Archive for the 'Worship Leading' Category

Noisy Worship Music

Published
by
Michael Clary
on May 9, 2008
in Everything is Backwards and Worship Leading
. 0 Comments

When your church gathers for worship, what are you really doing? If you truly want to worship, then you should be giving ascent to the things God says are important.

What, then, are the things God really wants to see from you when you gather for worship? Does he want to see good musicians and a talented vocalists? Does he want to hear skillful arrangements and prayers laced with tender piano music, led by an up and coming worship leader with diving board hair?

If you have a kick-butt worship band, and everybody comes and raises their hands and sings out really loud, and the offering plate is overflowing, and everybody is having a great time… if you have all of this but your church does not have any sort of outreach to the poor, needy, broken, psychologically troubled, physically handicapped, or the otherwise down-and-out, and your church favors the affluent, pretty, smart, creative, educated, white, sophisticated, and/or the otherwise resourceful and well-to-do…

Your worship music will suck.

Amos 5:23-24

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Worship is primarily theological and secondarily musical. If you have great music but a man-centered, do it yourself, I’m OK and you’re OK bankrupt theology, God doesn’t want to hear it.

Worship Leadership Series (part eleven): Concluding Thoughts

Published
by
Michael Clary
on April 26, 2008
in Worship Leading
. 4 Comments

The advice of this series is intended to make leading worship a joy. Once you come to the Sunday morning (or whenever you meet) worship service, you should be confident and well prepared spiritually and musically.

A worship leader needs to be able to think of a lot of things all at the same time: playing the right chords and rhythms, singing the right notes and words, upcoming changes and dynamics, transitions, reading the response of the congregation, and giving yourself the freedom and flexibility to make changes on the fly as the situation warrants.

Oh yeah, and you need to attuned to the Spirit of God and the meaning of the songs you are leading!

This is a lot to keep track of at the same time, but being organized and having a plan can make a big difference.

There are a few other random notes I want to squeeze in here at the end, since they don’t really fit anywhere else.

1. Your voice is an instrument. Self-centered worship leaders want to lead worship in ways that best suit their own musical preferences. If you’re a gifted vocalist, then you’ll be constantly faced with the temptation to throw in your own pop-inspired ad-libs and runs.

If you try to do some acrobatic vocal tricks in the microphone, then the congregation will probably just drop out, stop participating and start watching you. This is an eclipse of God’s glory, because their gaze is directed towards the skillful musician rather than the God who gave him that skill.

Stick to the simple melody, and you’ll be a better worship leader.

2. Check the PowerPoint.

One obvious facet of worship leading that I have not addressed here, is the fact that one of the worship leader’s biggest responsibilities is to make sure that the words to the songs are reproduced in PowerPoint.

I recently led a new song for three weeks in a row when I was finally told that the words were wrong on the screen. For 3 weeks! I dropped the ball here. If the words on the screen are wrong, then all your hard work in practice goes down the drain.

3. Scripture during musical breaks.

I’m not a fan of musical breaks or guitar solos during worship. It shines the spotlight of the congregation’s attention on something other than God. But some songs need a break because it makes sense musically.

I suggest a compromise, which has worked very well in our church. During musical breaks, have a scripture reading that fits the worship theme to display. This keeps the congregation’s focus in the right place but allows you to keep the musical break.

4. Always be prepared to break a guitar string.

I always break my G-string.

[I'll pause while you finish giggling like a 3rd grader]

If you always break the same string, like I do, then try this. Take a used, unbroken string off your guitar that you normally break, and keep it in your guitar case. When you lead worship, have this string in your back pocket. If you break a string, then you will have a pre-stretched string that you can put on quickly.

If you break a lot of strings, practice changing it while standing up and see how fast you can do it.

Also, it may help to have an in-case-of-emergency backup plan. Have the band learn a 2 minute, instrumental song that can be played on a moment’s notice without you. If you break a string, ask the congregation to continue in prayer or reflection for a moment while you change the string (with the one in your pocket) and the band plays softly. This will be a lot less awkward than you abruptly stopping the service.

5. Conclude the set with a meaningful prayer.

This signals to the congregation that the musical set is over and you’re moving to the next element in the worship service. When you do this, talk to God like a man. You don’t want to sound like the guy who is more comfortable singing to God than talking to God.

