Imagine: it’s February, it’s cold, it’s four minutes to ten, we’re all tired, and, horror of horrors, the musician hasn’t turned up. Maybe he’s got the flu; maybe she’s jammed her finger in the food mixer; maybe he’s got the hump because they said he played too slow last week.
What to do? How about putting on a CD and everyone singing along to that? Cracking idea — congregational Karaoke! The great thing about CDs is that they can’t get ill, they’re not susceptible to kitchen blunders, and all you have to do to make them go faster is shove a few more volts through the system (though I reckon this should be just as effective on a piano player).
Lack of church musicians
Over the past ten years, the drop in number of church musicians (especially organists), coupled with the extortionate costs of organ maintenance, has led to a rise in demand for CDs and MP3s which will do the job of the musician for you. There are three basic packages that are available: CDs, MIDI files and electronic hymnals.
