trevorhodgemusic

Reflections for WorshipGod13 #2

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 00:46:00 +0000

Family

Who I am is in many ways inseparable from my relationship with my family. I expected to be a bit sad at the airport...didn't expect to need a box of tissues though!! I find myself very thankful for the wonders of technology - we're skyping every day (sometimes while standing in front of retail stores and borrowing their wifi!) and just sharing the little things. I'm VERY thankful for the rest of the family who have gathered around Fiona and the boys...esp as they're sick at the moment. But the distance has me thinking a lot about how thankful I am for them and the way they shape me, and how much time and intentionality I give to them.

Generosity

There as some smells that can permeate a whole house and linger long after the event. For me, cooking with fennel comes to mind (our fennel, almond and salt toffee brittle is legendary!) but you might have another example...whatever works for you! It seems like each time I interact with Sovereign Grace ministries, the fragrance of generosity seems to permeate through everything. Its not that there was any specific content on generosity during the event. Its just seems to seep through everyone who I came across - through little interactions and conversations and acts. I really thank God for those who have modelled and nurtured this culture in the Sovereign Grace movement, and I really hope some of it continues to rub off onto me...and rub off me!

Identity

"But what about the talks?" you say! Craig Cabaniss spoke on the first night from John 4 on being "Faithful to receive". (You can find all the talks linked here) Its amazing how you can know a story or scripture so well - I've even preached a few times on this passage - and yet be so convicted by it again! Here's a few things that stuck with me...

The whole story is recorded to show us how the Father is seeking worshippers...in this case the woman and her village...and gender and religious and racial barriers are no barriers to that quest. Are we willing to cross barriers in our context to seek worshippers for God?
The DNA, or primary identity, of a Christian is one who receives...not one who does. I think we often understand that we're saved by receiving grace...but how much do we actually think and act like the rest of our life is centered around receiving from God as well?
We are not the originators of worship. God is. Worship is our response to his overflowing abundant love and generosity. But how often do we attempt to create worship...through picking the right songs, or through our passionate leading, or whatever it is for you??
How do we position ourselves - individually and as churches - to be receivers of God's love and blessing, and then let that overflow in acts of abundant worship?

Reflections from WorshipGod13 #1

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000

After the drought comes the storm...in some ways appropriate sitting here in the dry Los Angeles heat! But in the blog sense - sorry for 6 months of silence...2 kids can do that to you sometimes...and my apologies in advance for a potential deluge as I reflect on stuff I've learned in the last few days. But keen to share the journey and the good stuff with you! Here it comes...

NextGen 2013 Music

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:32:00 +0000

NextGen 2013 Music

It's been a real privilege singing God's praises with everyone at Nextgen in the past week - the whole band has had such an encouraging time! Hopefully some of the songs we've introduced over the week can help the Word of God dwell richly among you and help you to stand firm and hold fast. Lots of people have been asking how they can get a hold of the new songs, so here's some links and details.

Holy Hands

What a great song this is! There's not many songs that help remind us that in Christ, we are not just forgiven of our sins, but we also 'wear His righteousness'. You can download the track and charts here...and if you take advantage of the freebie, make sure to return the favour by posting or tweeting about it.

Holy Hands by City Hymns

Holy (Jesus You Are) and 10,000 Reasons

You can listen to and pick up charts for these songs at www.mattredman.com and www.worshiptogether.com

Go Tell The World

This is a song I wrote with my good friend Tim Sheerman many years ago now...but it just fit so well with the theme of the week we thought we should bring it back! The charts and words are available at www.trevorhodgemusic.com and you can listen to yourself singing it yesterday at the conference here...

Reflect Your Heart

This one is about as fresh as it gets - I finished it off with Jimmy last week. The first time it was ever sung was this week at Nextgen. So that means there's no official recordings or charts yet! But if you're keen to get your hands on it, leave your details below, and we'll get it out to you ASAP! Overflow is a new initiative of Kirkplace Church through which we hope to share around the good stuff God is blessing us with - new songs, charts, training resources and events. So if you're keen to get in on some of that, sign up as well!

ILF Conference in Costa Rica

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:03:00 +0000

What a privilege it's been to serve at the International Teams leadership conference in Costa Rica over the last week - it has been amazing to worship together in song with people serving all over the planet! A big shout out has to go to Diego, David and Phil - its not often that I play with a band I've never met...let alone from another continent! But they have been so gracious with my terrible Spanish and multiple last minute changes (and wrong keys!!)

