Archives for August 2008

THE IDOLS OF THE SONGWRITER’S HEART

An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our thinking, desires, and choices

1. Praise
2. Credit
3. Fame
4. Money

What we can do to be free from idols:

• Confess it as sin
• Receive forgiveness
• Repent
• Replace our old desires with new ones

Be generous with your time, talent, and resources

SONGWRITER AS SERVANT

• Philippians 2
• How do you become a great songwriter? Read Phil. 2/go to the revealed Word
• Seek the good of others
• ‘others centered’ living is at the heart of good songwriting
• music has the ability to serve in a variety of ways/care for others through your talent
• tell stories back to God of the truth of God
• Christians will be wise if they understand art
• Our songwriting must be a tangible response to the goodness of God
• Spreading the good news must be essential to the Christian songwriter – redeeming all that Jesus loves
• Our love for the Bible must be as essential as our guitars, computers, and rhyming dictionaries
• You serve the church and the world when you introduce them to what has been ‘remade’
• KNOW THE WORD OF GOD!
• Don’t even call yourself a Christian songwriter unless you can tell the story of the Word of God from beginning to end – you can say to a stranger ‘What is going on in the world’
• A Christian songwriter offers himself to everyone in need – be an agent of reconciliation
• Christian songwriters push back the effects of the fall
• A servant songwriter asks the question, ‘How can I be a part of restoring rightness?”
• Love is the motivation of a creator servant
• Creator servants have an empathetic heart for people
• Do not pursue status
• Make musical choices that say you believe in diverse community
• When the love of Jesus is embodied in songs, they stand out from the crowd
• Be separate by the conspicuousness of your love to all people
• Never underestimate the power of nuance… let your songs carry the flavor of forgiveness
• Let your music and your lifestyle display mercy to people
• Do for others what God has done for you…through your songs
• Take your role in the story God is telling…live out who and what you are…have integrity as a songwriter…know your true identity in Christ (authenticity)
• God is up to extraordinary things through ordinary people
• Our most acceptable worship is to give up our agendas for the kingdom…we invite people to follow along through our lives and through our songs

Songwriting thoughts:

• Songwriting is an art, not a science
• Good songwriting is preparing for moments when the ‘lightning strikes’
• Write things down
• You’re not gonna write good songs if you’re not living a good life – listen to good music, read books, be interesting
• A good artist looks at the world and tells you what he sees
• Art today is learning how to hide your influences well
• There is no such thing as christian or secular music…there is no inherently ‘redeemed’ music
• Know what you’re filters are…use as few as possible
• Our job as songwriters is not to please our fans or sell a lot of records…it is to look at the world and tell what you see.
• Every artist has a grid through which they look at the world
• You can create art of anything that Jesus is Lord of
• Music is not always full time vocational ministry…sometimes you just make great art…it’s your job and you love it
• We all need to be doing what we CAN do… we are all part of one body
• Recommended Book: Steve Turner ‘Imagine’

Vocal Health

• There is a lot of vocal strain in the church today…because of passionate people. We’re more interested in heart than we are in excellent art
• Warm up your vocal chords as a routine!
• ‘Flem’ is natures bandage…it accumulates when you don’t warm up.
• If you’re hurting…you’re using the wrong muscles to sing.
• ‘Speaking’ in a wrong way can also damage your vocal chords. Take times of silence.
• Make a habit of breathing through your nose.
• Caffeine dries out your vocal chords. Citrus juices are even worse.
• Use ‘Breathers’ or ‘Throat Coat’ or ‘Entertainers Secret’ to sooth your throat.
• It takes an hour for water to coat the throat. Start drinking early!
• Do a good 5 minute warmup [hum…make some noise…gently] before you sing
• Prepare your voice throughout the week
• Vocal endurance is building up the vocal strength to stand the ‘4 hour concer

Vocal Technique

• Relax! If you speak correctly…you will sing correctly
• We don’t want to use any outer muscles in the throat… you should feel vibration, not muscular tension
• You need constant feedback in order to get better
• Suggestion: Record a video tape of yourself and watch it with the music off!
• Keep your larynx low as you sing…open your mouth when you sing!
• Don’t whisper
• Most of us take a deep breath and let it all out at the beginning of a phrase…control your flow of air!
• More breathing is not better…but letting that breath out in the right amount
• Breathing exercise: say the alphabet!
• Have an open chest…open rib cage

Every songwriter asks the question, “What will my next song be about?”

• If I am a Christian songwriter, every song directly or indirectly has to do with Jesus Christ
  1. Some songs are written about Jesus. The best songs help us to know and love the true, biblical Jesus. Our words and melodies will never be more important than Jesus Christ. We are all theologians.
  2. Some songs are written to Jesus. Here we are defining our response to WHO HE IS. The best songs to Jesus make Him look better, not us. We cannot simply ‘gush’ about Jesus. We don’t need anymore ‘God is my girlfriend’ songs. There is a difference between our love to Jesus and our love for our spouses.
  3. Some songs are written because of Jesus. The best songs take the realities of heaven and hell seriously – unending pain and eternal joy. We write because we cannot ‘shake’ what Jesus has done for us. ‘Labor to be effected by the cross’ – The Puritans.