How Do I Learn Melody

What’s the most important musical part of a song? Melody. It’s the DNA, the unique fingerprint. Which brings up the next question…how do I learn melody, especially if I don’t read music or don’t have the musical notation available?

This is how I do it:

1. Listen to the song, taking initial notes on the general form of the song, noting any major things that are happening. Hey, did you see that, I take notes! So whip out the chord chart so I can see visually what is happening in the song. Does it have a soaring bridge? Does it have three identical verses? Is there a tricky pre-chorus? Where do the harmonies come in?

2. Listen again, this time making detailed notes on the melody. I’ll often put slash marks over the words higher and lower to guide me as their pitch rises and falls, as well as ^ over high points. I may make actual rhythmic notation or draw long lines with the overall curve of the melody, but the point is to make a reference that I understand. It doesn't have to be technical, classical notation, or even understandable by anyone other than me.

3. NOW I sing along with the recording. This is the first time I even sing it! I may do this a few times, then I add my instrument. This is super important, especially if I don’t play at an advanced level, because I’ll tend to do two things: a) quickly adjust the song melody (i.e. sing it wrong) to match my playing style/rhythm or b) get confused because I’m trying to learn two things at once. Separate them. First get the melody learned, then learn the accompaniment. So if you need to, sing it a few times without playing it, then play it a few times without singing it, and then put the two together.

4. It's time to see if I'm learning it, so I sing and play it without the recording a few times, and this is when I realize where I don't know it and how I don't know how to "use" the song...let's see, what do I play after the chorus? How many times should I repeat that bridge? How does the intro go? How do I end this song?

5. Then I turn the recording on again and check myself. I'll often find that I've learned a note wrong or am singing some words with the wrong phrasing. “Oh, that melody goes down at the end of this line.” But this step is critical, because if I don't go back to verify that I've learned it well, the mental cement starts to harden...

Bonus:

Here an idea to help your team to learn songs if they (surprise) don’t come to rehearsal prepared. After you’re played it together, sing it a cappella, with no instruments, with the melody wearing its birthday suit, so you can isolate the voices, identify trouble spots, and strengthen the melodies. You’ll be amazed how removing ALL instruments will help solidify the melody. (it will also help teach your electric guitar players from diving into “Sweet Child O’ Mine” the second you stop playing the song. Yes Tom, I’m calling you out, buddy) :O

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How Songs are Built

Why do I need to know how a song is built? Why do you care?


Because knowing how songs are built enables you to:


~ Learn it without “playing it on repeat 18 times”
~ Rehearse it as a band without just “playing the whole thing 8 times”
~ Know what you can change in it so it’s still fresh and worshipful after singing it 28 times
~ Encourage the congregation to sing more (without asking for it)
~ Adapt it to your band…(especially if your electric guitar player still thinks solid state is king)
~ Heroically decide not to play it when you realize (before Sunday morning) that your rhythm section (that carries that particular song) just doesn’t have what it takes to pull it off (yet)

So first, what are the elements that make up a song? Melody, Text, Form, and Accompaniment (which is harmony, rhythm, tone, tempo, and dynamics). There are things in a song that you can rework and there are things that if changed, make it a completely different song. Text, Form, and Accompaniment can all be modified to different degrees. Melody is the DNA of a song - change that, and it's no longer the same song.


We’ll start with what is most flexible, Accompaniment:
You may be able to change the chords and still sing the melody as written, but you may need to change what harmony you can sing with it. You can change the rhythmic feel of the song, and it may still work – like laying a rock feel, or a jazz swing, or a pop groove on it. You can play the song with only an acoustic guitar or a full band, but you'll need to play it differently to achieve similar energy, feel, or even style. You might use instruments the original author never dreamed of using. You can play the song slightly faster or slightly slower (about ±10 BPM unless you're doing a drastically different groove). You can change the key (thankfully). You can play different voicings on the instruments, use capos, and chord inversions. It may work to add or subtract harmonies. You can play a really quiet version or a REALLY LOUD version (sorry for the shouting). Ask “Would this song make sense if sung a cappella?” or “Would this song work without a drummer or a strong lead guitar player?” Then change at will…the sky is the limit. In fact, next rehearsal, try playing the same song once with only the players on the left of the stage, and then once with the ones on the right (and yes, the drummer has to pick one or the other). How did it work? What didn’t work? What did you learn?


