philsquest

Irischer Musikabend im UN Irish pub

Es ist wieder einmal der letzte Freitag im Monat und wieder werden wir, die Intinerants im UN Irish Pub Irische Folksmusik zum besten geben. Ich sehe das zwei Posts weiter unten ich ja schon darüber geschrieben habe. Nun ich freue mich riesig. Es ist einer der wenigen Abende wo ich mal raus kann und stundenlang auf meiner Gitarre rumhämmere und mir die Finger wundspiele. Tut der Seele gut und macht unheimlich viel Spass. Wir spielen unter den bekannten Irischen songs auch andere Folksongs. Da kommt das ganze Fingerpickingarsenal zum Zug.

So falls ihr in Chiang Mai seid schaut beim UN Irish pub vorbei, bestellt euch etwas feines aus der Küche (fish and chips) und ein grosses Guiness vom Zapfhahn und geniesst den Abend. Dies mal für meine hunderten von deutschsprachigen lesern. Bis dann.... :-)

Recording a new Lahu song

The last two days we were recording a new Lahu song. For now Thomas puts the basic tracks down. Rhythm, Bass and I play the guitar. Next week Mida will come for the vocals. It has been a while since I recorded my guitar playing and I must say it is rather challenging. I enjoy doing it but it takes a lot of concentration. I realize that I just don't practice enough with a metronome. Today when you record and work with digital instruments and loops it it seems to me like there is no room for the occasional slip. So perhaps I will just have to practice my strumming and picking a bit more.

German Worship

This morning I led worship in the German Community we have every two weeks. This is my latest worship "project". (I wrote about this last year) . Even though I speak German more or less fluent it doesn't come to me as natural as English. What I mean it is not my heart language. I personally pray in Swiss or English. So praying in "High German" feels a bit difficult.
I have a hard time motivating myself to learn new songs and to practice.  I get away with my experience, level of playing and contempt of the people who come to worship.
I like making music and leading people in worship is probably one my greatest strengths. But I'm kind of searching for something where my heart leaps again.

Today I played an old song in the set. I used to sing it more than 20 years ago. searching through the Internet for German worship songs I found it again and was taken by it's simplicity, the melody and the text. Everybody seemed to know it and sang harmonies as well as in canon. The good old songs.

Die Herrlichkeit des Herrn bleibe ewiglich
Der Herr freue sich seiner Werke
Ich will singen dem Herrn mein Leben lang
Ich will loben meinen Gott so lang ich bin

Anbetungslieder

Am Sonntag morgen haben sich über dreissig Personen plus eine Horde Kinder getroffen um Gottesdienst zu feiern. Ich habe die Anbetungszeit geleitet. Das erste mal seit über sieben Jahren das ich dies in deutsch gemacht habe. Als ich mich vorbereitete war das schon komisch. Irgendwie fremd und doch sehr vertraut. Die alten lieder wieder hervornehmen und üben brachten viele Erinnnerungen hoch. (Ob ich doch hoffnungslos sentimental bin?)
Viele der Lieder sind von der Basileia Bern (jetzt Vineyard Bern), wo ich von 1988 bis wir nach Thailand gingen aktiv dabei waren. Bene Müller ,der für lange Zeit der Hauptanbetungsleiter, war hat echt gute songs geschrieben. Diesen Sonntag spielte ich unter anderem "Anfang und Ende" und "Mache mich zum Werkzeug deines Friedens". "Anfang und Ende" (Du bist der schöpfer des Universums) schienen alle zu kennen, obwohl wir aus sehr verschiedenen Gemeinderichtungen kommen. Es ist enorm wie Lieder sich verbreiten.

Leading worship in German

I think it is the first time in over seven years that look at my documents folder with German worship songs. I was asked to lead worship in a German setting next Sunday. I used to know those songs off by heart. Now I need to go back and practice them.
Several years ago I learned a repertoire of 40 Thai worship songs and when we first came to Thailand I had to switch from a mix off Swiss/German and English to a international worship setting.
At the moment I work with my team on a Lahu worship songbook. So my next challenge would be to learn a new repertoire of Lahu songs. Which is an entirely new language.
For the last year I haven't led worship. I kind of pulled back from it. There is no particular reason. Instead Lillian got into it and played the guitar in a worship band. This was great for her to get back into music and playing.
Now I feel like I'll get back into leading people into worship again. At least I won't turn away from open doors anymore.

Beatbetrieb

Eine Freundin von uns hat bei ihrem letzten Besuch eine CD von der Gruppe Beatbetrieb dagelassen. Die Scheibe wurde life aufgenommen und hat viel Atmosphäre. Mir gefällt sie enorm. Cooler sound und gute Texte. Ihr könnt kurz reinhören unter www.sound7.de.
Es ist die einzige CD die wir von Beatbetrieb haben. Ich weiss also nicht was die Band sonst so spielt. Auf Amazon.de könnt ihr auch noch weitere CDs von Beatbetrieb finden. Wir kommen hier nicht so an deutsche oder Schweizermusik. Es ist daher immer wieder schön mal eine deutsche Cd zu bekommen die uns dann auch noch gefällt.

My Lowden back in use

I had quite a hard time glueing because of the wrong tools. But at the end I did it. I left the clamps on over night and half a day. Then I removed them and waited another day. I was not shure how long I should let it dry.
After cleaning around the bridge I put the new strings on, tuned it and played. Wow it works. Same good feel and sound. I'm so happy.

Guitar repair

I must be insane. Here I have a vintage guitar worth over 3000.- SFr. and I repair it myself. I spent the whole morning Yesterday preparing for the event. I searched the web on how to do it, what glue to use and I pray that this will turn out good. To get the right tools in Chiang Mai is an adventure in itself. The only clamps I got don't properly fit.
The bridge of the lowden is in itself a piece of art. It is not just straight and even. To apply the clamps I had to chisel a piece of would into shape.  I used UHU wood glue (the only decent  brand I found) It should dry withinn 40 minutes, but will be totally dry in 6 hours. I leave the clamps on for the night and a day. The scary thing will be to put the strings on.I realy hope to be able get my guitar back to use. It is a dream of a guitar. I searched the web for guitars. I wannt to start to save money for a new one. I looked at guitars in Chiang Mai, but after playing for over twenty years I just don't want to get a cheap thing. The lowden is very worn and it would be good to have another accustic guitar. Lillian and I both use the Lowden a lot.

For travelling and ministry in the villages I use a Martin Backpacker Guitar. A friend brought it from the Staates several years ago. It is a great guitar for travelling and has a loud but thin sound. It comes in a black soft case. It looks like I carry a rifle with me when I get on airplanes. Unfortunatly there is no pick-up and for stage use the Backpacker is not realy practical.

This is Eli on the picture. He is a bible school student who was an intern with our churchplant in Hui Kau Laam for a year.

Lowden Guitar

It happened again. The bridge of my Lowden Guitar came off. I bought this lowden S22 when I was 17. The guitar is now 22 years old. Even though it looks old and used the sound of my guitar is excellent. The bridge came off about ten years ago and I got it fixed in Switzerland. I also had the fretboard redone twice. Something wich I would not do with a cheap guitar.
This guitar would cost today way over 3000.- Swiss Francs. So I am going to try to fix it again. It will be hard to get it repaired here in Thailand. I'm not sure if I would intrust the instrument to someone here.

For the last two years I was thinking about getting a new guitar. It would be hard though to get that sound from a cheap guitar and we lack the money for something similar.
I will keep you posted about the repair.