When is the last time you performed something without using the pedal? That’s right, no pedal at all.
As it happens, I did exactly that on Sunday night. I was thinking about that while driving home, trying to remember the last time I’d omitted all pedal. There was one occasion several years ago.
Christ & Saint Stephen’s in midtown Manhattan features a dome above the altar area. A baritone I played for had included “Why do the nations rage” from Messiah on his recital program. The piano reduction, 16th note tremelos, sounded like what you might call a bloody mess! The singer’s girlfriend, a professional cellist, attended the dress rehearsal, for which I shall always be grateful. She suggested that I play 8th notes at first, but even that sounded too muddy for audience consumption. Then she suggested playing quarter note chords, no tremolo at all, without any pedal. Amazingly enough, that worked.
Prior to that experience, the only time I played without pedal was probably in college, when playing Baroque music. At the time, I was a die-hard original sound freak, or preferred to come as close as possible given that I was playing a piano rather than a harpsichord. That certainly meant that the pedal was not to be used at all.
Since college, I have discovered that using the pedal on every note of a continuo bass line (i.e. quarter notes) enhances the sound without blurring it. But it must be used judiciously! Just tap it. The idea is to allow the strings to vibrate without making the sound last longer. You will hear the sound become rounder, closer to cello pizzicato.
Sunday night’s concert venue was a large church with high, valuted ceilings. The reverberation time was at least 4 seconds. We performed Copland’s “The Promise of Living” with a large group of combined choruses. The version on our program featured a piano four-hands accompaniment.
Both of us arrived at the piano, sat down and looked at each other. Whose score would we use? After we solved that question, my fellow pianist said, “Do you want to pedal?” I said, “Go for it!” He was playing the secondo part. The pedal would be easier for him to reach. In addition, he would be playing the part with the harmonic rhythm.
Soon after, we heard how live the acoustics were in the space. The piano was some distance away from the singers. We decided not to use the pedal at all, in order to provide as much clarity as possible.
I’m happy to say it worked! A professional singer, who sang an aria during the program, was sitting in the audience during the Copland. She and I were talking afterwards, when she said she heard clarity, and it sounded as if we had pedaled.
Have you ever performed with no pedal?
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Bravo in Barcelona. Shutterstock image. Source: Pixabay.
A new blog post! Surprising, I know. Having a few days’ vacation time gives me an opportunity to catch up a little.
A most amazing thing happened in musical theater class a couple of weeks ago. I’m so excited to have a chance to tell you all about it!
A student took her turn a few minutes into the class, singing “Almost There” by Randy Newman.
She had nailed “All That Jazz” by John Kander just the week before, so I was anticipating that this would also be wonderful.
As it happened, she was anxious about something. When she began to sing, I could barely hear her. I wanted to get into it and play, but my sound would have covered her voice.
Why was she nervous?
It could have been anything.
Was she coming down with something?
Was she unprepared?
Was she working on one aspect of vocal production rather than performing the song?
What was going on?
She was worried about the high note at the end of the first phrase, so she held back out of fear that her voice might crack. This is a freshman class. The students are shy about making a fool of themselves in front of other people, even in class. (I’ve been there myself so many times! As a freshman, I was so nervous in my first voice jury that I forgot every word after the title of a slow song in English! I changed my major immediately.)
The professor, who is also her voice teacher, identified the problem and found a way to deal with it. Among other things, she vocalized the student to a top note a third above the one she was concerned about.
And THEN…
On the fourth or fifth try, she knocked everyone out of their chair! She was SO GOOD!!! It was perfect.
Next:
The professor talked about how well the student had just performed, giving her kudos for her substantial progress this semester. She talked about how gratifying it was to witness this as a teacher, saying, “If I had my shoes, I’d throw them!” ++
Huh?
She elaborated. In the African-American tradition, when something is “too good,” audience members throw their shoes! *
And then the professor burst into tears. It was so moving.
The student was in tears soon after.
And the class was speechless.
And that, for me, is what it’s all about.
++ Class is held in a studio with a dance floor. Everyone takes off their shoes so the floor remains grit-free. If a dancer were to trip on grit, s/he could sprain, dislocate or break something, putting him or her out of the game for a long time. So that’s why the professor didn’t have her shoes!