Form:
A song may be written V1, Ch, V2, Bridge, but you can totally start on the Bridge if you'd like. You don’t need to sing both verses. You can sing just the chorus of a song. I’ll often repeat whichever verse I’m feeling like God wants to highlight in that moment. I recently led Here I Am To Worship and repeated the second verse twice (without going to the chorus) and went right into the bridge because it seemed right to be singing about God coming to earth “Humbly You came to the earth You created, All for love's sake became poor” …and then go right into “I'll never know how much it cost…” So it’s Outback Steakhouse here…no rules, just right.


Text:
Sometimes, you can slightly alter the text and still keep the song as it is - personalizing a pronoun for instance. You might change a chorus on the third time around from "God is great" to "God You're great" or change “He” to “You.” But if you change it up too much "O praise Him, He is holy" sung as "I praise You, You are holy" doesn't really work. But be careful here, purists may harpoon you after the service (in love, of course). Some of us feel like changing the “sloppy wet kiss” in How He Loves to…any of the dozen substitutes for the original lyric ruins the song. Some of us can’t stand the original. So alter with taste and tact…and good reason.


Melody:
But melody? Nope. Don't change that. Every note and every rhythm is foundational to that song. It's the only thing that separates it from every other song. Think of it as its DNA or fingerprint. If you don't sing it true to the original, your singers will have a hard time following you and the congregation will certainly have trouble following you and singing along. (this may very likely be on of the main reasons they don't sing if they aren't!)


Now I know, I know...you’re artists just expressing yourselves. Good for you. You are, but you’re servants first. Just like you should “Worship first; Play second” you must be a “Servant first; Artist second.” There are lots of ways to be creative and artistic, but altering the melody is not one of them. (unless you’re teaching it as a new song)


I’d love to hear your thoughts!


(oh, and if you like those pretty little boxes at the top of this section, head over to Red Rocket Box and pick up some gold)


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Never Copy the CD Version

I love what Todd Henry says in his “The Accidental Creative” podcast: “It is the age of creativity. Cover bands don’t change the world. Don’t be a cover band, you need to find your unique voice.” There is no need whatsoever for making the songs that we do sound just like a recording.


However, there are two really important assumptions that statement makes:


1. One of the main roles of the band is to support the leader in where he/she feels God is wanting to take things for that service. Sometimes the leader will feel the most comfortable (and therefore be able to focus on what is most important) if the arrangement is familiar. I think it's fine for the leader to ask for a certain arrangement, which may be what Chris Tomlin's band did. So if the leader is asking for it, the team should do it.


2. And, more importantly, the statement assumes a certain level of musicianship in the players. Manheim BIC’s Worship Pastor, Ryan Shenk, described a church service as a “family dinner” because it speaks of uniqueness and intimacy, so every church has their own flavor. But, scrambled eggs…again?! Can we try poached or over medium? Mom…!


See, most church musicians are in ruts because they haven't invested enough in their own musical development to have solid musical foundations, good chops, proper technique, and the ability to make musical choices in WHAT they play. I'm not saying your band isn't good, doesn't have talent or potential, or isn't valuable! Seriously, I'm not. The value in learning music the way it is on the CD is that it is like taking lessons from seasoned, accomplished musicians and learning from professional arrangers. I'm ready to say “never listen to a CD again” once a band has such great instincts (read: habits) that they produce fantastic music naturally without it. So until a band (or a musician) gets to that point, they need lessons or to learn parts from CD's. It's a necessary step in being a good steward of your musicianship.

And while I’m on stewardship, I need to tell you that I just love the definition of stewardship: managing for increase. I used to think that stewarding something just meant managing it. But that's more like burying the talent out of fear. Managing without the “increase” part just leaves you with trying to protect, control, and maintain. (ew!) We're not called to that, we're called to double and triple the return on the talent God has given us. Musically, that requires investment.


It takes time to develop the leadership art of creating a culture of grace that, at the same time, pushes the development of people, and calls them out when they don’t feel prepared. And it's important enough to say that your musicianship and your stewardship of it is NOT tied to your identity or your worth, that you don't have to perform your way into acceptance or approval (which is such a common pitfall for musicians). You are accepted completely because you're a son or a daughter of a Father Who loves you with inalterable love. Now you have the responsibility as a son or daughter to steward the gift well.


So, what are you going to do?


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Ideas for playing with two acoustic guitars

I'll start with the assumption that one is carrying the bulk of the song and the is adding color, texture, counterpoint, etc.

1. Play different voicings of the chords. This is by far the most common thing to do. The way to do that is by playing with a capo - so, for example, when one guitar is playing in the typical G formation, the other one can capo on the 5th fret and play in a D formation. Or get crazy and play with a capo on the 3rd fret and a cut capo on the 5th fret and play in D formation.
2. Vary the number of notes played – one guitar picks, one strums. Or one strums on the downbeat or the root rhythm pattern while the other one strums more fully.
3. Get this. Ready? One guitar might only play on part of the song. Or part of the set. I know. That’s just crazy talk.
4. The second guitar can play some complementary rhythm pattern, something offbeat, or syncopated that locks in with the main rhythm.
5. Think in terms of musical riffs – a pattern of notes played over and over with different chords underneath. It creates a counterpoint and the feel of pedal tones. This is different from continual “noodling” either on acoustic or electric guitar, which is never musical. I’m pretty sure that’s not overstated. In fact, it may be that the defining line between amateur and advanced musicianship is the ability to use subtlety, dynamics, space, and groove.

What are your ideas?


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What REALLY causes the “not enough musicians” syndrome?

So, are you trying to figure out how to add more musicians to your teams?  "We just don't have any in our church."  Really?  The super-common problem of “We just don’t have enough musicians” seems to have a simple cause, but let’s look deeper.  What might REALLY be causing the shortage?

Here are 10 causes for a lack of musicians: [I’ll include both singers and instrumentalists when referring to “musicians” here.]

1.     Musicians attract musicians [perhaps there’s just not critical mass – not a talent issue, just a sheer lack of numbers]

2.     A bad sound mix [when certain musicians aren’t heard in the mix, this causes potential musicians to say “Why would I want to play or sing if I might not even be heard?”]

3.     There is no perceived need for more musicians [does your talented worship leader fill in all the missing gaps so the congregation never feels the pain of the need OR do you ever ask for more musicians – either by announcement, special event, or shoulder-tap?  And do I smell burnout?]

4.     Insecure musicians [potential musicians don’t feel that they have the necessary talent to play or sing with the band]

5.     There is a negative or closed band culture [it doesn’t look like the band is enjoying serving together OR the relationships are so tight that they feel exclusive or like a clique]

6.     There is no mentoring [there’s no way to ease into playing, no culture of co-leading, no “backup, unamplified second keyboard or guitar” and there’s no training to get new musicians up to speed]

7.     There are no non-rehearsal or non-performance gatherings [are the only playing opportunities at rehearsals and services?  There are no monthly or quarterly gatherings to play and experiment with different musicians and different combinations of bands without the pressure of preparing for or playing in a service?]

8.     Different or New vision [sometimes a worship leader’s vision for style (which dictates band makeup) is different than the senior pastor’s or perhaps it’s just new to the church and they don’t know that their accordion, I mean, electric guitar has a place in the band]

9.     Minimal performance space [your stage is full or the way you are set up makes it feel like there’s no room for anyone to join]

10.  Too many hoops to join or unclear expectations [What happens when a potential musician expresses interest in serving?  Is your process cumbersome, unclear, lengthy, daunting, or nonexistent? People like to be a part of something well organized.  How many embers of hope never became flames of service because of an inefficient process?]

So, now that you see some of the “hidden” reasons that you don’t have enough musicians, here are some solutions for each:

1.     Invite musician friends that you have from outside your church to help.  Cross-pollinating is great for your church and the musicians visiting.  It creates more of a felt need once people enjoy the energy of the drums or the fullness of a keyboard.  Also, quality attracts quality [you are what you attract – gulp!] so invest in yourself and in your team.  Get lessons, work hard, be students of your craft, grow!

