Remember when KH's had a piano and real singing?

by WingCommander 85 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Highlander

  I'm 31, but I recall the piano at the hall. My mother and one other 'sister' handled the piano duties on a regular basis. Mom, being the better of the two, played the piano during

  most meetings while the other 'sister' was the 'backup'.

  Our congregation was in a small town, rural midwest U.S. so we might have kept our piano longer than most congregations did. I believe we finally stopped using it in the mid to late

  '80s Even after we switched to the recorded music on tapes, we had a lot of problems with the system, so the piano was kept on hand as a backup and was still used quite often.

  I did enjoy that aspect of it. The music and singing seemed quite real and genuine.

  Later, around 1999 when I was attending another congregation in the minneapolis area, the kingdumb hall still had a piano there. I just now remember it because during a lunch break

  from preaching, we were at the hall, and two hardcore pioneer 'sisters' insisted upon playing the piano and having a sing along using the kingdumb melodies ofcourse.
• 

  Life Is Grand

  The only way I recall the singing of the songs was being accompanied by a little old sister on the piano. I don't even remember what we would do if she was sick or away-maybe she never was!!!

  I didn't even realize that they don't have live music played anymore-how sad is that? At least it was a little more "heartfelt" than piping it through a stereo system, or however they do it now.

  Ah well, I guess you really CAN'T go home again-what a shame-hee hee...LIG
• 

  SirNose586

  When live music was permitted, not all kingdom halls had people who were talented enough or ambitious enough to play. I remember guests at the hall I attended making comments about the live music. I think it is a shame that a person who is willing and able to play (competently) isn't allowed to because of corporate policy.

  I don't know how many people in my congregation or any of the other congregations that meet in my hall could play the songs nowadays. I just remember seeing these starry sheets of party piano music--I'm talking 20s or 30s--because you could count on people knowing how to play piano, more or less. So you figure, you have these starry folks who grew up being taught piano as part of their social upbringing, and you could count on that sort of thing to be done at the hall. Nowadays, I can only think of one chap (now df'ed) who could really play who was around my age. People aren't taught piano as part of social upbringing.

  So rather than nowadays hope for the one guy in a thousand who could really play the piano at the songtime, you just have a blanket policy. It takes the soul out of singing, most assuredly, but I reckon that They aren't too concerned about it.
• 

  melmoth

  Gee, I've been out of things for a while - I don't remember anything except a piano at my old KH, and had no idea they are no longer allowed.
  I do remember that one of the women who played was a piano teacher, and quite talented. She created intros to the songs and filled out the simple arrangements with fuller, richer-sounding details. She was told to stop it, and just play 'em like they are in the book.
• 

  Good Girl or Bad Girl?

  No.
• 

  Finally-Free

  I remember the piano playing for the songs. We were told it was eliminated partly to protect the piano players from becoming overly haughty and proud of their abilities. Jehovah was blessing his people by keeping them humble.

  W
• 

  Wordly Andre

  wow I remember it when I was a kid, They don't have piano's anymore? Maybe if they would let the younger generations go to school maybe someone could have taken a piano class.
• 

  Makena1

  LOL - fwiw, I was one of those kids that played at the KH. Probably helped that my dad played at WBBR in the ol' days, was 1st or 2nd chair violin in the big assembly orchestra's, and conducted the Circuit orchestra for years.
  
  
  Started playing (not very well at first) at the KH when I was 9 years old in the mid 60's until around 1985 or so. At that time, I substituted with an older sister who played very well, but added her own honky tonk style to some of the songs. Some of the dubs loved it, others thought it brought reproach??? : (
  
  
  At the last congregation I played we had several professional musicians - two went to Bethel to play for the recordings that eventually replaced us at the KH and at the assembly hall. Everyone noticed that the singing really fell off when the tapes and CD's replaced the live music. I filled in occasionally when a tape jammed or the equipment for playing them failed.
• 

  anewme

  Now you are talking the good old days! (If there ever were any)
  Yeah an old piano in the corner. And an older sister or an older brother in our case would take their seat with pride before every meeting and at the break and afterwards.
  I guess each pianist had his/her own style.
  We had a brother who played everything with a happy lilt! His hands would lift way off the piano keys like Liberace and plop down again happily and joyfully----even if the song called for a more serious tone. He just couldnt play somber or sad. That was kind of humorous to me. Always played with what we called "schmaltz"!
  
  We liked our small town homey Kingdom Hall music that we made all by ourselves. I remember one Sunday when the piano player was absent. And an old brother got up and led us all to sing acapella (without music).
  That was a minor fiasco to anyone musical but since nobody was, the meeting carried on as usual.
  
  We used the piano so much that it seemed like nothing when we got together for fun if there was a piano we would gather roung and sing Kingdom songs again and advance to popular approved of songs.
  Dorky? Old Fashioned? Yes, but I loved it. Many of us did.
  
  Then the recorded music came in the form of LPs. Talk about problems! The young brother in charge would always get the wrong song started and we would all be lost, some would try to sing anyway and impose the correct song over the wrong music. Pretty dumb. But those meetings were usually during the hot summer months when few people were there attending anyway. Many were off on vacations or whatever. And nobody's study showed up so what did it matter.
  
  But I do remember the hearty singing in those days in the 70s. It was fun being a witness in the 70s I have to admit. I only wish I had left in the 80s.
  
  
  Anewme
• 

  done4good

  The hall I grew up in had a piano up until the time it was renovated, (1993). The PO's wife was the usual player, and sometimes, if we were lucky, we got the cute younger sister to play. (don't remember her name, it was a looong time ago when they left, husband was an @$$hole though). In the 80's it was used almost exclusively, then around 1990 or so, it was only used on special occasions.

  j