A few people have been asking where to find the songs we've learned over the week? Some have been mine, and you can download the audio and charts from my website. I still haven't finished a recording of "Born again" yet, but hopefully in the next few weeks it will be up on the website for download. You'll find the full song list google.doc here with links to YouTube clips of the songs. ILF song list If you are looking for words or sheet music, between www.ccli.com, www.worshiptogether.com and www.praisecharts.com you should be able to find everything else.

It's been great to meet so many new friends - please keep in touch, and let me know if there's any other way I can support your work through my music!

Te veo luego!

Different Songwriting Techniques #1

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:34:00 +0000

Sorry that the blog posts have been very light on of recent (ie non-existant!) The good news is I've been using that time to do lots of songwriting. Not that there's much to show as far as end results, but the input time has been great!

I don't know about you, but for me it seems like my songwriting times are often either drought or deluge...and not much in between! Usually I'll get an idea - a phrase or melody or "key idea" and work outwards from there...but without that initial inspiration, nothing seems to happen. But I've been trying a few different things to 'seed the clouds'...

Starting with Structure
This was inspired by Pat Pattison's great book "Writing Better Lyrics" - while its not written specifically for a church / worship music context, there's some stuff he points out which is right on the money. In his chapter "Productive Repetition" - he says...

"In most songs, you'll repeat a line (refrain) or section (chorus) two or three times. The danger is that once your listeners have heard something once, it will be less interesting the second and third time - like telling the same person the same joke three times in a row: Once you've heard it, it doesn't give you anything more the second or third time.

Your job as a songwriter is to make your repetition interesting and productive so that the same words deliver more each time....

...It might be helpful to think about a song as a stack of boxes that are connected to each other, each one getting progressively larger. Think of each one gaining more weight, the last being the heaviest of the lot."
Pattison, P., Writing Better Lyrics (2009, Writers Digest Books, OH) p. 55

As much as this is relevant for listeners...how much more so when we're asking people to 'own' and sing choruses again. How can we use the verses to help people sing the refrain with new perspective or relevance?

So I've tried kicking off with this kind of structure in mind - here's how it looks...

This is how I started with 1 Peter 1. The box on the right is the chorus - I wanted to gather some ideas that are central to this passage, that other sections expand on...in this case vs 3...

In his great mercy
New birth
Living hope
Resurrection of Christ from dead

Then the 1st block on the left is vs 1 ideas - primarily vs 6-7. We know they're linked to the central idea by the "In this..." that Paul starts with. I thought this would be a good 1st verse as it expands on the present implications of this living hope...

Rejoice
Griefs and trials
Suffering
Faith proved genuine
Of greater worth than gold

The second verse then focuses on the assurance of this living hope in the future - drawn from vs 4-5. Again, you can see how this section expands and 'fleshes' out what this living hope is.

Inheritance
Never perish, spoil, fade
Kept in heaven
Sheilded by God's power until coming of salvation in final day

In my mind this vs 1 / vs 2 order makes most sense, helping the singer to entering into and engaging with the song from their present circumstances. But you could also argue for the other way around - as Paul has it - to firmly establish the hope before getting to the present relevance.

The bridge then takes a different angle - we actually articulate our joyous response to this hope - from verses 8-9.

Have not seen him => Love him
Don't see him now => filled with glorious (inexpressible) joy
Receiving goal of faith => salvation

The third verse ideas come back to the central idea - our living hope, and express the 'therefore' ideas...what do we do now as a consequence - coming from vs 13-16.

Ready for action
Self controlled
Set hope on future grace
Do not conform to old ways
Be holy as God is holy

So having this framework at the start of the songwriting process was really helpful! It ensured that the song made logical sense, and remained true to the argument and thinking of the passage. And it helped created productive repetition - that each time we sing the chorus, we sing it with fresh insight from the verses.

So here's how it ended up...at the moment - I didn't end up finishing a third verse...but looking back at my notes maybe I should!!

Born Again

Verse 1
Rejoice Rejoice Through trials and pains
Take hope traveling through the darkest of days

Of greater worth than purest gold
Your faith - tested and proved - will be for His praise

Chorus
We’re born again into a living hope
Jesus You rose again out of the grave
We’re born again holy and radiant
Jesus the blood you shed is mighty to save
Mighty to save

Verse 2
In Heaven’s our inheritance
New life - never to spoil never to fade

Protected by God's mighty power
Until all is revealed when you come again

Bridge
Though now our eyes can’t see
We love you Saviour King
Our lips cannot express this glorious joy
And when at last revealed
In glory You will bring salvation
Bring salvation

© Trevor Hodge 2012
Download words and lead sheets here

Click here for NTE MUSIC RESOURCES

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:29:00 +0000

Its been great to sing a bunch of new songs together at NTE that help us to focus on and rejoice in being "In Christ". Here's where you can find some of them...

