewriterfriendwhotellsmeallthetime,“Yougottadumbthisdown.”Anotheradded,“ThinkHallmarkCardshere.”AndI’llneverforgetonewriterwhoasked,“Bryan,whydoyoufeellikeyouhavetoexplaineverythinginthefirstverse?”

Keepinmindthestyleofmusicyouareapproaching,ofcourse.Now,Ithinkyoucangetawaywithverbosityinsomestyles;maybetheideaistodeliberatelyconfusethelistener,ortoforcethemtolistenhard–buteventhereyouhavetohavereasonedoutanin-terestingcollectionofwordsorphrasesthatkeepthelistenerfromplayingwiththeircellphone.Ifdonewell,it’sentertainingtoseehowthewordscreateamosaicofalargerpicture.Whenit’sdoneright,it’sDefPoetry!

ButInlookingatChristiansongwritingasawhole,Ithinkoneofthebiggestmistakesisthatofleavingyour

trueselfatthedoorbecauseyoumightnotbe“spirituallyacceptable.”TheagendatogetthedoctrinerightandcommunicatesomethingapprovedofonthelargerChris-tianplatform,atleastforme,turnssongsonepersonmightsingfromtheheartintoarecitationofsomesortofbylaws!

Butthen,whatdoIknow?ThankGodwegettowritemorethanonesong,right?Orshoulditbe:“…writemorethanonesongright!”

Asapartingthought,rememberwhatDr.TheodoreRubinsays:“Theproblemisnotthatthereareproblems,it’sexpectingotherwise;it’sthinkingthathavingprob-lemsistheproblem!”

39

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This past November, at the Christian Musician Summit at Overlake in Washington, I was privileged to be introduced to guitar player, singer-songwriter, Chrissy Shefts. While her name may not be as well-known as, say... Nancy Wilson, she has recorded with her—and Heart—and her musical gifting and talent have carved out some other pretty notable works.

In fact, this Seattle native—a session guitarist for 20 years—has also recorded with Rod Stewart, Belinda Carlisle; she played all the guitars on Seal’s “Crazy” which won a Grammy. Chrissy has worked with Trevor Horn, Hans Zimmer... and she’s done film and TV session work as well, with music from “Days of Thunder”, “Bull Durham,” “The Accused,” “NFL Preview,” “Solid Gold,” and that list goes on.

Right now though, Chrissy has been writing and recording, and she talked about that...

ChrissyShefts:Primarily,rightnow,I’mbacktocomposing.I’masong-writer*andI’masingerbydefault,be-causesomeonehastosingthesongsIwrite!I’vehadacoupleofsongsplaced,andIjustloveit;thecompositionalaspectissomuchapartofmyspirit.So,I’mwritingandrecentlyI’vegottenajobdoingsomeTVcues,whichiscreatingmusicforcertainTVspots.That’sperfectforme,becauseit’screatinglittlelandscapesofcoloranddifferentmoods,whichIlovetodo.

AimeeHerd:Chrissy,youplayaninstrument—electricguitar—thatseemstohavebeendominatedbymalemusicians.Hasthatbeenachallengeforyou?Talkalittleaboutbeingafemaleelectricguitarist,andanyhurdlesyou’vehadtoovercomeinthatregard.

CS:Iwastalkingwithsomeoneaboutthattheotherday,andthefunnythingisthatIhadneverthoughtaboutit.Iwasbornthisway,andIneverknewanythingdifferent.WhenIlearnedsongsfromanartistlikeJeffBeckorSantana,Iwouldlearnthewholesong,fromtop

tobottom,ontheguitar-thesolo,everything.I’vehadsomegirlguitarplayerscome

uptomeandask,“Howdoyoulearnthesolos?”Itjustnev-

eroccurredtomethatIcouldn’t!Iguessthisiswhatgavemethe

boldnesstoinsertmyselfinthatworld.Idon’treallyknowwhytherearenotmore

womenplayingelectricguitar,maybeit’sasocialthing.

AH:Well,asyou’vedonethat,haveyouencounteredanymindsetsthatwereinhibit-ingatall?

