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Source: (consider it) Thread: Yet more crappy choruses, wonky worship-songs and horrible hymns
L'organist
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Its good to play Devil's Advocate balaam but, as you well know, the important words in the 23rd Psalm are about the Lord, the Shepherd, HE restoreth my soul.

Even if a paraphrase is sung, say Crimond, the emphasis is on the Shepherd and HE

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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet

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Ariel
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Hadn't realized this thread was still going - here's a small bit of cheery sunshine to add to it, if it hasn't already been mentioned before.
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Rosa Winkel

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quote:
Originally posted by Alex Cockell:
Stumbled on this clanger today...

Some even headbang to it. A Purgatory for them would all include heavy doses of the Maiden and Slayer, so they find out what passion is.

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Jemima the 9th
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I'd forgotten about this thread, I have been crying with laughter.

I submit the following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjYiEyu8Si8

with this offending chorus:
"You lived to die
rejected and alone

Like a Rose
trampled on the ground

You took the fall
and thought of me
Above all"
[Paranoid]
Now there's a classy bit of me me me. Jesus thought of me, above all? Hmm. And He lived to die? Double hmm.

Trampled rose imagery belongs firmly in rawk (a la Gold against the Soul era Manic Street Preachers) and nowhere else. So there.

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South Coast Kevin
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quote:
Originally posted by Jemima the 9th:
Now there's a classy bit of me me me. Jesus thought of me, above all? Hmm. And He lived to die? Double hmm.

Oh, good call. Odd how the verse is so different in feel, though, focusing on Jesus' position above all creation, only for that strongly me-focused chorus...

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South Coast Kevin
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This morning's musical innovation / abomination (delete according to taste) [EDIT] at my church's morning meeting [/EDIT] was 'Amazing Grace' to the tune of 'House of the Rising Sun'. Try it, it really works - on a technical level, I mean; whether it works aesthetically is a personal judgement!

I rather liked it, myself, and will have a go at playing it when I've finished my lunch. Oh, and I recognised the tune before the music leader guy started singing. /Smug mode

Linkety-link for a version by the Blind Boys of Alabama

[ 14. July 2013, 14:08: Message edited by: South Coast Kevin ]

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SvitlanaV2
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I don't dislike singing hymns about Jesus' love for me, so long as though those aren't the only spiritual songs I sing.

Some people suffer from a general lack of self-esteem. Others feel that God has great plans for other Christians' lives, while having very little interest in theirs. It's important to have songs that make individual Christians recognise their value, especially if they're not perceived to be high status individuals within their churches, or within society as a whole.

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MrsBeaky
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Here in the Eldoret diocese of the Anglican church in Kenya, we either sing choruses/ hymns in mother tongues or Kiswahili which is great or (as we did this morning) we venture into the long forgotten (for my husband)/ unknown (for me)territory of "Golden Bells".....some of which is OK but some of which challenges me theologically and musically so I spend ages trying to figure out if I can bring myself to sing it.
In contrast, the Cathedral in Nairobi was great musically.

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Albertus
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quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
This morning's musical innovation / abomination (delete according to taste) [EDIT] at my church's morning meeting [/EDIT] was 'Amazing Grace' to the tune of 'House of the Rising Sun'. Try it, it really works - on a technical level, I mean; whether it works aesthetically is a personal judgement!

I rather liked it, myself, and will have a go at playing it when I've finished my lunch. Oh, and I recognised the tune before the music leader guy started singing. /Smug mode

Linkety-link for a version by the Blind Boys of Alabama

I like the sound of that. I suppose that the worship style of your shack means that you're unlikely to get the 'Tantum Ergo' to the tune of 'The Yellow Rose of Texas', though..
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South Coast Kevin
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quote:
Originally posted by Albertus:
I suppose that the worship style of your shack means that you're unlikely to get the 'Tantum Ergo' to the tune of 'The Yellow Rose of Texas', though..

Indeed so, I'm afraid... In fact, I'm not familiar with either of those pieces! Link me up?

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Jemima the 9th
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quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
quote:
Originally posted by Jemima the 9th:
Now there's a classy bit of me me me. Jesus thought of me, above all? Hmm. And He lived to die? Double hmm.