*Both professor and student happen to be African-American. After class, I shared with the professor that I worked in an African-American church in Brooklyn for quite a while, also performing in other venues with the music director, who is a wonderful singer. However, when things were “too good,” no one threw their shoes. So where did that come from? She said it’s a Southern thing. People even throw their shoes in church!
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Please take a look at my e-book!
“Goal-oriented Practice” Are you practicing well? Is your repertoire of ideas working for you? Are you making consistent progress?
My book will help you take a step back, save practice time, learn more music, and perform with confidence. Whether teaching, playing solo, or collaborating with other musicians, you will find many practice- and performance-tested suggestions here.
50% off!!! Absolutely NO JARGON! Even my non-musician little sister says so.
Click here for the book intro, table of contents, reviews, and reader comments.
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Collaborative pianists need all the same technical skills required of soloists, and some would argue that they need to be able to play mezzo forte and under.
My immediate reaction was, “Wait a minute!” Let’s look more closely.
Collaboration is working with others to do a task and to achieve shared goals. It is a recursive[1] process where two or more people or organizationswork together to realize shared goals, (this is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective determination to reach an identical objective[by whom?][original research?]) — for example, an endeavor[2][3] that is creative in nature[4]—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Most collaboration requires leadership, although the form of leadership can be social within a decentralized and egalitarian group.[5] In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.[6] Collaboration is also present in opposing goals exhibiting the notion of adversarial collaboration, though this is not a common case for using the word.
(Note: color and bolding added by GS for emphasis.)
Breaking it down
This implies much more than the prevailing misconception, by now outdated, concerning collaborative piano playing. Even after more than 50 years of the progress begun by Gerald Moore and further championed by Gwendolyn Koldofsky and others, a significant number of pianists continue to subscribe to the habit of just showing up without practicing.
An additional component of this view seems to be a desire to stay out of the way!
I strongly disagree with this idea. If one’s sole interest is not to be heard, then why show up at all? (Gerald Moore’s humorous book, “Am I too Loud?” was first published in 1962!)
The author of the book quoted above says, “some would argue that they need to be able to play mezzo forte and under.” If one is to interpret this as a recommendation to play mf and under at all times, I have to ask, “Why?”
The music
The piano part/reduction is part of the total fabric of sound. It is crucial to have a point of view about the music which is expressed primarily by the manner in which one plays.
Even when playing for very young musicians, the bass line can be prominent. They need the support. An obligato line above or below the singers’ range should be heard. Introductions, interludes, and postludes are shaping the piece, not interfering. The rhythm should be clear and compelling, providing a foundation for inexperienced musicians. Why are we there? How are we supporting a young musician’s efforts if we may as well not be in the room at all? Do we not have a responsibility to be there?
In other situations, with more experienced singers and instrumentalists (who produce more sound), the solo line is not always the most interesting. Think of Beethoven’s “Spring” sonata (violin/piano), for example:
The violinist clearly has the theme throughout the opening statement. And then, in the 2nd system, 4th bar, the piano has thematic material, marked crescendo, proceeding without pause into a restatement of the same theme. Since the piano part is occupying a higher range at that point, it will be heard.
Note that the violin and piano parts are both marked piano, even though each plays thematic as well as non-thematic music. The equal dynamic markings would imply that both parts are to be heard. Why would the piano part be less important/played at a lower dynamic than the violin?
We have another example in Händel’s “Care selve” from Atalanta:
In this aria, the vocal and piano lines are beautifully interwoven. Listen to the incomparable Montserrat Caballé and her superb pianist, who should have been credited on YouTube! What do you hear? Is the pianist voicing his part? The bass line is always there, the melody is clear when echoing the singer, and the interludes fill the room.
A heads up: prepare to be floored!
