Steel Guitar and Contemporary Church Music

Darrell Owens · From: California, USA

I was thinking about all the great players who play (or used to play) in church. The steel guitar is a wonderful addition to most church music. As a lot of churches have changed to a more contemporary style of music, I wonder how many steel guitar players have adapted their playing to the new style and how many have become frustrated and stopped playing in church or found another church.

I am sure the Pedal Steel Guitar is God's favorite instrument, but is it still welcome in the church on Sunday Morning?

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Darrell Owens
www.darrellowens.com

jim milewski · From: stowe, vermont

one thing for sure, the steel is most beautiful for the older hymns of the faith, so melodic. I play at church now and then, the steel sounds nice doing "effects" such as harmonic chimes etc. within songs that a classic steel sound might not fit very well. I was in a church where a guy played sax, to me it did not work, he played and it sounded like something you would hear in a smoke filled urban bar at one in the morning.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I play steel in a fairly large church in Austin, Tx. Most of our Praise and Worship music is contemporary, but the steel fits in nicely. We hardly ever do any country oriented music, except for an occasional solo. I use phase and overdrive effects pretty often, and do several songs on C6th. We have a great bunch of singers and musicians.

If anyone is interested, I put together some CD's of songs that were recorded directly off the board (clinkers and all) that will demontrate how the steel fits in with this type of music. I don't charge anything for them, but it may take a while to get them copied and sent out.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Reggie Duncan · From: Mississippi

I have always (secretly) enjoyed a little contemporary music. Tho I love the traditional when it comes to "country" music, with "gospel" it is different. The ministry element is present there, and you tend to forget style and try to play what your heart feels would be pleasing to the Lord. I learned this from listening to Sonny Garrish...playing with lots of keyboards and strings...and him putting the "oil where the squeak is" ALL of the time! I love it!

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

I'm like Darvin, I play in a very modern church worship band, and it is probably my favorite gig I play. The band is all session-level players, including bass, drums, two electric guitars, keys, B3, acoustic guitars etc. We do nothing remotely country, in fact, the worship leaders direction was to "think U2". I use a lot of tuned delays and tremelo, and a lot of melodic single string work in the Paul Franklin vein.

They cut me lots of space to play and love the steel. There is a live stream on Sunday mornings, and one archived audio stream for the week if you care to listen. I usually play every other weekend. www.crossroadsdenver.org.

[This message was edited by John Macy on 19 April 2005 at 06:54 AM.]

Randy Pettit · From: North Texas USA

My situation is almost identical to Darvin's, except I'm in Dallas. Musically, it's the best thing in which I've ever been involved, getting to play steel in so many different styles of music. We even work in some secular tunes when they fit the message. If you think about it, there's really no such thing as "church music" - it's just music that's played in church. The only difference between "contemparary" and "traditional" music is just the passage of time. Beethoven and Bach were "contemparary" in their day. Our aim musically is not to entertain, but to be relevant to our audience (members and visitors) in preparing their hearts and minds to hear the Word of God. Being in the middle of a large affluent urban area, that means playing a variety of musical styles to which people can more easily relate. And doing it with a steel guitar is truly a blessing! D)

KENNY KRUPNICK · From: Columbus, Ohio

We like the good ole' country,,and southern gospel flavor.Although we do alot of the choruses that a lot of churches do too.But to me,there ain't nothing like the "Red Back" Hymnal.

This is the one where "I'll Fly Away" is on pg333,and "Amazing Grace" is on pg.57.
Darvin, I'd like to hear some of your church's music,and also your CD that you made called 'Collection".

Bill Llewellyn · From: San Jose, CA

No steel at our church, despite the contemporary nature of the worship music. Our music director just hasn't taken to the idea, though I've hinted at it from time to time. Maybe he's hesitant because he heard me play....?

(He hasn't actually. That's probably a good thing.) He's definitely aware of PSG in contemporary rock, pointing out to me that a steel player had toured with Dire Straits, and it sounded great. "That was Paul Franklin," I said.

An irony here is that I've hosted five PSG jams at the church facilities since 2002, with another coming up in a few days.

There will be a change of guard soon. Our music director is (very sadly for us) heading off in a couple months to pursue ministry education. He's a bundle of talent and will be sorely missed. A new music director will have to be found.... perhaps that person will be more interested in steel.

