ENTRY #5: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THAT BASS

     "I'm all about that bass, bout that bass, no treble." Easily some of the catchiest lines from easily one of the catchiest singles of 2014 by new mainstream artist, Meghan Trainor. And I must say, I'm about that bass too, but not in how you think. While there are many sexual innuendos and words that dare not proceed from my mouth throughout the song, the overall premise is really what I support.
     See, most of the time, our world is hampering us and our youth with what they think we should look like. That you aren't good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, cool enough, hip enough, or fill-in-the-blank enough to fit in. Or they'll say the flip side - you're too good, too smart, too pretty or handsome, etc. They have been forcing a hypersexual, conflicting viewpoint of how we should be for the past half-century. Since the turn of the 60's and 70's, where racism was really the only dividing line, we see a rapid increase in divisions within the body of youth and school children. The development of gangs and cliques grew more and more. Bullying started becoming more and more rampant in schools and suburbs. Finally, people have been making great stands and striving against bullying and hate... but even so, our retailers are pushing "keeping up with Joneses" and pushing materialism as the true source of happiness and acceptance. Clothing brands refusing beautiful women to model their clothes because they are "too fat." (Seriously? I'm pretty sure Victoria Secret made a HUGE mistake not picking up Kate Upton)

     That said, I love that particular message from Meghan Trainor. It's refreshing to hear that a musician is finally making a stand, not for some completely liberal or biased cause, but for something that genuinely needs to happen and change: people accepting themselves for who they are. When people begin identifying themselves as themselves, they stop trying to compete for other peoples love and attention. They don't blow thousands of dollars trying to identify with a crowd - they're already their own crowd, and if they meet someone like themselves, they will have found a great friend indeed. They won't be chasing pipe dreams of fitting in with the hip crowd because they don't care what others think anymore.They become more confident in who they are and what they want to become as they mature into beautiful people.
     After all, we Christians already know that we are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27) and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We don't need to blow money to fit into a specific category, because we are reborn and remade when receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We belong to the one group that matters - the Bride of Christ, the Church. God loves each and everyone of us just as we were made. You are made perfect in His love, so what is there to do to try to fit in when you already do?

     That's where my affections end for this song. Sure, its super fun, catchy and above all great sounding for its genre, but the rest of it's content reveals the ugly truth - it's all for the glory of sex. Just the vernacular alone is enough for me to say no. And some of the innuendos weren't needed either. "...boys like a little more booty to hold at night..." Really come on, is that you're only reason? Are we nothing more than brainless sex machines that give in to every sexual whim? I think not! And then to go and start slut shaming women that are on the opposite side of the spectrum from your build? Completely dashing a potentially powerful message.
     Now don't get me wrong, I'm not taking any offense here, just saddened that such a great message and desperately needed message was almost completely ruined by needless Hedonism. I really do love some parts of the song, and the music is really quite good despite it's cyclic sound. I sincerely pray that someday we will get the positive truth out on mainstream radio waves and not have it closeted in Christian circles. It's a message that everyone needs to hear, that you are accepted just the way you are in God's eyes.

ENTRY #4: Broken Cellphones

It isn't what you think.

ENTRY #4: BROKEN CELLPHONES

     Now I already know what you're thinking. Everybody has them at some point in their lives these days. You're day would be all normal and then, out of seemingly nowhere, your phone falls and breaks. The Tragedy! The Horror! The cracks spider-webbing all over your screen.. The fear that it may no longer work.. and then the fear of "What do I say to my cellphone provider?" After much hysteria, you find, as usual with most breaks, it still works just fine and everything is still hunky-dory. Only problem? Your phone is never the same. Sounds a lot like a friendship or relationship, doesn't it? However today, I'm here to discuss a different topic.

