Music & Rites

 Everywhere you go, there is music. For me I find most of my music at church or at my favorite place, Delaney’s Irish Pub. When I think about all of the music that is played in these different locations, I often wonder why do they choose a specific type of music. Now, for church, it is obvious as to why they would choose spiritual songs, but if you are really into Christian based music, there are different genres of that as well, so depending upon the style of the church will have an effect on the specific type of music played. 

I go to a southern baptist church, and we have what we called a “blended” worship service. Basically what this means is that the preacher has asked the worship leader to make the elderly and the young adults happy. We do hymns, and we do Hillsong, all in one service. So the music that is present on Sunday mornings is very much a blend between original hymns, and then Christian pop music. The music is essentially used for worship purposes, but often times it feels like a performance. (I am in the church band) Because I go to a southern baptist church, it is very common for people to be “stuck in the ways of the past” and not want change, therefore if we play a Chris Tomlin song, those people are looking at us more as if we are performing that providing them with a song of worship. 

So, depending on the Sunday that you or anyone decides to visit my church, will depend on what they hear more of. By that I mean that one Sunday you will be prepared to sing a hymn and then another hymn and then a hymn medley, but have an invitation that is a modern Christian pop song. HUH?! But, next Sunday is all modern Christian pop… So, song choice is never consistent, but you want to know what is consistent? The order. I will give you a little insider as to what every Sunday looks like. 

WELCOME

-Song

Prayer/Offering

-Song

His Kids (Children)

-Song

-PREACHER

-Song

DONE

So there you have it, a typical southern baptist Sunday. 

So as far as what the music sounds like, there is very little instrumental music. When we have it, it is usually just a few chords being played on a keyboard underneath the preacher praying to make the transitions a little smoother. Typical church music is always sung. At the moment, my church does not have a choir, but a praise team. The praise team consists of 2 sopranos 2 altos 2 tenors and 1 bass. Our band consists of the pianist, a cajon player (me), and a keyboard player (also me ). So, when we sing hymns, it is usually the standard piano and melody. The older music really has no harmonies and nothing intricate to make it interesting. When we do the modern style, that is where the harmonies come into play as well as the cajon and keyboard. For those who may be wondering why there is a piano and a keyboard… My keyboard is set to a strings setting, so I play chords to provide harmony to whatever the pianist is playing. Depending on the song, this can really give a worship song a little more emotion, which is want you want in a religious setting. You want people to feel that emotion and to fully worship who they have come to worship. 

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Before I end, I just wanted to touch on Delaney’s since I mentioned it earlier in the blog. I go to Delaney’s with my fiancé all of the time! I don’t necessarily go there to drink or to eat, but I really enjoy seeing the LIVE music that they have. To me, it doesn’t matter what band they have or which style they play, it always fits the scene. Bar Music. I’ve previously voiced my opinion about country music and there are bands who often play country music at Delaney’s, but it’s something about the atmosphere in which they are playing that it bothers me a little less. The function of the music at Delaney’s is not meant to be spectacular, it needs to be decent because these people are being paid to perform, but it is good enough for having dinner, having a drink, and seeing someone yell at the TV. It fits.