Joyful Noise!

For Tuesday, October 8, 2024:

Psalm 100:1 ESV: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”

We continue our discussion of worship today. The question often comes up concerning in which key the song should be sung. The key doesn’t matter as much as the range of the melody. If we’re asking people to sing along, as worship leaders we need to make sure that’s possible!

Churches missed the boat on this one for years! Hymnals are written SATB – soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The soprano melody would be too high for most people to sing. And most of the congregation doesn’t actually read music, so the harmony parts don’t count for much. Nowadays, most of us use contemporary worship music, so let’s look at that.

Most women will prefer an alto range. Soprano gets way too high for most, just as second alto is far too low. Similarly, male voices prefer a baritone range, not a high tenor or a basement bass. If we look at a treble clef staff (with men singing an octave lower), there’s really only one good octave of singable notes for everyone, from Bb to Bb. Below that, many people bottom out of range. Above that, women switch from chest voice to head voice, which is like falsetto for men. The tone can change drastically, and some women simply can’t go there. Most men can sing a bit higher, but they’re pushing, kind of shouting, which works for a lead singer on stage. But most men in a congregation won’t sing that hard. It matters not if a male or female is leading the song on the platform. It deserves to be in a congregation-singable key.

Settle on musician-friendly keys. Move things a half-step up or down if it makes sense. For example, B major has 5 sharps, which is just asking for mistakes. A half-step up would be C, a key with no sharps or flats and can be played in first position on a guitar. Down a half-step would be Bb, the most common key if you have a horn section. Try to simplify things so everyone on your team can easily do their best.

I’ve noticed a lot of songs lately that start with the singer croaking out low tones in the basement range, barely able to sing. Then later the melody jumps up an octave, which sounds great and adds energy to the performance. I really like that, but I’m not a fan of the ragged performance at the beginning. Just my opinion. Not only can’t the singers sing it very well that way, but the congregation doesn’t stand a chance!

God gave each of us unique gifts and talents. Recognize that your talents may be different from the next person’s. So it’s not only OK, but also a good idea to adjust things to fit your team’s skills. That’s good leadership. When we offered our personal services to our worship teams, none of us signed up to join a Chris Tomlin cover band. (Insert name of your favorite Christian group.) We each have our own level of talent, our own style and our own personality. So let YOUR gifts shine through, so that your worship team can be the best that it can be!

Put your God-given resources to use! A little more on worship tomorrow!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship