"Learn to be teachable"ATLANTA (W.) March 7, 2008 -- Chris Huffman isn't usually the guy people think of when they think of Christian music's top band Casting Crowns.
That distinction goes to the front man, Mark Hall.
Huffman is the man behind the scenes, the bassist.
"Most bassists in bands, they're usually the quiet guy in the band," Huffman said (pictured to the far right). "That's definitely me. Unless you get me going on something, I don't say a whole lot."
But there's more to the silence than meets the ears.
"It's not that I don't want to talk," he said. Huffman recounted a typical occurrence that happens when the band prays or has devotions before a concert.
"Sometimes, the good things are said and there's nothing I can add to it," Huffman said. "A lot of times the words are taken out of my mouth and I can't really improve on it."
Huffman said recently he's had a chance to connect with other bassists. He taught a class full of bassists when his church hosted a worship band conference.
"I just leveled with the guys," Huffman said. "You may get down at playing bass because ... you don't hear many bass solos. It's more of a background instrument. But at the same time, it's a lead instrument in that it holds the music together. I try to at least encourage any bass player I meet to just keep pressing on and always learn to be teachable. That was one of the first things someone told me when I was first learning to play bass--learn to be teachable and you'll always learn something new."
He said even when he taught the class of bassist he learned something.
"They taught me a lot," Huffman said. "Even sometimes the teacher can end up being a student."