Oh, good call. Odd how the verse is so different in feel, though, focusing on Jesus' position above all creation, only for that strongly me-focused chorus...
Yes, I thought that. I rather like the sentiment of the verse, even if the tune is a bit dirge-y.
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Baptist Trainfan
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quote:
Originally posted by MrsBeaky:
Here in the Eldoret diocese of the Anglican church in Kenya ... we venture into the long forgotten (for my husband)/ unknown (for me)territory of "Golden Bells".....some of which is OK but some of which challenges me theologically and musically.

From earlier experience, it's also bad for one's eyes (tiny print!), at least in the editions I knew. But the sun presumably shines brightly in Kenya.
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Liturgylover
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quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
This morning's musical innovation / abomination (delete according to taste) [EDIT] at my church's morning meeting [/EDIT] was 'Amazing Grace' to the tune of 'House of the Rising Sun'. Try it, it really works - on a technical level, I mean; whether it works aesthetically is a personal judgement!

I rather liked it, myself, and will have a go at playing it when I've finished my lunch. Oh, and I recognised the tune before the music leader guy started singing. /Smug mode

Linkety-link for a version by the Blind Boys of Alabama

The politest thing I can say is dear....oh dear. But then I cannot abide Amazing Grace even when sung to the original tune.
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Albertus
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quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
quote:
Originally posted by Albertus:
I suppose that the worship style of your shack means that you're unlikely to get the 'Tantum Ergo' to the tune of 'The Yellow Rose of Texas', though..

Indeed so, I'm afraid... In fact, I'm not familiar with either of those pieces! Link me up?
Tantum Ergo

The Yellow Rose of Texas

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South Coast Kevin
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Ha ha, nice one Albertus! Two thoughts, one of them serious - I'm thoroughly tickled by the idea of medieval chant to the tune of a Presley hoedown; and I really should get myself to an ultra high church service (Anglican, RCC or Orthodox would all work for this, I guess) just to see what it's like. It's so utterly outside my experience that I imagine actually attending such a service would blow away some of my (mis)conceptions.

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Albertus
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Must admit that I've never been to a service like the one in the Tantum Ergo video - I'm actually not nearly that high, although at one time I used to go to (rather less elaborate) Benediction quite regularly. I have also heard of cowboy churches in the USA so a fusion of the two is perhaps not unthinkable...
I'm sure that a request in Ecclesiantics would produce oodles of suggestions for ultra-high places to visit in your area.

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MrsBeaky
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Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan

quote:
From earlier experience, it's also bad for one's eyes (tiny print!), at least in the editions I knew. But the sun presumably shines brightly in Kenya.
Quite so....sometimes theologically, sometimes musically or sometimes visually challenging and on some occasions all three!
But yes, the sun does indeed shine brightly here [Smile]

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L'organist
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14th July = Sea Sunday.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life and Eternal Father, strong to save - Bliss [Smile]

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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet

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Lucia

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Knowing the love of "Shine Jesus shine" round here just thought I would give you:

Minion Praise

(Especially for those who have seen the 'Despicable Me' films!)

[ 05. August 2013, 07:37: Message edited by: Lucia ]

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Dafyd
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Ok. God is love; let heaven adore him.

And when human hearts are breaking
Under sorrow's iron rod
Then they find the self-same aching
Deep within the heart of God.

I am not going to get into an argument about God's impassibility. But there's a bit of a difference between breaking and aching, isn't there. Human hearts are breaking, whereas God's only got to lie down for a bit with an aspirin. That's a comfort. Ugh.

Also,
God is love, so love for ever
O'er the universe must reign.

Because syllogisms go so well into notes. 'O'er the universe shall reign' would carry conviction. 'Must reign' feels as though we're trying a bit too hard to convince ourselves.

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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams

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Gill H

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Lucia - thank you. After a stressful morning that clip was exactly what I needed.

Niw I just need to explain the sudden attack of hysterical laughter to my colleagues..,

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Arethosemyfeet
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quote:
Originally posted by Dafyd:
Ok. God is love; let heaven adore him.

And when human hearts are breaking
Under sorrow's iron rod
Then they find the self-same aching
Deep within the heart of God.

