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Hello to you friend! As you probably know, last weekend was Father's Day and I would like to say how thankful I am for my Dad, for being a Dad, and for my heavenly Father who is good all the time! It seems that whenever there's a celebration of some kind there's a difference of opinion as to whether it's right, wrong, or just plain crazy. While my blog here is not meant to be one that offers more than musician tips, I feel that it's important and necessary to outline a couple of biblical events that happened long ago to see why we love celebrations. Let's first look at the word 'festival'. According to dictionary.com, the word festival means: "A day or time of religious or other celebration, marked by feasting, ceremonies, or other observances." The first mention of a festival in the bible is in the book of Exodus Chapter 5, verse 1: "After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.'” If you believe like I do that each of us was created by a God who loves us, then you know deep in your heart that there's an innate need to worship. There's also an innate need for community. We love to be social! Even if you don't believe in a God who loves us you can still agree that we love to be social. Just look online for a few minutes and you can see the results of our desire to connect. One of the ways that God created for us to connect is through music. And what better way to connect than to have a party celebrating God's love through music! I can of course hear the opposing opinion that says: "festivals are bad and only pagans have them." This kind of attitude is negating what God has created and ordained as good. We are to celebrate God's love and worship Him through song. Jesus addressed the naysayer attitude when in Luke 19:40 He said: "He replied, 'If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!'" My final thoughts about this are: We were made to worship God. We were made to love and glorify Him. One of the best ways to worship and love our God is to celebrate Him through a community event, a festival that brings people together for encouragement and unity. If you're in the Dallas, Oregon area in the middle of August, please join us for the first ever, Dallas Christian Music Festival. We would love to have you be a part of our community to celebrate God's love! #community #festival #worship

Welcome to my weekly blog posting! I've got a new digital release recording that I would like to share with everybody. Admittedly, I work on these songs with writing, arranging, recording, and mastering for the band I play with: Wrecknciled . It was a lot of work but well worth it as it made me focus on how to do all of these aspects so that our band knew how to play it well. And since we're playing it at the Dallas Christian Music Festival in August, I'd like to perform it the best we can. Is it a perfect recording? No, but it worked well and I now know how to do a good job with the recording setup I have. And it was all done digitally. In fact, while doing the writing I was looking for notation software that I could use for the music for our keyboard player. I found a free product called: MuseScore that I would recommend to anyone who likes to do more formalized notation work. It takes time to get to know it, but it's well worth the investment of time and energy to put music into something that everyone can read. I also used Studio One software to record and master the final track. Studio One is made by a company called Presonus and is made by musicians for musicians. Here's where the rubber meets the road though: Studio One software is very complex and I probably haven't even gotten more than 10% out of what it can do yet, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth the investment. I've spent three years working with Studio One and have recorded at least 15 different recordings. Every time I do another I learn something I hadn't before. My suggestion is if you don't have something you use already, download a trial copy at: https://www.presonus.com/products/Studio-One. You can try it out and see what you think. You may also need to get an inexpensive USB recording unit to patch instruments, vocals, or midi units into. If you need more technical information, you can visit my blogs at: https://www.gentlehavenmusic.com/blog. So what's this new song about? I thought you'd never ask! Its purpose was really to declare what Christ did for us on the cross. That is, according to 2nd Corinthians 5: 17-19 those who know Christ have become a new creation and we've been reconciled to Him! What great news this is! We are declaring this to others through our music. As you may know, song writers are telling a story through their compositions. My writing is to convey the message of the gospel that Jesus loves everyone and came to this world to give His life so that we could be reconciled to God. That's awesome news to me! #love #Music #Musicrecordingsoftware #God

