Trial by fire training
From the stage of Bessie Carmichael Elementary School, I surveyed the unique sight of over a hundred worshipers as I plucked my first bass notes for the SF Campus praise band. I had only begun learning the bass guitar about 2 months earlier, so I felt quite nervous and unprepared. I then thought back to the time when I first told Gordon that I was joining praise band. He had given a hearty laugh and exclaimed, "Looks like it'sgonna be trial by fire!"
Even though this past summer, I served as Angell's TA for his "Multiply-Your-Talents" acoustic guitar class, my concurrent bass training with Isaac dispelled any notion that there was much musical talent in this TA. True, the bass guitar only has four strings compared to six on the acoustic, but the bassist actually has to memorize many more notes on the fretboard, and boy are there a lot of frets! In addition, since I'd never had a keen sense of rhythm, I felt quite apprehensive when I learned on the internet that the bass guitar is supposed to help carry the rhythm for a band. Trial by fire or not, being the type of person I was, I set out to learn as much as I could by taking professional lessons and practicing as much as possible. I'd even (and still do!) bring a metronome with me on my commute to work so I could tap out sixteenth and triplet beats.
Yet despite all the hours I put into improving my bass skills, I think the most valuable lessons came from practicing with the band. One thing I never knew before was how the band members sacrificed their time and energy in this ministry. I'd always thought that our praise band members were so talented that they could "wing" a set without much effort or preparation. Little did I know that each praise set was carefully chosen, a full weeknight was dedicated for band practice, and the practice involved tough scrutiny of all aspects of the set. Learning about their sacrifice taught me to feel very grateful toward all the people who had ever led me during praise time on Sundays.
It was also through these practice times that I learned that we were much more than just a band. For example, last week our practice began with a dinner that was graciously provided by our pianist. Then, we discussed and shared our personal reflections on the chosen songs to prepare our hearts for the practice. And finally, after the practice time—which was filled with laments and laughs over missed notes and musical dissonance—we closed with a time of prayer for one another. How fitting it is that this team of worship leaders should conduct our practices in this way – with God at the center of our fellowship. And I am just thankful and feel really privileged to be a part of this kind of ministry.