This is my first guitar. My mom and dad bought it for me in the early 70’s. It’s an Alvarez, and I still have it. It is such a great guitar and has an amazing sound, however, playing has never been my gift. I can play about three chords. I do love the arrangement and production end of music and the art of putting together a great music gig! I hear it all, sense it all, feel it all, and know where it all needs to go, but I just can’t play it. Music does something for me!
Have you ever listened to a Christian radio station and noticed that much of the music seems to sound similar? It does! I’m not sure why, but Christian arrangers and writers must feel like they have to make the song sound a certain way to be popular. I love all kinds of music, but I seem to listen to Christian radio less than I do other stations because it’s all the same: Same drum loop, same lead guitar run, same sounding voice on most songs. As good as the lyrics are, can we not get a little more creative with our gifts? God gave Jesus as the “song.” That means that reverberation that goes down inside a human body reverberates a certain emotion for different people. The art of music and songwriting indicates that there are no boundaries. It’s wide open for creative genius’ to work.
Music is a universal language we all understand. It ought to be done so well every single Sunday. We need all kinds of music because every person was created with their own unique DNA and if we always do the same old stuff then we only touch a particular person. That’s why I’ve always liked Ed Young’s admonition to keep creative tension on the platform at all times. Sing different genres, have an empty stage one Sunday, sing with no music one Sunday, do video worship one Sunday, have a 42 piece band one Sunday, etc.etc. etc. Keep the style of music changed up and keep the genre of music changed up, but do it all with an “out of this world” excellence!
