Since my last update my Pro Tools interface has returned back after having been repaired under warranty. It was gone for far too long not having made any real success in my alternative methods.
The night before last I finished the basic tracks for a song that is similar to older Metallica recordings. I have acoustic guitars in the intro, heavy distorted guitars for the main verses and chorus sections. The drums and bass are virtual instrument in which I wrote the parts in the midi window and tweaked the volumes and velocities to give it some human variation i.e. make it sloppy.
Nearly every song I work on is constructed on the compositions of Bach and Mendelssohn, where the chord progression are diminished in a minor key of E. It gives the music that dark and ominous feeling that pulls more serious emotions from the listener. One of the issues I mulled over for a while was whether my music was acceptable to God because of the use of Instruments and the obvious religious overtones in the lyrics. After studying the bible, it seemed to me that there is a distinction between what God accepts has a lot to do with when He asks for specifics.
When we worship God, there are specific guidelines about how we are supposed to do things and when those things are supposed to happen. Worship, according to the scripture is specific homage towards God as an individual child, gathering together on the first day of the week, giving our contributions according to how we have prospered with the right attitude and motivations, songs with our voices and prayer. Commonly referred to as the 5 Elements of Worship. I believe (based on scripture) that there is more than just the 5 elements but that is another discussion.
Is it a sin to make instrumental music outside of the context of worship? Certainly, in the old testament it was commanded and we have Kind David's example that it couldn't possibly be sin otherwise God would be contradicting His own Commandments. As we have seen that attitude impacts to a certain degree the acceptance or rejection, we have to be careful not to be overconfident in whether our sacrifices are truly acceptable. Cain is a good example of being over confident. Nadab and Abihu were perfect examples of taking something innocuous and making it sin for introducing profane fire/incense at the time and place not commanded by God.
There are a few things we can use to determine whether everything we do is worship. One commentators mentioned that we take showers without clothes but you can’t worship without clothes with other Christians. Another commentator used the intimate relations between a married couple as another example of something you can do, just not while coming together with other Christians on the first day of the week.
One of the views I’ve tried to maintain is that my music is an expression, telling people about how God impacts me daily in the world and not in the context of worship. The Apostle Paul used analogies to help people understand who he was as a person and his struggles being a man. He taught people by using common threads to draw people across the gap that exists between the saved and unsaved. One of the main reasons Jesus came to earth was to become an advocate through common experiences. He was tempted as we are but yet gives us hope that through Him all this fleshly stuff can be overcome through Faith in God. He understands us.
There are appropriate subject matter and words people need to think about when writing lyrics for music. First off, if your going to write music about doctrine, it better be scripturally correct. Even songs in many of the songbooks do not pass that test. One of the cool thing I see in the bible that we often overlook is instruments in the old testament. Is the talent to build or play an instrument something that is given by God? In the Old Testament, those who played the instruments were Levites specifically. When I was really young I was drawn to music in ways my parents were not, and this musical thing that lives in me was the one things that led to me isolating myself from bad influences and allowing me to develop a relationship with James McCarty. James McCarty is a Christian who plays guitar and taught me the Gospel over a number of years.
It was hard at first to come to grasp with all the Pentecostal congregations having rock bands at worship and not want to be apart of that. But when I read the bible and understood bible authority that specific commands create an exclusionary situation it was easier because it was no longer my decision.
God is the original creator of art and music, it is part of His personality that we see in nature. Birds and children ignorant of the wiles of the devil natural make music with their voices and instruments like pots and pans. We are created in Gods image which means we have natural tendencies to be like God.
To design and to create.
Our God is an Awesome God!
