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Click Track Magic

I’ve discovered one of the secrets to why the big megachurches have (usually) great music. And it isn’t necessarily because they have money to hire pros (although that is sometimes the case.) It’s the click track. I’ve seen firsthand how click tracks can turn ordinary, amateur players into something quite…

Songwriting Horror

I have a tale of horror that will terrify every Christian songwriter! Songwriters, if you ever get to the point in your career when publishers are interested in your music: beware. A few weeks ago I received a royalty statement in the mail from Universal Music Group that brought back…

Song Keys

Oct 4, 2010

I’ve been on a worship flow crusade lately. You visit these famous megachurches and expect to be wowed by their expertise and it isn’t necessarily so. On several occasions I’ve sat in a congregation of thousands only to see the worship leader and band sing a song, come to a…

Looking for a Worship Leader?

Sep 28, 2010

Often I’ll get emails from pastors wondering where they can find a worship leader. I have no idea, they’re a scarce commodity. I wrote an article a few years ago that said you can almost commit murder and still find a job as a worship leader! Schools haven’t been much…

Finale or Sibelius?

Do you use notation software for worship? My recent poll shows 44% use Finale, 11% use Sibelius and 40% don’t use any at all (the rest use a variety of other notation software.) From what I had always heard, Finale was supposedly the “industry standard” and it looks like most…

Should Kids Be Allowed In Worship?

After attending church with my parents the inevitable question came: “so where do you want to go to lunch?” My dad replied “Let’s go to that restaurant in North Carolina!” The Olde Salty restaurant in Carolina Beach, N.C. made national headlines a few years ago with their “Screaming Children Will…

Rocking Grandma

Over the past few weeks as I’ve been teaching worship conference classes I’ve been intrigued by the change I’ve been seeing lately. There seems to be a greater desire among churches to become more relevant and contemporary. I think this is the next phase of worship – ministries are discovering…

Tips for Smoother Worship

Jul 20, 2010

It’s 2010 and nearly every church (except for the die-hard traditionalists) has jumped on the contemporary worship bandwagon. Some do it better than others – here are 3 tips that separate the sheep from the goats: 1. Plan ahead. I can’t believe it when I hear of praise teams that…

Robeless Choirs

Nov 5, 2009

Choir robes were no doubt invented to give a unified look to the group. Hundreds of years ago highly decorated robes with elaborate stitching added pomp and ceremony to liturgy. If you’re ministering in an ornate, stately First Baptist-type church, choir robes no doubt approriately fit the bill. However, if…

My New Recording Studio

Sep 20, 2009

A few weeks ago I wrote about how your ministry might benefit from recording. Read the article and watch a video. This week I’ll give you a tour of my home studio and give you some ideas of equipment to be using. When I first started HymnCharts.com several years ago…

Chris Sligh Sings “Vessel” on the Hour of Power

Sep 18, 2009

Christian artist Chris Sligh sings his song “Vessel” on the Crystal Cathedral’s Hour of Power TV show. by Don Chapman Back when Chris Sligh was working on his debut album he talked uber-producer Brown Bannister into using me to orchestrate some of the songs (which is a miracle in itself…

Recording for Worship

Sep 10, 2009

How can recording help your worship ministry? It’s not a top priority, but if your worship ministry is under control and well managed, recording can speed up the learning curve for your musicians and enhance the worship experience of your church. Is your ministry managed and under control? By this,…

Hip Hop Senior Adult Choir

Jun 2, 2009

My favorite part is around 3:07 – their rendition of the Pussycat Doll’s “Don’t Cha” (Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me.) If you haven’t wet your pants yet, wait until 4:06 when they sing Nelly’s “It’s Getting Hot in Here.”

Time for Change

Part 1 | Part 2 No, this isn’t an endorsement for Obama! It is time for change or will be time for change at some point in all our worship leading lives. Last week we talked about a worship leader I know who said his music didn’t “sound right” –…

What’s Wrong With Your Music

Part 1 | Part 2 I was talking to a worship leader about his music. He couldn’t put his finger on it but there was something wrong. It just didn’t sound right. Not contemporary enough or something. Looking at his set list, I figured he was probably trying to do…

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