Teatro Real de Madrid, 1979
When learning Handel’s “Sweet Bird,” I listened to several recordings so I could learn more about ornamentation. Roberta Peters’ performance with a flutist was stunning. They opted to do only the exposition (one page), then added two more pages of a duet. Their sounds blended perfectly, with the most amazing trills. I was in awe listening to the ensemble’s perfectly matched sound, ornaments rhythmically free (rather than using regular note values, the performers, who were often trilling in 3rds, used slower notes, then faster, then added a turn). I listened to the recording over and over, mesmerized.
Point of view
When I was a scholarship student at the Aspen Music Festival, the Juilliard String Quartet was in residence all summer. Their open rehearsals were attended by singers of all voice types and interests, and students who played a variety of instruments. Why were so many students attending, week in and week out? The quartet talked about the music. During one rehearsal, a disagreement continued for several minutes. The cross-rhythms in Brahms needed clarification among the players.
One instance in which cross-rhythms are found is in 6/8 time, when the notes can be divided into groups of 2 or 3. When there is one more than one part, both groupings can happen simultaneously.
In this memorable rehearsal, each player was staking a claim to the way he wanted to play a section containing cross-rhythms. The violist opted for one rhythmic grouping; the cellist another. When the 2nd violinist chose a larger note grouping, the 1st violinist decided, “I’ll just fit in.”
At that moment (it didn’t take long!), the other three players ganged up on him. “No! You have to make up your mind!”
The rehearsal had just become more… interesting, as the quartet’s cellist Joel Krosnick would say.
The decision was made, and the quartet tried it out. Each player was doing something different! It was wonderful.
What would have happened had everyone opted to “Just fit in?” How compelling can that be?
I submit that staying out of the way is not music, and it certainly is not collaboration. If you have nothing worth saying, why play at all? If you can’t be heard, what’s the point? What contribution does that make? How is that supportive?
Bottom line
In order to collaborate as pianists, we need to ask for the music in advance (and obtain it!), practice well, and have a point of view about the music. In rehearsals, our point of view may change. Collaboration means hearing what the other musicians have to say. An interpretation reached by sharing ideas is what collaboration aims to achieve.
To reiterate the definition provided above, when we collaborate, we:
…work together to realize shared goals [in] … a deep, collective determination to reach an identical objective…
What does “collaboration” mean to you? How did you arrive at your conclusions?
Comments welcome!
Check back for my next post, PianoAnd: Children’s voices
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“Goal-oriented Practice” Are you practicing well? What do you do when you hit a snag? How do you help your students practice?
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File: Nuovo_regno,_fine_della_XVIII_dinastia,_conversazione,
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The links provided in this post will take you to articles related to recent posts on this blog. Links to my posts are also listed here. Please take a minute to look around! Comments welcome!
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This post went viral when it was first published. Here it is again for your enjoyment. Please contribute to the discussion in the Comments section!
Do you have perfect pitch? Would having perfect pitch be useful? Can it be learned? Taught?
Please scroll down to Comment #50 for an expanded view on this topic.
Perfect pitch cannot be acquired ~ either you have it or you don’t. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of perfect (“absolute”) vs. relative pitch would be pointless, so I’m not going to go there. Instead, this post will help clarify some of the ways in which the two types of pitch are different.
I don’t have perfect pitch, but feel fortunate to have very good relative pitch.
Someone with perfect pitch can:
instantly sing any pitch name when asked
always sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” in the original key, D Major
hear any music they know in the appropriate key
“hear” a score by looking at it, in the printed key
begin singing a song note-for-note with accompaniment without anyone giving the pitch in advance
A story!
In a class coached by Martin Katz, I partnered with a singer who had perfect pitch. We were about to begin “Ach, ich fühl’s” from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte when Martin whispered, “Give her the pitch!”
I chose to defy authority and ignore his directions. We began the aria, the singer was right on, and Martin said, “Oh.”
Another story!
An organist I know also has perfect pitch. During a wedding in which I collaborated with a singer, he proved it! The last song before the processional was in the key of A-flat Major, transposed down from the original key.
The organist did not know what our program was, and I was as yet unaware that he had perfect pitch. In addition, even if had known the song cycle we performed selections from, he didn’t know we were using a transposition.
Immediately following the final song’s piano postlude, I heard John playing the organ nearly imperceptibly. He began in “our” key, in “our” dotted rhythm, modulating with a big crescendo to D Major, the key of the processional.
