Deep to Deep, December 2000
| Deep calls to deep at the sound of Thy waterfalls (Psalm 42:7) |
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December 2000's meeting took place at Hither Green Baptist Church in Lewisham, South East venue (the same location as September 1999, and my home church).
Unlike previous meetings which ran from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, this one took place from 2:30 - 5:30pm, followed by a buffet meal round at my house. This was inspired both by the thought that at later start might suit some people better and also the success of one or two social gatherings held earlier in the year (which I suppose could be called 'Eat to Eat').
Who was there?
We had a relatively large turn out - my thanks to Steve, Steve, Mark, Pete, Bill, Matthew, Jonathan, Andy and Bryan (was that everyone? Let me know if I forgot you.. otherwise you'll have to wait for my film to be finished and the photos to be developed). Special hurrahs go to Bryan, who flew from Aberdeen, and Andy, who drove from Wales, broke down in Kent and narrowly avoided having to be towed all the way back home instead of coming to the meeting!
What was there?
Steve (Lawson) made the observation that not only had the number of people reached a new high, but also that the strings to people ratio had increased. We had 9 bassists (Jon is a drummer), many of whom had brought a couple of instruments and yet we only had 3 four-string basses among the collection. Everything else was five- or six-stringed. Apparently recent polls suggest that most bassists still play four-strings only, so maybe it says something about the kind of bassist who likes to get together with a bunch of other bassists...
Bass manufacturers represented included Sei, Modulus and Fender. I think Bryan's Sei Six was one of the most beautiful instruments I've ever seen, and it was so easy to play despite having a long scale (36"?). However, it would be fair to say that it had some stiff competition in both the sight and sound departments.
On the amplifier side of things, there were several different Ashdown set ups, although other brands such as SWR got a look in. We also had various effects boxes around - Steve's massive rack of looping devices but also a few more modest devices such as various Zoom multi-effects boxes.
What Did we Do?
Listening, talking, playing. I didn't have a particularly structured programme for the afternoon, but kicked in a few ideas from time to time. Playing 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' as soprano, alto, tenor and bass sections didn't really swing, but I thought 'Angels From the Realm of Glory' didn't sound too bad over the bass line from the Peter Gunn Theme.
We had an interesting discussion about whether carols provide the kind of opportunities for the fresh, wholehearted, skillful woship that God loves to hear, starting with some notes from a sermon I wrote on Psalm 33. It sounds like most of us are doing the same old, same old songs this Christmas - although, it turns out that both Mark and I will be having 'From Heaven You Came' in our services, a song more commonly associated with Easter.
We also had an in-depth demo from Steve of how he uses his rack of effects to musical ends in his solo sets - much better than reading an interview in a magazine. To find out more about Steve's music, visit his website, http://www.steve-lawson.co.uk/. To finish the afternoon, Steve set a couple of loops going and we just jammed away.
Food
Finally, for those who could stay, it was back to my flat for a simple meal. I haven't heard any reports of food poisoning, so I assume everything was okay! Eating has relatively little to do with playing bass, but it's a great way of getting to know each other.
And that was about it, in condensed form. Pictures may follow at some point in the future (depending on how long it takes me to get the film developed) but for now, please head back to the main Deep to Deep page or elsewhere on this site.