"Overflowed" and "No Other Name" are off the EP "No Other Name" - you can download it for free here (and if you do, make sure to spread the love on FB and twitter!)

If you'd like the charts as well, you can download them here...you'll need to download the whole EP.

No Other Name by Trevor Hodge

"Come Praise And Glorify" is a new Sovereign Grace song - you can download it here, inc the charts if you download the whole album.

Come Praise and Glorify by Sovereign Grace Music

A whole bunch of the other songs are collated in this Youtube playlist - as you'll hear, we've significantly changed some of the arrangements, but they should give you a good starting point.

If you're looking for sheet music for any of these songs, some good places to start looking are...

CCLI Songselect
www.worshiptogether.com
Emu Music
Sovereign Grace Music

I hope that helps - but feel free to email on trevorhodgemusic@gmail.com if you need more details.

God bless,

Trev

Worship Band Roles and Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:46:00 +0000

When I'm running church music workshops, one of the most helpful things time and time again is discussing the particular roles that the different members of a contemporary worship band play. Here is a quick summary...if you want to find out more, you'll have to come to a workshop!

So who's the most important person or role? God, of course! Yeah, I know it sounds like a Sunday school answer...but we can get so tied up working on the parts and lines and grooves, and forget who it is all for. It would be like working so hard on your harmonies for happy birthday, that you forget who's birthday it is! How are you preparing your hearts for leading worship? How are you practicing humility? Repentance? Dependence? Adoration? How do the songs your going to sing or play express your own worship to God? How are you preparing to make Him look great, not you?

Who's next? Well, let me tell you, they never show up for rehearsals or workshops. They probably never practice. They are a real bunch of amateurs. Its the congregation. Your role as skilled and experienced singers, musicians and leaders is to equip and encourage (generally) unskilled and inexperienced singers to sing and worship with passion and abandon. Some things to think about...

Are your song choices easy to learn and 'own'?
What keys work best for them? This is both an issue of vocal range (a general guide is to try and keep it between A at the bottom and D/E at the top) and finding out what works best for the song - ie is the chorus in a good register to 'belt out'?
Is the structure and leading clear for them to follow? Do you lead them into the chorus, or do they unwittingly find themselves in it a few bars in?!
Do your musical arrangements lift their voices and hearts?
Are you leaving room in the musical 'mix' for their voices to fit in?

Next we come to those standing at the front - the song leaders / worship leaders / worship servants / lead worshippers... In the end, they are the ones charged with the responsibility to lead the congregation, and keep thinking about all these issues above - so as musicians, we need to serve them and make their job as easy as possible. We can do this by...

Making rehearsals great! Prepare in advance, come knowing all the songs, don't noodle when they're trying to direct things, respect and follow their decisions about arrangements.
Filling them with confidence. Mostly this comes down to you being confident - knowing the songs and structures...but then following their lead if they choose to do something else!

Now to the drummers. You have so much influence. A consistent tempo and groove, and clear structural signposts make it really comfortable and intuitive for the congregation to join in singing. On the flipside, if the tempo is shakey and the structure is unclear, people will feel really uncomfortable...even if they can't articulate it as such! Here's some basic things to be aware of...

Keep it simple - play what is appropriate for the song, not what shows off your amazing chops.
Own the tempo. Use a metronome / click if you need to.
Dynamics and orchestration. This is not just a volume thing - for example, the amount of high frequencies you bring in through the cymbals make a big contribution to the energy of the arrangement.
Play in the pocket. If tempo is all about bar by bar rhythmic consistency, playing in the pocket is all about rhythmic consistency within the bar or groove.
Signpost the structure. You, probably more than any other instrument, give aural cues to the structure and where things are going. So make sure you know where you're going! For example, if you open the hats in the last two bars of a verse, everyone's going to the chorus, whether the song leader wants to or not!