CS:Tobehonest,notreally,notfromreasonablyintelligentpeople.Onceyoustart

playing,thatspeaksforitself.Eitheryou’regoodoryou’renot.Especiallyintherecord-

ingworld,wheretheycan’tseewhetheryou’reaguyoragirl,itdoesn’tmatter.

Youjusthavetobegood.So,I’vealwaysstrivenforexcellence,notmediocrity.*

NotthatImakeitthereallthetime.(Laughs)

AH:Canyougivealittleadvicetoanup-and-coming

femaleelectricguitarplayer,whoismaybefeelingabit

dauntedbyfactthatshe’sintheminoritywith

that?CS:I’dadvise

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asaplayer.AmIgoodenough?OramI“asgoodas…?”Comparisoncanreallykillyou,sodon’tcompareyourselftoanyoneelse.Justplaywhatyouenjoy,aslongasit’sfunforyou.

Don’tthinkabouttheultimateoutcome[enjoythejourney].

AH:Howdoyougoaboutcraftingasong,Chrissy?

CS:Songwritingusuallyseemstojustcome,maybefromGod,becauseIhavenoidea[otherthanthat]where

itcomesfrom.Amelodicideawillcometome,andmanytimesI’llhearthewholecomposition,partsandeverything,inmyhead.Thathappensalot.ButthenI’vealsogonethroughverydryperiodswherenothingcomes.Sometimes,

I’llgetinspirationfromhearingsomeoneelse.Iloveitwhenthathappens.I’lltaketheinspirationhomewithmeandthenitemergesassomethingdifferent.

AH:Whoweresomeoftheartistswhoimpactedyouasyouwereformingyourstyle?

CS:Well,JeffBeckisthereasonIplayguitar!He’sstillmyfavorite.Ilikeallgenresofmusicthough.IguessIstartedoutleaningmoretowardrock,thenIwentthroughajazzperiod.Iplayedalotoffunk,andI’vegonethroughallstylesofmusic;Iloveeverything,soit’shardtosaywhohasbeenmyfavorite[besidesJeffBeck].HewasmymaininfluencealongwiththeBrit-ishInvasion.MymomtookmetoseeTheBeatles,andtheKinks.Thatwasprettyinfluentialformetoo.

AH:Asapersonislearningtoplayelectricguitarwell,wouldyousayit’simportanttosampleallthedifferentstyles:

jazz,funk,rock…soyouhaveamorewell-roundedideaofwhat’soutthere?

CS:Wellideally,yes,butifyou’reinterestreallydoesn’tlieinoneofthosestyles,thenthere’snoreal

pointinimmersingyourselfinit.Youcanlearnmanygenresofmusic,butlearningtoplaytheguitarasawellroundedguitaristdoesn’trequirethatyouknowallofthestyles.It’smoretheknowledgeofthegui-tar,andtechnique.

AH:So,itneedstobewhereyourpassionlies…CS:That’sthemostimportantthing,becauseif

you’renotenjoyingit,andit’snotfun[thenyou’llloseinterest].Whatmotivatedmewasmyloveformusic.Ihadtodoit.

AH:Talkaboutyourgearforamoment;whatdoyouliketoplay,whatdoyouprefer,andwhathaveyoufoundtobethebestforwhatyoudo?

CS:It’sinteresting...recently,Ichangedupsomeofmyvintagegear.Iwascarryingaround

4x12Marshallsfrommytouringdaysontherocktours.Sonow,whatI’vefound,thatI’mreallyloving,

ismyFenderBluesJunior,andIalsohavea‘63StratandaJamesTylerthatIlove.I’vereallyscaleddown,andIhavealotofanalogueeffects.I’vedefinitelybeengettingbacktothereal“organic”kindofsound.Ilikeplayingjuststraightguitarwithoutalotofeffects.So,justkindofstrippingthingsdowniswhatI’vebeendoing,andI’mreallyenjoyingit.

44

AH:I’vebeenhearingthatsamekindofdirectionfromanumberofmusicians—justcuttingouttheextrasandsimplifying.

CS:Well,it’skindofgettingbacktowhat’snatural.Theguitarcanbecomesocamouflagedbydistortionandeffectsthatitcouldbeanybodyplaying.Butwhenyou’renakedthere,yourpersonality,yourheartandyourspiritcome*outinyourplaying.

