GUITAR
GO MAKE MUSIC | James Duke
I am a preacher’s kid. Well, I’m not a kid, but, As time went on, better gear started becoming always so easy going about it, but you are
when I was a kid, I was a preacher’s kid. My readily available in Brazil, but I wouldn’t have either going to complain, or you are going to
parents are missionaries and when I was traded the years traveling around the country, plug into that direct box and do what you are
growing up they travelled all over the world. My playing through those cheap direct boxes there to do. That’s what I did.
siblings and I stayed home in Florida. We had and keyboard amps for anything! You learn to a lovely lady, Heidi, that lived with us and she improvise when you arrive at a church thirty These days, there is a huge emphasis on the
took care of us while my parents were away. minutes before you are supposed to start gear we play. We need the latest and greatest. I
We went to school, church, the occasional playing. You learn to get creative when you call it “the fashion show”. We want all the fancy
softball game, and tried to keep as normal a walk up to a stage that only has space for a things and we want them to be shinier than
life as possible when both of our parents were couple guys in the band and has one power the other person’s fancy things. If we aren’t
on the other side of the world. We had a great, supply for everyone to plug in to, half a drum careful, we will start to believe the gear is more
albeit untraditional, life and were always well set, and two microphones. You learn to listen important than the music.
taken care of. We missed our parents, but as when there is one monitor mix for the entire long as they brought presents back, we were band to share with one tiny little monitor at the The important thing to remember is that before
cool with them being gone. front of the stage. stringed instruments, amplifiers, and stomp
boxes were invented, cavemen made music
When I was ten, my parents took me and my with sticks and rocks and sang along like they
brothers and sister with them to Brazil for the were the London Philharmonic. How do I know
summer. That was the first time we had all gone
together. It was quite an experience (I’m sure
it was a nightmare for my parents) and was
the start of many years of traveling to Brazil,
sometimes spending weeks at a time, going
from city to city. I made a lot of friends and have
so many amazing memories.
When I started playing guitar, I would bring it
with me when we traveled to Brazil so I could
play with the worship teams at the churches
we went to. Eventually, we had a whole band
If we aren’t
that? Because that is basically what I did every
careful, we will
start to believe
the gear is more
important than
the music.
in my house into an instrument. That’s also
what my two-year-old son did.
My kid didn’t need to look up the newest gear
to get inspired. He used what was around
at the time. Spoons, bowls, car keys, chop
sticks… the kitchen sink. Whatever! He made
it work, and it was amazing!
Don’t worry if you don’t have all the stuff. Start
that would come with us and we would travel
with what you have and get to work. Go make
all over the country and do the worship at my
parents’ events.
day when I was a kid. I tried to turn every object
music. Go play guitar.
Playing in those types of situations taught me to
be flexible. There was no point in getting upset
There really wasn’t much in the realm of proper about the quality of equipment on stage when
sound systems or stage monitors, so you can there was literally nothing I could have done
imagine what the guitar amplifier situation was about it. I couldn’t call a backline company. For
like. Most of the time I played through a variety one, I didn’t have a phone and I didn’t speak
of Brazilian keyboard amps or just straight into Portuguese. Secondly, there wasn’t a backline
a direct box! The power was oftentimes very company to call. That didn’t exist.
poor. I got shocked. A lot. It wasn’t a big deal,
though. I loved it. Whatever was there, I made I’m probably making myself sound more like
it work. a saint than I actually was. I’m sure I wasn’t
118
October 2019
James Duke
James is a musician, songwriter, and producer from
Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Most known for playing
guitar alongside artists like John Mark McMillan, Matt
Redman, Johnnyswim, and Steven Curtis Chapman,
James also records his own music under the name
All The Bright Lights. He currently lives in Nashville,
Tennessee with his wife and 3 kids..
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