The sound of my friend

A friend of mine plays bass. In fact, I have several friends who play bass. But on this one particular day, I was listening to a song called "Glorious Throne" by Alisha Powell from the International House of Prayer-KC.

The song is upbeat with a lot of funk. Pretty good for a white girl. There's a vamp bridge in the song with drums, congas and bass.

The bass is grooving and breaking it down. I'm dancing in my car when I suddenly recognize the technique and style of my friend, Stuart.

He's got to be playing the bass on this song. I watched and listened to Stu play bass for seven years. Has to be him. There's a certain pop he has....

I asked his brother-in-law the next day at church. Sure enough. Stu plays bass on the song.

We recognize people by their voice, handwriting, walk, gestures, even dress. But what other subtleties do we know of our friends and family that make us recognize them?

The sound of their footsteps. A sigh? A riff on a guitar or bass? Drumming. I bet I could pick out my boy Eric's drum playing.

One time in my corp job, there was a person sending anonymous emails about the good things people were doing on the job. Caught in the Act or something like that.

Of course, everyone wanted to know who was sending the emails. We whispered and guessed. Upper management knew, but never spilled the beans.

But, we all worked together. The tone of the email was the tone of our co-worker. And I figured it out.

So be careful. You may think you're sending an anonymous email, but if the receiving person knows you, they may just hear your voice in the words you write.

My friends and family tell me all the time, "When I read your books, I can see and hear you."

Anyway, my friend Stu has a bass sound distinctly his. Pretty cool.