The biggest problem with group singing contemporary Christian music is that too much is not written for groups but for soloists.
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In passing (20090131121938)
The biggest problem with group singing contemporary Christian music is that too much is not written for groups but for soloists….
Hah!
It’s really true. A lot of it seems to come out of megachurch soloist and other similar musical entertainment. As a result, and trying to make it sound the way a soloist would do it, the notation is overly complex for folks to follow along, and rarely sounds good even once folks figure it out. It’s not all like that, but a lot of it is just not designed for groups to sing along to.
(An interesting thought: is there another regular venue besides churches where folks do group singing on an intentional basis? Adults in particular?)
It’s really true. A lot of it seems to come out of megachurch soloist and other similar musical entertainment. As a result, and trying to make it sound the way a soloist would do it, the notation is overly complex for folks to follow along, and rarely sounds good even once folks figure it out. It’s not all like that, but a lot of it is just not designed for groups to sing along to.
(An interesting thought: is there another regular venue besides churches where folks do group singing on an intentional basis? Adults in particular?)
Sporting events (especially Baseball games), and piano bars.
Well, sporting events definitely use songs written, or set, for group singing. Piano bars tend to rely on songs that people already know. In the case of a lot of Christian music, though, I suspect the penetration of the tune among general church population is relatively low, meaning a lot of people will be starting from scratch.
I’ll note that some of the songs we have in the Big Ol’ Hymn Book aren’t a snap to sing, either, but that’s because they’re designed for choirs to sing; it’s analogous problem, but somehow less annoying to me.