Hi all,
I started playing guitar at my church a couple weeks ago, acoustic playing toned-down contemporary style. We did this one, and I was really tempted to play banjo, but we did it to modern. I still did some bluegrass bass-struming though:wink:. So, if you play at church, what style do you play, and how could I start a bluegrass gospel group at my church? THanks
Harrison
Playing Guitar at Church
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Imo, they canât deny you a banjo on anything from rend collective. Try working out all your parts on banjo and then conveniently forget your guitar 
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Good plan, but I play the pastorâs guitar because it is amplified. I have ask to play banjo and mandolin, but the leader wants to do it more âtoned-down contemporaryâ.
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When you play anywhere, including church, we must try our best to play what the song and arrangement needs. Many times thatâs not grassy, unfortunately, but I do try to throw in a bit here and there.
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Along the lines of what Ben said, give it some time. Get to know them, and let them get to know you. If you are a regular, you will likely drive the sound and the selections in a particular way. If you sing as well, you likely will soon get opportunities for leading smaller group things. I have done quite a bit of grass for the little guys. Kids donât worry about if it is âtheirâ style⌠they just enjoy it. I have done a few main service bluegrass worship sets over the years, but they are a changeup as opposed to bread and butter pitch.
At my church, we are âturn it to elevenâ kind of worshipers (we do a lot of Bethel stuff). It is really great worship. Itâs not exactly what I want all the time, but the congregation responds beautifully. We have to make sure we donât let our energy level lag behind the congregation. That is just the culture of the church when I arrived there a few years ago. I guess that my musical preferences have kind of faded and have been replaced with a desire for making an effective environment for the praise and worship of God.
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True that, I played bass for the youth worship team over the winter (while we were in the states) and I learned to play a walking style of bass; where you walk between chords. They didnât like that, and it took the whole time we were there for them to finally explain to me what I should not be doing and what to do instead. And then I played one more service and left the country. It was the best set Iâd played, soâŚ
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What was their reason for not wanting walks? Really curious.
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I wondered the same. They said it didnât âfit the styleâ which I think means itâs a matter of taste? I liked them, they didnât.
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Yeeesss!!! That actually would work great, cuz it would keep me from playing something âtoo noteyâ 
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