I've seen a few of you allude to the fact that you play your Ricks at church as part of a band or worship team. I am curious about your situations. What is the composition of your band? What kind of music do you play? How big is your worship center or sanctuary? What Ricks, amps, and effects are you using? What songs work with Rick 12 string guitars?
Finally...how do you deal with an overbearing keyboard player who sandbags his volume level during soundcheck and then steps on all of the other instruments' parts during the worship time? (OK, I know this sounds like I'm a Prima Donna throwing a hissy, but I am not the one who complains. It's our acoustic guitarist, bass player, and some of the singers)
Rickenbackers go to Church
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
I have only had a chance to play mine once on the worship team (God of Wonders). I'm still a newbie with Rics and use my strat or Les Paul Custom for blues style or the more heavier rock tunes. We have: 2 synths, 1 acoustic guitar, 1 electric guitar, bass, drums, 5 that sing only and some of the rest of us also sing. I play thru a POD 2.0 direct thru the PA using Vox or Fender settings for the Ric with a touch of chorus. Our Sanctuary holds probably 350 or so. We have 2 traditional and 1 contemporary service. The contemporary service is number 2 in attendance with 125-175 (#1 has 300). We play many styles: original songs (our leader is very talented), blues style, distorted rock, Michael W., Hillsongs, Ten Shekel shirt, etc and secular covers when they fit the theme of the service. We did the theme from FRIENDS (wish I had my Ric then), Jesus is Just alright with me (Doobies), I Can see Clearly Now (reggae) and Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas). I made my bass debut on that one. I also play my Taylor when needed. We have approx 100 songs we can do.
I also play in a smaller worship team. Keyboard - drums - acoustic guitar - and electric guitar...
I use my 650D stright through the board with just a touch of chorus. but I also have the piezo - so some songs I switch to acoustic.
our service is much smaller though - usually around 50 which is abouit 20% of the sundays attendance.
and we play in the fellowship hall not the sanctuary.
we play all types of music - no secular yet though, sadly we are not as fortunate as Keith and do not have someone who is very talented to lead us. Just lil ol me. Im learning as I go.
How to deal with the overbearing keyboard --- tell the person the truth. Just simply tell them they are hindering the worship. It may be no fault of their own. Alikely case for keys is that they cant hear themselves play - he needs a dedicated moniter just for the keyboard - I use headphones. also tell your sound guy to us headphones and make sure he controls teh mix - not the keyboard player...
JP
I use my 650D stright through the board with just a touch of chorus. but I also have the piezo - so some songs I switch to acoustic.
our service is much smaller though - usually around 50 which is abouit 20% of the sundays attendance.
and we play in the fellowship hall not the sanctuary.
we play all types of music - no secular yet though, sadly we are not as fortunate as Keith and do not have someone who is very talented to lead us. Just lil ol me. Im learning as I go.
How to deal with the overbearing keyboard --- tell the person the truth. Just simply tell them they are hindering the worship. It may be no fault of their own. Alikely case for keys is that they cant hear themselves play - he needs a dedicated moniter just for the keyboard - I use headphones. also tell your sound guy to us headphones and make sure he controls teh mix - not the keyboard player...
JP
I play every other weekend in our church. We are currently playing 3 contemporary worship services every Sunday morning in a local high school. The auditorium holds 650 people - we'll be moving to our own building in mid-July, where we'll be able to serve about 1000 per service.
The band, typically, is drums, bass, keys, acoustic and electric guitars, with a singing ensemble of 3-5 voices. Most weekends we have a sax player, occasionally an harp player and/or a percussion player (either congas or electronic). No prima donnas, no balance problems, except for the fact that when the sax player is there, he gets all the lead breaks
On special occasions (e.g. Easter, Christmas and other times throught the year) we have a 6-8 piece brass/woodwind section, a similar string section, and a 70-80 voice choir.
I play my 650D through a Yamaha DG-Stomp into a Tech 21 Power Engine, who's XLR output goes directly to the PA. Occasionally it's supplemented by a 5-pack of Danelectro mini-pedals - mostly the Surf'n'Turf compressor (outstanding...) and the French Fries auto-wah, which serves to stop me making the strange faces I always come out with when I try to use my Cry Baby
The Rick is always getting favourable comments - it has a magically different and distinctive sound, as compared with the Tele the guitar player in the other band uses. Not that he sounds bad - he's a much better player than me, and could wring good sounds out of a broom handle and fence wire.
This weekend I'm going to try the OLP MM4 that I snagged for $135 off eBay - but I know I'll be back to my Dakota!
Cheers,
David
The band, typically, is drums, bass, keys, acoustic and electric guitars, with a singing ensemble of 3-5 voices. Most weekends we have a sax player, occasionally an harp player and/or a percussion player (either congas or electronic). No prima donnas, no balance problems, except for the fact that when the sax player is there, he gets all the lead breaks
On special occasions (e.g. Easter, Christmas and other times throught the year) we have a 6-8 piece brass/woodwind section, a similar string section, and a 70-80 voice choir. I play my 650D through a Yamaha DG-Stomp into a Tech 21 Power Engine, who's XLR output goes directly to the PA. Occasionally it's supplemented by a 5-pack of Danelectro mini-pedals - mostly the Surf'n'Turf compressor (outstanding...) and the French Fries auto-wah, which serves to stop me making the strange faces I always come out with when I try to use my Cry Baby
The Rick is always getting favourable comments - it has a magically different and distinctive sound, as compared with the Tele the guitar player in the other band uses. Not that he sounds bad - he's a much better player than me, and could wring good sounds out of a broom handle and fence wire.