I am not going to get into an argument about God's impassibility. But there's a bit of a difference between breaking and aching, isn't there. Human hearts are breaking, whereas God's only got to lie down for a bit with an aspirin. That's a comfort. Ugh.

Interestingly, Mission Praise alters it to:
All the sorrow, all the aching
Wrings with pain the heart of God.

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Olaf
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Permit me a moment of whinge as I vent:

TEC churches,
Kindly refrain from using the canticle S-236 "Glory to you, Lord God of the Ages" in place of the Gloria. I know you think it's edgy to do so, but it really is not. My issue isn't so much with using an alternative to the Gloria every now and then in the summer months, but rather with this work itself. The composer really gave it the old college try, setting this repetitive and metrically-nightmarish canticle to music, but it just was not meant to be. Please cut your losses and find something better to use. There are hundreds of settings of the ICET Gloria to explore.

(For those who are curious, the melody line can be found in this bulletin, at the bottom of page 1 and continuing into page 2. Although it has been practice for years in some of TEC's flagships to use this in the summer, I have only started seeing it creeping toward the local parishes this summer.)

/Whinge over

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malik3000
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I don't mind "Glory and Praise" as a piece of music. I think the tune is quite pleasant and I don't personally have any problem with the rhythm after a time or two. And it's repetitive in the original scriptural version, but so short that I don't think it gets time to be tedious. However if more variety is wanted, the liturgically traditional side of me would tend to prefer to choose other settings of the traditional Gloria in excelsis.

Our shack uses the "Glory and Praise" as a Gloria substitute sometimes, but in the late fall, not the summer. We are using a "Gloria" setting right now.

But what really annoys me liturgically is that in Advent, we use a hymn "Glory be to God on high" (I think that's the 1st line -- my hymnal 1982 is not at hand since I'm at Starbucks). I assume it is being chosen as an Advent replacement for the Gloria, but actually it IS a paraphrase version of the Gloria. I say why not use this sometimes on one of the "green" Sundays?

Actually, (and since we are talking about the US ECUSA liturgy) I think that during Advent the Song of Zechariah (Benedictus) would be a good substitute for the Gloria during Advent. It is very Advent-ish in theme, and since choral Matins isn't done these days, it's a good way for the congregation to be exposed to one of the great canticles to which they would otherwise probably not be exposed. But now I'm getting too much on an Ecclesiantical tangent.

[ 23. August 2013, 18:49: Message edited by: malik3000 ]

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God = love.
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Pigwidgeon

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quote:
Originally posted by malik3000:
...my hymnal 1982 is not at hand since I'm at Starbucks

Until Starbucks starts having Hymnals available, you can always check here.

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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
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Olaf
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It's probably the hymn All Glory Be to God on High, which is fairly common in historical Lutheranism as a metrical summary of the Gloria. Some Lutheran churches pull it off the dusty shelf on Reformation Sunday, as an homage to Luther's Deutsche Messe, which incorporated German hymns as the liturgical elements. Strange that you would use it in Advent, as it is basically the Gloria. I always like that awkward moment when one skips directly from the Kyrie to the collect. Attempts to fill the gap really seem to counter the Advent feeling.
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pererin
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quote:
Originally posted by Olaf:
It's probably the hymn All Glory Be to God on High, which is fairly common in historical Lutheranism as a metrical summary of the Gloria.

Metrical paraphrases should all go and die. They are the absolute worst genre of horrible hymn.

quote:
I always like that awkward moment when one skips directly from the Kyrie to the collect. Attempts to fill the gap really seem to counter the Advent feeling.
Filling the gap with the Benedictus can be quite effective (and has a good historical basis).

But I liked the way with the ASB1980 you could place the penitential rite later in the service, thereby in Advent and Lent permitting starting the service with the greeting and the collect of the day, then moving straight into the Old Testament reading.

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Belle Ringer
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quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
quote:
Originally posted by Alex Cockell:
Stumbled on this clanger today...

Written up very well on the Internet Monk website..
http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/someone-has-to-put-a-foot-down

"So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss"?!
Ouch..
[Killing me] [Projectile]

I've usually come across it as "heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss" which is a little more bland.
Ah, that explains. I am newly in a "worship group" aka music team for the TEC "contemporary" service. I was horrified at this song, told my Bible study buddies (who all go to Non-D churches), they immediately started talking about cringing at the sloppy wet kiss. The group I'm in doesn't have that wording, so I didn't know what they meant.

