“Behind the sound board”

By David W. Lin

(Part III – Tuning up)

I have mentioned before that I play in a band called 9^th Hour; we are currently involved in our first “real” recording project. It has been an interesting and enlightening experience. Recording my own music in a professional studio has been something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Playing in a studio and capturing the sounds on “tape” is entirely different than performing live. Every wrong chord, every fluctuation in tempo, every note played or sung that is not in tune is hard recorded evidence and a reminder that we are not perfect.

Preparation before heading into the studio is very important. “Practice, practice, practice”, is the mantra that all the experts give you. One thing that Larry Gann, our engineer and producer at Awe Struck Studios, repeatedly told us, “Tune well and tune often”. I can tell when my guitar is out of tune, but I’m not blessed with true perfect pitch – I frequently need help. Like many guitar players I use a tuner, especially when I play with others. If I’m performing solo, I can tune my guitar to itself, but performing in a group requires that everyone tune to the same pitch.

The electronic tuner serves as our standard of measurement. In the studio, we all used the same standard; so that the right notes were played the instrumentation complimented one another. So it is in life. I can go through this world solo in tune only with “myself”, but when I begin to “play” with others is when the differences in frequency become readily apparent. We all need to check ourselves against the same standard; we need to use the same “tuner”.

1 Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” If we are to live in harmony there needs to be a standard by which we should compare our “tuning”. Our tuner is that of Jesus. In John 13:34, Jesus provides us with the standard of measure, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

God created us for relationship. He created us to “play” together. Teaching from Genesis on the topic of relationships my pastor recently explained, “We are like chewed up Legos.” We’re meant to fit together, but as a result of the fall, caused by our own disobedience – we can’t connect like we were originally designed.”

When I started this installment of “Behind the sound board” I had already picked the general theme of “Tuning Up” before I realized that I would be in the studio with my band mates from 9^th Hour. Some of the recent experiences seemed to dove-tail with the topic of this article. Although I would love to share more with you about what 9^th Hour is doing I am going to save it for a later date and introduce you to another Contemporary Christian group that has recently played on the NEIGHBORS Stage in Smithville, MO.

A perfect example of awesome harmony and love for others that is truly modeled after Christ can be found at any performance where Not Forgotten is playing. The ministry of Not Forgotten is very clear, “Inspired by God's love, they reach out to others and lead them to a personal growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Proclaiming God's truth through song & testimony to let audiences know they are not forgotten.”

The front man for Not Forgotten is Chad Toney, a humble and gentle man. Trust me - the man can sing! Chad’s soaring tenor melodies are bracketed the harmony lines of Wendy Persell and Tim Shirley, both equally gifted vocalists. Just when you think you have heard all they have to offer vocally, Kathy Morkert (keyboard), counts out, “…4, 5, 6” and takes the lead on a great song called “Our Redemption”. Veteran strummer and band member Ken Miller and the new “kid” Jim Grohman, also on guitar provide the drive train for this group. Jim also performs original Christian music as a solo acoustic artist at NEIGHBORS. Their drummer, Roger Sellars and bass player, Matt Browning provide the solid foundation which upon great music is built.

The musicianship and songwriting of this group is inspiring. Their performances, whether they be in front of a few at a coffeehouse like NEIGHBORS, Homer’s, or Sherry’s Sweets or performing for the masses at Rock the Light are uplifting and are often times worship experiences. The “players” in the group are all very seasoned and great musicians, but definitely the trademark of this group is their intertwined and tight vocal harmony.

Not Forgotten’s self-titled 12 song CD, released in September 2003, is a favorite in my car stereo. The message of God’s grace and mercy is found on every track. Studio recorded CD’s are one thing (and this is very good one), but live performances are a totally different animal. Not Forgotten does not disappoint in this area either. The lyrics of their songs on the CD say the words that people need to hear, but on stage Not Forgotten provides audiences with the visual example of what it truly like to be in love with Christ. Not only should you buy their CD, you should catch their show live. You will not be disappointed.

Aside from the great music that Not Forgotten writes and performs, the one thing that I feel so uniquely anoints this group, is that they are all “in tune” with the “Master Tuner”.

Proper tuning is important when making music with others. Christ is our tuner. He is our standard. In order to harmonize with others, we need to constantly check our attitudes and actions against that standard. To quote our Christian recording engineer at Awe Struck Studios again, “Tune well and tune often”.

To learn more about Not Forgotten visit their website at http://notforgottenband.com or come see them play at NEIGHBORS on Saturday, November 19, 2005. Not Forgotten guitarist, Jim Grohman will be performing his solo acoustic act on Friday, November 4, 2005. To get complete list of Christian performers at NEIGHBORS in Smithville, MO visit http://neighborscoffeehouse.com.