[This message was edited by Bill Llewellyn on 19 April 2005 at 07:52 AM.]

Daryl Stogner · From: San Diego, CA * R.I.P.

I've been playing in our contemporary services for about 3 yrs now. Was mostly filling in on bass and singing, but I've been playing PSG there lately. Well as best as I can. The band members love it, and know I am only a beginner at steel, so they don't push me too hard. I just play what I am feeling.

It's a hoot playing today's religious music, lot's of powerful stuff. But we will do some old stuff for fun. I saw the Light, and several others.

It's great learning PSg there and the music is so broad, you can't help but be pushed to learn faster.

It's a treat for me!

George Redmon · From: Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.

I have found that you shouldn't have to change your style of playing for anyone...change them over to your style..goes for Christian audiences as well, in church or not.My sweety makes sure i play in church at least twice a month, if i don't, she won't tote my equipment anymore..as Bud Issacs once said.."That falls under the catagory of House Work". But one amusing Sunday morning, the gang ask me to open with a nice Gospel instrumental. Don't ever ask George Redmon to play an instrumental in church. After much pleading, demanding, and just plain throwing an "Old Timers Fit"..i got my way of course. Since i only play C6th, we opened the music portion of the Sunday worship service with a bouncing version of Herby Wallace's "Just a closer walk with thee". Yes Christians like to dance...But i have found up here anyways..if they can clap their hands..and stomp their feet, and do a little Holy Ghost Jig in the Isle..they will like it. We do mostly Dottie Rambo, and Pastor Mike Purkey type stuff..oh..most said they loved.."That First Song I Played" God Bless

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Whitney Single 12 8FL & 5 KN,keyless, dual changers Extended C6th, Webb Amp, Line6 Pod...i was keyless...when keyless wasn't cool....

autry andress · From: Plano, Tx.

I am one of the frustrated ones, how ever I did give it a try. The only thing I could do is only fills & licks, & I was really out
of my comfort zone. But ever one was nice to me & said they enjoyed my playing.
It's all contemporary, everywhere. Can't even find Southern Gospel any more.
There are a lot of Cowboy Churches getting started in Texas Country Gospel but not in my area, with a Country Gospel Band.

James Marlowe · From: Florida, USA

I'm with Kenny on this one. We use the "red back" hymnal also, thanks goodness.
I'm in hog heaven; that is when the bass player shows up and I don't have to play bass. Either way it's a joy playing that good ol' gospel music! (and the great thing about it is those folks at church actually think I know how to play steel!!)
James

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

My company provides sound systems services for Portland's Celebration Church, which has a good band and a lot of "contemporary" music in the program. I was asked to come out from behind the sound console at Easter to play on Tracy Lawrence's "Baptism" and it was very well received. Still, try as I might to convince him, the music director is not the least bit interested in introducing any traditional western music, I think it scares him (he's a city boy, after all). Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

[This message was edited by Dave Grafe on 19 April 2005 at 04:25 PM.]

Savell · From: Slocomb, AL

.

[This message was edited by Savell on 29 May 2005 at 06:51 PM.]

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

If you're playing in a bar with a blues band and they close the night with a truly heartfelt and moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" is that also church? I know that ANYTIME I play that song it's church for me....

[This message was edited by Dave Grafe on 20 April 2005 at 09:16 AM.]

Darrell Owens · From: California, USA

Dave, you make an interesting point. Jesus said If any two or three are gathered in my name I will be there with them. Does that mean Jesus would be in the bar if they played Amazing Grace in honor of His Name??

Not claiming to know the answer - just wondering. Does it have to be "in church" to be "church"

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Darrell Owens
www.darrellowens.com

Andy Greatrix · From: Edmonton Alberta

If you like playing gospels songs with country instruments(steel, fiddle, etc.), why not gather where someone has a large rec room, invite like minded friends over, have a singalong and combine it with a potluck barbeque and make a day of it? Also, it doesn't have to be Sunday. I can be any day or night of the week. The church needs you more than you need them. While you're at it, invite the music directer over.

Johnny Cox · Posted 20 Apr 2005 12:27 pm

Joan and I played in church in Nashville before moving to Texas. The music was a mix of traditional gospel and contemporary praise and worship. We enjoyed playing both. Joan has a real nack of making steel work nicely in contemporary music. I am fortunate that I have been invited to play at church tonight for a special Mass in celebration of the new Pope. This is a great honor for me.

