Finding the groove…

I learned to play guitar by sitting on my bed with a Mel Bay chord book and a book of Hank Williams songs. A couple of years later, I taught myself how to play the piano so I could accompany myself when I sang. I practiced many hours on each instrument—not out of a sense of duty, but because I loved making music. It was a hobby, an artistic outlet…and a solitary endeavor. For 25 years or so, I was a one-man band. When four-track recorders became affordable, I began to make my own recordings, overdubbing myself playing bass, guitar, keyboards, strings.
When I came to Riverbend, Carlton Dillard eventually asked me to play synthesizer on Sundays and I discovered something: I didn’t know how to play in a band. All the years of playing alone had made me too self-sufficient. I wasn’t good at staying on the beat when someone else was playing. I tended to play too much, instead of finding my space within the sound of a whole band. I had to learn to listen better, to lay back when needed, to try to find spaces that needed filling. But I also experienced a new joy that could only be found in a group setting.
We stress community a lot here at Riverbend. It never occurred to me until this week that our church is saying, “Join the band. You’ve been playing alone for a long time. Come see what it’s like to be part of something bigger.” The skills and experiences you’ve had…they are invaluable. But the main value comes in giving them away, in sharing them with a larger group. Just like in music, there will be times when you’ll need to lay back, to sit out a few bars and let the band carry you. And there will be times when you will soar to places you never dreamed of, inspired and fueled by the group behind you. Come on, sit in with us. We will make beautiful music together.