26th
March
2007
For any of you who doubt that the Ukelele can be cool, check out this awesome video by Jake Shimabukuro. I came across it while searching for the music/lyrics to one of my favourite Beatles’ songs, and was absolutely blown away. Makes me want to put my guitar down and pick up my uke, aside from the fact that I’m a total novice on the instrument. Anyway check it out - this guy is phenomenal!
Categories : Guitar, Video, music |
26th
March
2007
Owen is five and a half, but to date has never had a proper bike. So on Friday we went down to the local bike shop and got a nice shiny red one for him. And I was half tempted to get one myself - they had some very cool looking bikes in there. Considering I do vitually zero exercise it might not be a bad idea.
Anyway once we got home, Owen got straight on his bike for a trip to the local park, with Luke trailing behind on the old tricycle….
Categories : Family, Personal, Video |
26th
March
2007
Slacktivist: All the good music
Just watched a YouTube video on the Slacktivist blog that was annoying, sad, and yet bizzarely entertaining at times. Entitled “Satan’s Tool : The truth about contemporary Christian music” it is comprised of excerpts from a sermon given by a guy called Alan Ives. His thrust is that there are certain elements in the music itself that make a song ‘ungodly’, no matter how Christian or biblical the lyrics might be. Specifically he focuses on aspects of the rhythm such as the Boogie-Woogie (think Chopsticks), back-beat, and break-beat, that are so wrong. I’m sure glad he hasn’t visited our church - he would be horrified at some of the ’sinful’ rhythms we play. And what he would make of my amplified, distorted Les Paul guitar and the Jimi Hendrix effect tone I was using yesterday I shudder to think!
As Fred, the slacktivist pointed out, what is truly incongruous about this clip is that Ives is actually a fairly talented multi-instrumentalist with a reasonable singing voice, and when he gives examples on piano and guitar of the evil music styles we should be avoiding, he actually seems to be perversely enjoying himself. As Fred says :
Alan Ives desperately wants to rock. Standing at the piano, demonstrating the insidious way that boogie-woogie rhythms have tainted sacred music, he seems to be teetering on the brink of letting loose his inner Jerry Lee. Ives’ presentation reeks with the scent of frustrated musician — frustrated not by a lack of talent (he seems at least competent at the three instruments he plays in the clip), but by the fervent belief that God doesn’t want him to do what he seems passionately to want to do.
I think God wants us to worship him in whatever style we feel most comfortable, whatever helps lift our hearts towards him the most, be it Gregorian chant, old time rock n’ roll, or modern techno or metal. There is no single musical style that is inherently godly or otherwise. Obviously there needs to be compromise, since a metal church would drive certain people away, just like a church which does only the drawling 4/4 march tunes espoused by Ives would drive others away - however we should appreciate and validate that not everyone will want/be able to worship God in the same way that suits us. People like Ives are just another example of those ‘crazy Christians’ that turn people away from church.
PS - speaking of music, I committed the ultimate error a guitarist could make yesterday. I rocked up to church complete with my amp, effects board, music & leads … but no guitar! Was kinda embarassing to have to dump my gear on stage and drive home to collect my axe. I’m blaming the change back from daylight savings for messing with my brain - lol.
Categories : Christianity, Church, Guitar, Personal, music |
