Just...wow...imagine this at Christmas...

I'm stunned...follow this link and watch the video...

http://www.vimeo.com/940292/

Chord Theory part 1: The Major Scale

So at our music clinic on Saturday we spent a lot of time discussing chord theory. Basically Brendan explaned that we need to understand chords in order to understand why simplicity in our playing is actually better than complexity. We talked about how often guitarists and keys players will add notes to chords (playing a C2 instead of the C written on the page) and not really let anyone else know about it. When we do add something not written on the page we need to be able to explain that to our fellow musicians so that too many of us aren't doing the same thing. If both guitarists and keys players were all to add one note to a chord (say C2, Csus, Cmaj7 and Csus4) there are bound to be some sour notes going on there. The problem is most of us don't know what the exact name of the chord we're making is. So I'm going to do my best to transfer my chord theory knowledge to you. The best place to start is the major scale.

The major scale is the basis for all western harmony and theory actually. It's a 7 note scale and we all know it...think of "The Sound of Music". You know... doh-re-mi-fah-so-la-ti-doh? That's what it sounds like. Any note can be the start of a major scale...let's use C for an example. Basically, from the root note (C in this case) we make steps in a certain pattern to get back to C in 7 notes and make the scale. The pattern is made of whole steps or half steps. The pattern is like this W-W-H-W-W-W-H. On a guitar a whole step is the distance of 2 frets and a half step is one fret. On piano, a whole step is two keys, half steps are on adjacent keys. So from C we go one step up to D, then E, then a half step to F then G-A-B and the half step takes us back to C (the octave above). So the C major scale is C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. A G amjor scale is G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G. One more...how about the key of D? D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D. Do you see the pattern? Good!

The next thing to know is that each note in the scale gets a number or interval. So in C the D is the second or "2". D is the third or "3" etc. And so if you play the C and any other note you're playing an interval (the name we give a two note "chord"). So playing a C and G at the same time is called C5. A C4 would be C and F etc.

I think that's enough for now. The important thing to note is that the major scale is made of certain steps starting and ending on the root note and that the root note has a relationship to all the other notes in the scale and the interval name corresponds to the step or number given to that other note in the scale.

Up next...what the heck is a chord?

Thanks to Justin and Brendan

Hey Gang,

I thought it would be appropriate to post a thank you here to Justin Kudding and Brendan Waters for their excellent leadership to us yesterday at our first musicians clinic. We had a great time learning to take a less is more approach to arranging instruments for worship. A great time was had by all.

We spent a long time talking about chord theory yesterday so I think I'll do a series on chord theory here on my blog. Watch for part one, the major scale to come this week.

Layla Grayce in 4D/3D

Yeaterday we went to http://www.3dbaby.ca/ to determine the gender of our soon to be born child. The 18 week ultrasound didn't produce anything and we were really keen to know what we were having. It was mostly a great experience although I'd say the girl doing the ultrasound wasn't the most friendly...not unfriendly just seemed disconnected and disinterested. Anyway, more important was that we saw for the first time little Layla Grayce Heerebout. She's beautiful! It's really amazing that we can see with suh detail what God is knitting together in Melissa's womb! For all you soon to be parents I'd reccomend the experience...it's not that much money and it makes this whole time a bit more real from a father's perspective. Here's what the pictures look like:

Does anyone sell bottles of creative juice?

If so, can I buy 24 cases? If not, can someone join with my in praying God would keep giving me the creative flow I've had this week? Its awesome!

Easter Monday and Psalm 62

Well the Easter madness is over and I feel like writing something. So I'm sitting here on my couch in my very Maritimes looking PJ's (blue, black and white tartan pattern, thank-you!) and feeling very blessed. Our Easter services were a win thanks to the Lord's provision and I'm glad for that. I'm glad for the work all of us at WLA get to share in. I'm glad that our efforts get to count for something significant because of the Lord's work in us and through us. But I'm also glad to find rest in the Lord.

Psalm 62 begins "My Sould finds rest in God alone". I find myself wondering how often I realize that. Often my day off becomes a day filled with technology - TV, Xbox, Wii, the interweb...I seek to escape real life through technology. But I wonder - would I find more rest if I spent my day off with God? I think I know the answer to that. So I'm going to take today and fill it with as much "God time" as I can. I encourage you to do the same. Find a good book that focuses your attention on God. Maybe go for a walk with your iPod filled with songs of praise and worship. Memorize some scripture and meditate on it.

Perhaps we ought to take more advantage of the communion with God Christ has offered us through the ressurection than we do.

It's been a while and I need to make an edit RE: Core Values

So Pastor Mike and I have started talking about what a "win" looks like here at WLA on Sunday mornings. Today was our first pointed chat about this and in starting the dialogue it came to my attention that one of my core values could be wildly misunderstood so let me clarify that. When I said that the ARTS have a vital role in the church and said that they can communicate things that preaching simply can't what I mean was this: spoken word speaks to a different part of us than art does. The preaching of God's word is vital and is the primary focus of any good church service - as such the arts should always be pointing the way to the word and it's preaching. However, I also contend that the arts strike chords in us and our emotions that spoken word does not. There are emotions that get stirred by music or drama that don't by word alone. The gospel can say anything it wants to say - undoubtedly - but it seems to me that in practical terms God has designed the human soul to respond differently to singing than preaching and so on.

I hope that clears up any misunderstandings someone might have regarding what I said.

I should do this more often...blog that is....not make mistakes to be corrected...