“Most Amusing/Embarrassing Experience in P&W”

[LGOberean]

The long-running thread “Most Bizarre Experience in P&W” made me curious to see if there was a “Most Amusing Experience in P&W” or “Most Embarrassing Experience in P&W.” I searched through this forum for such threads, but to no avail, so I guess I’ll start one.

A couple of decades back, I was leading worship at a midweek service. The fellowship was a small, storefront church, and so we were never that big on pomp and circumstance to begin with, and Wednesday nights were especially laid back. There was no praise team; just me with voice and guitar (my beloved Hohner G940).

While I was playing the last song, my third string broke. So after I finished the song, I just blurted out…you guessed it…”I just lost my G string!” The congregation laughed nervously, and one of the elders just buried his face in his hands. I couldn’t quite tell if he was laughing or crying.

[mlweidl]

i was leading some junior-higher in worship and was using a half-capo(highly recomended) but to this day i have no idea what happen i might have put it on the wrong fret or something and it sounded like, well a car wreck. The following moments were the most awkward and humbling moments of my life hahaha

when i sat down after a j higher came up and said "hey dont worry its not about the music"

[scooteraz]

Well, have started any number of times in the wrong key. Started a 3/4 song twice on the same Sunday in 4/4. Oh, and there was a time when there was a little solo and key change in a song that I had sweated over, and just as I started to play the solo, the bassist's son (who was about 3) walks right up to me and looks up at my face (as I'm looking down at the fretboard) and says, "Whatcha doin'?" I was discombobulated and laughing and embarrassed (for my lack of concentration) all at the same time.

[SatelliteOrders]

We got a new song on Wednesday a few years back. Lots and lots of algebra chords, and we were not too comfortable with it. To the point were, second time through the verse, they guy on keyboards, the other guitarist and I all dropped back. This leaves the worship leader, who was and is our head pastor, going at it a capella.

[Saxguitar]

I had a experience once while playing on PT where I was borrowing one of my friends Yamaha Eterna electrics and I knew from the moment I woke up that something wasn't right. In the middle of the song I was playing and from nowhere the B string slipped completelty out of tune. since I don't have a tuner in the electronics path I didn't tune it up quickly. The whole PT and congregation had to wait while I pulled out my tuner to retune it. That darn string gave me problems till the day I gave it back to him.

[refin]

Taking a 5-string bass to Wednesday night service,because the songs were usually easy that night (I was testing myself on a 5).
That night,the leader pulled out some tough ones---I was redfaced.

[DickensCPA]

I have a personal problem. I lean to the right and subconciously and subtley move to my right constantly. Every since I was little, whether at the mall or taking a walk, people have to be on my left or I run over them.

Looking at the stage from the congregation, I'm the last man on the right. First person on my right is the rhythm player. He good naturedly asked if I had a problem moving to the other side where I'd be the last in line with no one on my right. By the second song, I'm twisted in my chord and all over him. He wasn't a rear end in any way, I have to laugh. I can't help it and always been this way.

Well me moving to the other side lasted one Sunday. I didn't run over anyone that Sunday, but I fell off the stage. Protected the Tele though.

[Bswailes]

Originally Posted by SatelliteOrders

We got a new song on Wednesday a few years back. Lots and lots of algebra chords, and we were not too comfortable with it. To the point were, second time through the verse, they guy on keyboards, the other guitarist and I all dropped back. This leaves the worship leader, who was and is our head pastor, going at it a capella.

Ohmi[insert deity of choice]! "Algebra chords!!!!!!" Too funny!

With all the Music Ed majors out there, now combining P&W with "ear players," like myself, "Algebra Chords" speaks to me directly! LOL!

[Bswailes]

Originally Posted by scooteraz

["...just as I started to play the solo, the bassist's son (who was about 3) walks right up to me and looks up at my face (as I'm looking down at the fretboard) and says, "Whatcha doin'?"...]

ROFL! Too funny!

[telechaser]

Originally Posted by LGOberean

While I was playing the last song, my third string broke. So after I finished the song, I just blurted out…you guessed it…”I just lost my G string!” The congregation laughed nervously, and one of the elders just buried his face in his hands. I couldn’t quite tell if he was laughing or crying.

That's funny

[jb12string]

I was supposed to play a lick on one of the songs that we were playing this past Sunday, well, even though I put the vintage noiseless, there is still a little bit of noise that can be annoying in the IEM's so I cranked my volume down and forgot to turn it back up, This particular lick and I have a history, I nailed it the first time I played it, since then, I played it the wrong key, muffed notes, etc

[battleminnow]

Had various bad guitar related experiences, but I started as a drummer...

We were in the middle of the first song of the first set, a real mover and crowd pleaser to try to get the energy up, and one of the legs on my drum throne gave out. It happened to be the back one (of course) and I hit the floor/wall behind me in a blaze of glory. Thankfully my team was experienced enough to keep going, I grabbed a chair, and I was mostly obscured by the singers (small stage) and I made it back into the mix by the end of the song!