I was not only impressed ~ I knew I’d never be able to do that.
Yet another story!
At the wedding reception, John told me that prior to being hired for his full-time position, he was part-time with an additional job in a synogogue. The Rogers electronic organ had a transposition function. During one service, he decided to check it out!
He programmed the transposition he wanted and started playing. When he heard the sound come out in a different key, his hands moved over!
That may be the flip side. Perfect pitch makes transposing nearly impossible.
Relative pitch allows people to:
sight-sing easily by using interval relationships
transpose more easily than someone with perfect pitch
learn music quickly
“hear” a score just by looking at it, but the key may be incorrect
come close to singing A-440 (just now, I sang a “G” instead)
comfortably listen to music not exactly “at pitch”
When I was in college, a chorus I was singing in lost pitch during a concert. The conductor looked at me to ask for a pitch for the next piece! He must have though I had perfect pitch.
I gave him a pitch and hoped it was close. (Having a discussion with the concert in progress didn’t seem like such a great idea.)
A few years later, everyone in Tanglewood‘s vocal program was required to attend sight-reading classes. All of us were excellent sight-readers, so we loathed going to class. It felt like a waste of good practice time.
So we took turns showing up, a few at a time. After four or five days of this, we began getting notes in our mailboxes from Seiji Ozawa! We had to go to class or be dismissed from the program.
To be fair, this was a class in sight-singing contemporary music. The method used was fixed “do,” with numbers. (“Do” was always “C,” so “C” was 1, “D” was 2, etc.)
Learning relative pitch
A person’s pitch can be improved through the use of solfedge and other methods. (But again, perfect pitch cannot be learned.) I have also found that when someone takes piano lessons, s/he can acquire a visual context that provides a consistent reference point.
My friend Joe Kenney likes songs by Michael W. Smith and Rich Mullins. They can be found on YouTube. Joe makes his own adaptations for solo voice and guitar, sometimes adding a percussion instrument. I find them quite effective. The lights and orchestra in the videos are not required to have a positive experience.
Andrew Remillard
Mr. Remillard is in the process of making piano recordings of the entire Presbyterian hymnal. He says he is about halfway there, and has posted his work on YouTube. Listen to the way he approaches tempo, moving forward when the words demand it.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but I hope it is helpful. My recommendations include visiting a variety of church services, adapting hymns and worship songs to fit your congregation’s abilities, and thinking outside the box. By making only a few simple changes, people’s interest and participation can be sparked and congregational singing improved.
Comments and suggestions welcome!
Please see previous posts in this series.
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While you’re here, please take a look at my ebook,
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Click on the link to see reviews, book intro, and table of contents!
The following conversation, in response to Part V of this series, took place on Facebook:
ContributorHi Gretchen, what’s your suggestion making sure the congregation doesn’t get thrown off when using alternative arrangements to accompany congregational singing (as opposed to using them when the choir is singing a hymn as an anthem)?
Gretchen Saathoff Hmm… I’ll think about it! At Riverside, it’s not a problem. Have the choir sing the melody, disperse the choir throughout the congregation, try the Hymn of the Month approach, Try practicing the alternative arrangement for 2 minutes with the congregation, then use it in the hymn. Use the traditional harmonization for all verses except the last. That way, the congregation has been singing the tune for several verses already.
Gretchen SaathoffAnd try not to go too far afield with the alternate harmonization. The green Lutheran hymnal that replaced the red one had so many funky arrangements, they made very little sense. So why would anyone want to sing them.
ContributorThanks, Gretchen. Good advice here. There is a new red Lutheran hymnal, the ELW, that kept some of the old arrangements from the green LBW, and has lots of new hymns without harmonization, just melodies. So that helps. (But they left off the time signatures, which leads to confusion.) But if the hymn is new, even if only the melody is printed, the alternative arrangement still challenges the ear. And about the funky arrangements, people who can sing parts, oftentimes can sing even the funky ones, and some need to do that, because the melody is too high for them. I like the idea of practicing the alternative arrangement with the congregation – hadn’t thought of it as a possibility before!
