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Church Meetings and the Steel Guitarist’s Role in Them 3 Keith Dominion worship services follow a general pattern common to many predominantly African American Holiness-Pentecostal churches. Familiarity with some specific characteristics of the services should help the reader better understand the origins and evolution of the steel guitar tradition and the cultural milieu in which the steel guitarists, clergy, and congregants operate. What follows is a general description of aspects of Keith Dominion worship and ritual most relevant to the steel guitar musical tradition. Keith Dominion churches meet four times each week: Wednesday night Bible study, Friday night tarry service, Sunday morning for Sunday school followed by worship services, and Sunday evening.1 Because the Sunday morning worship service is the most heavily attended of the regular weekly meetings, it will be discussed most thoroughly. In addition to the regular weekly gatherings, each state conducts a number of special events that may include the state assembly, revivals, church anniversaries, pastor anniversaries , state baptism, Sunday school conventions, and homegoing services (funerals). Because the Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday evening meetings have no special significance in terms of steel guitar music they are not discussed here. Some of the special events are discussed in less detail following the discussion of the Sunday morning worship services. Sunday Morning Worship Service Keith Dominion Sunday morning worship services are scheduled to begin at 11:30.2 While every effort is made to begin services punctually, it is not unusual for a service to start more than fifteen minutes late.There is no set time for the end of services. One of the key differences in Keith Dominion 34 chapter 3 worship services as compared to those of many other churches is the general looseness with regard to time. At most Keith Dominion churches the Sunday morning service is over by about 2:00 p.m., or 2:30 at the latest. But if spontaneous events, such as extended personal testimony or someone “seeking” the Holy Ghost in pursuit of conversion occur, sufficient time is allowed for those events to naturally flow to resolution. The service is ultimately controlled by the pastor, but spontaneity is recognized as an element of the religious experience. It is not unusual for a pastor to abbreviate portions of the planned program or “order of service” to accommodate lengthy spontaneous testimony followed by conversion, for example. It is also rather common for a few congregants to arrive as much as an hour late, or for some to leave early. The combination of early departures and late arrivals results in a greater degree of movement by members of the congregation as compared to a white Protestant church, for example, where the service lasts for exactly one hour and, aside from one or two stragglers, the congregants start the service together and stay for the duration. In the end, the degree to which worship services run on time is determined by the pastor, and some are stricter in this regard than others. Literal interpretation of the Psalms of David are cited as the scriptural basis for giving praise to the Lord by making music on all manner of instruments and dancing. Particular scriptures cited include Psalms 150:4, “praise him with stringed instruments,” and 149:3, “Let them praise his name in the dance.” In addition to the church band, many congregants “make a joyful noise” (Psalms 100:1) on a variety of percussion instruments brought from home and played from the pews. Among the most popular of these are the tambourine, cowbell, and hand cymbals. The old-fashioned washboard, rubbed with a bent wire coat hanger or other metal object, is rather uncommon today, but still used by a few. The band is usually stationed at the front of the church, well to one side of the pulpit.The pews closest to the band are often occupied by boys and young men who aspire to be church musicians. Some of the younger boys may play along on plastic toy guitars and others may play “air drums” with a pair of drumsticks.Aspiring Keith Dominion musicians learn much by observing and imitating experienced church musicians. In addition to the electric steel guitar, instruments played by members of the church band commonly include electric bass, electric guitar, a drum set, and quite frequently, a keyboard synthesizer. Older churches may have an organ, but even when an organ is present, the keyboard instrument most likely to be played is the synthesizer. The drums are...

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