PaSTOR D The Pianist
Music Legacy: PaSTOR D the... l "The Guitarist" l "The Bassist" l "The Pianist"
Tribute to Pastor Andre Crouch By PaSTOR D
Playing the piano is a direct result of hearing the introduction to a Gospel song while being alone in the dressing room of a Night Club. It was typical of me to minimize being in the “SMOKY” atmosphere of the club by staying in the dressing room during the “Band breaks.” Often I would use this as a way to listen to Gospel music. During the same night I decided to finally take time to look at a TV program called “Fed the Children.” My heart was touched so severely and yearned for something that I wasn’t sure about.
A few minutes later, I turn on the radio to a popular Gospel Radio station. The first thing that caught my attention was a “Piano Introduction” to a song. Then as the voice began to sing, I said to myself “This sounds like my voice on the radio.” I soon discovered that the song was “Home over the Mountain” by the late Rev. Donald Vails & the Choraleers.
Following the discovery of this song, although a guitarist, I attempted to learn the introduction to “Home over the Mountain” every time I got near a piano. Unfortunately, the piano was extremely difficult for me to learn after conditioning my mind to think “Guitar & Bass all of my life.” This started me on a journey of “wanting to learn this song; not so much the piano but just the song “Home over the Mountain.” After tapping on every piano I could find, I began to be interested in going on to fully learn the piano.
A few minutes later, I turn on the radio to a popular Gospel Radio station. The first thing that caught my attention was a “Piano Introduction” to a song. Then as the voice began to sing, I said to myself “This sounds like my voice on the radio.” I soon discovered that the song was “Home over the Mountain” by the late Rev. Donald Vails & the Choraleers.
Following the discovery of this song, although a guitarist, I attempted to learn the introduction to “Home over the Mountain” every time I got near a piano. Unfortunately, the piano was extremely difficult for me to learn after conditioning my mind to think “Guitar & Bass all of my life.” This started me on a journey of “wanting to learn this song; not so much the piano but just the song “Home over the Mountain.” After tapping on every piano I could find, I began to be interested in going on to fully learn the piano.
During many years of teaching music at Ideal Music Company downtown Atlanta, I was only able to use a piano while in the store. Soon I was actually teaching piano and attempting to translate my guitar knowledge into playing the piano. Literally, for 6 years I actually taught piano classes but never own my own piano to study at home. It was all God’s orchestration. How could I have been teaching piano as a beginner myself even to the point of instructing several people more advanced than I were at the time? This was the evidence of my TRUE BORN GIFT. It is “Teaching!” It was just over 6 years before God blessed me to finally have my own keyboard to practice on. Trial & error, studying, and observing others established my pattern for learning the piano. I even sneaked inside the orchestra room at Georgia State University several times to play on the piano. I just had to play! This wasn’t a thrill but a PASSION.”
Something very special happened to me one cold snowy night while at the Church alone. My having the keys to the Church for various duties prompted me to sneak in just to spend time on the “Baby Grand Piano” in the main sanctuary. While sitting at the piano in the dark, I began to pray a very odd and unique prayer unto God.
Although I wore very thick eye glasses at the time, my initial years of finally learning to play the piano was severely hindered by having poor vision. It was difficult to read music while simultaneously sitting at the piano. I JUST COULDN’T DO IT! Eventually I attempted to re-sketch diagrams in my own way to make it easier for me to read music. Destiny took over from there. Creating my own scratch diagrams eventually evolved into me creating a fresh new approach to writing music. No longer was I trying to use standard “Mel Bay Piano booklets” to teach from but my “Own Concepts” of explaining Gospel music. From that time on I decided that it was my destiny to introduce new ways to teach Gospel music.
Something very special happened to me one cold snowy night while at the Church alone. My having the keys to the Church for various duties prompted me to sneak in just to spend time on the “Baby Grand Piano” in the main sanctuary. While sitting at the piano in the dark, I began to pray a very odd and unique prayer unto God.
Although I wore very thick eye glasses at the time, my initial years of finally learning to play the piano was severely hindered by having poor vision. It was difficult to read music while simultaneously sitting at the piano. I JUST COULDN’T DO IT! Eventually I attempted to re-sketch diagrams in my own way to make it easier for me to read music. Destiny took over from there. Creating my own scratch diagrams eventually evolved into me creating a fresh new approach to writing music. No longer was I trying to use standard “Mel Bay Piano booklets” to teach from but my “Own Concepts” of explaining Gospel music. From that time on I decided that it was my destiny to introduce new ways to teach Gospel music.
Now In Life
At the point of God blessing me to also “Master the Computer,” I’ve been able to take every inner thought and vision of explaining Gospel music and convert them into professional style music diagrams. This new method allowed me to further explain many difficult aspects of playing traditional & Contemporary Gospel that are rarely fully presented in retail books. Isn’t God just awesome? One of the greatest blessings is having the ability to explain everything I play. TEACHING! TEACHING! TEACHING! I LOVE IT. Years later, I had to make it through some painful situations relating to my hope to play in my home Church. My heart was right, my focus was steady, and I already had an advance ear for music. Unfortunately, at the time my piano skills were still in a stage of development, not great, but still useable whenever allowed. The details of this period I will not mention except to explain principles of life in the Ministry of the Word of God. Finally, God blessed me through much personal study to become more masterful on the piano. My new level of piano skills soon met up with my entry into the Ministry. The rest is “HISTORY!” My highest interest is still to TEACH! |
This Was My Very Strange Prayer!
God please let me learn to play the piano so I can help the Men Choir when the main musician is not available to play. Even if you don’t bless me with a piano to practice on, I believe it is your will for me to learn to play and be great for the sake of teaching. In Jesus name AMEN!
By far, this was a very weird prayer to pray. Yet somewhere in this prayer was my faith being born to understand that it was indeed the will of God for me to learn to play the piano very well.
Immediately following that prayer, I began to sit at the piano and somehow start to comprehend what I was doing. Suddenly I had a fresh vision of where God was taking me. It was defining moment of finally being able to think as a “PIANIST.”
God please let me learn to play the piano so I can help the Men Choir when the main musician is not available to play. Even if you don’t bless me with a piano to practice on, I believe it is your will for me to learn to play and be great for the sake of teaching. In Jesus name AMEN!
By far, this was a very weird prayer to pray. Yet somewhere in this prayer was my faith being born to understand that it was indeed the will of God for me to learn to play the piano very well.
Immediately following that prayer, I began to sit at the piano and somehow start to comprehend what I was doing. Suddenly I had a fresh vision of where God was taking me. It was defining moment of finally being able to think as a “PIANIST.”
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