I asked the leader that week if he noticed anything different and he didn't even know that I had fallen! He just thought the drums got turned down in the monitors!

Pete

[bek]

A couple years ago I was playing lead guitar in a church praise band. Small church, fair band with a real good, experienced rhythm player, a couple pretty dang good young kids on bass and drums, me on lead and a very experienced guy on electric accordian (Really!), and three or four singers. We were ok, and they got us a slot to play three out of four nights at our county fair, first time a church band was allowed to do that. We did this very modern kid-type song called "Strong Tower," which I still have never heard done by the originators, and it has a lead riff in it that just never felt right to me. Never comfortable doing it at all. So on the third night I'm supposed to kick off the song and really mess it up. Bad. Beyond hope. So I just stop, wave to the audience, say "Sorry!" and start again right away. Pitiful.

[Pickalittle]

About a year ago, I was finishing a worship set with my Tele, mid-stage, and as the congregation was invited to go to prayer I walked off with my Tele to work on a challenging lead solo later in the set, acoustically behind the stage, and realized as I was about to pass through the stage left door that I was still plugged in to the amp 15' behind me. I realized my mistake and quickly unplugged giving a bright red sheepish grin to the few snickering saints who enjoyed the side show immensely, mostly my guitar-playing friends!

[Alex Vik]

I occasionally sub for the regular bassist, so I'm not 100% used to being up where we play. We just started a soft song, and little did I know, my Digitech BP80 was somehow bumped and I had switched from having a nice clean bassy sound, to some horrible distorted volume swell type of preset. Thankfully for me it was practice, but that's happened a couple of other practices too. I've gotten rid of it and surrounded my church preset with clean presets.

Most embarrassing for my friend would probably be the time he forgot to put on a capo. It didn't matter much anyways, as for some reason our church mixes the guitars lower than the bass.

Also, the time I had a sinus infection which caused me to lose all of my hearing from my left ear. I can't transfer sheet music to notes on my bass, but I've got a good ear so I usually just improvise. Well, I couldn't improvise because I couldn't hear, so that didn't go too well.

[Bensen]

once i accidently burbed real loud playing on stage. i looked around to see whether someone noticed an recognised that my pastors wife looked at me with the broadest smile. later i asked her and she said that she diddnt realize, she just smiled cause i looked confused and in need of confirmation - awkward.

[Jakeboy]

One of our vocalists slips up behind me while I am introducing a song to the congregation & gooses me! My voice must have rose 3 octaves while I was talking.....I was a jello-like mess for the entire next song....i did manage to whisper in his ear that he would pay dearly for it...

[sharktele]

One Sunday morning in front of over 1000 people I switched up to play keyboards on a slow song. The song started out with just piano and keys (strings). I started playing and everything was off, warbly. I stopped. I thought that can't be right and came in again. It was undeniable now, it was crazy sounding. Everyone was looking at me; worship pastor, congregation, band mates, even our senior pastor was giving me a weird look. Sweat rolling down my face. I was dumbfounded. I KNEW I was playing the right notes but but but....I stopped playing feeling very embarrased. The choir and pianist continued. It seemed like forever.

Suddenly, our drummer comes up behind me and moves our Aviom in-ear monitoring mixer off the Tritons modulation joystick. Wham, it was that simple. I had moved the monitor mixer over and left it leaning against the modulation joystick applying all the crazy effect assigned to it.

I was so scared to play the remaining two services. Needless to say, lol, it's something I think about everytime I switch up.

[sharktele]

..

[LGOberean]

Wow! After I started this thread, it lay dormant for almost 8 months, so I stopped checking it after a while. Just noticed that it got some responses after all. Late bloomer, I guess, but it has been fun reading your stories. Thanks.

[jazztele]

well, hey, i'll keep it going then!

i'm not a regular P&W player, but I do work with a Chicago-style gospel group a few times a year.

So it's the christmas concert at the church, place is packed, little breakdown section in the tune "soon and very soon," andrae crouch, if any of y'all know, and I need to bust out the wah pedal...so i step down and--RFI!

a trucker, somewhere just around the corner, evidently, comes thru as loud and clear as anything right thru the amp--and what does he say?

"still lookin'. anybody know where i can get a good MF-in' cheeseburger around here?"

somehow, amidst the din of the singers and other instruments, nobody except myself and the organ player noticed, but unfortunately, we needed a few minutes to regain our composure after that one! Our little joke to this day is "well, at least we know it wasn't the voice of God."

[Parma_TeleMon]

Now THAT's funny - I don't care who ya are!!

I got two:

I'm not, by nature, a lead guitar player, my natural position is acoustic/vocal/worship leader. Due to the number of musicians at our church, however, the only way I could get on a team is to play lead. AHEM.

First Sunday I'm playing lead at our satellite (fairly green sound tech with our new and somewhat unfamiliar to him gear), I couldn't hear my Tele in the mix at all. Played the solo for "You are Mighty" a full two frets sharP!!

