Thursday, September 13, 2007
hey guys, really. tell me how u feel about the blog skin. i think its closest i can get to our band identity as a christian band. if u all find better ones, do tell me. cos i feel this one is cool. but black and white might not be very good for the eyes. so if u know how to change the colour of the font and background. that will help alot. and the font size of course.
account again is log into www.blogger.com with user id: cliff_lee88@yahoo.com.sg
password being our secret name with the numbers 1234.
anyways, hope u guys didnt just blog cos i bitched abt it alot and everything. a healthy habit would be blog abt once or twice per person per week. to keep the blog active, keep tagging alot too. there's so much to comment abt i believe. and michelle, u and marcus have yet to blog an entry. pls do. i need honest opinions how u feel abt church, band, music in general. and US of course. michelle that would be good if u told us how its been so far with us.
and marcus, yuqian and pris, can add blog entries too. even lyrics or songs that are good. or like yuqian, put some entry of a gd song's link to do for the prom. or just plain interest. as our band is abt sharing our lives with each other, music, the love of God, learning with each other. growing with each other. no one should live a life that wants to glorify God, alone. grow with someone.
and marcus, i hope u didnt get the wrong msg by us shooting u together. we just really need u back on the band. and its frustrating and disappointing when u keep on procrastinating about ur music and stuff. really. i want to know how u feel about ur bass too. whether u still have the passion to do it. i dun wan to force u to do it. but its because i believe u still have it in u. but if u do not, tell me. and enter a blog entry about u feel. we need to understand u better and whats going wrong with u that u seem to be distancing from us now so often. we might be wrong abt u, but u dun state what we are misunderstanding, we will never know. and this blog is a gd chance for u to do so.
i agree with u pris, the church is not for jamming. and my purpose of this band is not cos i think fronting the band is cool. if i did, i would have long given up. cos i think i suck at fronting the band. and i think my voice is quite bad sometimes and i dunno why its me that is leading the band. but the bigger purpose is for u all to learn with each other and grow with each other. since we have this strong similiarity in passion of Music in us.
a band setting. u all know it. a band doesnt work alone, every part is important. communication is important during the song. coordination thru understanding of each other and being in tune with each other thru the song. now using literature, change the "song" to "our lives". communication, understanding and whatever needed to make good music is what we need in our lives too with each other. and most importantly, for one purpose, God.
i discovered all of u are influenced by music one way or another. Marcus u may deny it now, but look at ur interest in Three doors down and christian music. its obvious. music is a great part and influences u alot. and u have it better than any of us. u know much much more christian songs than us. its like knowing more bible verses. the foundation is there. its obvious, u grew up in a christian sch too. its just whether u want to live it out. its a choice. i know its been in u all this while. dun get lost in the world due to ITE, these friends u know wont be forever unless u bring them to church. and they wont be very impressed if u arent much different than them as a christian. and they wont find a reason to change.
so the best way to bring them is, make them want to be like u. be different, show them a reason for following christianity and its benefits. its not gonna be easy. but NS is gonna be harder. 24/7 seeing pple. its either they influence u, or u stay urself and influence them. so its ur choice. its true, life is all about choices. take the wrong one and u will fall and not know when u will stand up.
i was talking to yuqian on sms today. me and him agreed on maybe practising the non-christian songs soon for prom night, obviously not at church. i need support for this, marcus and michelle, can u all make it if its on weekdays? or weekends. just have to find time for it. if u all in midst of exams. tell me when's a better time. but i believe u all have passion to do it, so make time for it. tell me abt it. we'll discuss again this sunday. do prepare ur hearts. we'll do our first official practice for the camp on sunday.
pris, i know its gonna be hard for u to practise, but do make time, at least for the camp thingy. for the prom night, we can do the audition and practices without u first, then u catch up later. but for the camp thingy, its very important. 1 hour after service. thats all i ask of u. but the more the better. cos we really need alot of time. and i'm stressed out by it.
at least knowing the band knows roughly how to do the songs, i will feel calmer. but that will take at least three practices. think abt it. how many more weeks b4 camp? 8 sundays including this sunday. three for rough knowing of the songs. the other five for really cleaning up the flaws and making it to the best.
i want to emphasize on creativity on the band part. while i'll think of how to make it creative to make a clear understanding to the camp members what the songs mean. very important, clarity of what msg we are bringing across. the band style of playing the song should consider that fact of how we want to bring it across to them and how its gonna affect them. while of course, musically interesting. namely what i've thought of:-
-drum solos
-bass riffs
-acapella
-boy/girl harmony
-singing different parts of the songs together
now that u know there's so much to do. the 8 weeks haven even included how many u all will rush off saying not free this sunday. pls, its true that we're a band. but only unless jamming for fun. do not back off and say "since marcus/michelle/whoever cant make it, no use practising". thats an excuse, not a spirit of togetherness. cos there's so much to practise on ur own part. and no matter what. there's still me around, even if only one of u stay.
if its pris left only, i can play drums.
if its yuqian, i can play guitar.
if its marcus, i can play either guitar and drums.
while even if its michelle, we can familiarise ourselves with the songs and harmony by practising singing.
there's no excuse at all. and as a band, when do i as a leader get to concentrate on helping u out specifically and when do u get a chance to practise and concentrate more on ur part rather than get distracted by other parts?
i might have said this wrong, but i do believe u all get my msg. most of the songs i picked, u guys have heard. but not frequently. and i may want to do them in a different style. and hope our band can do like a "cover" of the songs. that it will be different and with a different feel. unless the original is the best format to be done.
so this sunday is mainly:-
-familiarising ourselves with the songs
-choose which key to play in
-get a rough idea of how to do them
-come up with how we wanna bring it across (upbeat/meditative,etc)
straight after service, if u all doing offering, finish that first. dun limit the band practice by saying after band prac then do the offering thingy. stay as long as possible. latest 6 i believe. those that can, we'll go dinner together.
thats all for now guys. take care. love ya guys. =)
(Frontman. Ciff)
10:35 PM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