If you have to, write out a prayer that captures your desire for the worship service and pray that. Public prayers are different from private prayers. You don’t want to nervously ramble on about whatever pops into your head on the spur of the moment. Save that for your devotion time.

Prepared prayers are no less spiritual than impromptu prayers.

God bless, and to God be all the glory!

Worship Leadership Series (part nine): Building Your Band

Published
by
Michael Clary
on April 2, 2008
in Worship Leading
. 2 Comments

If you want to have a solid, contemporary worship band, you’ll need the right combination of instruments from different categories.

1. Lead Instrument: acoustic guitar or piano. A lead instrument is a stand alone instrument that can be used to lead worship with or without the presence of other instruments. Acoustic guitar is most common and much easier to play and so most bands will be built around it. You can lead contemporary worship songs with just a guitar or a piano; I’ve done it many times. You can lead worship with an electric guitar, but not without other instruments present.

2. Rhythm Section: it is best to have both percussion and bass guitar or none at all. The kick drum and the bass need to synchronize timing for a tight sound. Essentially, the bass guitar and drums are married.

The rhythm and cadence of a song is critical because it tells people when to sing and when not to sing. In my opinion, I would not have a bass player in a band without percussion, nor would I have percussion without bass. They need to be together. They can even hold hands during the sermon. The rhythm section is the skeleton that you hang the flesh of guitars and vocals on. Master this and you will solve 80% of your musical issues in worship leading.

3. Variety Instruments: depending on what style you’re after, you can add electric guitar(s), keys, an auxiliary percussionist, and so on.

The most basic setup for most songs you know: Drums, bass, and acoustic guitar. If you have electric guitar and/or keyboard available to add to this, even better. Since most contemporary worship songs sound like radio singles, this is the combination of instruments to get you there.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Having too many instruments. I have been to Campus Crusade’s bi-annual staff conference three times, and the same band leads the worship every time. The last time I was there, the worship band consisted of 21 people! I am not making this up. There is simply no possible way to have every instrument in the mix without being muddy.

My advice: one or two acoustic guitars maximum, but playing complementary parts. Never have more than three guitars (not counting bass). For example, two acoustics and one electric; or two electrics and one acoustic. Never three electrics or acoustics.

2. Having too many vocalists. This is a pet peeve. Many good sounding worship bands ruin their sound by having 3 part harmonies that sound like the Gaithers. One male lead is just fine. Your best bet is to find instrumentalists who can sing harmonies when necessary. Never have more than one dedicated vocalist unless for special occasions. It simply isn’t necessary.

3. Trying to sound like the CD. Face it: your band isn’t as good as the CD. Don’t try to be. Find a way to make the song your own and play it with your band’s own style.

4. Solos and musical breaks. This is rarely appropriate in a congregational setting. Everybody stops singing so they can watch the guitar guy play a flashy lead. This doesn’t contribute to worship. If a song calls for a musical break, then find a selection of scripture that fits the theme of the song and display that scripture during the break. This way no one is being spotlighted in the band and people’s focus is still on the Lord.

5. Allowing musicians to become entrenched. I have been in many situations where the best musicians in the church were not the ones playing in the band because someone else already had dibs on the spot and nobody was willing to ask that person to yield to the more gifted musician. This self-imposed mediocrity doesn’t benefit anyone. I have 4 month terms for band members and we reevaluate at the end of each term. If someone isn’t a good fit or if someone else wants to give it a shot, this is the ideal time to make adjustments without hurting feelings needlessly.

6. The American Idol Syndrome. Some people just can’t sing but somehow they have convinced themselves that they belong on the stage in Hollywood’s Kodak Theater. If you have musicians that are consistently not pulling their weight, perhaps its time for you to have a Simon Cowell conversation with them.

7. Hijacking your style. Once you have determined what the style of music is that you will use in your congregation, make sure you recruit instruments that fit that style. You may have a great mandolin player, but that instrument works better with a folk style. Harmonica doesn’t really work for worship at all. And so on.

Worship Leadership Series (part eight): How to Butcher a Good Hymn

Published
by
Michael Clary
on March 26, 2008
in Worship Leading
. 0 Comments

This series will now take an undoubted turn into the more practical elements of worship leading. Upcoming topics include leading a contemporary band, instrumentation, managing worship practices, developing your musicians, and the art of leading a worship service.

One of my favorite things to do is to breathe fresh new life into old hymns. Many have attempted to do this and about half as many butcher the classics.