And a few weeks back - first time we played "Take it All". Well, I apparently had a different .MP3 to work with than our worship leader, so I learned the "wrong" lead lick to start the song off. Not a hard lick, so I learned quick. It was supposed to go four beat kick drum, twice through the lick and the band comes in. Church starts, our worship leader welcomes everyone, kick drum, I start playing and NOBODY decided to join me. After about the fourth time through this silly little lick, I lost it so badly that I quit playing and doubled over with laughter. Fortunately and finally the rest of the band came to my rescue.

Hehhehheh. I love playing in church!!

[LGOberean]

Originally Posted by jazztele

well, hey, i'll keep it going then!

i'm not a regular P&W player, but I do work with a Chicago-style gospel group a few times a year.

So it's the christmas concert at the church, place is packed, little breakdown section in the tune "soon and very soon," andrae crouch, if any of y'all know, and I need to bust out the wah pedal...so i step down and--RFI!

a trucker, somewhere just around the corner, evidently, comes thru as loud and clear as anything right thru the amp--and what does he say?

"still lookin'. anybody know where i can get a good MF-in' cheeseburger around here?"

somehow, amidst the din of the singers and other instruments, nobody except myself and the organ player noticed, but unfortunately, we needed a few minutes to regain our composure after that one! Our little joke to this day is "well, at least we know it wasn't the voice of God."

WOW!!! ROTFL!!! That was laugh out loud funny! Not the voice of God indeed! He sure has a sense of humor to have let that one get through, though.

Reminds me of a similar incident that happened in the mid-60s, albeit sans the blue language.

Our conservative congregation of some 400 people was in the middle of a prayer, being led by an older gentleman who was fond of flowery speech in his prayers.

Many of us younger members (I qualified as such, at the time) groaned inwardly (and sometimes outwardly) when this man was called upon to pray; we just weren't enamored with his King James Version language and his high church airs.

So anyway, the guy is up there, praying through the church's public address system, just waxing eloquent. And then, the PA did what it seemed to have a penchant for; it picked up the transmission of a conversation from a citizen's band radio (anyone else remember CB radios?) passing by outside on the main thoroughfare.

So in the middle of Mr. Flowery Speech's "And Lord, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest..." the PA belched out a trucker's plaintive cry: "Nutcracker! Nutcracker, good buddy, come back!"

[wazupwiopiii]

I might as well add one of mine.

At my church I play both lead and rhythm guitar and occasionally bass. This particular sunday I was playing bass after getting over a cold. I sneezed, but I tooted loudly and I hit my bass sooo hard that the strings vibrated making an awful noise in the middle of the song. My friends laughed at me. They were sitting in the front row, so I had to watch them mocking me for the rest of the set.

[telestroker]

I got 2:

We were playing some song, capo 2. The worship leader starts talking, the bass player starts playing, except he sounds off. They keyboardist and I are waving at the bass player across the stage trying to get his attention. He finally sees us, I point to my capo, he gives me a thumbs up, and plays the same notes. Turns out he made up an intro that would've gotten to the right key if we had only give him enough time. But a few people in the congregation were asking why the keyboardist and I were waving like idiots for 30 seconds.

Second time was all me. The jack on my distortion pedal is loose, and the patch cable got knocked out just a hair. Instead of starting the song, I spent a few minutes with my guitar cord, volume knob; on the ground testing every volume knob, volume pedal, pulling/plugging every patch cord back (it took a while since I had 8-9 pedals). The worship leader looked at me, I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. The band started the song without me even though the electric had the intro. I finally found the fix and joined in halfway through the song. The cable now has a roll of electrical tape holding it against the pedal.

[Jenix]

in the beginning of my worship bands career and it was one of the first times I had to be the one to carry a song. We were playing and the vocals messed up, being the stand up guy I was I just cut the verse in half and told the lead vocalists to come in on the chorus. He turned and said to me he ended the song instead. I was the only one still playing.

[JayRobIBZ]

I guess this is a good place for my first post. I am a LONG time member of Jemsite.com and a frequent info thief of TDPRI. I have been a lead player in different churches but with the same core group of guys for the better part of 10 years.

Shortly after I started playing guitar our pastor asked me and one of my friends (bass player) to join him on a Wednesday night to lead worship. It was kind of unexpected but nervously we accepted and joined him on stage. At the time I was using a Korg Pandora through our steel guitar players vintage Fender 4x10 combo. I can't remember what amp it was.

Regardless, the Pandora had a nifty little feature where it would play a drum and bass track for you to practice over. Sure enough on one of the songs I managed to step on the unit and set off the drum track. Even though I fixed the problem in seconds our pastor couldn't help him self in saying "I'd like to introduce Jay Frisby, our most talented musician. He can play the drums and the guitar at the same time."

Embarrassed but a good laugh.

[dale_c]

I had my first "oops" moment a few weeks ago. I was supposed to vamp the first 4 bars of a song while a vocalist warmed the crowd up a little bit. About the 4th time around I totally forgot what the heck I was playing. I am sure the look on my face was pretty humorous for the congregation. Thankfully our leader noticed my blunder and jumped in with a bass line which helped me to remember what the heck I was playing.