Bass players

Keep it simple!
Like a tree with shallow roots will fall over, a band without strong root notes will feel precarious. Make sure you're confident and consistent with the chord changes.
People often talk about 'locking in' with the drummer - but that sounds a bit lifeless and regimented. I prefer talking about 'dancing' with the drummer (if that's not too weird!). You need to operate and move as one unit. Don't just think about the kick drum either. How can you bring life to the snare drum by when you choose to lift your notes?
You own the low frequencies - you can create dramatic variations in the arrangement by when you choose to add - or subtract - the low frequencies from the mix.
Following from above - try thinking about spaces as much as notes - like the musical equivalent of a Henry Moore sculpture!

Now to guitars and keys. Up until now, we have form, but not much colour - this is where you guys step in, adding tones and timbres to the framework set up by the rhythm section. But there's one big thing to watch out for in common for keys and guitars. When you learn piano or guitar, you generally learn it as a 'solo' instrument. Having such a wide frequency range, and the ability to easily play big chords, you can hold it all down yourself - the melody, the bass line, the rhythmic energy and the chords to fill it out. But this is probably the opposite of what you want to do in a band context! Here's some things to be aware of...

Frequency clashes. This is particularly important in the lower frequencies - two notes a semitone apart can sound OK up high, but the same notes can bring on convulsions in the lower registers...so the basic rule is let the bass player play the bass! Also, be aware of getting too full in the mid frequencies - where the vocal ranges usually fit. This can be a big issue for electric guitars - distorted sounds can quickly become dense and impenetrable Try and avoid close chords - ie stacked thirds...play with how you can spread them out a bit.
Rhythm clashes. Again, this is a matter of letting the drums own this, and work around what they are doing, rather than trying to duplicate (and muddying) the rhythm. In particular, pianos can try and force the rhythm by heavily emphasising the 2's and 4's - the snare drums role. Also, be aware how the acoustic guitar can sit in the same frequency range, and play a similar percussive role, as the hi hats. One common clash is when the drummer is playing a straight rhythm on the hats, and the guitarists is shuffling it...it can get really messy!
In general, think about how you can strip things back in order to have more impact. Rather than throw your weight around, chose your notes and moments to cut through. Fight like a ninja, not a sumo! Look out for opportunities to add melodic hooks and riffs. Use your colour to really give life and shape to the arrangements. Its getting late, and my illustrations sketchier, but I think you know what I mean!

So there you go - there's a few of my thoughts for what its worth. But I'd love to hear your tips and suggestions as well...what do you think?

"Translating" recordings to your church context

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:04:00 +0000

I love the multi-track studio process - you have all these tools and tricks at your disposal to be creative with. Want to fix up that vocal phrase? You can go back and record it again. Want a fat stereo guitar part? Just track it again and pan them hard... Want to sound like you’re banging two rocks together in a large, cold and slightly wet cavern? Just tweak this reverb a bit...! In the studio, you have the time to go back over the songs again and again and refine and polish them until you’re happy. I hope with all this studio-wizardry that I have managed to produce songs that you love to listen to.

But my real hope is that these will be songs you will love to sing and play at church - and that’s a whole different ball game. Often, what you hear on the CD, and what you can do at church are two very different things. Kirkplace used to meet in a community dance hall - with a sprung wooden floor and mirrors everywhere...not the ideal acoustic environment! Rocking out wasn't an option. You may have a small team...or it may just be you by yourself? You might have an unusual combination of instruments? How do you take these songs and make them work in your context? Here’s some tips - in no specific order - that I hope might help you make this translation...

Pitch / key
It’s really important that you sing in a key that is comfortable for your congregation - in the end, it doesn’t matter how great you sound if no one can sing with you! But often, singers will record in a key that's best for their voice and the recording - often on the high side for guys (think Chris Tomlin) or on the low side for girls (Brooke Fraser). A good guide for a mixed group is no lower than B and no higher than D.

Also, if you are in a “stripped back” setting - it’s better to do the songs a bit lower...it’s hard to reach for those big top notes if there isn’t the support of full band behind you.

Melody
Recorded versions of songs usually add variations to the melody - especially when it is a repeated verse or chorus. It helps add some variety and interest to the recording. But when you singing the song at church, its better - especially when everyone is learning the song - to keep to the original melody (the one written on the chart, and usually sung the first time through the verse and chorus) throughout the song. Don’t try and emulate the recording with every vocal lick and inflection, as it often makes learning the song a lot harder

Volume and dynamics
Dynamics are an important tool in helping express the sentiments and truths in the songs. “He is exalted - Name above all names!” is something you want to shout out, not whisper! But in a lot of recordings (including mine) a lot of the dynamic interest comes with big drums and loud electric guitars. What if you don’t have that at your disposal? Here’s a few things I think about when it’s just me and my guitar (same goes for piano / keys)...