Johnny

Dyke Corson · From: Fairmount, IL USA

After taking a break for about a year, I started playing with a small church praise band close to the house. The songs are pretty contemporary, lots of "pop" sounding stuff and some real nice slow songs with great chord changes that work out nice on steel. One Sunday the keyboard player/band leader was gone, so I had the band do Herby's version of "In the Garden" I'm really enjoying the gig!

Ernie Pollock · From: Mt Savage, Md USA

We have a group at our church that I play pedal steel guitar with, very little if any in the 'country' style, most of the stuff I have never heard before, but I enjoy putting steel guitar in it, they depend on me to play 94.5% of the leads, & 1/2 the backup. The people seem to really like the steel guitar.
I have taken my tracks on CD's down to the church & played solos for them in the style that I like, and they seem to enjoy that alot also. My stuff is old, Shall We Gather at the River, Old Rugged Cross, How Great Thou Art, that sort of thing, but thats what I really enjoy playing. Sometime I would like to play with the Oraganist just to see how that would go. I have a great ear for melody, and can read a little, although I never let the reading interfere with my playing. Keep working on getting the steel in to the contemporary stuff, they'll grow to love it!!

Ernie Pollock

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Mark Eaton · Posted 21 Apr 2005 9:18 am

Our church is fairly small-about 150 to 170 on Sunday and unlike a lot of you I'm not a PSG player but I play lap steel and dobro. For a small church-our band is top notch-several folks with professional experience-strong players and excellent vocalists-hey, I'm just along for the ride! It's an honor for me to be a member.

I'm one of the worship leaders and lead vocalists and when its my turn to pick songs for a Sunday and work on arrangements-some weeks I try to throw in some country gospel or bluegrass gospel-and I always get a good-natured ribbing for it. It seems that even at a church in a city like Nashville its mostly the Contemporary Christian stuff-some of which I like-but an awful lot of it reminds me of "whitebread" top 40 stuff with some Christian content in the lyrics. There is a contingent in the band though that is swaying toward more of an alt.country direction sometimes, along the lines of songs from Buddy and Julie Miller. We also put in the traditional "How Great Thou Art" stuff which I really like.

Some Sundays I stay off the vocals and will play dobro on the more acoustic oriented stuff and lap steel on the louder stuff-I'll go for the overdriven sound with the lap steel on the rockers-I think I'm about the only guy in Sonoma County that plays members of the steel guitar family in his church band-and our music director is cool with it-I got her tickets to Alison Krauss & Union Station when they played here last month and along with loving Alison's singing (our director used to sing with the San Francisco Opera) she of course was blown away by Jerry Douglas! We are going to do the song "A Living Prayer" off the latest AKUS cd that they sang as part of the encore.

It's too bad that some of the music directors can't get past the idea that a pedal steel player might bring some sort of hokey stereotyped country sound to the church band-they really need to be educated on all the possibilities of the instrument...and there is nuthin' wrong with some old-fashioned country gospel once in awhile! We did a real old-timey sounding version of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" awhile back and I think the congregation really got ino it!

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Mark

Walter Hamlin · From: Talladega, Alabama, USA

This may get me reprimanded or thrown off the forum but I honestly think the Pedal Steel makes too beautiful music to be mixed in with contemporary church music. Give me Southern Gospel and the more appropriate and meaningful church hymns. I simply despise contemporary gospel music. I have played contemporary gospel in a church before and I did ok, did not like it. Sometimes we played a song in all minors. I have always said that if I had to attend a church that did contemporary music I would quit going. Thankfully I am attending one that don't like nor do they do contemporary music. I do play in this church every Sunday AM and PM.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

What is "contemporary" gospel music?

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I do believe that Billy Cooper plays exclusively with his church band.

Jeez. what church wouldn't love to have someone like him playing their music.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

Rick Garrett · From: Tyler, Texas

I attend one big church here at home but on Sunday evenings I go to another little church outside of Troup Texas. Union Grove church and we do alot of the old country gospel standards there. I play a little rythm and lead but am working hard on steel and as soon as I'm ready to jam I hope to play my steel there. it'll fit right in with stuff like I saw the light and other great old songs.

Rick

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