There's a funny joke about drummers that goes something like this: "How do you get a drummer off of your doorstep? Pay for the pizza." Now in all fairness, the drummer for our band 'Wrecknciled' spent many years working as a dispatcher for the State Police. He has some very interesting stories and insights to share. Drummers are a very different type of musician. I say that as a compliment not as a diss. They're one of the most important members of the band, providing the foundation for everything that's done. Singers often conflict with drummers because they get blamed for tempo increases and decreases. But, they are the guitarist, bassist, and keyboard players best friends. Or at least they should be. Without them the rest of us would sound very hollow and forlorn. In fact, they are usually multi-talented and can be very humble about it. (There are notable exceptions!) It's with all of this preface that I'd like to introduce: Dabblings from a Drummer. This is my tongue-in-cheek name of the stories our drummer has written through the years and the insights that God has given him. And if you've never met Animal from Sesame street, well without further ado! #Musicians #God

Welcome to my blog if you're new here or welcome back if you're not! This blog is meant to encourage and inspire you whether you're a novice, amateur or professional musician. I recently finished playing, recording and engineering a song that I wrote for our band last year. Our band has played it at a couple of gigs already too. But like all artists, I'm having some second thoughts about releasing it. Nobody likes to feel rejection about their work or themselves so I'm hesitant. Which begs the question: How do you deal with vulnerability? This fear can present itself in many forms. It may be the apprehension to do something because of what others 'might' think. It can also be a fear of rejection because of being hurt in a world that can be very unforgiving. All of us can relate to this fear. It may have been a critical parent, an unkind classmate, or just an unfriendly passerby. In fact, this is something that all artists and people feel throughout the day. To address this, I'd like to point out a song that one Christian artist named Zach Williams has on the air these days. It's called: Fear is a liar ! Yes, our fears are lies! Should you not feel fear in some situations? Of course you should! But, to be paralyzed by fear of rejection or what others 'might' think is just not healthy. That's why I want to encourage you to use your talents. Your talents are God given and you may just be the person to encourage someone else going through difficult times. Not everyone is meant to be on a large stage in front of thousands of people, but, there are so many opportunities that we can take to use our talents. There are lonely people in convalescent homes, hurting people in shelters, veterans and family members who may be sick or ill, school kids who've never heard an instrument being played and all kinds of opportunities. You could be just what they need to start or continue their journey of healing. And music is such good therapy! My encouragement to you today is to use your talents and abilities to help others. You would be very surprised as to how good it feels to do something for someone else. It will make your heart smile! #love #community #inspiration #Music

Today I'm taking a different tack than usual since we in the United States are honoring all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country free - Memorial Day. Last year my wife and I had the privilege of visiting Washington D.C. and were able to take a tour of Arlington National Cemetery. We were awestruck at the sacrifices and lines of grave markers that were there. I also discovered that my Uncle was buried there. I knew that he had been a part of the Bataan Death March in 1942, but didn't know that he had been laid to rest at Arlington. The time he spent as a prisoner of war drove him crazy as he witnessed many things that most of us will never see, thankfully. Since many in my family have served in the armed forces, there is a special place in my heart for all of the men and women who have so courageously given of their lives to make sure that we can enjoy the freedom we have. It's very humbling. My sincerest wish for this Memorial Day is to honor all of those who've made the ultimate sacrifice and to also thank the families of those brave men and women. We know that your sacrifices were not in vain. To honor the dead, I took the following video at the tomb of the unknown soldier. May god bless our military and our country. #MemorialDay #Holidays

