Songs to Do Next
One of the overwhelming things about being a worship leader is deciding what new songs to tackle next. There's a lot of great stuff out there, but there is also just as much junk. The basic stuff I look for when choosing new songs are 1.)Does it honor God? 2.) Is it theologically correct? 3.) It is singable by most non-musicians?
Once a song passes that test, the hard work for me begins. I have a keyboardist who won't just play chords; she needs sheet music. So my next hurdle is finding written-out piano music for her. If I overcome that hurdle, the next is finding it in a key that most everyone can sing it in. This is the part of my job makes me tear my hair out each time.
A message to all the male, tenor worship leaders out there writing all that great music: If you are going to write it in such a high key, please make it available to us in a normal key.
There are a lot of great websites that allows you to transpose the sheet music down, but I often find myself struggling to find the music that's more obscure available at these sights. And that's tough when it's a song I really had my heart set on, and I get stuck at this point.
On a related topic, here is a great resource for worship leaders that I bet most of you don't know about. Download the October 29, 2006 video. It's a great time of worship, and the second song they do is very U2-esque which makes me go SQUEEEEE.
These are the songs I'm hoping to do next:
You are God Alone (Billy and Cindy Foote)
Offering (Paul Baloche)
You Never Let Go (Matt Redman)
Everything Glorious (David Crowder)
You Are Holy (MWS recorded it, no idea who wrote it. Request from the senior pastor)
All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises (Paul Baloche)
O Praise Him (David Crowder)
Friend of God (Michael Gungor and Israel Houghton)
My Hope (Darlene Zschech)
Treasure (Desperation Band)
Still the Cross (FFH)
Rock of Ages (Rita Baloche)
Psalm 125 (Waterdeep) Which I believe will only happen in my dreams...
Does anyone else have the trouble I do with the sheet music thing? I long for the day when I don't have to deal with it.
So what new songs are on your "To-Do" list?
What I'm listening to: Brian Doerkson's Live in Europe
Once a song passes that test, the hard work for me begins. I have a keyboardist who won't just play chords; she needs sheet music. So my next hurdle is finding written-out piano music for her. If I overcome that hurdle, the next is finding it in a key that most everyone can sing it in. This is the part of my job makes me tear my hair out each time.
A message to all the male, tenor worship leaders out there writing all that great music: If you are going to write it in such a high key, please make it available to us in a normal key.
There are a lot of great websites that allows you to transpose the sheet music down, but I often find myself struggling to find the music that's more obscure available at these sights. And that's tough when it's a song I really had my heart set on, and I get stuck at this point.
On a related topic, here is a great resource for worship leaders that I bet most of you don't know about. Download the October 29, 2006 video. It's a great time of worship, and the second song they do is very U2-esque which makes me go SQUEEEEE.
These are the songs I'm hoping to do next:
You are God Alone (Billy and Cindy Foote)
Offering (Paul Baloche)
You Never Let Go (Matt Redman)
Everything Glorious (David Crowder)
You Are Holy (MWS recorded it, no idea who wrote it. Request from the senior pastor)
All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises (Paul Baloche)
O Praise Him (David Crowder)
Friend of God (Michael Gungor and Israel Houghton)
My Hope (Darlene Zschech)
Treasure (Desperation Band)
Still the Cross (FFH)
Rock of Ages (Rita Baloche)
Psalm 125 (Waterdeep) Which I believe will only happen in my dreams...
Does anyone else have the trouble I do with the sheet music thing? I long for the day when I don't have to deal with it.
So what new songs are on your "To-Do" list?
What I'm listening to: Brian Doerkson's Live in Europe
Comments
Ditto on the high key stuff. I used to sing Chris Tomlin songs in Chris Tomlin's key, which sounds awesome in his voice on a CD, but is probably a 5th too high for females in the congregation. I've ended up doing songs in the same key Lesa does them in (we rotate leading worship).
Here's the list of some of the new songs we've added in the past year... maybe you'll find some gems in there:
Jesus Paid It All (Krisian Stanfill)
Gifted Response (Matt Redman)
I Surrender All (Caedmon's Call)
You Never Let Go (Matt Redman)
All We Need (Charlie Hall)
Consuming Fire (Tim Hughes)
Filled With Your Glory (Starfield)
Sing To The King (Billy Foote)
Here's some of what we've introduced this year, to return the favor:
Be Unto Your Name (Lynn DeShazo)
Everlasting (Brian Doerkson)
Everlasting God (Brenton Brown - check out Lincoln Brewster's cover of it on iTunes. It's really amazing)
For the Lord is Good (Lynn DeShazo)
Hope of the Nations (Brian Doerkson)
How Great is Our God (Tomlin)
Where Justice Rolls Down (Joel Hanson)
Your Grace is Enough (Tomlin)
N e ways- yeah- good stuff. Have fun worshipping God. God's sooo good. Love him, seek him, pour out towards him...He's contagious.
For finding music in different keys, I've found musicnotes.com very helpful. Sometimes they have the song, sometimes they don't.
Also, if you want to write out chord sheets, I recommend SongSheet 5. You can create chord charts, and then transpose them with just a few clicks!