If at all possible, run through a PA, and have enough volume to be able to play and sing quietly, and still be able to be heard. This means you can bring down the intensity and volume in the verses, but still be able to lead. Then, when you hit the build up, you have reserves of volume in store.
Lead the dynamics with your singing - our voices are an incredibly expressive instrument - don’t just sing the words, but sing the emotions and sentiments held in the words.
Create levels of dynamics or intensity in your playing ‘arrangement’. For guitarists, that might mean palm muting or picking in the verses, and strumming in the chorus. For piano players, think how you might be able to use register - how high or low you play - to create variations in intensity.

Open chords on guitar
This is something that I use a lot (sometimes maybe too much!). Rather than using bar chords, I generally have a few ‘go to’ shapes to play with - usually those associated with playing in Emaj, Gmaj or Dmaj. If the songs aren’t in these keys, I’ll just adjust with a capo. The advantage of these chords are they are easy to find and move between (especially for fat fingered bass players trying to play guitar like me) and will let you sustain notes between chords. It’s great when you are playing and singing, as it lets you focus on the singing more than finding that chord. I also really like sustaining the root and 5th of the key above the chord movements when possible - it gives a really full sound (also sounds really nice on piano parts). This is a hard one to explain, easier to watch the video...

Don’t try and sound like...(insert name of band or recording)
It’s best to try and do the best with the unique group of instruments or voices that you might have, rather than try and get what you have to try and sound like something else. For example, rather than trying to get your solo piano to recreate the sound of detuned distorted guitar riffs - such as in Bring You Praise, it’s probably better to try and take the essence of the song and adapt it to what you have.

The essence of the song
I frequently have conversations that go something like this “I love your song ‘You Loved Me’...but at our church they do it SO fast!” Fast doesn’t equal contemporary or hip or cool....it’s just fast! The problem here is missing the essence of the song. Try and get to the core of what the song lyrics and music are expressing (Is the song upbeat and celebratory? Intimate and reflective? etc), and then figure out how to best express that in your setting or with your instruments.

Upcoming events with Bob Kauflin

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:21:00 +0000

If you've spoken to me for more than five minutes about music ministry, I've probably pointed you to Bob Kauflin's book "Worship Matters" - in my opinion its probably the most helpful book out there for people involved in or leading a music ministry. If you haven't heard of him, check out his blog at www.worshipmatters.com

The good new is TWIST is bringing Bob out to Sydney in a couple of weeks, and is involved with a couple of different events that you really should get along to.

First one on the calendar is RICE Regenerate Rally (Oct 3rd). Bob will be leading worship and speaking on 'True Worship' - the whole event is to encourage each of us to worship God in every aspect of life.

But Bob won't be covering the practical "how to's" at the RICE event - for that aspect (and heaps more!), you really need to get along to the TWIST event the following Sat (Oct 8th). There are a couple of Music Ministry Seminars in the afternoon (from 1pm) and then what should be a fantastic event in the evening...with Bob, Garage Hymnal and some other guy leading us all in singing!

But the one I'm probably most passionate about is the TWIST Pastors conference on the Friday (Oct 7th). I'm convinced that our pastors are the most influential 'worship leaders' in our churches - so I'm really encouraged that TWIST are putting on a day specifically aimed at Pastors and Music directors - dealing with some of these bigger culture setting questions. So now is the time to get in your pastors ear and really encourage them to get to this if at all possible!

These are all too good to miss, so hope to see you at one (or all!) of theses events!

Helpful steps for rehearsing a new song for church #2

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:21:00 +0000

Structure and dynamics

You've surely had these moments - the singer introduces the next verse, but the rhythm section builds into another chorus. The lyrics operator freezes up. The band doesn't know which way to go...let alone the congregation...and a train wreck ensues! Its not the end of the world...but it does go against one of our keys aims - we're trying to draw peoples attention to Jesus, not to ourselves!

That's why having a clear and agreed structure is so important, so everyone - band and congregation - can move from one section to another with real confidence. Not only that, but the structure, and particularly the dynamics within it, gives life to the song. Sorting out the structure before you start running through a new song - rather than continually stopping and clarifying - will also save you a lot of time in rehearsal. Here's some things to think about...

