The past few days I had the privilege of attending Integrity’s Seminars for Worship with my worship team. I so appreciate the experience and humility that Paul Baloche, Brian Doerksen, and Kathryn Scott bring to the table. I wanted to share some songwriting thoughts that I gleaned from Brian’s session on “songwriting for worship”
- Our world is crazy about the visual – the God of the scriptures continues to invite us with his written and whispered words.
- Never use a song publicly that doesn’t move you to worship privately.
- Write for the ‘gap’ – don’t imitate others. Look for where a certain truth or style is missing.
- Worship music involves writing for the church & self-expression, clear lyrics (meaning then sound), and simple, creative music.
- Recording artist writing involves self-expression, unclear lyrics (sound then meaning), and creative music.
- How does the songwriting process actually work? – seeds of inspiration; days of perspiration.
- People have the misconception that God gives songs. He actually gives seeds. It is our job to cultivate the soil and grow the song.
- People need 2 things to sing your song – Reason (they want to say what your song says) and Affection (they need to love the song).
Wow, very insightful and hepful. Thanks.