Gretchen SaathoffNo time sigs? Not especially helpful, I’d think. Also, there is no need to use only the arrangements in the book. Change it so it works. Keep some parts and not others. Write a new one. If the melody is too high, something needs to change, such as trasposing down or maybe singing the melody an octave lower. The congregation needs the choir to sing the melody in unison on alternate harmonizations. When they can hear it, they sing better.
Gretchen SaathoffThere are lots of alternative harmonizations out there: volumes of hymns for organ, choral anthems, hymnals from other denominations, AGO website, etc. Plenty of hymn improvisations can be heard on YouTube.
Gretchen SaathoffFree association, you understand… and now it’s time for dinner! Back later.
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And a followup Facebook Message from yours truly:
During services in various denominations, I sometimes would play an alternative harmonization from a funky organ collection (The Sunday Morning Organist, I think). Just leave out the whiz bang awful parts when they don’t work.
Similarly, there are plenty of anthems that work, for the most part, but also have spots that don’t. One example is asking the choir to hold the last note for 8 bars. Does this make the ending better? Does singing a high note improve the message? That all depends on the choir, what else is going on (i.e. the keyboard part might be just fine on its own). Sometimes a “festive” ending will be tacked on that isn’t really needed. When the rest of the piece works well, I omit the parts that don’t work.
There may be one stanza of an anthem that splits into 8 parts, for example. When you have 6 people in your choir that Sunday, you have to think on your feet and find something that works. What do you have to keep? The melody and the bass line? Is the alto part more interesting than the tenor, or vice versa?
If one stanza is too elaborate for your circumstances, then sing the rest of the anthem and omit that one.
If the printed introduction is too long or too short, or is confusing to your choir/congregation, then by all means change it!
Thanks so much to my contributor, who prefers to remain anonymous.
Which approaches have the most success in your church?Comments and suggestions welcome!
Please see previous posts in this series.
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While you’re here, please take a look at my ebook,
Free of musical jargon, it will save you time. By identifying practice goals, you will soon be able to learn music more accurately, resulting in confident playing.
Click on the link to see reviews, book intro, and table of contents!
Femme accordant son luth; Gerard van Honthorst (Gerrit van Honthorst) (1592–1656); Source: Wikimedia
How can we introduce new hymns and worship songs to our congregations?
People attend church for many reasons. Among them are:
to seek comfort and stability
through ritual (liturgy, order of worship)
through familiarity
to hear compelling sermons
to listen to the music
to participate in making music
by singing hymns
by singing in the choir
by playing in the bell choir
We need to respect the desire for comfort and stability when introducing new hymns. Important factors include:
Accessibility of the music
Clear, inviting introductions
Familiar hymns must be used in any service that includes a new hymn
Remember that congregations in most churches are comprised primarily of non-musicians
Congregational Seating
If congregants are seated with large spaces between them, such as empty rows, encourage them to move forward and sit closer together. This builds community and encourages people to sing. They will hear each other much better and feel supported.
Hymn of the Month
This is an excellent way to give the congregation time to become more familiar with something new.
Including a different new hymn in every service is a good way to discourage participation. People feel overwhelmed and stop participating. One new hymn or less per month is plenty, in my experience.
Rehearse with the Choir
Yes, rehearse new hymns with the choir (and familiar ones, too.) It makes a huge difference when the choir understands the words, sings with an emotional connection, and shows enthusiasm.
During the service when a new hymn is being introduced, disperse the choir within the congregation. Ask them to sing the melody until the congregation becomes more familiar with the music. Part-singing can be added after a week or two.
Avoid singing at the congregation or singing instead. There can be a perceived gap between congregation and choir regarding ability which results in a reluctance on the part of congregants to try singing.
In my organist/choir director positions, I have enjoyed using something familiar as an anthem from time to time. One way to do this is to use an alternative harmonization for one verse. A descant could be added, or the parts could be sung in different combinations (S and B, S and A, asking the tenors to sing the melody in T B, or making the alto or tenor part into a descant). We invited the congregation to join us on the refrain of each verse. The idea was to encourage participation, sparking interest and confidence and fostering inclusion.
