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 Hymn Ideas: Changing Worship > ideas > home
by Don Chapman
How worship has changed! I remember when
Steve Green was a cutting-edge radical [if
that was before your time, Steve Green was
a big inspirational artist in the late 80's.]
Then the Integrity music
style became the
90's norm: pop stylings
with smooth orchestrations,
or the jazzy brass of Ron
Kenoly.
Now in the mid 00's [how
did it get to be
2007?? or I guess I should
say, the late
00's] Chris Tomlin is the
biggest thing in
Christian music. Worship
has taken on a bit
of an edge. I was listening
to some of my
favorite music from the
90's and thought
"wow, that's starting
to sound dated."
Funny how your perception
changes!
And as I'm adding audio
demos to my HymnCharts
arrangements, I'm starting
to notice how
some of the older arrangements
definitely
sound different from my
newest arrangements.
What's the difference?
These style guidelines
might help you in your
own music selection
and arranging. And by thy
way, why not give
arranging a try : )
1. Guitars. Add a distorted electric guitar to anything
and you'll instantly add an edge to your
music. Last week I posted a new page at HymnCharts
demonstrating this. Hear how differently
"A Mighty Fortress" can sound with
pop orchestra, with added electric guitar,
or even just piano and organ:
http://www.hymncharts.com/listen.htm
2. Keys. Now that guitars are king, we seem to only
be playing in the keys of D, E and G!
3. Chord structure. In the 90's, song structure was often built
on unique chord changes, and the melodies
followed these changes. Today, popular songs
live on a single chord for a measure or 3,
and the melody dances within the single chord.
When I started HymnCharts,
my secret was
in streamlining the chord
structure...
http://www.hymncharts.com/secret.htm
...and that's still true
today. However,
I'm now streamlining more
and more as music
is going the guitar driven
route.
A good example of this
streamlining is my
latest arrangement, "For
the Beauty
of the Earth." Hear
a clip:
http://www.hymncharts.com/Thanksgiving-Songs.htm
The good news is, it's
all good. In years
past, one music style dominated.
Think of
the dominant pop sound
of the 60's... the
70's... the 80's...
Today, on any given week,
the Billboard top
20 might contain Rap, Country,
Rock, Pop
and/or R&B. Maybe even
a Christian-ish
tune will sneak in.
As people's tastes broaden, so should the
taste of the Church. If your ministry enjoys
the late 80's style worship [what I call
classic praise] like "Majesty,"
"As the Deer" or "You Are
My All In All," go for it.
Maybe your fellowship is
filled with baby
boomers. They'll probably
love Paul Baloche
and Brian Doerksen songs.
Or maybe you have
a bunch of 20 and 30 year
olds and like to
keep on top of the latest
rock tunes. Maybe
you have a postmodern folky-feel.
Or maybe
you like to mix it all
up.
Just do whatever you do to the glory of God.
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