That was the line-up from yesterday’s Deep to Deep gathering at Battisford Free Church in Suffolk. Three of us (myself, Steve, our host, and Ian who had come over from Cambridge) were experienced bassists and we were joined by Darren (a fantastic drummer) and Callum (more of a guitarist but just starting to learn bass as well). Callum’s Dad, Dave, was there as well and taking photos so I concentrated on playing most of the day and only set up this group shot at the end of the day; I am looking forward to seeing his shots soon.

I took the opportunity to lead us through a selection of songs from the worship set I was preparing for this morning’s service. The unusual line-up was a chance to get a fresh perspective on the songs, including introducing some that people weren’t familiar with, picking up tips on ones that they knew better than me and the occasional interlude to pick up a point of arrangement or playing technique. After lunch, Darren took us through some thoughts he had prepared on what bassists need from drummer and vice versa, along with plenty of recordings to illustrate his points. We then did some jamming round a simple chord progression while he took us through variations on a 4/4 beat so we could listen and respond.

By that point, it was almost time to finish so I grabbed the shot above and then (since I had furthest to drive) enjoyed listening to a massive jam while I packed away all my toys.

The next event is already booked: 24 March 2012 down at St Andrew’s, Dibden, near Southampton. Any ideas for the one after?