     You see, with my phone, a Nokia Lumia 920, the screen had cracked and my heart was broken. HD screen, touch sensitive (much better than the Apple's heat sensitive screens if you have callouses) beautiful colors - Windows 8.1 perfection. Then it fell on the pavement at church. exterior screen was broken, but still worked. Then several weeks later, at my local Hot Topic, the Nokia fell again, this time damaging the interior screen where the visuals are displayed and the touch sensitivity is housed. Now I couldn't see my screen at all and could only ask Cortana, the superior Windows 8.1 version of Apple's Siri, to run tasks like turning on alarms and voice-over texting. I couldn't see my pictures, couldn't play any games, or upgrade any apps. I could only make phone calls, text, set alarms and play music. My 920 (and eventually my iPhoe 4S as well) was operating at a limited capacity. I wasn't fully functioning. It had lost potential and was failing to operate at full capacity. 

     

photo credit: ifixyouri.com

     It's kind of like us really. Here we are, people, and then the cares of life bat us at around and sin beats us up until finally, we crack. We cave in. The famed durability fails. And suddenly, we become like my 920 and 4S - failing to function at full capacity. 

      So did I really just loosely compare us humans to our own cellular devices? Well, sure! They have become an extension of ourselves and often reflect a lot about ourselves, much like a diary or a photo album would. So in all honesty, it's a fair assessment. We get so caught up in what had happened, we start doing the bare minimum with God because we're too afraid to step out of our comfort zones and move into the supernatural or even doing things we normally would never do. We limit ourselves by not letting God see and do what He ultimately wants to do through you and in you. We don't let Him in, trying to hide ourselves behind a wall of avoidance and sin. All He wants to do is restore us. He wants to take our cracks -  our mistakes and errors - and turn them around for something better. 

     I'm no expert, but i know that there are many people whose trust has been betrayed so many times, they ultimately can't trust anybody. They want to love and do things, but won't let themselves because they're afraid of the hurts and pains and refuse to let the past wounds heal. They're afraid, and only a Father's unfailing love and a Master's ever-present help can dispel that. 

     And so I ask: are we willing to let God use us and work through us, or are we going to be like my mostly useless phone, barely doing the bare minimum?  It's all up to you.

Entry #3 - IN MY EXPERIENCE: Switching to Bass

Entry #3 - IN MY EXPERIENCE:

Switching to Bass

     So let's review. Last time we chatted, I shared my experience learning how to play guitar and what brought that about that decision. But my musical journey of appreciating music and learning my stringed instrument of choice took a detour at one point: a detour into a realm of low rumbles, thudding undertones, and popping licks. 

     The Realm of Bass Guitar.

Excalibur, my ESP F-104

     When I first began to fiddle with the bass, it was partly out of necessity. My church in New Hampshire needed a sub for bass. I, the only other guitarist at the church, decided to try applying a method of guitar playing in order to learn how the instrument functioned. There's many methods to learn to learn stringed instruments like banjos, basses, guitars, and mandolins. My preferred method is tablature, utilizing numbers and lines. Maybe next time, I'll educate you on how it works.

     I remember picking up this no-name bass with only one knob (master volume) and plugging into a massive bass amp. Finagling on the thick strings, I remember the sensation of lows that accented the music perfectly.The strings rumbled and I was enamored. 

the headstock of my custom rebuilt P bass, Charlotte

     After moving from New Hampshire to the DC area, I had put music down almost altogether. I was a senior in high school with not a lot of time on my hands due to working for Old Navy at night. I had graduated and received my beloved ESP EC-1000 Deluxe I named Prudence. Such a beautiful guitar, and I highly recommend all EC models from ESP. It was the push that got me back into music, but not really far in. 

     A new music pastor came to my church, and when he found out I played guitar some, immediately began cultivating the skills in me by teaching me some music theory - something I had previously failed twice in high school. Oh, the irony - a musician that doesn't read sheet music nor understand all the sciences of music theory! To this day, I'm still learning my scales and all that pertains to music theory. We studied scales and really got it going some, but I was still hesitating getting reacquainted with music. Then one day I picked up the church's five-string Stagg bass to try playing along with one of the girls in our youth group as she played guitar. And the adventure continued on. I went out, bought Excalibur and began playing my own bass for services again! About a year later, Charlotte was built, and Lanza Guitars, which was an idea I had started as a Senior, was reincarnated as Chamberlain Guitars and my dreams and goals I had in music were ignited once more.

showcasing Charlotte for the first time in service!

