Praise Bands

[NIrelandGillian]

Does your church/fellowship have a praise band - with or without singers? If so, where do they sit/stand?

Our church has a praise band which varies in size from week to week and uses a variety of instruments. They sit to one side at the front of the church, beside the organ and the piano. Sometimes, one lady or more will sing from the front to help us when we're learning a new song.

I have been in other churches where the praise band, complete with singers, has been right at the front of the church, which gives me the impression of a performance. I find it 'in your face' and when we're singing congregational hymns, all I can hear is the praise band belting out, as though people feel they don't need to sing as the praise band is doing it all for them.

I know other people have different views - my daughter loves the praise band being at the front of the church - just sharing my thoughts about it.

Gillian

 

[jmcorn]

I think different churches do different things based on the amount of space they have and whether or not they have a choir and the average age of the congregation. Normally if we are playing hymns It would make you want to get up and move around some or at least clap. It really shouldn't matter one way or another as long as the musicians hearts are in the right place. If they are trying to bring glory to themselves that's not good. Some people play with more excitement than others also and that can seem like they may be putting on more of a performance. Our PW band is at the front center of the Stage and it can be loud at times. For sound reasons it is normally done this way. The sole purpose of the Praise and Worship band is to lead the congregation to worship Jesus through song. As for me I feel playing the bass is a part of my worship and ministry. I am not doing it because I want to be seen but because I felt the calling to play. I would not care where I was while playing as long as I was playing for the Lord. BTW we have 4 or 5 singers, keyboard, bass, drums, acoustic guitar, and a lead guitar. I will stop rambling now.

 

[NIrelandGillian]

Hi,

I think we would be in agreement that those leading the worship through playing an instrument or by singing should be using those gifts to do just that and not just putting on a performance. Our worship leader has the worship band to one side of the church because he doesn't want them to be seen to be performing, even though that is the furthest thought from their minds.

My son told me once that in his church the worship band plays at the back of the church on some occasions.

We do have a choir, but they only take part in services on special occasions.

Gillian

 

[jmcorn]

Gillian,
Where does the Worship leader stand during the Praise and Worship time?

 

[NIrelandGillian]

He/she usually stands next to the praise band. The main worship leader is our pianist and usually stands up at the piano to talk about the hymns we're going to sing. The others are members of the band and when acting as worship leader they stand right where they have been sitting.

Gillian

 

[sunshineforJesus]

Yup,We have an awesome worship team

 

[jmcorn]

I think I get what you are saying. I have only seen the piano sitting on one side and organ sitting on the other side of the choir loft but not on the sides of the church. All of these churches have been Southern Baptist though so it may have been a standard back in the day. I think most of the Community churches will have the bands at the front.

 

[Bass4Jesus]

From what I can tell in the short time I've been playing P&W, it all depends on the particular church & denomination, and whether there are out-of-state higher-ups that will drop a safe on you if things get too out of hand (that being whatever they define it as).

A Lutheran church I play at about bi-weekly has us off in a corner, packed in real tight. We'd rather be front & center but the church considers that floor space holy ground and we can't go there. Weird. Did a gig at a rogue Baptist church where we took the whole stage behind the lectern and we shook the place with a nice big JBL PA. That place was hoppin' that day the the presence of the Holy Spirit was unmistakable. From what I can tell around here, the churches tend toward giving the band the whole stage, though like I said above, it depends.

If a non-band-member minister is the one leading the worship, then I think it would make more sense to have the band off to the side, or if not, then behind him but with the floods dimmed. OTOH, if the WL is a band member, then it makes no sense to me to have the band off to the side. That would leave the other side of the main aisle feeling sort of disconnected because of the distance.

Sorry in advance if this repeated previously-made points.

 

[jmcorn]

Bass4Jesus, That makes sense. I am sure many of those people didn't know what to think when you brought your own PA and started Worshipping like that. We sometimes will take a PA but we only will use it for the singers. The guitarist and myself normally take our rigs also. I have not found a place where a Ampeg 810 needed sub support.

 

[Bass4Jesus]

Hey jm, is that you in that avatar in front of the Ampeg?

You mentioned an 810 so that means you must be another bass player.

Yep, those 810s hook up pretty well. What do you drive yours with? I played in front of a pair in the late '70s but they were the old squarebacks with CTS drivers (junk). I love the new ones.

In the Lutheran church their PA's too small to support BG so I hammer the stage with a totally redesigned/re-ported 1x15 cab with a high-Xmax (9+ mm) Peavey driver.

It sure was a jarring transition from the dance club circuit to P&W. Gaga/Perry/Rihanna to Casting Crowns and Tomlin. Yikes, lol......

Good to see another player on here.