When a hymn is printed with two tunes to the same text, they can both be sung, alternating verses.
Teach New Hymns to the Children
This can be done with your children’s choirs or religious education classes
Children are quick to pick up new tunes
Children will encourage their families to sing
As the children become older, you will find the hymn repertoire expanding in the congregation. So keep on keeping on.
Introduce New Hymns With Children Present
Children often leave the sanctuary partway through the service to attend classes. Why not include them in introducing new hymns? They love to sing!
Children sing in other places as well. When they go home, they will be singing the same music. Their families, then, will learn it faster.
Hymn Leader
Be prepared.This cannot be overemphasized. When the leader is unprepared, people stop participating. Know what pitch to start on, know the tune and the words. If you are unsure, enlist the help of the church musician(s) or someone in the choir. If you are playing an instrument, learn the part ahead of time! When you stop to correct missed notes, people can’t tell where you are, and they stop singing. Enthusiasm is not enough. You need a plan and the preparation to carry it out.
Welcoming. Leave the guilt trip at home.
Inviting. Enjoy this with me! Not, I’m going to show you how this goes.
Non-operatic. People hear an operatic sound, feel that they can’t do that, and drop out.
Be non-judgmental. Don’t criticize people for not singing! Look at the situation instead. Why are they not singing? It may be due to a lack of clarity, not shyness.
Since I am a trained musician, it helps me to think of myself in other situations, for example going into a hardware store. I know nothing, and always ask for the manager. Congregants who are not musically trained are also at sea. It doesn’t mean that they’re stupid.
Consider using banjo, guitar, autoharp, or piano, not always organ
When organ is used, register the melody louder than the other parts and avoid mixtures.
People need to hear an entire verse before singing something new. If the leader is the only person in the room who knows the song, patience, clarity, and repetition are crucial. Expecting a group to learn something after hearing it once is not realistic. You might think the song is easy, but in reality you have probably been singing it for years.
I recently participated in a sing-along that used material from Pete Seeger’s wonderful book. A banjo player who attended would have been an excellent song leader. The banjo has a timbre that can be easily heard. His voice had a distinctive quality that would be heard over a group. He had good rhythm and a great sense of style.
What he lacked was a method of introducing songs. He would begin playing, and people had to jump in somewhere if they wanted to sing. Inexperienced singers have no idea how to do that.
My thought was that, given an appropriate situation with music he was comfortable playing, I would practice with him to find an introduction that worked. After a few minutes of collaboration, he would have rocked the house!
Hymn-playing on the Piano
Leading hymns from the piano requires a specific way of playing.
More percussive than a solo piece (i.e. Schumann), in order to be heard during the singing.
Voiced so the melody stands out.
Prominent bass line for support.
Every note must be heard. This may seem unmusical to the player, but when a focused sound cannot be heard, the result is a lack of clarity and easily-perceived rhythm.
Using less pedal is very effective in maintaining the tempo. Congregants may not know how to count rhythm, or be unsure about when to sing next. Sometimes people will wait for someone else to sing first. When that happens with enough people in a group, the entire group slows down. Acoustics influence the way people hear the tempo as well.
Using Percussion Effectively
Drums and other rhythm instruments, when used to enhance the singing, can be wonderful. But a word to the wise: don’t drown out the singers! Your job is to impel the rhythm, not obliterate the sound. It’s not a percussion solo, you are part of a group.
If you hand out hand instruments to untrained congregants, you could suggest a rhythm for each person to play. It only takes two seconds, and the results tend to be more successful than random efforts.
Special Events
Church dinners, presentations, and gatherings other than services can include singing a new hymn along with several familiar ones.
Perhaps one service per month could begin 1/2 hour early for the purpose of singing a new hymn. Introduce the hymn at the stated time and allow time for coffee.
Some churches have a Music Sunday once or twice per year. A new hymn could be introduced at that time and repeated on subsequent Sundays.
Are you hearing progress? Are you able to tell? Ask for feedback!
Ask people how they feel
Distribute a questionnaire
Record the event. You will always hear so much more on a recording than you can when participating.
What do you think? Comments welcome!
