We met yesterday morning for a worship band rehearsal. It’s the line up we had the last time we got together to lead worship, about 3 months ago. This would be for a special service in a week’s time.
The three singers sang with a lot of conviction, but it felt apart a little when it turned out they didn’t know one song which I thought they knew. Learning the new song was not a problem. Christ is My Reward has remarkable tune – its melodic inflection sounds like speech; it’s a kind of singing where you tell a story. There is one section in the song with the words from an older song No Turning Back. I have led this song in worship in several churches, and still do, and am regularly surprised that very few people knew the older song.
In the worship rehearsal, the singers preferred the hymns to be done with a quicker pace. I agreed, the pace gives the energy these words in the hymns deserve. Depending on who leads worship, we might sing Be Thou My Vision in the modern 4/4 version, or the traditional 3/4 version. This time, I preferred the traditional one. I played it in the key of D major so that it’s easier for the voices. The singers also suggested a short musical bridge between the verses.
It’s great when the group raises ideas and preferences, and we can try out variations.
