[This post is part of a series on Your Guide to Selecting and Leading Songs for Worship. Check out the rest here.]

You may not consider yourself a “talented songwriter”. You may even feel that you just get by picking out songs and leading a band on Sunday morning. That’s OK. This post is still for you. Writing songs for your local church may seem like an daunting task.

I hope to convince you otherwise.

First off, why should you write songs for your local church?

[Read more…]

I’m of the belief that the best way for you to become better at what you do is to seize it. Don’t wait for a mentor to approach you, seek out your mentors. As a worship songwriter, I always observe other writing styles – what melody works, what doesn’t, what lyrics are unique, which aren’t, etc.

In this post I just wanted to outline a few worship music songwriters that I admire and what I’ve learned from them. My desire is that you use the same curiosity with the music you like and apply what you learn from them. And also, study these guys. They’re the best.

MATT REDMAN

I appreciate Matt for his masterful lyricism and unique melodies. Matt can take complex theological terms and use few words to express it. His writing is deep, yet accessible. All of his albums are great, but for starters, I’d recommend his live album “Facedown” and even his most recent “We Shall Not Be Shaken” .

Lesson learned: immerse yourself in God’s Word and express its truth using as few words as possible.

PAUL BALOCHE

I think the strength of Paul’s writing is in its accessibility. His songs are immediately singable to anyone and build masterfully in emotional strength. His songs are about one thing, easy to follow, make sense, and connect with what you want to say to God. My favorite album from Paul is “A Greater Song”.

Lesson learned: think about the comman man/woman in your songwriting. Will this make sense to them, do they want to sing this, and is it singable for the average vocal range?

REUBEN MORGAN

Reuben Morgan writes the best melodies of anyone I listen to. If you’re not familiar with Reuben, think Hillsong. He’s written incredible songs like Mighty to Save, My Redeemer Lives, Eagles Wings, and Stronger. People love his songs because they just make sense, they are also immediately engaging, and musically innovative. He writes very simple, anthemic melodies around big truths.  I love his solo project “Everyone”, which sadly is out of print.

Lesson learned: write melodies that ‘soar’. Don’t settle on the first melody that comes to you. Tweak it until it is singable, cool, unique, and emotional.

BRIAN DOERKSEN

Brian thinks deep and expresses poetically. A lot of Brian’s songs introduced me to theological concepts that weren’t ‘on my radar’ but should be. Many young songwriters simply rehash the same phrases over and over. You can tell Brian seeks God and lives his songs as he writes them. Can’t say I have a favorite album here, but check out this live record to start.

Lesson learned: Write out of your life. What is God speaking to you and your church? Think deeply about it and find fresh ways to express it.

WHAT SONGWRITERS/ARTISTS HAVE INSPIRED YOU?

As a guy who writes songs for my church to sing, I’m always trying to improve. Here are a few things I use that assist me in my songwriting process. Hope this helps.

• Evernote – I’ve already talked about the beauty of Evernote. As an iPhone user, this is my preferred way to capture ideas. I’ll record a melody or type a lyric and it automatically syncs from my phone to my desktop to the world wide web. Yay.
• A Notebook – While I do love Evernote, sometimes it helps to do it the old-fashioned way. Write it out. I find it easier to process my thoughts when I physically write.
• An inspiring guitar – I personally play a Martin DC-16 GTE. Wonderful. If you are able, purchase a guitar (or keyboard, or pan flute, or didgeridoo) that you love to pick up. Sometimes the instrument alone can inspire new songs. A few of my friends rave about these.
• Recording Software – I’m a raving fan of Propellerhead, a music software company from Stockholm, Sweden. I use Reason & Record. Garageband is a great, simple tool that most people have. When crafting songs, it really helps to hear it back with quality sound. I’ll usually create drum loops, add keys, bass, strings. Good recording software can help inspire your writing and take songs in unanticipated directions.
• Bible – As a worship songwriter, this is what I go to first. The tendency in songwriting is just to write what’s on the top of your head, which is typically cheesy, cliched phrases. Dig into Scripture and find fresh ways to articulate the truth.

I’m always looking for new things to inspire. What has been helpful in your songwriting?

 

*If you are a songwriter, consider these posts a ‘songwriting checklist’. By no means is it an exhaustive dictionary on songwriting. For the first post on how to write better worship songs, go here.

• Always Be Prepared to Capture Ideas – remember that time you had a great idea but you waited to write it down only to forget it? Maybe you don’t remember that. But it happened. I think. Oh well, I don’t remember. The point is to set up a simple system for capturing ideas. I personally use Evernote. I can capture ideas in different ways – write out lyrics, sing melodies, etc. Plus it syncs to all my mobile devices. Brilliant. But you could also just use a notebook, voice recorder, etc. Just carry something with you at all times.
• Sing Your Prayers – don’t try to be too innovative or cool in the early stages. Start by just singing your honest prayers to God. Listen to what others are praying. What is your pastor preaching? Write what you hear.
• Write with other people who are better than you – it’s OK to admit it. Actually, if you want to improve you need to realize right now that you are not the best. Many promising songwriters are stifled by their pride & arrogance. They won’t adjust their ideas. Another person can you give you some much needed perspective on your song. Plus they may be better at lyrics, melody, theme, etc.
• Test your song – the best songs are songs that people engage with. But how will they engage if they’re only sung behind the scenes? Here’s my suggestion: find small groups of people to test your song on. A small group. A prayer meeting. Your spouse. Your church staff. Start small and see how it goes. Not every song you write needs to be done corporately. Maybe it will need more work. But go ahead and test it. I once heard someone say, too many ideas are born and lost in isolation.
• Spend time worshiping
• Revisit your ideas the next day – when struck with inspiration, your emotions are high. You think you’ve just written the greatest song ever. Chill out and revisit your idea tomorrow (given you’ve captured the idea in Evernote). You won’t be quite as impressed but it will force you to work hard and make it a great song.
• Check your theology – run the song by your pastor for theological insight. A great melody mixed with lots of passion and bad theology is not a good song, whether “God gave it to you” or not. A trusted pastor can help you determine if your song is actually true, if it’s too me-centered, or if you’re just worshiping your own worship 🙂

Songwriters, help me out. What helps you write better songs?