My protest is the imagery that God's love is like a hurricane to a tree - hurricanes don't love trees, they rip off the leaves, break branches, uproot the tree throw it to the ground to die, and in settled areas the abused tree falls on a house and damages it. I've walked through after-hurricane nature preserves, piles of uprooted mature trees. I've seen the fear in the eyes of people who lived through a hurricane when the news says "there's another possibly headed our way."

I protested to the "worship leader" that song's destructive imagery will have me wanting to avoid God, not seek awareness of God's presence. He has not responded (he did respond to a different comment in the same email).

Whoever wrote that song never lived in hurricane territory. What's next, God's love is like a tornado embracing a house and lifting it up (before throwing it down ruined)?

Make God's love a hurricane and the enemy is a mere tree, that might work.

Galveston Island 2008 hurricane debris pile and house damage galevston hurricane 2008 and "The island lost as much as 80 percent of its tree canopy"

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L'organist
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No, BR, it won't "work" and nor should you try to make it....

HHLU is derivative garbage - musically and textually and should not be encouraged [Mad]

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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet

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Belle Ringer
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quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
HHLU is derivative garbage - musically and textually and should not be encouraged [Mad]

LOL, I spent yesterday eve reading a 600 post thread about that song, pro and con the sloppy wet kiss, pro and con the hurricane, and my conclusion is - any song that generates so much disagreement should not be used in church, because the wordings are obviously distracting some people from God.

Then I watch a humorous video on how to write a worship song, then I looked at the songs I'm supposed to learn - oh I'm going to have trouble keeping a straight face, that video for laughs was too true! Same 4 chords, often the same progression, song after song after song. I V vi IV. Endlessly. And the words! Or lack of.

After a year in this group I will love this music style, or not. Gotta try stuff.

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South Coast Kevin
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quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
Then I watch a humorous video on how to write a worship song, then I looked at the songs I'm supposed to learn - oh I'm going to have trouble keeping a straight face, that video for laughs was too true! Same 4 chords, often the same progression, song after song after song. I V vi IV. Endlessly. And the words! Or lack of.

Heh, welcome to my world! Here are some positives of this musical style, as I see things:

- It's familiar to most people, so they won't be put off by a strange musical style (like the principle of using a language the people are comfortable with, as opposed to, say, Latin or 17th century English).

- The songs are simple so newcomers to the church should learn them quickly.

- The songs being simple to play and sing means more people can get involved in the leading, which IMO is a very fine thing.

Of course, it's not everyone's cup of tea! And I for one appreciate some greater musical complexity on occasion, even though I like the overall style that we're talking about.

Quick question - I've heard it said that a lot of, say, Wesley's hymns are comprised of secular melodies with the words changed; i.e. people new to Christianity would have already known the tunes. Is this broadly true, or something of an exaggeration?

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Penny S
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I have heard that too. And, specifically, though not Wesley, that "Who would true valour see", aka "He who would valiant be" was set to a morris dance tune.

And it's only just struck me how the rewrite on that moves the valour from Christ to the singer.

[ 29. August 2013, 06:33: Message edited by: Penny S ]

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Dafyd
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I don't like worship songs. But I should think there's one good point to them. In a service that uses them, I suppose that one never glances down the service sheet to encounter the baleful words Fred Pratt Green.

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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams

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Albertus
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[Overused]
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
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I'm not a great fan of the aforementioned, but I'd sooner see his name there than quite a few others, mostly of the "worship song" ilk.

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Karl: Liberal Backslider
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# 76

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quote:
Originally posted by South Coast Kevin:
quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
Then I watch a humorous video on how to write a worship song, then I looked at the songs I'm supposed to learn - oh I'm going to have trouble keeping a straight face, that video for laughs was too true! Same 4 chords, often the same progression, song after song after song. I V vi IV. Endlessly. And the words! Or lack of.

Heh, welcome to my world! Here are some positives of this musical style, as I see things:

- It's familiar to most people, so they won't be put off by a strange musical style (like the principle of using a language the people are comfortable with, as opposed to, say, Latin or 17th century English).