2.     Train you tech arts crew to be musical in their mixing.  Teach them how songs are built, how and why you arrange songs like you do, and how to create a mix that supports the intended result.

3.     Let certain roles go unfilled sometimes…create the need.  And when you do, it would be a great week to intentionally make an announcement that makes the opportunity to serve known [without sounding desperate!]  Remember to use all available media – live, bulletin, e-bulletin, website, etc.  Also, keep you ears open and invite the people who may be interested – never underestimate the power of the shoulder-tap!

4.     Each church has [whether written or not] a ground floor for what is acceptable quality level for weekend worship gatherings.  But make sure you communicate that excellence [doing your personal best] is the requirement, not being perfect.  You might also help less-experienced musicians serve in lower-pressure environments like children’s church, small groups, youth group, or midweek meetings.  They can provide wonderful training ground where confidence can grow.

5.     When a band is enjoying each other as they play, you can totally feel it!  Work hard, be diligent, flow together, but don’t take yourselves so da’gum seriously!  “Be excellent at what is good, be innocent of perfection.”  [oh snap, he didn’t just paraphrase it that way, did he?!]  I know that sometimes, when you are concentrating on what you’re playing, you can have a serious look or scowl on your face, but try to remember what you’re singing about and Who you’re singing to.  God cancelled His frown toward you when you said yes to Him…reflect His smile!  Also, when you have [or potentially have] someone new, go the extra mile to be interested, welcoming, genuine, and considerate.  Help breakdown the certain apprehension that a new musician has.  And share food, experiences, and honest moments with each other.  Be a community.

6.     Establish a culture of training, of opportunity, of team.  Regularly offer musical training for your musicians.  Always look for ways to be raising up new leaders and musicians.  Have your background singers lead songs, have your electric guitar player start off a song, and bring a duplicate musician on stage unplugged just to build their confidence.  Work hard not to be a “one man show” – empower musicians on your team to have important musical [solo, lead, arrangement, etc.] and non-musical [prayer, scripture reading, administrative, etc.] responsibilities.

7.     Call it a Jam Session, a Worship Jam, Zamar [instrumental worship] Night, or “And the Kitchen Sink” but you’ve gotta have times when your current and potential new musicians can play and experiment with different musicians and different combinations of bands without the pressure of preparing for or playing in a service.  There is just a different level of creativity when you take that pressure away.  And it’s a great way to get to know new musicians without having to formally audition them [shhhhh…I know!] in an artificial environment.

8.     It’s super important for your team to be able to articulate your senior pastor’s vision for the weekend worship gatherings.  There are so many decisions that must flow from this vision.  If you’re playing modern worship songs [think Chris Tomlin, Hillsongs, Passion, etc.], I believe it’s nearly impossible to consistently lead worship encounters with the LORD without energy in the music – especially in the “up” songs.  [energy and volume are related, but are not the same] Once you decide to do a certain kind of song, there are requirements for it to actually “work” and certain instruments and a certain sound mix are needed.

9.     It might be a good idea to clear the stage [at least in your mind’s eye] and make sure they you’re using your space most effectively.  Did you just keep adding instruments without a comprehensive plan?  Can everyone see each other?  Do you look cramped?  Are you using stands with a tripod base in a small area?  Ever lead from behind a wooden choir “wall” while the piano soundboard [that also separates you from the congregation] blares into your face?  Well, sometimes you have to challenge tradition in order to move forward.  I know, I know, you feel the feathers ruffling already, and that’s okay.  You’re in a community, so it’s way-important to take your people along with you, but don’t let their comfort stand in the way of the building on God’s Kingdom [He doesn’t in your life, does He?]  Do what it takes to use the space so that your band feels comfortable playing and so that the congregation doesn’t mistake you for sardines.

10.  It’s important to have a clear, well-organized process that minimizes wait time [read: keeps momentum alive], yet allows for accountability, common guidelines, and verbalized expectations.  It’s fine to have a 6 month process before a new musician can serve, but it’s not okay for the process to take 3 months before it begins.  Make it easy to serve.  Sure you have requirements, but remove any unnecessary roadblocks.

So now it's your turn.  What surprised you on this list?  What will you do as a result of what you learned?  Share your thoughts!


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