Robert MacFarland's Page

"I totally agree with Stevo here.  Your WL, I'm sure, has enough on his plate and enough complaints.  Encourage heavily, but keep your opinions on the dislikes to yourself..."

"well said"

"Picking up ideas from recordings is an excellent and time honoured tradition; it is trying to apply them directly to the same song that can be a bit brain dead. For example, a fairly standard band for the likes of Matt Redman seems to be acoustic…"

"I did get in trouble, in a previous church, for playing CCM worship music with my own flavor -- and I wasn't "making special arrangements", I was just playing them with the worship band, sometimes leading, sometimes backing up the…"

"Wulf, judging from your posts in general, you sound way more like a Renaissance man than a CD slave! However, to give them their due:  today's excellent-quality CD's are a great resource for studying music, particularly because you…"

"I hope you're not lumping me with the "play it like the CD" crowd! Creating arrangements - either figuring out the part I might play in advance, talking about the kind of effect we want to create in rehearsal or listening and…"

">> I am encountering more and more the idea that duplicating every detail of the >> recorded song is a cherished goal in some quarters; I do not understand that. if you want that why not just play the cd? >> and you can get in…"

"As for writing their own, would that every congregation discover the poets and artists and respect, encourage and grow what they do! While Commercial Christian Music produces a great number of excellent songs, I have long felt that we are remiss by…"

">> That idea of orchestrating a new song from scratch is brilliant. Why?  Should not every congregation be capable of arranging songs to their own need?  Or even writing their own?"

"Thanks!  Yesterday I could not play "Queen" and other rock favorites to the satisfaction of some genre-intensive teenagers, and I was feeling very non-brilliant.  You made my day."

"That idea of orchestrating a new song from scratch is brilliant. Taste and see that subtle can be good on the kit!"

"Every drummer I have worked with was passionate about both drumming and their role in making good music for worship.  Every drummer I have worked with came from some other background than church; unlike a vocalist or keyboard, you can't…"

"This is the 'Song of Job'.....by an old favorite secular band. "

"It is really hard to define what is 'secular'....I mean....are we talking 'non-Jewish'?  :) "

"These replies are all wonderfully receptive and encouraging. Thank you for  such kind and balanced answers.  I think I am going to take the Ecclesastical approach...."to everything there is a season".  There are many people…"

"You can't go wrong by praying about it, and through prayer perhaps God in His infinite wisdom will give you an opening to talk with this person or come up with another solution altogether. I know by other posts you have written that you…"