For the avoidance of doubt, and to show the fine structure of an act of communal worship, I've published this guide to the ultimate worship song arrangement. Clearly not all songs reach this point of perfection - but it's the ideal we aspire to.
By adopting this framework, you too can give that "spontaneous" feel to leading worship, without having a spontaneous bone in your body!
Gentle Intro, Building Up
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
Verse 3
Chorus
Back to Verse 1
Chorus
Chorus - Just the Women
Chorus - Just the Men
Chorus - Just the People aged 11-17
Chorus - Just the Children and Sunday School Teachers
Chorus - Just the tone deaf people and those who like shouting
Primal Screaming
Back to Verse 1
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
Modulate up one note into new, "exciting", key
Chorus
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
Repeat 2nd Half of Chorus
Repeat last line of Chorus
Repeat last word of Chorus
Repeat final syllable of last word of Chorus
Repeat last consonant of final syllable of last word of Chorus
Fade out
Finish on the Major 3rd chord, leaving an air of expectation
Bottle it and resolve it to the tonic.
Sound of small children dropping their shakers and tambourines on the floor
Little drum roll to finish it.
Final guitar skank to show it's definitely finished
Final, assertive Bass Guitar note to show it's all over.
Accidental "plink" on a couple of keys as the keyboard player looks round to see if anyone else fancies finishing it.
Sound of a 3-year-old turning the "rainmaker" over for the 45th time
Wickedly accurate! I must remember not to sip wine while reading your posts. Fortunately we are about to replace this carpet.
ReplyDeletelove Maggie xx
So what? If singing it once is good, isn't 25 times better?
ReplyDeleteIf one slice of cake is good....
DeleteYou forgot the key change. Usually only adopted by two thirds of the worship band, and a few of the congregation.
ReplyDeleteOoh, yeah! Key change!
ReplyDeleteAnd also an interrupted cadence* at the end of the last line so that anyone who is "musically in the know" is able to stay with the leaders while the rest just catch up a few words later.
ReplyDeleteWe actually did do the last chorus again and repeat the last half of the chorus and last line twice more today... (It keeps me awake at nights, worrying that I might have done the same thing back in the days when I was the band leader)
* when you play a V-VI instead of a V-I
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH
ReplyDeleteThis so resembles the Music Group in Bedlam, that I had to revert to normal mode. Feel better now? AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH
You've missed one trick, which I had pulled on me last Sunday: without announcing it, or supplying anyone with the words, segue into the chorus of a different song.
ReplyDelete@chris.. Called a "medley" and they are irritating especially when the music team doesn't match them well. Just because they're in the same key doesn't mean one should sing them as a medley.
ReplyDeleteI'd say it worked musically, it was the failure to supply the words that was the problem. Lots of blank faces until people recognised it.
Delete