How to pick songs for smaller churches

I mentioned in the last post that some songs are easier to arrange for small churches (with fewer musicians, etc) - so what do I look for?

My church has a bunch of different services, some of which are very small. Occasionally it has just been me (Andy) playing piano on my own with no song leaders and 10-15 people in the crowd. Here is what I look for:

-- Choose songs which are, well, good songs: this should be obvious, but all the things which apply to any church apply here - but in an acoustic environment the quality of the song is totally exposed, as there isn't a strong band or songleader to gloss over a deficient song. Pick a song which teaches great truths, in inspiring and memorable ways, with a melody which is very singable and matches the emotional content of the song.

-- Look for melodies with strong rhythms: In this context, the melody needs to drive itself along as much as possible. It's not good having a melody which is so complicated that everybody sings it differently. Nor do you want a melody which is rhythmically so simple that it relies on the accompaniment to create interest.

-- Syncopation is great, as long as it's groovy: If the rhythm is syncopated that's fine, as long as the pattern is a regular groove - think of the old youth group camp favourite 'Ancient of Days' - it's highly syncopated but the pattern is so regular that everyone can get it, and it actually adds a great rhythm to the song which means you don't need drums or strumming guitar to make it exciting.

-- Look for songs which use pitch well: Some of the best songwriters can create a sense of building tension simply by how the shape of the melody rises and falls in pitch: i.e. the song starts lower and builds while getting higher (but not too high). If you don't have lots of instruments to build excitement, let the song do the work for you!

-- Watch out for big spaces: Some songs have gaps in them which rely on instrumentation to fill in the void... this doesn't always work with a small church.

-- Grab the chords but don't feel the need to take the instrumental parts: When you take a song and put it in a new context you are re-interpreting the music into a new creation. So leave behind the CD version if it's not going to work with your room! Take the chords and the melody and the words and play them in a style that you think will work for you. The riffs might not be appropriate, but strumming through the chords on acoustic guitar might take the song in a whole new direction. 

-- Think about the style of music which belongs in your style of room: Different secular artists play in different rooms, according to the type of music. More delicate and thoughtful artists tend to avoid 50,000 seater arenas. If you are in a small room with a handful of people, think about what types of music will work there and perform the songs in that style... indie folk, jazz, acoustic pop...whatever! Compare these two rooms and the music which is being made for them:

-- Don't try to be what you're not: If God wanted you to have a fourteen piece rock band he would have put you in a stadium. If he wanted you to have more guitarists than you have already, he would have given them to you. As it is, you currently have everything which he thinks you need. So rather than trying to create the awesome rock show to rival the latest worship CD you've bought, focus on creating a mood which is right for the room you're actually serving in. If it's an intimate crowd, then intimate music is appropriate - less jumping up and down, more delighting in this precious gathering of God's people.