Merseysider wrote:Surely our work is not about personal preference.
That's a bit on the prim side. Sure it's true up to a point, but equally there are so many ways of doing our stuff - and so much choice of music even in a give genre for a given occasiona - that personal preference is going to figure in the final choice.
That's also true at the level even of which church (or churches) one chooses to attend - I guess a sizeable minority of people attend church in a different parish, for a huge variety of reasons. Same goes for musicians.
Alan wrote:I have to go and record some bagpipes on Wednesday (don't ask).
Any advice (technical or otherwise)?
Sorry, no. I tried mentioning bagpipes to our new PP, but he did not seem too keen on the idea, even when I pointed behind him to the statue of a shepherd playing one in the crib....
Merseysider wrote:Surely our work is not about personal preference.
... no, but it take a hefty dollop of grace from the Holy Spirit to establish the rapport with the congregation when playing something you loathe. I must admit, I just assume that the congregation share my lack of inspiration w.r.t. Amazing Grace (harmony too static).
I don't see how one can have an assembly unitedly praising God in full voice without being enthused oneself as a starting point?
dunstan wrote: I just assume that the congregation share my lack of inspiration w.r.t. Amazing Grace (harmony too static).
I can think of many pieces which should come with a large vomit warning but which our congregation loves – not mentioning them here for fear of causing offence.
If the harmony of Amazing Grace is the one reason you find it uninspiring then change it, reharmonise it, arrange it, add descants, move from block chords to something with arpeggios, dot the rhythm in the right hand (cf Walker's "At the Name of Jesus".
Martin How has written very fine harmonies and extended arrangements for amazing Grace and other songs in "Songs of the Spirit" RSCM. Why are so many hymnbook accompaniments so banal? One year at SSG summer school Richard Jeffrey-Gray showed us how to improve them - repeat this workshop please!
