Saturday 5 May 2012

Ultimate Worship Song Structure

Thanks to all who commented on Performing vs Worshipping.

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

             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

10 comments :

  1. Wickedly accurate! I must remember not to sip wine while reading your posts. Fortunately we are about to replace this carpet.

    love Maggie xx

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  2. So what? If singing it once is good, isn't 25 times better?

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  3. You forgot the key change. Usually only adopted by two thirds of the worship band, and a few of the congregation.

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  4. And 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.

    We 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

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  5. AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

    This so resembles the Music Group in Bedlam, that I had to revert to normal mode. Feel better now? AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

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  6. 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.

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  7. @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.

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    Replies
    1. I'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.

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