INTRODUCTION
I want to acknowledge and thank Bill Bay and Mel Bay Publications Inc. for the courage to release a book like this. It's a well-known fact that the Christian music industry has had unprecedented growth in the last 30 years. However, instrumental music in this genre is almost always relegated to arrangements of well-known hymns or worship songs that have been originally sung by Christian artists or congregations. Often Christian instrumental arrangements are created for atmosphere or for background music (" dusting around the house"), or in some cases, elaborate quasi-theatrical orchestral arrangements intended to depict various attributes of God's majesty. This is said in no way to diminish the quality or fail to recognize the abilities of the many talented arrangers and orchestrators that work in this field. It's simply a commentary on the current climate of instrumental Christian music. Rarely these days do we see or hear original compositions created specifically to glorify our Lord, as was a common practice in centuries past for some of the greatest composers who ever lived, such as Bach and Mozart.
I believe original music can indeed glorify God for several reasons, one of which was reflected in the answer to a revealing question posed to me by a radio interviewer a few years ago. He asked, "how can music that has no lyrics possibly glorify God?"
While about 15 smart alecky answers came to mind ( several of which related to the interviewers hairpiece, beltsize, and IQ, etc.)
The answer I gave him was something that I say frequently at my concerts: " a vocalist professes the message lyrically, but it's up to the instrumentalist to portray the message instrumentally." A rose doesn't need to proclaim its beauty; it just does so by it's very existence.
In each of the following original compositions, I have sought to reflect musically something of the wonder of a living relationship with a God who loves us more than we can ever know. In the case of the arrangements of the well-known hymns, I have attempted to accentuate to the highest possible musical degree the intent of the lyrics. I have also explained and revealed to the reader some of the various tools and elements that we as musicians use in the process of expressing inspiration as it happens.
It is my sincere prayer that the music, information, and most importantly, the encouragement contained in this folio will be a blessing your life and music for many years to come.
