wholestone

We're now on Twitter

2012-02-09T17:04:00.000Z

We're moving forward here at wholestone music and media and integrating our business interests on this blog as they all seem to overlap!

We have always focused here on music related interests and activities however as we also work on business growth, branding, web presence solutions and social media integration, we decided to put it all in the one pot, stir it around and let the collage of what we do develop whilst keeping all the plates spinning nicely.

So if you like to tweet then find us on twitter @wholestonemusic

Carol of the Bells - 2011 recording

2011-12-07T14:51:00.000Z

Recorded in the studio a few weeks ago, some of Steve's piano improvisation.

We particularly enjoyed the last section...

Event - Worship Central UK tour 2012 'Spirit Break Out'

2011-11-25T13:55:00.000Z

Worship Central have announced their 'Spirit Break Out' Tour for 2012 with eight UK destinations, Southampton, Bristol, Peterborough, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Swansea and Brighton.

Kicks off in Southampton on the 31st January 2012...

Visit their website for full details and ticket information.

We've been to the last few and they have been memorable events.

Artist 'Nina Hutton'

2011-11-18T14:12:00.000Z

Nina has done some work for us in the past and we were really excited for her as her illustration and art is now taking off. Check out her new facebook page and click the like button to follow her progress.

Very exciting times!

She has some great blogs running too which may interest some of you! Her illustration blog and another called Sketchnote.

For full information check out her main website here

She designed our album cover for last year's track 'It is Christmas!' and has been commissioned for some fantastic projects over the year by other well known organisations.

Free mp3! 'It is Christmas!'

2011-11-16T15:45:00.000Z

Free mp3!

We have activated the free download link on last years last minute Christmas track 'It is Christmas!' by Steven Dawe. If you're feeling festive, why not pop over there and download it for your Christmas playlist. This is for a limited time only!

Follow this link to visit last.fm for your free mp3 It is Christmas! by Steven Dawe

Please recommend it if you like it. Free Chord Sheet available here

Google+ Page

2011-11-08T11:09:00.000Z

We were very pleased to see that Google+ have expanded their services to include pages and we have setup our very own Google+ Page which you can find here.

Social Media is a great way to connect with people on a more personal level and we are looking forward to seeing how this develops in the coming months. If you are on there already, why not add us to one of your circles :-)

Online Resource Links for Christian Musicians

2011-10-12T15:39:00.000+01:00

As a worship leader and music director in a local church, I am always keeping my eyes open for new songs and artists that are producing new material. There are so many great organisations out there offering us a wealth of resources which are often available online.

Adding to my previous blog posts 'There's always more', some of these sites can also be useful, teaching us something new which we can apply to our leadership or our musical ability.

I thought it would perhaps be useful to put a few of these links together in one place as a resource in itself. As some of these websites offer varied resources and others very specific items, it is difficult to put them in specific categories, so I have grouped them together the best I could.

Useful websites for worship leaders and musicians:

http://www.kingsway.co.uk/welcome
http://www.sparrowrecords.com
http://www.vineyardrecords.co.uk

http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/home.php
http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk
http://www.ccmmagazine.com
http://www.praisecharts.com

http://www.musicademy.com
http://www.worshiptogether.com
http://www.worshipcentral.org

http://www.theworshipcommunity.com
http://www.worshiptherock.com
http://www.worshipmatters.com

http://www.ccli.co.uk

There are many more websites out there which have great resources and it was impossible to list them all. These were just the few which I have found useful in the past. If you would like to add to this list then please leave a comment.

These sites are in no way linked to us here at wholestone. This is simply a list of websites anyone can find by using the popular search engines available and it is up to you, the reader to come to your own conclusions about the content of each website linked to from this post.

Event - Mission Worship Conference 2011

2011-09-30T10:55:00.000+01:00

Following on from the last post, if you are a worship leader and musician, you may also be interested in this conference held in Eastbourne each year. This has been going for some time now and this year it is on 25th to 27th November 2011.