A word of caution: just because it’s old doesn’t make it good. Many old hymns are just as trite as contemporary music; they just used bigger words while doing it.

The number one way to butcher an old hymn is this: screwing up the rhythm.

It sounds simple enough, but there’s actually a complicated reason for this phenomena. It will require a little history.

Music has two basic elements: meter (rhythm) and melody. European classical music heavily emphasized melody. The timing of a song could speed up or slow down at the whims of the conductor. S/he directs the musicians and they follow his or her timing.

African music, on the other hand, emphasizes rhythm. Drums and percussive instruments provide the foundation for layers of singing and chanting.

Since dancing requires a steady rhythm to keep dancing partners together, and since dancing was considered sinful, church music ministers were prone to resist rhythmic developments taking place in the larger musical world.

Jazz music, for example, successfully blended European and African styles to create a whole swath of new inventions: big band, fusion, jazz proper, and rock and roll.

If you listen to 90% of contemporary worship music, you can count 1,2,3,4 (4/4 time) over and over with the beat. Hymns, however, were written with entire lyrical lines in mind and matching numbers of syllables. This works fine with an organ, not with a drumset. Charles Wesley’s hymn “Christ the Lord is Ris’n Today,” for example, is based on 7 syllable lines (Ris’n is one syllable).

Rhythmic instruments simply don’t mesh well with strange meter, but the majority of worship leading instruments are rhythmic: guitars and drums. Piano and bass fit much better with a melodic style of music, but most worship leaders don’t lead from these instruments.

As a result, you will see many odd time signatures in a hymnal: 12/9, 2/2, and so on. These simply are not pleasing meters to the modern ear.

What many worship leaders will do is to try to have the best of both worlds; they’ll sing the old hymn but try to play it with a contemporary worship band. At the end of the line, some people will continue singing the next line like they’re used to, but the band waits until the next measure. Awkward glances ensue, the worship leader tried to hide his sheepish grin.

It simply feels weird. Ask Passion; they did a hymn CD and it was by far their worst recording to date.

You have three possible solutions: (1) lead it as it was originally sung with a piano or organ, not a guitar. The guitar simply does not work with this style of meter. (2) Totally rewrite the music and keep the old lyrics. Don’t try to force the old melody into a new genre, it will frustrate everyone trying to sing along. (3) Don’t sing that song.

Worship Leadership Series (part seven): Develop a Set List

Published
by
Michael Clary
on March 21, 2008
in Worship Leading
. 0 Comments

Successful radio stations have implemented the set list principle for decades. The basic idea is this: people like to hear songs that they know. Likewise, people have a limited tolerance level for hearing and becoming familiar with music they don’t know. Thus, radio stations have gone to a “top 40″ format or even a “top 20″ format.

These stations do this because if you tune in to their station for 10 or 15 minutes in the car, you’re going to hear a song that you know and will likely continue to listen. New songs are introduced incrementally.

This is a great principle for worship music. A classic worship leader mistake is to hear a new song, love it, and lead it that Sunday in church. Good worship leaders have more discipline than this.

Here’s my formula: have 2 months worth of music in your set list.

If you normally sing three songs every Sunday, multiply that by 8 (weeks) and have a set list of 24 songs. In my church, we sing about 6 songs per week, which makes our set list about 48 songs.

Your set list also needs balance. You’ll need both faster and slower songs, theologically complex as well as theologically simple songs (basic truths, not simple minded), older songs and new songs, hymns and contemporary songs, and so on. Be mindful of your congregation: don’t force them to sing a musical style that doesn’t fit their preference.

Your congregation will be able to appreciate and be edified by worship when they are familiar with the songs. Familiarity is key.

Once your set list is established, you can rotate songs in and out of the set list. I have a list of several new songs that I would like to do at my church, but I never introduce more than 1 or 2 new songs per month. So I take these new songs that are in queue to be taught at my church and patiently teach them one at a time over a period of months. Whenever I teach a new song, another song gets bumped from the rotation.

To build familiarity, whenever I teach a new song at my church, we do it for three consecutive weeks. The band my get sick of practicing it, but your church has only heard it once per week for three weeks. They may forget they even heard it until the third time around when it sinks in.

Of course, there are always classics that can be summoned for duty at any time, such as Amazing Grace or Great is Thy Faithfulness. But your congregation most likely will not know anywhere near the amount of music you know and so we, as worship leaders, need to think of their needs and desires over our own.