Music

Music has always been an important part of my life.

When I was a child – probably about 7 or 8 years old – I was sent to ballet lessons. The classes were held in Walmer Crescent, where we lived, so it was easy for me to get to the lessons. However, I didn’t enjoy it very much and I wasn’t very good at dancing either! We had a piano at home, my father was an excellent pianist, and I used to sit at the piano and make up little tunes to play. Eventually my mother asked if I would prefer to go to piano lessons instead of ballet. I jumped at the chance!

I had lessons for three years, from age 8 to age 11. Unfortunately they were too costly and I had to stop going. I remember feeling relief that I didn’t need to practise scales any more! Although the lessons had stopped, I kept playing because I enjoyed it.

When I was in Denmark at age 16 I found a guitar in a shop in Copenhagen for only £6! I could finally afford a guitar, so I brought it home, bought a book and learned how to play basic chords. That was a turning point for me – the sudden realisation that all music was based on chords. Once I learned that, I applied it to the piano and found a freedom in playing that released me from the written notes. I always felt I was never very good as a musician but the enjoyment I got from it made it worthwhile to keep playing.

When I was about 18 I attended the 428 Club in London Road. This was a Christian cafe style youth outreach meeting on a Wednesday night. It was a vibrant meeting, and as a new young Christian I loved it. They had a band with drums, guitars and piano. They were without a pianist for a while and eventually I agreed to play until they found a ‘proper’ pianist. This was my first experience of playing with a band, and I really enjoyed it. I was involved with the 428 Club until I got married at age 22.

I didn’t play again in public until we had moved to East Kilbride and David and Richard went to Sunday School. I helped out occasionally in Threshold church. Later, when we joined our current church Westwoodhill, I was a Sunday School teacher. The pianist at the time moved away so I played for the Sunday School then. That was in the 1980s – the Sunday School leader was Willie Dickson at the time. I left the Sunday School in 1989 when I was expecting Colin.

Originally in Westwoodhill the main service used an electric organ. I remember Joe Simpson used to play. Then they added a piano. It wasn’t long before the organ was retired and guitars and drums joined in to make a full band. The old piano was replaced with a Roland electric piano. There was an amazing pianist Karen Jack who played in the early 1990s. She was a music teacher so was a professional. I still think she was one of the best pianists I have ever heard – her improvisations were so good, and I learned a lot from her playing.

It was a few years before they were desperate enough to need me! After Karen moved away, Allan McLean took over the keyboard playing. I was helping out with the music at ladies’ conferences and Allan asked if I would play at the main service occasionally. I was absolutely terrified! I felt totally inadequate. But somehow I managed and was even asked to help out again. I slowly gained more confidence as I played more, and was soon playing more regularly.

Once I got more involved with the church band I started a Christmas church choir. Irene Moore led the singers and conducted the choir. It ran every year until 2003. Here is one of the songs from the last Christmas choir in 2003. I am on keyboard, Colin Gardiner on electric guitar, Darren Callaghan on acoustic guitar, John Pentney on bass and Stevie Ross on drums.

My aim is to see more young people involved in playing keyboard in the band. It is difficult because it is a different way of playing compared to the teaching people get from traditional piano teachers. It is about learning to listen to the other instruments and fitting in, playing around the chords. It is not a solo instrument in the band. Worship music has developed greatly over the years and is now a combination of traditional hymns and modern worship songs. The focus is more on using music to enable true worship rather than just accompanying hymn singing.

Power Music was developed because of my involvement with the band. You can read my story of Power Music in Work – Part 2.

All our sons went to piano lessons from age 7. They are very talented musically. David and Richard had guitar lessons from Darren Callaghan when they were teenagers and they are both skilled guitarists now. Richard played electric guitar in Westwoodhill and now plays in the worship band at East Mains Baptist church – see the leadership team here. Colin continued with piano lessons to Grade 7 and now plays skillfully in Westwoodhill with the band. He also leads worship with his acoustic guitar and helps out on the tech team.

Here are some recordings I did for the church to play during communion while the bread and wine is being distributed: communion music