Is it though? I mean, the only place I hear music of the "worship song" style is in churches that use them. It doesn't sound much like any other music I know of; I'm convinced that keyboards for church use come with a special setting "twinkly worship song", for starters.

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Might as well ask the bloody cat.

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SvitlanaV2
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# 16967

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Karl

Funny you should say that. Some shops I go to play background music that reminds me of a certain kind of soft rock worship song.

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L'organist
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Bravo KLB & SvitlanaV2

"Worship Song Music" has a pedigree derived from 1960s Lift Muzak and 1950s travelogue music, interbred with holiday camp singalong accompaniment crossed with hammond organ for masonic dance music [Projectile] .

It may be comforting for people who already go to church and like it (!) but to anyone new it is (a) weird, (b) horribly dated and (c) only induces two reactions: flight or hysterical laughter. [Snigger]

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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet

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SvitlanaV2
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L'organist

Well, I'm not against certain music just because it has humble origins, but I suppose it's true that worship songs have become a subgenre of their own rather than being 'contemporary popular music' as such.

As for what 'ordinary' people like most in church music, it's hard to tell. Tastes seem to be very divergent in the wider culture.

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Karl: Liberal Backslider
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# 76

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To be fair, a lot of worship songs are not, as dots on the page, that dissimilar to a lot of pop dross^h^h^h^h^h music of the more melodic kind. However, they still sound totally different because commercial pop producers seldom orchestrate using two acoustic guitars, a tinkly keyboard and a random selection of violins, flutes, 'cellos or whatever else someone happens to be able to play.

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Belle Ringer
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# 13379

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quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
To be fair, a lot of worship songs are not, as dots on the page, that dissimilar to a lot of pop dross^h^h^h^h^h music of the more melodic kind... commercial pop producers seldom orchestrate using two acoustic guitars, a tinkly keyboard and a random selection of violins, flutes, 'cellos or whatever else someone happens to be able to play.

Fair enough comments. I've been puzzled at the suggestion the music is what people are used to hearing on secular radio, maybe I listen to the wrong stations, but I do see a similarity with pop music in that top 40 stations play the latest hits, most of which are quickly forgotten, and worship music stations seem to do the same. So the idea of latest and greatest sounds, novelty rather than songs that remain meaningful through life, is a familiar idea from pop.

As to orchestration - we have one tolerable guitar player (far from great, but OK), two who play with their book of chord diagrams open on the music stand to help them find fingerings, a woman recruited last week for the purpose of having her play percussion (bongos, egg shaker) but she has never played any percussion before and isn't sure where the beat is, a tolerable pianist (not great but OK). And three singers two of whom freely and truthfully admit they are poor singers.

I taped rehearsals (to help me learn the songs). They sound sick.

Theoretically I'll be spelling the pianist sometimes, I've had a few months of piano lessons. (That's months, not years.)

A church has to use who it's got or else spend money to hire better.

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Karl: Liberal Backslider
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# 76

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Yes, but why not just have the guitarist who can play without having to look up the chords? You don't need three. You only benefit from having more than one if one of them is able to add colour with lead riffs, alternate chord voicings and so on. If they're playing acoustic you're better off without a percussionist unless said percussionist is quite good. Guitar and piano, played reasonably competently, would be better than insisting on having people who just aren't ready to play publically yet. Oh, and the one singer who can sing in tune without being muddied by the enthusiastic but - erm - otherwise talented.

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Belle Ringer
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quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
Yes, but why not just have the guitarist who can play without having to look up the chords? You don't need three. Guitar and piano, played reasonably competently, would be better than insisting on having people who just aren't ready to play publically yet. Oh, and the one singer who can sing in tune without being muddied by the enthusiastic but - erm - otherwise talented.

LOL, yes - but the "worship leader" insists there are to be no solos. One guitar one piano one singer would be like a solo.

I can understanding wanting to set a tone of the music being participatory. And some people truly believe what it sounds like to the ear is unimportant, it's about singing from the heart. I both agree and disagree. I think heart is what matters, but hearts respond to ears - we are more than just spiritual beings, like Jesus we are also physical and that is (God said upon making the physical world) good.

