I had the privilege to visit my brother this past weekend and to worship with him at his church. I know they were celebrating a special occasion, and I realize they are between music leaders, so I shouldn't be too hard on them. But I was struck by something that I believe many people do not understand.
Almost all of the music that morning was music written for soloists.
There is a huge difference between performance music and congregational worship music. Very often, we hear something on the radio and think, "Oh, I like that. We should sing that in our church. The tune is catchy, the rhythms are exciting and the lyrics... well, they say exactly what should be said."
Or maybe, the church music leader is looking for something, and comes across that perfect set of lyrics that fits the message and says exactly what is needed for that part of the service. It may be that the number has all those positive attributes, but in today's real world, it all too often is a solo number that is totally unfit for congregational use.
Let me explain. First, take a look around the congregation during the singing and note how many people are not singing. Some are moving with the rhythm... maybe clapping their hands... possibly, raised hands... any number of ways of participation or non-participation, but not singing. If you are close enough to hear some of those who are trying to sing, many are not on pitch, and only those who know the music well execute the words with the proper rhythm. What's wrong here? I believe we have a number of things happening.
Many of our people are truly trying to worship God through the music, but just can't make it work, so they participate in other ways... moving, clapping, etc. Unfortunately, a large number have just given up and wait quietly for it all to end so they can get on with worship. Here's the problem. Solo music moves with the feelings of the soloist. The words do not have an intuitive place within the rhythm, and even the melody moves in sometimes elaborate ways that cannot be easily anticipated. This is part of the beauty of solo performance, but it is anathema for the average congregational singer. Many of our praise teams play marvelous accompaniments, but no one is playing the melody in such a way that the average congregant can pick it out. That's fine for the soloist who knows the music and knows where he wants to go with it, but again, the average person in the pew has no clue when to sing what on which pitch for how long.
Now, lest I appear to be just a disgruntled old fogey, let me offer some tried and true guidelines for congregational singing that address the very problems I saw in my brother's church. Congregational music must be easy for the individuals in the congregation to sing. That means tunes that are intuitive...( in musical terms, usually beginning and ending on one of the pitches of the fundamental triad.) It means that rhythms are easy to follow... (That means the important words and syllables fall most often on one and three in common time or on one in three / four time) It means that the lyrics probably fit a constant meter as in simple poetry but not free verse. It means that at least one voice of the harmonies will fall within a range that is comfortable for everyone, and it means that those harmonies are simple enough for the relatively uneducated singer to find. The old hymns in those forgotten, or even lost hymnals that were comfortable knee rests in our parent's churches fulfilled most of these guidelines. So, why don't we use them? The obvious answer is that many people think that music is unexciting and our children don't like it, and, well, it's boooooring. The new music is exciting. It's fun to listen to. It's fun to dance to. It's easy to get into, even if you can't sing the words. It's an enjoyable experience. But is it worship?
Let me make an observation. I believe that the primary reason that some people believe the old hymns are boring is because too often they are presented in ways that are boring. They're played too slowly. They're done without any embellishment. They're often sung without any emotion. They're accompanied almost exclusively by piano or organ and the language is sometimes archaic.
The obvious but apparently unrecognized conclusion is this... Use solo type music as solos or as presentations of worship by rehearsed participants. On rare occasions, ask the congregation to join in them if they are well known. Choose music for the congregation to sing that fits the guidelines listed above. Use instruments to accompany congregational singing that are fun to hear, but make sure the melody is easy to find and that rhythms and harmonies are not too intricate. Use some of the old hymns. They provide a unity that is being lost in our churches worldwide (more on that later), and there is most likely one out there for every part of every service... so you're sure to find words to fit the occasion. Just remember to do them in a way that's not boring... just comfortable.
If you don't use hymn books any more, maybe you want to supply song sheets for those who read music or for those young parents or grandparents who want to help their young children follow along by pointing at the words as they are sung. This is how many of us learned to read music, a skill that is being lost in many churches that now use overheads to project only the words. If you use a projector, a few rules are helpful.
1. Make sure the print is large enough and in contrasting colors so even people with weak eyes can read it.
2. Minimize moving or busy backgrounds. I had someone tell me that too much movement was giving her motion sickness.
3. Line out the words in phrases as they would be sung, and use punctuation and capitalization to help indicate the flow of words.
4. Remind the operator that (s)he is a primary worship leader, and if the words don't move properly or quickly enough, the congregation won't be able to follow properly.
Music is a language of the heart. If we only speak the language of one generation, the other generations can no longer worship in their heart-language. Worship must not become exclusive, and music must not become only a performance "to attract the young folks" or a song to "satisfy the old folks." When we choose to use an old favorite, let me encourage us to also use the old harmonies. Many of us learned to sing harmonies, but when we try to sing them with the modern renditions, they no longer fit. That's not worshipful, it frustrating, and it interferes with worship. That is not to say that all updates or new versions are unacceptable. It's just a reminder that there are many aspects in music that are near and dear to the hearts of some people, and denying them doesn't encourage worship.
A few weeks ago, a group from our church returned from a mission trip of about ten days in another country. They were thrilled that they were able to worship with people of another language and culture because they knew the words to the old hymns, and even though most people sang in a language they couldn't understand, knowing the words in our own language and singing to familiar tunes made worship possible. I doubt that their children will enjoy that privilege, as we aren't teaching them the hymns that have become so universal.
Having led music in churches with attendance from six to four hundred, including babies and toddlers to teenagers to elders in their nineties and in various cultures, I've found that the language of the heart can vary greatly but, given the opportunity, most people are willing to participate in worship in someone else's language as long as their own language is also part of the program. It's not that difficult to include "something for everyone" and still maintain a direction in worship.