     Now I play bass almost as often as I play guitar for my church's band. I love to play, and since my initial training was in rock and blues, I have a very different playing style than the church's lead bassist, who plays with a more jazz and funk vibe. And honestly, anyone who plays guitar could play bass, they just would have to get used to a much thicker gauge than they're used to. And it's a lot of fun, since you are the undertone of the band that floats between strings and percussion. 

Thanks again for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed. Check back in and subscribe for more!

I'll see ya next time!

www.chamberlainguitars.com

ENTRY #2 - IN MY EXPERIENCE: Learning to Play Guitar

We all have our stories of learning how to do something, and for most of us musicians, we all talk about the one thing: how we learned to play music on our instruments.

ENTRY #2 - IN MY EXPERIENCE:

Learning to Play Guitar

     For most of us, we all have that relative or friend that knew how to play and that's what inspired us. For me, that wasn't the case.
     I was sheltered from the majority of music growing up, listening mostly to gospel, Petra, and the Imperials - all of which are cool and I still love them to this day, but aren't necessarily inspirational for a young pup looking for a calling in life. But with this in mind, I had minimal exposure to guitar. My dad is an excellent self-taught drummer, and my biological mother was a beautician by trade. Even my stepmom is an amazing vocalist and an aspiring pianist - but no rockers to be found here. I guess you could count my dad, but he had turned his life away from rock music when he came to God.
                                So where did this love of music come from? Good Question.

Domingo, my first ever guitar, with some alterations

to the fretboard and pickguard

     I really must point to God and say He is the reason why I play, how I obtained the desire to play, and how I play. I remember sitting down with a radio I had received as a gift, listening to my local station, WGTS 91.9. A song came on that always made me feel happy inside called Dive by Steven Curtis Chapman. Why is that significant? Well, at the time, SCC was into guitar-heavy tracks. It was fun to listen to and left a lasting impression in my mind. Another track/band that really aided me when I was battling depression for 7 years was "Sea of Faces" by Kutless. An epic Christian ROCK BAND that had one of the most touching songs ever that really spoke to me where I was at and I know now was God speaking to me through music. Talk about huge.
     Fast forward several years to 2004. I'm now in New Hampshire, living in the rather quiet lakeside part of town in Strafford. It's a town that had only a few thousand residents at most, lots of unadulterated woodlands, and no lights at night. Yep, you guessed it - it's country, but in the northeastern United States. As a City kid who lived in places like up & coming Northern Virginia and Staten Island, New York, this was my idea of desolate isolation. You mean I have to walk almost 2 miles to get a slice of pizza? Yeah, me neither.
     One day, while I was cleaning the yard, I had found a good Christian radio station and after a certain hour, it would start playing Christian rap and rock - basically anything Christian that wasn't contemporary. Bands like Skillet, Red, Thousand Foot Krutch and Pillar start cranking through my beat-up old ghetto blaster a fried gave me. Whoa, talk about a metal rearrangement. My youth pastor was big on 90's Christian Ska groups like the Insyderz and the O.C. Supertones as well as groups like Audio Adrenaline and DC Talk (all of which are still favorites of ours). Some of my classmates started playing Christian Music I had never even knew was possible, let alone finding out it had been in existence for over 30 years at that point. Then acoustic groups like Sean McDonald appeared on my radar, and I was hooked. Michael W. Smith? Old News now man, haven't you heard of Stellar Kart? Matt Redman? Naw, breh. Jesus Culture.
     Yeah, Music began flowing in my veins. And then my brother got a cheap guitar from somebody -  and then an idea bloomed.

