The Steel Guitar Forum

Count me in. Every Sunday at Mountain Springs Church, in Clanton, AL. 1 mile off of I-65....stop by sometime!

I play steel or guitar every service at Christian Life Churchin Austin, Tx. We have a full band, piano, organ, bass, drums, guitar and steel. There is very little country style music, but lots of contemporary and blues style. Our guitar player played in blues bands for about 20 years, and is a fantastic songwriter and player. When he does one of his songs, I usually turn on the distortion and wail out the slide licks on C6. I also play a lot of C6 on the more upbeat praise songs we sing. Our Keyboard player and musical director can hold his own with any Jazz band in the country. Our Pastor used to sing in a Southern Gospel quartet, so we have a real variety. I have found that the steel fits well with even the more contemporary praise songs.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Bill, The water was very nice! Heated tub. Really! Ole Dave

Yes, play steel at church when not out on the road with the group I play for.I play bass if the bassman isn't there. I play dobro also out on the road. I want to play some lead guitar also in the future at church.Need to get the chops back in shape on that one.

Dave:
Congratulations on your step of faith and being baptised! The Lord loves you for it!
I belong to a "Northern" Baptist church. The pioneers in our church used to chop holes through the ice to baptist in the Winter time. Now you talk about dedication! That'll seperate the true belivers from the let's pretend! Only in Minne-snow-ta.
Uff-Da!

The pianist at the church I attend leaves no holes unfilled. However, I play with a local southern gospel quartet and am playing in a different church nearly every Sunday. I've been doing this going on four years and absolutely love it!

It's my only gig! And with just over a year's experience playing, I'm worth every penny they pay me!

Odd thing to note is I'm playing in a Catholic church folk group -- pretty low-key compared to some of the more amplified, music-oriented, congregations mentioned above. So I have to tone down the country sound a lot, and keep the brightness and overall volume in check too.

I usually either "invent" my own fills using scale patterns, or "pump chords" as I call it -- just organ-y sounding swelled vamps.

I had played electric bass there for about ten years before taking up PSG, so I revert to that whenever PSG seems out of place (or too hard to figure out!), or when the regulars in the folk group "instruct" me to! We often have a guy playing flute or penny whistle, and I'm told that his and my harmonics clash like titans!

On the whole, it's a great way to get experience: a steady diet of new things to learn, an accepting atmosphere, a chance to learn how to make the sound "fit in" with not-so-country settings, etc.

But despite that "accepting atmosphere" (meaning, they can't be too critical since we're all volunteers, and in church), both the country sound and amplification itself can draw fire. People who are only used to acoustic guitars and tamborines will often conclude that anything they think is too loud means you have your amp turned up too high, when it's really just a mistakenly loud note or passage. (I've had that problem with bass too -- particularly because bass pretty much has to sound too loud in our choir loft to take its proper place in the mix down below. We don't >have< a PA in our small church.) It's taken me a while to get my PSG settings twiddled right so's I don't surprise even myself with a "rattling chain" sound every time the pedal goes past half-open!

Birney

My church plays the steel! Yup! I believe "my body is the temple" so anytime "my body" is playing a steel it is "being played by the church!"



2pT






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TheEarlyDays.com

and appearing regularly...
Jimmy Crawford/Russ Hicks... and Buddy Emmons on Bass! aLotOfSpace.com

I play steel at church, Lake Fork Baptist near the Lake Fork Reservoir(for those fishermen on the forum) in East Texas. We primarily play old traditional songs out of the hymnal with a little different arrangement. Most of the featured singers are southern and country gospel. We too have a full band, piano,organ,drums,2 guitars,flute,electric keyboard,bass,dobro,flute,harmonica and my Zumsteel. We have a really great time. If you happen to be fishing at Lake Fork Reservoir, drop by and visit.

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Yes, absolutely. Every Sunday, I play one of the following: guitar, bass(rarely), piano, banjo, steel, or mandolin. My dad plays the piano regularly (I just fill in for him sometimes), and my younger brother plays bass. Another man form our church plays acoustic guitar. We have such fun. People have been very kind to me as I spring different instruments on them.

Lincoln

I dont play at curch yet I am not good enough but once i am that is my main goal that and play with othr christan musicians. The worship leader has been kie enough to invite me to play once I ge my chops together.