I'll try to write some "worship music" that brings Advent and Lent and Christmas and Easter into the lyrics. Bugs me to be in a liturgical church but in the contemporary service you have no sense of movement through the calendar, Lent is the same music as any other time. But with only one or two short verses and a chorus, and having to be addressed to God, and having to be praise (no laments), it's hard to do much seasonality in the song.

I disagree that people today need simplistic music. People yesterday didn't need it that simple. Have churches joined schools in dumbing down their understanding of humankind? And actually it's just the words and "tunes" that are simple, some of the rhythms are highly uninstinctive!

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Karl: Liberal Backslider
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# 76

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"no solos" - like the solo organ used in 90% of churches 90% of the time around the Western World?

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L'organist
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Belle Ringer: what you describe is quite hideous.

Talk to your "worship leader" and explain that God gave all of us talents, just not the same ones. And perhaps NOT to use the talented is sinful...

I mean, would he choose to have the church minibus driven by a blind man on the basis that everyone had to have a chance??? [Ultra confused]

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Belle Ringer
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# 13379

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quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
Belle Ringer: what you describe is quite hideous.

Talk to your "worship leader" and explain that God gave all of us talents, just not the same ones. And perhaps NOT to use the talented is sinful...

I mean, would he choose to have the church minibus driven by a blind man on the basis that everyone had to have a chance??? [Ultra confused]

Talented people are welcome and so are untalented. [Smile]

Worship leader is self-described as not a good singer, and he's the one leading the songs (he's the only one who knows them all), so he can't very well say not-good singers shouldn't be song leading!

The group can only get better over time, right? [Smile] The guitarists will learn their four chords, the percussionist will boldly define the beat, the singers will learn how to sing, we'll be the new commercial hit! Tee hee.

In our favor - for the past several years the music has been provided by a children's choir who had to be strong-armed to show up. We'll probably be no worse than what that service is used to.

Coming to a church near you (or near me) - Open the eyes of my heart (not a favorite metaphor of mine but what the heck), I can only imagine (I cannot get the rhythm!), I will exalt your name (so that's what a 7/11 song is!), Let the river flow (nice verses, not sure what a river has to do with the rest of the words), Trading my sorrows (I'm missing a step here - how do I "lay down my" sickness and trade it in for the joy of the Lord"? I really want to know!)

I'm sure a year from now I will LOVE them all! As all of you already do. [Two face]

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Arethosemyfeet
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That last paragraph sounds more than a little Orwellian.
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the giant cheeseburger
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quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
Coming to a church near you (or near me) - Open the eyes of my heart (not a favorite metaphor of mine but what the heck), I can only imagine (I cannot get the rhythm!), I will exalt your name (so that's what a 7/11 song is!), Let the river flow (nice verses, not sure what a river has to do with the rest of the words), Trading my sorrows (I'm missing a step here - how do I "lay down my" sickness and trade it in for the joy of the Lord"? I really want to know!)

I'm sure a year from now I will LOVE them all! As all of you already do. [Two face]

The newest of that bunch (and only one of that bunch) came to churches near me twelve years ago.

If you're going to do contemporary music, make sure it's actually contemporary music and don't restrict yourself to a limited range of authors. There are plenty of great songs from the last ten years out there, you're just guaranteeing you won't find them if your leader is searching through the Darrell Evans back catalogue!

[ 31. August 2013, 09:01: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]

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Gill H

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# 68

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Belle Ringer, thank you (soooo much) for reminding me of The Orgasm Song.

Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, Lord ...!

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- Lyda Rose

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luvanddaisies

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# 5761

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quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
...having to be praise (no laments) ...

Er, this bloke who is a self-confessed not-good-singer, yet is leading the music, umm, how much has he really thought about the theology of and place of music? Surely at least part of that includes reflecting people's real lives, not just only singing happy songs. Anyway, a lament can be "praise" too. Sounds like he's a bloke who likes some ten-year-old boppy songs and wants everyone else to join in with them too.


Gill - I remember that one, The Orgasm Song [Killing me] I'd forgotten all about it, and I remember sniggering inappropriately at it in the past. [Snigger]

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." (Mark Twain)

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