New Guitar Sales

[dreadnut]

No wonder he was up there by himself...

 

[gjmalcyon]

"I stayed in touch with that tall brunette and married her 11 years later."

I try not to think about how old my wife was when I was in high school. We're 6.5 years apart. So, I was 24 when she was 18. Rewind a bit and when I was a sophmore, 16 years old, she was 10. That just sounds really creepy! 58 and 52 years old sounds a lot better.

About 2 1/2 years apart for us, so the creepy factor is pretty low. But she does suffer from the "She's married to HIM???" syndrome from sympathetic folks.

 

[gjmalcyon]

I agree it is unsavory but it is P&W that seems unique in demanding the musicians be believers. I know church organists who are atheists, Christian organists playing in synagogues (and Jewish organists in churches) and organists whose sexual orientation or marriage history conflicts with the organizations they play for.

My buddy Dave (see my post earlier in this thread) was a Cantor in a Reformed Congregation thanks to his musicianship and beautiful singing voice. Not sure that he ever expressed a religious preference or affiliation. So he was lead musician for Catholic Masses, Cantor in a Reform Jewish Congregation, and organist at a Methodist church.

 

[5thumbs]

My buddy Dave (see my post earlier in this thread) was a Cantor in a Reformed Congregation thanks to his musicianship and beautiful singing voice. Not sure that he ever expressed a religious preference or affiliation. So he was lead musician for Catholic Masses, Cantor in a Reform Jewish Congregation, and organist at a Methodist church.

So he's not taking any chances.

He's getting to heaven one way or another!

 

[Nuuska]

It's like being a sound-man - and they ask you to deliver sound system plus person to run it at political speech. You can say how much you need - and they pay it without blinking eye. When I was at mixing console at those situations - I hardly ever paid attention to the content of their speech - just did my job so whatever they said was clear and loud.

Same goes w mixing bands - be they "earthly" or religious or whatever - just help deliver the message - that's my job.

Most likely 95% of the janitors in various churches are not questioned about their belief.

 

[Default]

Not in my experience. Janitors were paid, but members. Musicians, with the exception of the organist and choir leader/music director were all unpaid.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Explains the popularity of Taylor and PRS. . . .

'Zackly! Gimme my Guild and my devil music any day — a match made in heaven!

 

[beecee]

The jr Pastor and leader of the band at a church we used to attend was incredibly talented but each song would repeat the crescendo 3 to 4 times...interminable. 8 minute songs. When he left to start a church in TX I asked if I could join practice, not to play at service but just to get some structured practice time in...The young kid who had played in the former leaders shadow just blew everyone away that first night...he was leading the group from then on.

EDIT: Almost forgot, someone had given him a free GAD F30 with a huge center crack. His only guitar. ?Pretty guitar and even w.that crack it sounded good...but he could probably stretch some string over a shovel and sound good

 

[fronobulax]

but he could probably stretch some string over a shovel and sound good

<veer?>

</veer?>

 

[chazmo]

To be a contracted musician is one thing, but to falsely claim a belief system in order to secure the job is like lying on your job application. No, it's worse.

I let one of my volunteers go because he was going on and on about things that were in direct conflict with our stated beliefs.

Dread, you are entitled to your feelings on this, The simple fact is that in the music "world" talent and ability have nothing to do with race or beliefs. In the religion "world" that is clearly a different discussion.

We aren't going to be discussing religion or politics here on LTG and I'm afraid this thread is going to turn into something about discrimination where I'll have to slam the door. Let's not go down this route, OK? Folks, please?? 'Nuff said??

 

[GAD]

<veer?>

</veer?>

He is tearin’ that thing up!

 

[GuildedCage]

Yeah I find this claim to be of questionable veracity, but then I’ve never met a statistic I could trust.

Statistics bore the living hell out of me 97.683% of the time.

 

[DeArmond Hammer]

Follow the money. How many paying gigs are available for guitarists, and what percent of them are at churches? I'd guess that the answers to those questions are a relatively small number and a relatively large number respectively.

To be clear, I'm not saying that musicians play P&W only for the money. Many P&W players are uncompensated. But there is financial support for sacred music, as there was in the time of J.S. Bach and earlier.

 

[Midnight Toker]

Dread, you are entitled to your feelings on this, The simple fact is that in the music "world" talent and ability have nothing to do with race or beliefs. In the religion "world" that is clearly a different discussion.

We aren't going to be discussing religion or politics here on LTG and I'm afraid this thread is going to turn into something about discrimination where I'll have to slam the door. Let's not go down this route, OK? Folks, please?? 'Nuff said??

Indeed. At the end of the day, a gig is a gig. I'm sure the world's top hired guns that tour with the likes of Taylor Swift would never listen to her stuff on their own time. It pays the bills. For 30+ years Alice Cooper had to wear a disguise when golfing on the world's top courses when touring because it might break the dark and spooky image of his stage character! The golfer is who he really is. So....no need in worrying about the 9 lives of the dog pretending to be a cat. The dog never had them to begin with.

 

[Opsimath]

<veer?>

</veer?>

That's exactly who I thought of when beecee mentioned a string over a shovel. Justin is astounding! If only I could have the amount of talent that's in his pinky finger. But I'd be more than happy to accept any extra to go with it!

 

[beecee]

Well there's my problem. I has 3 too many strings!!!

 

[geoguy]

You can rock one of those shovel guitars for only $450 . . .

Signature 3-String Shovel Guitar

This is the ‘Justin Johnson Signature’ 3-String Shovel Guitar, based on the design featured in the “Crankin’ Up the 3-String Shovel Guitar” viral video by Justin Johnson. Each of these 3-String Shovel Guitars are handmade, one-at-a-time by Justin Johnson himself, and he personally hand-wires...

justinjohnsonstore.com

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'm just talking about being a paid performer. In most places I was involved with, it was on a volunteer basis. As a matter of incident, I volunteered for one when I saw the guy up there by himself one Sunday. I went to a practice and asked for chord charts. "Oh, we don't have those". Ok, just send me links to the songs you use. "Oh, I change a lot of the songs". Ok, well, how am I supposed to learn the music you play? "Just come every week and you'll pick it up! When we think you are good enough, we'll let you play."
I then watched him spend most of the practice debating fills with the keyboard player, while everyone else stood around waiting for something to do.

Yeah, now that I remember that, I can see why people get paid to do it.

Sounds like hell. I do like situations where I can play backup without knowing the songs. Open mics, jams, coffee houses. I've even done it at a few paid gigs. If I can see another guitar player's left hand, I usually manage fine.

And you're right: Don't ask people to sit in and improvise and then fuss over fills and breaks. He wants it both ways. That never works.

 

[Default]

My problem isn't that the songs are difficult, just I need to practice more, be cause my "working memory" is worst than most people's, so I have to put the time in. I can't just wing things, particularly since I don't play as much as I did. This was a couple years ago, so I don't have interest in in Sunday playing anymore.

 

[jp]

I dig it.