Please see previous posts in this series.
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While you’re here, please take a look at my ebook,
Free of musical jargon, it will save you time. By identifying practice goals, you will soon be able to learn music more accurately, resulting in confident playing.
Click on the link to see reviews, book intro, and table of contents!
A friend posted the following on Facebook in response to this series about congregational singing. Shared with permission.
To be honest, I see a generation that is crying out for the sustenance that traditional worship can bring. For boundaries, for beauty, for connection to something bigger than themselves.”
“As an educator, I think Lady Bird Johnson’s observation that children are “apt to live up to what you believe of them” still rings true. One of the lies of contemporary worship is that modern entertainment is the only way to engage the fleeting attention span of our youngest worshipers. The point of corporate worship isn’t to hook them with trappings of supposed cultural relevance, but to dedicate their lives to the glory of God, and be transformed by the sacred storytelling of Word and Sacrament.
What do you think? Comments welcome!
Please see previous posts in this series.
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What are some important considerations in choosing hymns/worship songs for congregational singing?
My work as an organist/choir director/director of music in three churches over a period of several years has put me in the position of interested observer on several occasions. The churches happened to be different denominations.
There have been many efforts over time to introduce new hymns/songs as well as to increase congregational participation. One denomination published a reharmonization of many hymns in its traditional hymnal. Several new hymnals have also been published. Ministers as well as congregational members attempt to lead the singing fairly often.
But how effective are these efforts? Is congregational singing, in fact, improving?
The reharmonizations mentioned above were not a success. People knew the first version well, even singing parts without the music in some cases. The new harmonizations added nothing. People disliked hearing them. The denomination has since kept the best of the new songs and published an improved hymnal, including many original versions. From what I’ve heard, congregations are much happier with the change.
A majority of recently composed songs are unsingable by untrained singers. They contain skips between notes that are too wide to navigate, and are so syncopated that no one can: (a) read the music; or (b) remember how it goes after hearing it once or twice. In two such hymnals I encountered recently, I was unable to sight-read much of the music because it was so difficult rhythmically.
Here are a few examples. I challenge you to try singing them yourself.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
How did it go?
Ministers and lay people who attempt to teach songs to the congregation are often well-intentioned but need to think about how to reach their goal, getting people to SING! These leaders often do not know the music themselves, or will start singing on some random pitch. If the song is too low or too high, people stop participating.
Sometimes a leader will expect enthusiastic participation in the singing of a favorite song… of the leader’s! I have been in services where that was the modus operandi. The predictable result: the leader was the only person singing. Followup: the leader scolded everyone for their lack of enthusiasm!
So… OK, I’ll sing louder… how would it be if I sing Middle C the whole time? I don’t know what to sing!
One leader, encouraging children to sing a catchy song, started on such a low pitch that the children could not even phonate! So, no singing. Too bad. They would have enjoyed it.
The examples above are failed attempts. Here, on the other hand, are a few suggestions about choosing hymns. More detail about introducing songs to the congregation will be the focus of a future post in this series.
Bottom line: Choosing worship songs that are singable by normal mortals will create a more unified, participatory worship experience for your church.
Range
You need to sing the song first. Do you feel comfortable by the second try? If your voice is straining, others will have the same problem.
One example of vocal range presenting a problem can be found in Happy Birthday. The octave leap at “Hap-py birth-day, dear [name]” is often sung incorrectly. I’m sure you’ve heard the song change key at that point. The reason is that an octave is difficult for many people to sing.
Rhythm
Can you read the rhythm from the page? Or, alternatively, can you remember it easily upon hearing it once or twice?
Text
Songs are composed to a wide variety of texts, in many languages. Expecting people to sight-read in an unfamiliar language makes them feel uncomfortable. If the language is repetitive, however, they will respond well after someone reads the words/sings the song a few times.
And remember, a certain amount of repetition (melody, text, harmony, rhythm) is not a bad thing. Repetition makes songs easier to remember.
What do you think? Comments welcome!
While you’re here, please take a look at my ebook,
Free of musical jargon, it will save you time. By identifying practice goals, you will soon be able to learn music more accurately, resulting in confident playing.