AH:Chrissy,talkalittleaboutwhatGod’sbeendoinginyourlife.

CS:Godhasdoneanamazingthinginmylife.Backin1995,Ihadaseriesofeventshappeninmylifeallatoncethatcausedmetofallprettyhard.Ilostmyparents,andthenmybestfriendinahorribleaccident.Ilostmyhealth,andnearlymylife.Iexistednumblyforafewyears,try-ingtogetmylifebacktogether.ButIfeltlikeIwouldneverplaymusicagain.

Duringthattime,acoupleofdearfriendsledmetotheLord.In2004,anotherfriendintroducedmetotheVineyardchurchwhereIgotbaptized.It’ssoamazingwhatGodcandowithabrokensoulandspirit.Ibeganplayingontheworshipteam.

Thethingthatworriedandscaredmestill,though,wasthatmylove,passionanddesireformusicwasgone.WhereIhadoncebeenprolific,Inowfeltlikeanemptyshell.Atthatpoint,IwonderedifIwasfinishedwithmusic.Thatwasterrifying.MusichadbeentheonlythingIhadeverdoneandithadbeeneverythingtome.

Sincemyusualcopingmechanism,drink-ing,wasnolongeranoptionforme,Ibegantopray.IprayedeverydaythatGodwouldletmeknow—givemesomesign—thatitwasHiswillformetocontinueinmusic.Thehardestthingwastruthfullyandtotallylet-

tinggoofmydesireorwish.Ididthisforquiteafewdays,notfeelinganydifferent.Then,outoftheblue,IgotaphonecallfromaproducerinEnglandwithwhomIhaddoneverysuccessfulworkinthepast.Hehadgottenmyphonenumberfromasalesmanatamusicstore,whowasanothermusicianfromTheVineyard!

HeaskedifIwasavailableforasession.Ifelttotallyoutofshape,butIsaidyes.That,tome,wasGodsaying,“DowhatIgiftedyoutodo.”Ididn’tgetthatansweruntilIhadgottentothepointwhereIwaswillingtogiveitup.Sincethen,it’sbeensodifferent

forme.Now,whenIdowhatHehasgiftedmein,

thedifferenceis,it’sultimatelyforHisglory.NomatterwhatarenaorplatformImayplay-ingfrom.Mylifeisfullerthanit’severbeen,andmusically,Ifeelmoreaccomplished,andrewarded.Godisjustrewardingmeten-fold,withthepeopleI’msurroundedbymusi-callyandinrelationships.WhatIdoisonlyasmallpartofwhoIam,butit’spartofwhoHemademe.Godhasgivenmealife.

VisitChrissy’sMySpacepageat:www.myspace.com/chrissysheftsmusic

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ChrissywithourgoodfriendGreggBissonetteattheSummit

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CODAItisimportantforsongwriterstocultivate

andnurturetheirowncreativecommunityforthedevelopmentoftheircraftandtoensureaproductiveandsuccessfulsongwrit-ingcareer.Communityenhancescreativity;artdoesnottrulyexistuntilitisexpressedandshared.

“A bell is no bell till you ring it, A song is no song till you sing it….” —OscarHammersteinII

Songwritersthriveincommunity.Isola-tionisthekissofdeath.

Iwanttotalkaboutthreeimportantbenefitstobefoundwhenwritersorganizethemselvesintoacreativecommunity.TrustmewhenIsaytherearemany,manymorebenefitswherethesearefound,butfornow:Inspiration,AccountabilityandProduc-tivity.

Inspirationfuelsandsustainstheactofwriting.Incommunity,songwritersgaininspirationthroughthesharingoftheirideaswhileengagingtheideasofanotherfellowwriter.Thiscamaraderieandnaturalencour-agementisvitalandlifegiving.Becauseeachmemberofthecommunityisaresourceforinspiration,thesongwriterhasaccesstoabroaderscopeoflifeexperiences,storiesandimagination.