Welcome to another installment of my weekly blog. This blog will address one of a performer's most daunting fears: performance. If you are at least 10 or older, you've no doubt dealt with being in front of other people. You may have played on a sports team, done public speaking, given a presentation, or led a meeting. Nothing about being in front of people is easy at first. Notice that I said: At first. Yes, there are some people who are naturals but the large majority of us would rather have a root canal than be up in front of a group of people. Why is that? It's probably because we all have an innate self-preservation trait that says: I don't want ANYBODY seeing what I'm really like! Let's dispel a couple of the reasons why we have this crippling fear before we talk about performing in front of others. The first fear to deal with is the one that says: What if I screw-up? This may make you feel better: Everyone screws-up! You will not be the first and you won't be the last. Let me tell you a little story. Several years ago a band that I had played in was in front of a large group of people for a time of city-wide worship. This was no small event. In fact, we had practiced for quite a while getting the music down well so as NOT to screw-up. I went to start one of the first songs only to be in the wrong key. Oh no! Heaven and earth must be crumbling down because I did that. No one would ever want to hear me play again, right? Nope. I just stopped and started over in the right key. No damage done except to my ego. The second fear to dispel and I believe the biggest one is: What will people think of me? Here's the answer to that: Who cares! Yes, who cares! Are you playing for all of them or for yourself and like me, for a God who loves me? Then what does it matter? Here's the great thing about the God who loves you and I, He's tone deaf when it comes to music! He hears us through His ears of love and just appreciates the talents He's given us. What a freeing feeling! Now that those two great fears have been deflated, let's move onto performance in front of others. If you've read any of my previous blogs then you may already know what I'm going to say. The only way to play well in front of others is to yes, practice! The old saying: 'Practice makes perfect', really does apply here. You need to build your confidence to play well and the only way to do that is to go to the proverbial woodshed and work it out. There is NO other way. In fact, I knew musicians in music school who would spend up to six hours a day practicing. That really isn't necessary for most of us, but whatever works for you is good. Don't be bashful about getting in front of others and using your instrument. You might be surprised how well it goes! #Music #performance #artistry #Practice

Have you ever watched another musician play and thought: "Whoa, how do they do that? I wish I could!" All of us have envied others during our lives at one time or another. It's normal human nature to feel that way. But did you know, that with work you too could be one of those that others think the same about that you used to envy? First of all, there's not a magic elixir that you can take to instantly be good at your playing. But there are some methods that you can use to build YOUR confidence and play better. The first requirement is that you must love what you're doing! I don't mean just like, you must love playing the instrument as much as you enjoy other aspects of your life. Without passion, how can you expect to ever be good at it? I joke with other musicians that my guitar has been with me longer than my wife has so neither can be 'caressed' by anyone other than myself. You get the point. The next requirement is that you have to spend time with your guitar. You have to get to know it inside and out. That means maybe learning to read music, taking lessons, performing with others, whatever floats your boat. There is no set roadmap for each person and their personal development, but you can definitely discover ways on your own to grow. For example, there's a church where I live that's offering free guitar lessons for beginners . How cool! There are numerous resources available by simply querying the internet. Just be selective on what you look at and validate it if you can. There are also numerous postings I've put out last year and this one that you can read and find useful information from. The third requirement is to play! This means using the three pillars of musicality: Practice, Rehearsal, and Performance. Practice is you honing your skills away from everyone else. This is perhaps the most crucial step. Rehearsal is playing with others prior to a performance. This could also be a solo situation for you. It depends on the event. The third is performance where you put everything together and Let 'er rip! Remember that every performance is different. There is no one way it's going to go. I've been in situations where the sound didn't work the way we thought it would, the weather was cold and wet which caused problems, my guitars went out of tune before I played and numerous others. I didn't quit though even when it was disappointing. There's always another day. Well, I hope that encourages you to invest time in learning how to play guitar better and with confidence. Next week I'm going to discuss performance jitters. I'm sure you'll be excited (or nervous) to hear about that! #Music #performance #guitar #rehearsal