This weekend I'm going to try the OLP MM4 that I snagged for $135 off eBay - but I know I'll be back to my Dakota!
Cheers,
David
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melibreits
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I play on the worship team of a rather small church (about 75-100 regular attenders), and we are a rather mixed group: piano, organ, electronic keyboard (the keyboard player sometimes plays bass), acoustic guitar, me on electric (Ric!), and drums. There are 4 people who just sing, and those of us who play guitar sing as well. My favorite guitar for worship team is my 330-12; it sounds absolutely angelic thru my 60 watt VOX Valvetronix amp (I never need to turn it up beyond the 15w setting, LOL!)--I use the preset choursy settings to really bring out that sweet jangle....it really works well for the more traditional hymns.... I experiment with other mixes for the more contemporary stuff. Until our keyboardist/bass player started I was plugging my amp into the church sound system, but since there weren't enough jacks for all of us I decided my amp was powerful enough to stand on its own, but we are still trying to work the bugs out with that, as the people sitting in front think my guitar is too loud, while those in the back say that they can hardly hear it....we have ordered some more jacks so hopefully the problem will be solved soon! Of course some of the complainers are older folks that are still getting used to drums and an electric guitar in church!
"Once I've held and played the best, baby, I won't settle for less!"
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wileyibex
I envy you folks who get the opportunity to play regularly in church. That sounds like great fun. I'd really love the chance to play for such a crowd. As a Quaker, I'm left with services without "programming," most particularly music. If I knew where and how to look, I'd attempt to hook up with one of those "church band" groups on a part-time "Have guitars, will travel" basis.
It seems that the only other available venues for people in my age group to play are bars and coffee houses. The one tends to be loud, smoky, and often disinterested in the music, and the other tends to discourage playing at volumes significantly above a whisper. Pity.
It seems that the only other available venues for people in my age group to play are bars and coffee houses. The one tends to be loud, smoky, and often disinterested in the music, and the other tends to discourage playing at volumes significantly above a whisper. Pity.
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profjeff
Thanks for the responses and ideas. Our church seats about 250 and we have two services--both pretty full--and our band plays at both services. The core group includes a keyboard (worship director), drums, acoustic guitar (my lovely wife), bass, and electric guitar (me). I also play acoustic guitar, mandolin, and acoustic bass from time to time. We have a rotating group of 3-5 singers.
We happen to have access to talent from one of the best university music departments in the US, the University of Northern Colorado, where I am employed as a professor. Our worship director is a graduate (music performance) and has an MA in trumpet from UNC.
The 360/6 shares the spotlight with an American Series Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50's Pickups, and a Les Paul Classic Premium Plus with 57 Classic Humbuckers. I usually take one of these three guitars with me every Sunday along with a something different like the 360/12, a Guild/Dearmond Starfire, or a Rick 650 Dakota. Our set list last Sunday included "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "This is the Air I Breathe," "Draw Me Close," "Face to Face," and "Lord Reign in Me." For some reason, people are impressed with guitarists who can play a 12 string well. If they only knew how hard it is to cram all of those digits on a 360/12 fretboard, they'd really be impressed. My job is to add texture to the songs. I rarely strum along with the beat (that's the job of the acoustic player). On my 360's, I like to use alot of volume swells and delays. I kick in an Ibanez TS9 when I want to hit a huge power chord on a song like Face to Face, although I almost always use a Les Paul on this song.
I really look forward to playing on Sundays. It is definitely the highlight of my week. Our band has free reign to experiment and try new things, and noone in the congregation ever complains about the volume. I am confident that we will be able to work with the keyboard player so that we can achieve a better balance on stage. Our sound tech is pretty good at keeping his volume in line through the house.
Here are some photos. Unfortunately, I was playing a Les Paul and a 52 Tele reissue through a Marshall JCM 2000 this particular week...so no Ricks in these photos.
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w1.jpg
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w2.jpg
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w3.jpg
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w4.jpg
More info at:
http://home.attbi.com/~drjeffreyb
We happen to have access to talent from one of the best university music departments in the US, the University of Northern Colorado, where I am employed as a professor. Our worship director is a graduate (music performance) and has an MA in trumpet from UNC.
The 360/6 shares the spotlight with an American Series Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50's Pickups, and a Les Paul Classic Premium Plus with 57 Classic Humbuckers. I usually take one of these three guitars with me every Sunday along with a something different like the 360/12, a Guild/Dearmond Starfire, or a Rick 650 Dakota. Our set list last Sunday included "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "This is the Air I Breathe," "Draw Me Close," "Face to Face," and "Lord Reign in Me." For some reason, people are impressed with guitarists who can play a 12 string well. If they only knew how hard it is to cram all of those digits on a 360/12 fretboard, they'd really be impressed. My job is to add texture to the songs. I rarely strum along with the beat (that's the job of the acoustic player). On my 360's, I like to use alot of volume swells and delays. I kick in an Ibanez TS9 when I want to hit a huge power chord on a song like Face to Face, although I almost always use a Les Paul on this song.
I really look forward to playing on Sundays. It is definitely the highlight of my week. Our band has free reign to experiment and try new things, and noone in the congregation ever complains about the volume. I am confident that we will be able to work with the keyboard player so that we can achieve a better balance on stage. Our sound tech is pretty good at keeping his volume in line through the house.
Here are some photos. Unfortunately, I was playing a Les Paul and a 52 Tele reissue through a Marshall JCM 2000 this particular week...so no Ricks in these photos.
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w1.jpg
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w2.jpg
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w3.jpg
http://www.coe.unco.edu/jeffbauer/w4.jpg
More info at:
http://home.attbi.com/~drjeffreyb