Mostsongwritersdonothaveapublish-ingcontractthatrequiresthattheywriteacertainnumberofsongsayear.Theydon’thaveasongwritingcoach,likemyself,provid-ingthemweeklyassignments,songmeet-ingsandcreativefeedback.However,whenagroupofsongwritersformacommunitytheyengageinoneofthekeymotivators

ofcreativedevelopment:Accountability.Establishingasongwritingcommunityisagreatopportunityforsongwriterstoprovidethesameencouragementandaccountabilitythatapublisherorcoachcanprovide.AlloverthecountryImeetsongwriterswhoarelookingforothersongwriterstocollaboratewith,toprovideasafeplacewheretheycansharetheirsongs,theirstrugglesandideas.Songwritersthrivewhentheyfindacommu-nityoflike-mindedpeoplewhoencourage,inspireandchallengethemtofinishsongs!

Thedesiretoexpressandcommunicateideas,emotionsandapassioniswhatmoti-vatessongwriterstowritesongs.Communitynotonlyprovidesanexpansionofsourcesofinspirationandvaluableaccountability,CommunitywillbringaboutgreaterProduc-tivity.

Everymemberofacommunity,likeeverymemberinthebody,isthesumtotaloftheiruniquegiftsandindividualexperience.Iknowthateachandeverycombinationorgroupofwritersmultipliestheavailableideasandsourcesofinspiration.Everymemberinthecreativecommunityholdsthefeetofhisorherco-writertothefireoftheworkathandjustassurelyastheirownfeetarebeingheldaswell.Inspirationistheenergysourceofthewriter’sdesire.DesirecoupledtoAccountabilityisthegreatmotivator.Itisasimplechemicalequation,really.InspirationandaccountabilityleaddirectlytoProduc-tivity.Productivitymaybemeasuredincompletedsongs,maturingcraftandstyle,expandingcollaborationsandfruitfulco-writingrelationships.

Youmayquestion:doesthiscommunityreallywork?Mypointisnottomakeamagi-

calguarantee,rathertosaythis:the life of a songwriter does not work very well without it.

In2010,IparticipatedinalloftheChristianMusicianSummit’sSongwriterBootCamps(www.christianmusiciansummit.com).Iregularlyspeakwithsongwritergroupsallacrossthecountryandtheconsistentmes-sageIhearfromsongwritersisthattheyarelongingtoconnectwithacreativecommu-nity.

TherearesongwritingorganizationsalreadyinplacesuchasNSAI(NashvilleSongwritersAssociationInternational),theAmericanChristianSongwritersthatalsosup-portlocalchapters.Youmayreadonmymostrecentblog(http://asongwriterschampion.blogspot.com/)whereItalkaboutlocalandregionalgroupsandlistanumberofothersongwriterorganizations.

Iftherearenoorganizedsongwrit-inggroupsinyourareaIencourageyoutotaketheinitiativeinestablishingyourowncreativecommunity.Someideasonfindinglike-mindedsongwriterswouldbetopostaninquiryonCraig’sList,contactworshiplead-ersofchurchesinyourcommunityorsendoutaFacebookmessagetoallofyourfriends.Anextstepwouldbetosecurea“free”locationthatissongwriterfriendlysuchasachurch,coffeeshop,anylocationwhereliveperformancesarewelcome.Onceyouhaveestablishedyourgrouptherealworkofworkingandsupportingoneanotherbegins.Youmaydiscovernumerousopportunitiestobringinguestspeakers,stageawriter’sretreatorengagesinger/songwriterswhoaredoingconcertsinyourarea.Therewillbemanyopportunitiestosharewithgroupsinnearbytownsaswellasnetworkingwithothersong-writingcommunitiesaroundthecountry.

Iwouldalwaysbeinterestedinhearingfromyou,whetheryoutaketheinitiativeandestablishasongwritinggrouporalreadyhaveagroupworkinginyourcommunity.Wetrulydoneedeachother.

Community: Life Blood for the Songwriter

by Cindy Wilt Colville

Cindy Wilt Colville is a creative music publishing consultant providing songwriters with songwriting development, song catalog assessments and

career consultation in addition to facilitating songwriting workshops and retreats throughout the United States and Canada. For more information visit: www.cindywiltcolville.com. Follow Cindy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/songchampion.

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