worship – David Tan

Since 2018, David Tan has worked as a physician assistant at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. Outside his activities as a physician assistant, he maintains an active role in his local Lutheran church. In addition to singing, David Tan plays bass guitar in his church choir every Sunday.

Many Christian churches use a vocal choir and full band to add to Sunday worship services, and lead the congregation in singing traditional hymns and contemporary worship music. While the role of a church bass player isn’t entirely different from in other musical ensembles, playing alongside a choir requires a somewhat unusual approach.

The bass guitar is typically thought of as a rhythm instrument, which it is, but effective bassists also do much to support musical harmonies. When playing with a church choir, adding harmonic textures to the vocals while also staying locked into the beat can significantly improve an arrangement. Church bass players looking to boost their harmony skills can do so by practicing and experimenting with chord inversions.

It’s also important for church bassists to use a playing style that matches the music of their church. For example, a heavily funky beat will sound very out of place alongside a somber, reverent hymn. In addition, bassists should make it a point to learn the singing tradition of their congregation so that they can properly time musical introductions and interludes.

A final thing to consider is the type of bass to use for playing in church. This also depends on the particular style of music played during a church’s worship service. A jazz-style bass may be best for church orchestras, while a more “rock-sounding” Rickenbacker bass may be better suited for a lively choir singing rock-based worship songs.

A dedicated medical professional, David Tan works as a physician assistant at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Illinois. In addition to his career in medicine and work as a physician assistant, David Tan is also active in his community, playing the bass guitar, violin, and occasionally the bells in his local church.

Playing bells in church has been a traditional addition to worship since Medieval times. Through the years, the bells have evolved from bells rung in large towers (called “carillons”) to smaller bells that could be carried and played by hand (known as “handbells”) The practice of English handbell ringing came to the United States in the early 1800s, and the first touring handbell group was organized by P.T. Barnum in the 1840s.

Handbell choirs are now found frequently in churches across the world. They often have bells of all sizes covering pitches of two or more octaves, including all the sharps and flats. Playing together, handbell choirs can create complex musical melodies and harmonies using multiple individual bells. Due to the number of bells needed to create the music, handbell choirs typically stand behind large padded tables that hold all the necessary bells. This prevents damage to the bells as they are picked up and placed back down relatively quickly.

Unlike in other ensembles (like orchestras), handbell players are responsible for only two or three total notes of music, which they must play in rhythm every time they arise in the composition. Ample practice is essential in order to ensure proper continuity across so many individual players.

Category: worship

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