Today's topic may seem like a tongue-in-cheek cliche, but I would like to talk a little today about what's really important as a musician. Last week you read about the first ever, Dallas Christian Music Festival and the preparations going on with it. This week while reading something else, I was struck by something Franklin Graham shared on Twitter. In Louisiana this last weekend, some young men knelt as a funeral procession passed by. You can read the story here: http://www.nbc-2.com/story/38018948/louisiana-teens-take-a-knee-as-funeral-passes. What a marvelous witness these young men were! It got me to thinking more about how a simple act of kindness can deeply effect so many people. In addition to this story, my own personal life recently has had some very challenging times with our sons. Without going into details, we have been challenged in our faith and continue to be. Last night was particularly difficult because of someone who was very offensive during a visit we were making. At this point you're probably wondering what this has to do with music? Well, what better way to witness to God's love by demonstrating it through music! That is exactly what the music festival is about. Our community and world are in desperate need of love. Those who don't know Jesus are living lives of quiet desperation. We can give them hope and love through the Spirit of Christ. We can touch them through our gifts that nothing else may be able to reach. Think about it for a minute, when did hate or divisiveness ever solve anything or cause anyone to change for the better? It never has and never will. The apostle Paul talks about what's most important in life in 1st Corinthians 13:13 - "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." - New Living Translation We can lead people into a healing, whole relationship with the One who created them. What a privilege and honor! In fact, I learned last September at a worship conference that the only spiritual gift that will remain in Heaven is worship. In 1st Corinthians 12:12-31, Paul talks about the body of Christ and how some have been appointed Apostles, some Prophets, some Teachers, some who do miracles, etc. What Revelation 22:3 shows though is that those are earthly roles while worship is forever. How exciting! My encouragement to you today is to spread God's love the way He's blessed you with. People are in desperate need of kindness. Forgive others and move on. It's the only way we can find peace and make this world a better place. #community #festival #inspiration #Musicians

Today's blog post is about the first ever, Dallas Christian Music Festival. I'm excited to be working on this event for the summer. There are more details available at: https://www.facebook.com/DallasChristianMusicFestival If you live in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, please come out and see us. We will be at the Rotary Performing Arts Stage on, Thursday August 16th, 2018 from 4 to 8 pm. The Dallas Area Visitors Center, Dallas Chamber of Commerce , and the City of Dallas , are promoting this event and assisting in facility preparation. We're also working with the Dallas Ministerial Association to facilitate cooperation with the local churches. There will be local food vendors, the Bounty Market, and kids' activities galore. We would love to see you there! #Music #God #festival #community

Well, I'm going to deviate a little today and talk about vocals! While they're not typically something that I know as well as guitar, it's always good to do a little stretching. In fact, that's exactly what this blog subject is about today. While I've had my share of critics including my Mom at a very young age, I've also had my share of champions including a very intense vocal instructor. The biggest challenge I have with my voice is that it's not big like some people have. It's smooth, pleasant, and melodious, but I know that I have my limitations. When I hear some lead singers, my first thought is: "If only!" Let me set something straight though, that thought is hogwash! I don't need to base my evaluation of my voice by comparing it with someone else's. That's just not fair. There are so many people I've met who have been told that they can't sing or shamed into not singing out. But I'm telling you today, there is hope! The first thing you need to do is to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, "Do I have some desire to improve my voice?" If the answer is yes or even maybe, it's time to work harder. One of the go to channels for me is on YouTube. It's called Verba Vocal Technique. Anna and Mark are from England and have a plethora of good, easy instructional videos. Their channel is a great place to start with or tune-up what's not working. You can probably guess what the next step is if you've read any of my other blogs: PRACTICE! Yes, it's hard. Yes, it can be discouraging. But isn't it worth trying to see what you can do? Just like exercise, it takes time and effort. But it's well worth it. For my third point I'm going to borrow from something that Anna mentioned in one of her videos: "You're listening to yourself and to others!" What the heck does that mean? It means that you're listening to other people tell you what they think of your voice or you're listening to yourself too much! We are typically our harshest critics. Instead of criticizing ourselves, let's critique our voice in a positive way. In other words, try not to be so hard on your singing. Yes, not everyone can sing like a lead singer but that doesn't mean you can't sing! Yes you can and the more you practice with singing out the more confident you'll get. You also need to challenge your voice when you practice. And, you need to stop listening to what others say. Let me end by telling a short story of inspiration. In 1928, an 18 year-old gypsy named Django Reinhardt was hired on the spot to play guitar in British Bandleader John Hylton's orchestra. But before he could start the job, he and his young wife were in their caravan one night and it caught fire. While pulling his wife to safety, he badly burned the fourth and fifth fingers of his left hand. Most people would probably quit playing after an injury like that, but not Django. His brother gave him a new guitar and he wound up learning how to play with only two fingers on his left hand. Quite a feat for quite a musician! Go find your inspiration then go out there and sing your heart out! #inspiration #Music #Vocals #determination