Let’s Get All Oedipan in Church Today
Ok, I’m fully aware that some of you aren’t going to be able to come with me on this today. But, as the first-time parent of a 6-week old, it’s something I’ve been thinking about a whole lot recently.
The idea of “recreating the womb.”
My little daughter is extraordinarily fussy. Doctors and child psychologists all recommend roughly the same things in terms of comforting her. All in order to simulate the feeling the child had in the womb. Specifically motion (an infant is submerged in liquid for the 9 mos. prior to birth), and noise (a white noise similar to the sound you hear when under water along with the ever-important and loudly booming mother’s heartbeat)
A mother’s heartbeat is, on average, 70 beats a minute. As an infant, that rhythm makes us feel safe. My question today is, do we ever outgrow it?
Ok, maybe I’ve fallen off the deep end here, or grasping at straws. But, at the very least, isn’t it interesting to know that a growing majority of electronica artists have chosen 70 bpm and its variants (140 bpm) as their default standard beats?
Perhaps because this is the beat that gave us our first sense of rhythm?
Perhaps because we have never outgrown that rhythm making us feel safe?
“God Songs” by Paul Baloche: A Review
I’ve read quite a few instructional books on worship music. Paul Baloche’s “God Songs” is the only one I found even tolerable. More than that, I found it inspiring.
Immediately after finishing it, rather than moving to the next book in my stack, I thumbed back to the beginning of the book and started over again.
A beautiful mix of theory, songwriting tips and church music history makes this the most practical book I’ve ever seen for worship leaders who strive to be songwriters.
Many posts so far here at Relevant Reverence have been inspired by the ideas Baloche presents in the book. I am certain many more in the future will also. Thank you Paul, not only for your musical giftings to the church, but your leadership in helping promote the creation of better art.
Let the Church Rise (In Melodic Progression)
When writing songs, make sure that the melody matches the story. For instance, if you have a line, “Let the church rise!”, what sort of melodic movement should we experience in those four syllables?
Upwards, right? (Let – 1) (the – 2) (Church – 3) (Rise! – 4).
It doesn’t have to be that literal (1-2-3-4). But the musical language should match the lyricism. And that probably means “RISE!” should be your high note in that line. It’s one of those things you may never have thought about as a songwriter, but once you understand the technique, you can really make your words sing in new depths of language.
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