"Back to Basics"

It's good to remember where you came from.  I remember being a new church pianist and having the music director look at me and say, "What key are you in?"  I looked back and said "What?"  He said, "What KEY are you in? You know, how many flats or sharps at the beginning?"  I just counted and said "4 flats."  That was the extent of my knowledge of key signatures.  I remember watching someone play a V7 chord arpeggio as an introduction, then going home and practicing.  I knew it sounded good, but I didn't know what it was.
It's easy for me to assume that every piano student had a theory book.  Not only did they have a theory book, they did the lessons.  Not only did they do the lessons, they understood them.  Not only did they understand them, they remembered them.  Not only did they remember them, they applied them...NOT!
Sorry to be a little worldly there...Theory is like any other skill, you have to do it, use it, repeat it, etc...to remember it and learn it.
I recently had a church pianist ask me a question and I sent her the following as a starter lesson.  I wish someone would have sat me down, looked me in they eye, and explained things to me when I was just starting as a church pianist.

1.  Every key has seven tones - tone 1 = tonic, tone 4 = subdominant, tone 5 = dominant.  In English - C major scale, tone 1 is C, Tone 4 is F, Tone 5 is G.  The most predominant tone/chord in the key of C is the 1, which is C.  The second most predominant tone/chord in the key of C is the 5, which is G.  The third most predominant tone/chord in the key of C is the 4, which is F.
2.  If you notice while your playing hymns, you are basically only playing three chords for each hymn.  You are playing the 1, 4, and 5 chord.  That is why you can almost go into autopilot with your left hand because you will play mostly chord 1, then chord 5, then chord 4.
3.  Keys:  Most popular for church pianists...
Key of C - primary chords - C-F-G  (G7 to go into C)
Key of G - primary chords - G-C-D (D7 to go into G)
Key of D - primary chords - D-G-A (A7 to go into D)
Key of F - primary chords - F-Bb-C  (C7 to go into F)
Key of Bb - primary chords - Bb-Eb-F  (F7 to go into Bb)
Key of Eb - primary chords - Eb-Ab-Bb   (Bb7 to go into Eb)
Key of Ab - primary chords - Ab-Db-Eb  (Eb7 to go into Ab)

The last listed for each key above is the 5 chord.  We usually use Roman numerals, but it means the same thing.
3.  The modulating chord to get to a key is the 5, with a seventh added to it, just count up seven notes from the 5,  or count back one from the 5


Part 2 coming...

Have Fun While You Serve

Today is Sunday, July 4, 2010.  Maybe you thought, "What a drag, having church on the Fourth of July holiday." I honestly can say that today was an enjoyable day.  The preaching was a blessing and the atmosphere was one of thankfulness and just being happy to be an American.  I didn't have to sit outdoors swatting flies or mosquitoes!!
Because of just finishing the Teen Convention and a change in our church meetings schedule we haven't quite got our rehearsals back into the normal routine. Add vacations, sickness, and one musician called in to nursing duty and that can also cause a challenge.  In spite of these "setbacks" God blessed today and I honestly can say that I enjoyed being at church.
Was everything perfect?  Well, I don't believe so, but I do believe we did our absolute best for our Lord and that the result fit into the entire scheme of His will.
I had originally planned for the Joy Trio and Daughters to sing "Red, White, and Blue", but oral surgery of one singer prevented that plan.  Then our Strength and Beauty Ensemble was supposed to do a new patriotic song, but a deacon's meeting and a busy teen convention schedule derailed that one.   My daughter, Victoria, has been out of the special music mode for several weeks due to being a new mother and was feeling good enough this weekend to practice and sing, so I said, "Praise the Lord, let's sing on Sunday morning!"  Chandler Tolley sang a beautiful solo, as planned - "It's Time to Pray".  The Men of Victory Quartet was ready for Sunday night but our tenor was called in to work at the last minute and our men's quartet became a mixed quartet when Mrs. Sandy Londeau filled in!
I had the privilege of playing a piano trio with Amy Robinson and Nicole Koehn.  We played "Stars and Stripes Forever" and I had a great time, even though I was sitting in the middle and the skinny person should be in the middle!  I didn't have a worry with those ladies on each side of me doing all of the hard stuff!
When the problems come, just take them as a challenge, do what you can with what you have, and leave the work in the Lord's hands.  You'll have fun while you serve!

Organizing Priorities

I am so blessed to have a wonderful job in the ministry.  I love what I do and the people that I work alongside.  Another benefit is some flexibility in my schedule.  There are times when my family needs more attention than other times, like this past week - my granddaughter, Kate, was born!
Weighing in at a whopping 7 pounds 3 ounces, Kate has turned our world upside down.  Victoria delivered by C-section on Wednesday, June 23rd.  I became very ill on that day and had to leave the hospital before the delivery.  During that time as I lay in bed while my daughter was in labor, the Lord seemed to let me know that all would be well, even without my involvement!  Yes, the Lord would take care of Victoria, the baby, the doctor and nurses, and make sure that the pictures were taken...
Joanna Bagwell, a lifetime friend of my girls, came up to labor and delivery from her job in the hospital clerk's office.  She took more pictures than I would have and did a great job!  She provided "support" for Jessica and Victoria.  Even today I don't regret not being there because it must have been the Lord's doing, I couldn't think about being in the delivery room that day!
I was able to be there at the hospital the next two days and bring Victoria and the baby home to our house for a few days of recuperation.  On Monday we took the baby for a consultation with the nurse and discovered she had jaundice, so back into the hospital she went.  Victoria and Kate stayed in the hospital for three days.  I was back and forth during this time and missed a few scheduled meetings.  Today, Friday, we took Kate for her follow-up visit and found out that she has gained weight and is doing well.
My pastor has allowed me to be a mom and "Gigi" to Kate without my feeling guilty.  The music ministry has always been at the back of my mind and in my prayers.  I have been able to do some organizing work and typing and I'm ready to get back into the full "swing" of things, if the Lord allows!
When circumstances are totally out of your control it is easy to become frustrated or to feel useless, but God is doing a work on you.  He sometimes needs to show us that the ministry is not about us, it's about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, and helping people.  We need to live our lives fulfilling God's purposes.  My family is my primary responsibility, but my church sustains my family.  My music ministry is a bonus, it is a blessing for me to be able to do.
My church will and can survive without me, but I cannot survive without my church!