For more information click here. I found a promo they have posted on YouTube with some small clips of previous events. Worthwhile I'm sure!

Event - Worship Central London Conference 2011

2011-09-30T10:46:00.000+01:00

The guys behind the recent album 'Spirit Break Out' (which reached the UK top 10 album chart) continue their hard work with Worship Central and once again it's event time in London.

This year it's on the 28th and 29th October 2011 - more info and tickets available here

Shared Songwriting Sessions!

2011-07-21T13:56:00.000+01:00

Songwriting can at times be quite a painful process and can leave you feeling quite disappointed that it hasn't quite gone the way you had expected or hoped. I find it is always good to give a song or and idea for a lyric or melody the time it needs to develop. For me some have sat for years until something I'd never thought of reveals itself as that missing ingredient. It's quite easy to fall into the trap of being over protective of your ideas either for fear of criticism or being way over critical of your own work. The trouble is, one can end up playing the same songs, in the same environment, on the same instruments and a new song can easily become horrendous to your own ears but to others it could be amazing, but would you ever believe them now? This can lead to years of missed opportunity and let's face it life is too short for that!

I recently got together with some close 'musician' friends of mine for what I can only call a 'Songwriting Session'. Out came the songwriting scrapbook full of finished and part finished songs and ideas and we just played through them and threw ideas into the pot, more about dynamics and style than the actual lyrics and melodies. I was pleasantly surprised at how a couple of them sounded so different with the addition of drums or bass. It really expanded my ideas for the songs completely. One in particular, sounded reasonable but one of the band members made a suggestion to change just one note in the chorus and it transformed everything. It was a great reminder of how sharing ideas with others, playing in different environments and letting go of the fears can unlock a massive new door of creativity.

So I highly recommend ditching the worries that songs you've written may not be that good, getting together with some other musicians who are close friends away from the place you normally write, and just get out your pages and enjoy a ‘Shared Songwriting Session'!

Good songs are good when you pull the plug!

2011-05-24T23:07:00.000+01:00

As you may have gathered from our previous posts, we have an ongoing interest here at 'Wholestone Music & Media' in unplugged, acoustic sessions where less is by far more!

Having spent years playing in a small band or even solo, and leading worship, it has always amazed me how the best songs sound good when stripped back to just a guitar or an old piano in the corner somewhere.

With others though, I used to think that as I couldn't seem to make them sound so good on my own, it must have been my ability that was the problem, however over time I think I have discovered that not to be the case. Some arrangements out there are so intricate, loaded with instruments, sounds and effects that they should receive awards for their complexity. On top of this, some even have unbelievable vocal arrangements that are sung by the lead, backing and choir singers. They truly are masterpieces and I just love to crank up the volume and absorb the amazing variety of tone and harmony. The trouble is, some of these songs rely heavily on all of these parts to remain that good. They are good though!

So back to the idea of unplugged acoustic sessions, we just love them because it really shows how a great song in itself can be great in different settings. On this note, check out this video we found of Israel Houghton Unplugged.... sit back and enjoy!

Recording Techniques & Resources

2011-05-05T14:02:00.000+01:00

There's always more...! It's always interesting to see how other people do it!

I found a couple of video's by Audio Masterclass online and I just love a good rhythm so here's a link to one of their YouTube video's

If you can add any other links to resources on this subject then please do so we can all take a look!

Event - Big Church Day Out 2011

2011-04-27T16:20:00.001+01:00

It's back again this year and is worth a look!

Artists lineup includes Israel Houghton, TobyMac, Matt Redman, Stuart Townsend, Lou Fellingham, The David Crowder Band.... and the list goes on!

Event date is May 28th & 29th 2011

Check out their website!

Bass Player Resources

2011-03-16T13:06:00.000Z

Something for bass players!