One of my inspirations for Guitar, Carl Tuttle,

and the custom built Chamberlain Tuttlecaster

     Not gonna lie, I owe a lot to my stepmom. She was the one who went out and had me get lessons to learn how to play and together, my folks bought me a guitar. An Ibanez acoustic - one i still have and play to this day - 10 YEARS LATER. (Later on I would eventually get Roxanne, my first electric guitar.)
     I started learning to play tablature - an alternative to music theory that only works for bass and guitar utilizing numbers and lines (I'll eventually do a piece on how to understand it). It was painful stuff. For one thing, acoustic strings are heavier, more dense and are made of bronze and steel. Tough on the hands is not the way I would describe it. But I didn't care, since I would play until my hands were numb. I would be playing off and on for a few years until i finally started identifying as a musician and really began pursuing it as a lifestyle choice, not just a hobby.
     I started playing at church with my youth group and really practicing hard at home to not only learn the songs, but also how they should feel -  a practice that I still do to this day. While it was tough learning how to play F and B chords, it became more and more rewarding as I went. I stopped taking professional lessons and began training myself on methods and scales (Props and credit to Matthew Lister for getting me started - can't thank you enough for all the time we put in together. Recommend him as a teacher if you live in the Seacoast area of Maine and New Hampshire) It became more and more rewarding to play and then, it became a form of worship.
     See, as I mentioned earlier, I was battling with depression and a lot of inner demons for a long time following the aftermath of 9-11, where my mother passed away. I had dealt with all kinds of hate and pain that I really didn't know what to do with. (My whole story and testimony can be found at www.siegfriedelric.webs.com/911myside.htm) When the Lord reached down and redeemed from my mess, saved my soul, and brought back into the newness of life, I had a rekindled purpose for outreach and the love of God. Music was on the back burner until I started playing guitar again as well as bass (a different story for a different entry) where it really blossomed into a passion.
     There would be days where I would just play music, and you could just feel the presence of God come into my practice space and just be serenaded right back. My love for God grew and so did my love for music as a mode of worship. Anybody can sing and dance or do whatever, but only a few can play an instrument of any kind. And as I said in ENTRY #1, being a musician is a ministry that we are given by God because He knows what we can and ultimately will do with it. some become selfish, but for those of us who have truly felt that presence of God and that just overpowering Love that really is indescribable, we know that our gifts are not for our own pleasures, but to encourage others, to connect people to God and to glorify Him.
     So that's really how I came to learning to play guitar. I had been exposed to amazing artists and bands, had great people lead me and guide me and ultimately it was all God's planning.

a snapshot of Prudence, my ESP EC-1000 Deluxe that I named after 

the model from the anime BECK MONGOLIAN CHOP SQUAD

Thanks for reading guys! i hope you all enjoyed this little slice of life, and i'll see ya next time!

ENTRY #1 - 1/2/2015 - Playing for God's Glory

New Year, New Stuff 

Entry #1 - Playing for God's Glory

Today, I hung out with one of my youth kids. I finally had the chance to catch up and really get to see him for a change. It had been so long since we had a chance to sit and chat and be the friends that we are. Lamb Sausage pizza was lunch and then we were off to check out some antique stores and get coffee. Truly a great time of fun and fellowship.
     When we had finally parted ways, we were at a music shop in town. He had to head home, but I had decided to stay and play some basses and guitars to try out some new instruments. found a few basses that were't bad (one of them as powerful as Charlotte, my beloved custom built p-bass. Pictures can be found at www.chamberlainguitars.com/the-collection) and a couple acoustic units that were great to. But when I began to play the acoustics, something happened.
     I began playing songs and pieces I had written, just to really see what she was like. The melody started to play, and it just felt so natural. Then that tingling sensation I get whenever I feel the presence of God came upon me. And oh, how it felt to play my beloved music in the presence of an Almighty King.  It was as if God and I were playing together. The insurmountable beauty of the moments I had were simply incredible... And I'm wishing I had an acoustic here in my apartment so I could play for Him again!
     That's something that I feel that we, as musically enabled disciples of Christ, we should hold quite near and dear to us. We are conduits of praise and worship, channels by which the Spirit of God flows through. And I feel that, once we truly realize what our gifting in music is, it will completely  revolutionize the way we worship, the way we praise and the way we carry ourselves; not with haughtiness and a high spirit, but with humility and excellence. It is my goal, as a Christian musician, to never play for myself, but for the glory of God as both a testament of His greatness and a form of worship. Every time I pray before playing, I ask God to be glorified over me, that He would help me to play my best, and that what i play would ultimately glorify Him.
     So.  I challenge all of my musician friends to play for the glory of One, and not the masses. God bless!