When you teach a song...

[Demetrius L.]

WHEN TEACHING A SONG--- I USUALLY START OFF TEACHING LIKE THE ORIGINAL-BUT MOST OF THE TIME THE SONG HAS TO BE SIMPLIFIED. I ALREADY KNOW THE KEY RANGE OF MY CHOIR.-SO I USUALLY CHANGE THE KEY.  I ALMOST ALWAYS HAVE TO CHANGE OR REARRANGE THE BRIDGE. SOME SONGS I REALLY LOVE AND THEN AT THE END- IT TURNS 360 DEGRESS. I ALWAYS TRY TO PLAY THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SONG AS RECORDED-SO AT LEAST THE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO ATTEMPT!!!!!   
  
 I do the same exact thing

[2blessed]

I try to do the artist justice and teach the song as it is written.  However, this does not always work with the talent in our choir.  Therefore, I make necessary adjustments.  I call it LILYINIZE it for the Lily baptist choir.  I go by the motto "what's best for the rest?" not my personal agenda.  This works for me and decreases frustration when the skills are just not there.   

[gtrdave]

...do you:

1. teach it exactly like the song on the CD?
2. change the key to fit the choir?
3. deviate from the song or add alternate ending?

Just curious...I'll tell what I do later in the thread.

1. sometimes but normally we use the original as a rough guide and do it like we do it
2. maybe. Normally no but this weekend I am because one song is just way too high for the tenors, especially after the step-up key change.
3. usually. We'll rarely do a song exactly the same way twice and we try to allow for that "Holy Spirit" room that some songs need.

[Gospelstar21]

This dude sounds like me!!! I totally agree. I preach to my praise team to minister the song in a way that is not like the orginal artist. How does this song minister to you? The way I sing it might be different from how Kirk and nem(I know this is ghetto! lol)sing it. It is especially true when it comes to worship. So many times we get out there with the plan to sing the verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, etc...But what does God want you to focus on? Its been to the point with me that we even totally transformed the song into some totally different because we were lead by the spirit. So in a nut shell, I try to teach it like the c.d., but leave a whole bunch of room for the Holy Spirit!

Because I am an arranger at heart, I never do a song just like the cd.  I also like to encourage my people to make songs their own.  If I wanted to hear Hezikiah Walker, I'll play the cd.  I want to hear what my choir can do with the song.  Also we don't always like the instrumentation used on a song.  Other times it may be technical.  I have real brass players, while many recordings use keyboards.  Some of what they are playing on keys are impossible to do with real brass because of breathing or the range of the instruments themselves. 

For me, substance should always preceed style.  Many great worship songs are missed because we always hear it and never think what can be done to make that song paletable to our congregation.  If a song is too vanilla, I might spice it up rythmically; at other times, it may be too busy, I then might clean it up some.  The important thing is that I expand my people beyond their own comfort zone.  I may think like this because I work in a church that is purposely pursing a goal of being multicultural.

[vocalist182002]

I teach a according to the ability of the group.  I wouldn't pick a song that I'd have to modify so they can perform it!  When picking songs to teach make sure that the group you're teaching can handle it.  Don't forget that the congregation listens to music also and by modifying songs you can loose their interest.

[goodnmemphis]

...do you:

1. teach it exactly like the song on the CD?
2. change the key to fit the choir?
3. deviate from the song or add alternate ending?

Just curious...I'll tell what I do later in the thread.

I am notorious for teaching songs that I hear elsewhere (like satellite radio) that most locals are not familiar with.  Why?

1.  To learn a song that EVERYBODY is singing and to teach it EXACTLY as it is on the CD.....?  To me, we might as well play the CD during service.  I have heard leaders try to reproduce the song exactly how it's on CD....every note, every word.  You go to another church to sing and the choir before you sings the song.  So, to alleviate that, IF I do a song from a CD, we're doing it differently.  Also, I get bored with the song myself to hear it on the radio every time I get in the car, listen to it long enough to learn the words and music and then teach it......so, I'm the brotha that will buy a CD and skip the song 'everybody' is singing and listen to the other 10 tracks to find (often) BEAUTIFUL songs that nobody is singing at churches locally.

2.  I often have to change the key to accommodate the leader. In some cases, this has diminished the dynamics of the song.  One song in particular (There's Power In This Name) was awesome in F.  But the leader got married and we had a new leader who was a good singer, but I had to lower the song to Eb.  The song lost some of it's "umph"!

3.  See #1. LOL.

[Revp98]

Largely depends on the song. Some recordings have a bit too much of one thing or another for a congregation. You can teach the words to the song kust like the cd, but sometimes you have to omit or change things. Depending on the talent your choir has, music could be too jazzy or R&B, etc. You might even think some of it is a bit much. Always focus on what the message is. Be blessed.