Leaders, Singers, Vocal Team, Voice, Worship Leading, Worship Planning
In The Key Of C-hurch (Show #21)
#LetPeopleSing (Video Below) Most people in church typically only sing in few keys, ones they can reach. Your church is made up of shower-singers, not rock star singers. Asking them to sing in public is asking enough. Asking them to sing where it feels uncomfortable is asking too much. What key are you singing-in; are you singing in the key of your church – the song of the people?
There is a problem in most contemporary church music. Singing high to hit the notes, doesn’t make your voice sound any better. It does not influence people to worship, as what it really does is prevent people from singing.
Asking your church and team to sing in public is asking enough. Asking them to sing where it feels uncomfortable is asking too much.
“Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” 1 Chron 16.9 #LetPeopleSing What good is trying to sound like the radio, when your voice in not as trained to keep up? Think about how the church can’t even begin to step in the same room with you. The church is not as musically inclined, your team barley knows just enough to get-by. You are most likely the most knowledgeable when it comes to music. So go slow with your church and be quick to help your team.
Melody Is Not Enough: It’s been said that the church needs to hear the melody in order to sing the song. This is true, but if you cannot sing with a broad and free range, singing all low notes to high notes, what good is the melody? In other words, worship leaders can set the key so high and default to a hope that the church can just sing along in their voice – find their own way – find their own harmony. This is simply not true.
Too High For Your Team? If the melody is too high of a note for you to grab, it’s even tougher on your team. If indeed the song is too high for your team, you can be sure it’s too high for your church. Never double the higher note by the help of your team. If it’s a weak note, covering by another voice won’t help. Plus, matching the correct tone and shape maybe rough because intonation is an issue. What is intonation? It is the tuning accuracy between notes and octaves.
Let’s say you have a male voice singing a high D and a female singing a high D. They are the same notes, but occur in different registers – high and low. The problem happens when the same two notes are slightly out of pitch. This un-unified sound creates a clash and sounds out of tune. This is why doubling part is very tricky. In a small team, it is better for each person to sing their own part.
However, if you are in a large vocal ensemble or choir, doubling is not a problem because there are more voices that can balance out the pitch. Singing higher doesn’t make you sound better. A well rounded voice is one who can sing both low and high ranges.
Even if your voice is naturally higher or lower, you can do more than what you think. Singing naturally is using the same amount of energy it takes to speak. Instead of using lots of air to belt a high note or dig for a low note, use the same amount of air for both. This may sound contradictory, to traditional forms of teaching.
I should know because I have been trained in operatic and choral singing. My vocal teachers told me to use lots of air because of the method of filling the room, by filling the chest cavity. For contemporary singing, this does not apply well. Vowels and consonants are not sung in the same way.
Today, writers and singers approach music differently. Vowels are more flattened, consonants are more softened. but vocally, you simply need the right amount of consistent air to naturally sing the notes. To reach the higher notes, you need to use just enough air to place the note. Same is true for lower notes. Whatever the case, sing in the register of the church. When you do, the people will not just be looking at you, they will be singing with you.
The Key of Your Church High notes don’t make you sound pretty either, they tire the voice over long periods. With improper singing, the larynx becomes tired of fighting the outer muscles and your voice can no longer hold pitch. We should not make them or force them to sing with us. We should build the song for them to sing – we spark, but join in with the church.
Worship and singing us for all, not one. Never should we turn our services into a concert just to validate the worship leaders vocal range or ego. This is why we can take the application from #Psalm57.9 that says: sing of you among the peoples.
Our melody (all of us in the same room) ought to be able to sing: “For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” #Psalm57.10 – not just a choice few. “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9.2 #LetPeopleSing
Sing in the key of Church and B the Church.
@BranonDempsey @worshiptt
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