I found a few sites with some great resources, varied views, but plenty to get you going:

The role of the bass - studybass.com
Bass Tips - easymusiclessons.com
Great blog posts on bass - musicademy

As a musician and worship leader, I really value this role within our band. When our bassist is not there, we all know it and just realise how important this instrument is to us. That's if it's well played of course!

Here's a video clip with a great track 'Obsession' by Delirious? This just wouldn't be the same without the bass line... enjoy!

Remember, less is more! (except for the solo part, surely?... there will be room for a solo won't there?)

Website update!

2011-03-15T23:14:00.000Z

We have updated our website this week to include a little more information about what we do!

Feel like 'like'ing a new page on facebook? Then please feel free ;-)

Sound Engineer / Technician Resources for mixing live sound

2011-03-04T10:54:00.001Z

To continue this weeks search for instrument specific tips and tricks, today I've found some links to some good advice for our most valuable sound engineers.

There was a good post at musicademy with some do's and don'ts for sound men/women and a whole load of advice on a blog by Joe Shambro at About.com

The role of a sound engineer in any live gig whether a band in a club or a worship band in a church is a very important one. From experience and observation, my advice to any musician would be to make your sound engineer as much a part of your band as your guitarist or vocalist. On the flip side, if your role is that of a sound technician, then try to understand the frustrations of the band from their position.

Band or sound technician, you are divided by the audience / congregation, but do everything you can to stay united with each other as you are on the same side!

Check out the links above at musicademy and About.com and never give up on improving your knowledge of the kit you are using each week and even more important, keep listening to music and get your ear tuned in to the mix.

Keyboards / Piano Resources from musicademy.com

2011-03-03T20:45:00.000Z

Maybe you play keys / piano. More tips and tricks at musicademy with all of their blog posts for this instrument in one place!

Never give up!

Guitar Resources from musicademy.com

2011-03-02T11:15:00.001Z

If you are a guitarist, check out all of the blog posts over at musicademy for some tips and tricks.

You never know, even if it's only one thing, it's progress!

Think you've made it?

2011-02-07T12:51:00.000Z

As a musician, it's always easy to think you've made it or perhaps think you've learnt enough for the place you are at. This is especially easy (I think) for worship leaders within the church. We cannot introduce too many new songs to the church otherwise it puts a damper on the meeting 'worshipping with the unfamiliar', so we naturally have to play many songs many times over a year and can easily stop progressing as there's not much to challenge us.

I would just encourage us musicians to keep on learning so that we are always improving and developing our gifting. Keep on going, master it and see where it may take you!

Free mp3 on last.fm for 'It is Christmas!'

2010-12-23T12:51:00.000Z

Seeing as Christmas is nearly here and that it's "the season of goodwill and cheer" we have made the mp3 for 'It is Christmas! by Steven Dawe' available for free from last.fm

Season's Greetings from Wholestone Music & Media!

First airplay for 'It is Christmas!'

2010-12-03T12:43:00.000Z

Very grateful to Hope fm in Bournemouth for the interview and first airplay of our new track 'It is Christmas' during The Breakfast Show with Jonathan Chadd this morning.

It was early, cold, snow everywhere... just fitting for a Christmas song!

Wholestone now on last.fm

2010-11-25T21:56:00.000Z

We've just had a look around at what last.fm had to offer and thought it was worth a go so we can be found at http://www.last.fm/label/Wholestone+Music+and+Media

New Christmas song 'It is Christmas!'

2010-11-17T15:46:00.000Z

As promised, we were just able to put something together in time for this coming festive season. You can also listen to it on myspace or facebook shortly if you prefer. Please visit www.wholestone.co.uk for links to all our pages. Hope you like!

Experimental 'Acoustic Studio Sessions'

2010-11-12T15:09:00.000Z

At Wholestone Music & Media we have some experimental 'Acoustic Studio Sessions' in progress at the moment! Great new Christmas song but can we get a clip online in time for this Christmas?.... Will do our best!

Worship Central UK Tour - Promo Video

2010-10-07T12:18:00.003+01:00

Following on from my last post, this has just been released...