 

[jmcorn]

Hey jm, is that you in that avatar in front of the Ampeg?

You mentioned an 810 so that means you must be another bass player.

Yep, those 810s hook up pretty well. What do you drive yours with? I played in front of a pair in the late '70s but they were the old squarebacks with CTS drivers (junk). I love the new ones.

In the Lutheran church their PA's too small to support BG so I hammer the stage with a totally redesigned/re-ported 1x15 cab with a high-Xmax (9+ mm) Peavey driver.

It sure was a jarring transition from the dance club circuit to P&W. Gaga/Perry/Rihanna to Casting Crowns and Tomlin. Yikes, lol......

Good to see another player on here.

That is my 9 year old daughter laying on the cab. At one point she was licking it. She is deaf and mostly blind. When my wife takes the other kids to piano practice and we are alone it turn it up loud while i am practicing so that she can feel it. She really enjoys it. She will also lay her hand on mine or on the guitar so she can feel the vibrations.

 

[jmcorn]

Bass4Jesus, we were trying to get a bass player thread started in the Praise and Worship section or maybe Worship ministry. Look at my posts and you will see it and can subscribe to it.

 

[jmcorn]

Forgot to say I use an Ampeg SVT-II or an Ampeg SVT-CL.

 

[Bass4Jesus]

I used an SVT head for about a month and took it back. When I picked it up at the music store it was sitting on the floor, tagged sold & waiting for me. I went to lift it and it didn't move. (At 6', 160 lbs., I make Keith Richards look like a weight lifter) I seriously thought they were playing a trick on me, like they'd bolted it to the floor or something. Never bothered checking the weight spec before the purchase. After a few load-ins/outs, I said, "Nope. This ain't for me." Swapped it for a pair of V4Bs which gave me almost (not quite) the same volume. The handles on those were stupid, though. Unpadded and located physical center rather than weight center, so the amp would nosedive and crush your index (or pinky) as soon as you picket it up. Stupid stupid stupid...

God bless your daughter, man.

 

[jmcorn]

They are Heavy. They sound so good though. The SVT-II is easier to carry. I haven't tried a V4b. I would like to. My wife wouldn't appreciate it though.. I might would have to trade my B15n for one.

 

[Bass4Jesus]

Woh. That would be a huge step down. Even trading for 2 would be a huge step down imo. That thing must be sweet.

When I was younger (very late '60s), a used B15 and then a new B18 passed through my hands. First lesson I learned with the 18 was DO NOT TOUCH THE TOP OF THE TUBE CAGE unless you like pan-fried fingertips.

My mid-late '70s V4Bs didn't grind as well as the SVT did. They weren't as "in your face" if you know what I mean. But the music I was playing didn't require it. It would've actually been a negative. Also a lot of the rooms I was in, you couldn't get loud enough to exploit it anyway.

I'd love to see an SVT with a switching power supply, kinda like what Peavey's doing with the VB-3. My guess is the SVT gets its character from everything from the driver stage forward, so I'm thinking it'd work. The trick would be where to locate the PS bits. Definitely not up in the chassis (too hot with an inverted chassis). It would have to be a separate enclosure at the bottom of the case. It's been so long, I can't even recall whether there's enough real estate inside the case to pull off something like that.

 

[jmcorn]

Yea I ran across this B15N at Guitar center and decided I wanted it. I had to put a new gasket and new grill cloth on it. Everything else is original.

 

[Bass4Jesus]

Wow, I can almost hear how nice it sounds all the way up here. I'm amazed GC would carry something that high end. The one up here is full of starter and used/beat junk.

Is that an old Mesa box to its left?

I'm guessing whatever's behind is relatively new because of the interlocking corner protectors. But I'm trying to figure out what would be in such a small box.

 

[jmcorn]

Wow, I can almost hear how nice it sounds all the way up here. I'm amazed GC would carry something that high end. The one up here is full of starter and used/beat junk.

Is that an old Mesa box to its left?

I'm guessing whatever's behind is relatively new because of the interlocking corner protectors. But I'm trying to figure out what would be in such a small box.

Yea that is a Older Mesa Diesel rr 215. I traded it 2 weeks ago for the SVT-CL. That thing was a monster to move. To the other side is a fender bassman 50 with matching 215 cab.

 

[epluribus36]

I've only been a Christian for a few years, and haven't been in that many churches. Our church has the Worship Band right up front on the stage, with the Worship leader right in the middle with his guitar. I've never thought of it as a performance, because everyone's encouraged to join in singing, but I can see where some might see it that way.

I remember when I first went to a Baptist Church, the first things I noticed was that everyone crowds to the back (back-seat Baptists) and the church had a lead singer! I never knew churches had lead singers! I remember thinking, I could do that!