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Extras

1. Songs that cause trouble:

» 1. Difficult or very syncopated songs
[2. Upbeat songs]
» 3. Old hymns…when you want to play them on guitar


Upbeat songs

Why does it feel harder to do an upbeat song if you have limited instruments?  The words are the same, the melody is the same… why does it feel so down-beat?

There is a reality to the idea that adding more instruments will lift the mood and energy levels (if done well).  After all, King David told the Levites to play loudly on a variety of musical instruments to raise sounds of joy (1Chronicles 15:16).  And it’s not without reason that he wanted 288 singers in the temple! (1Chronicles 25:7).

But don’t think you need lots of instruments to raise sounds of joy.  Remember the story of the bus load of students coming back from a conference singing “And Can It Be” at the top of their lungs.

Without a large band there’s still a lot you can do to encourage the congregation in an upbeat song.

• Work on confident, expressive song leading.

• Encourage your musicians to express themselves when they play

• Encourage keyboard players to be flexible – not play all the time and not play the same thing all the time.  In particular, train people who have classical backgrounds improvising from guitar chords.  Experiment with percussive bass octaves in upbeat songs.

• Try adding some simple percussion instruments.

• Keep working on treating your sound system like another instrument.

• See the section Get the congregation singing for other ideas.

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