Structure outline. Decide your overall structure before you start playing. Everyone in the band should have listened to the song by now, and know the structure of that particular recording. You can decide to keep the same structure, or change it if that's more helpful. You could print a structure outline on your charts, or get each member to make sure they write it down. Here's an example of a typical short hand method of writing down the structure...

8br int / V1 / Pre / Ch / 16br inst / V2 / Ch / Br / Br / Ch (cut) / Ch / 16br out

Hopefully that is pretty self explanatory. Its good to add little clarifying notes like the bar length of intros (which are often repeated), or arrangement notes like cut choruses (where the band stops) or builds.

Dynamic shape and arrangement. If you haven't already, agree upon a dynamic shape. Which parts will be quieter and stripped back, and which louder? Are there certain points where some instruments will cut out? Its also important to agree on how you are going to move between these dynamics - using slow builds, cuts, bringing different instruments in and out etc. It is good to develop your own shorthand for this as well - sometimes I will use squiggles and arrows, or a number scale - with "1" quiet and intimate and "5" bombastic.

"Inbetween" parts. Often the inbetween parts, such as intros and instrumentals, need the most clarification - while the lyrics and melody dictate the verse and chorus lengths, the inbetween stuff is often a little more malleable. Decide beforehand what your intros and outros will be - whether you use the recorded intro or a repeated chord progression or even an outro from the previous song - and how long.

Structural "anomalies". Its good to point out, and decide your approach, on any particular structural anomalies or quirks in the song. Examples of this would be the extra bar at the end of the verses in "Here I Am To Worship"...we're so geared up for symmetrical 4 bar patterns, that an extra bar can throw us...better to point that out first and agree on what to do with it. Another example is the bridge in "God of Wonders" - I've heard it done (and done it!) half a dozen different ways...decide before you start playing what you'll do with it!

As with other things in our preparation, deciding this now doesn't rule out spontaneity...but it is far better to have agreement among the band of the default structure as a starting point!

Helpful steps for rehearsing a new song for church #1

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:25:00 +0000

Listen!

Might seem obvious...but this is critical! You have to listen to, and internalize, the song - if you don't know how it goes, you don't know when you're getting it wrong!

Ideally, everyone in the band will have had a good listen to the song before rehearsal - you'll find everything you need on Youtube. But it is still good to have a listen through at your rehearsal just before you have your first play through. Here's a few things I try to have in mind as I listen...but feel free to add your own suggestions.

Don't play along!! This is the time to use your ears, not your fingers. Playing along not only distracts you from listening, but also distracts everyone else! Chances are you will be doing it in a different key anyway...

Melody. Get the melody in your head...to the point that you could sing it back without the music. Take particular note of harder sections.

Structure and dynamic shape. What is the overall structure of the song - Verse / Chorus etc.? It doesn't really matter if you choose a different structure later...at least you will have a common starting point. What is the dynamic shape, and how do the transitions between the sections develop this? How does the arrangement - who's playing what when - add to the shape? It can help to write out the structure, and draw a "dynamic shape" squiggle above it!

Feel and groove. How is movement and momentum created rhythmically? Listen for your instruments role in this, and how it meshes with everyone else...

Instrumental parts. Listen out for any particular melodic motifs, hooks or features...particularly on your instrument. How else does your instrument help build this song?

What makes the song work? Hopefully the song does work! Why? What are the core features of this song - things that if you stripped away would be really detrimental? It could be a vocal melody, and instrumental hook, or a particular groove... Or another way of thinking about it...if you were to strip it back to one instrument - keys or guitar - what music features would you keep to retain its identity?

Lyrics. "But I'm the bass player," you reply... We're encouraging the church to adopt this song, and the lyrics and concepts contained in it, as their expression to God. If we are to lead this well, we need to first do so ourselves. How does this song help you express your hope, praises, dependence, struggles...?

All this listening preparation doesn't necessarily lock you into a particular arrangement...in fact, its better if you end up give it your own particular sonic 'stamp' and not just mimic the particular recording artist. But it does let you, as a band, have a common starting point to then start developing your own interpretation of it.

Songwriting - preparing the seed bed

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:01:00 +0000

I've been thinking a lot about the process of songwriting recently. I've decided to set aside times in the week dedicated to songwriting...but what should I do in that time?? What if the 'inspiration' isn't there, or there is no half written songs to keep working on?

I don't know whether my years at agricultural school are now beginning to show their influence, but I've started thinking about the process of songwriting like gardening! A lot of the work in songwriting you could think of as 'pruning and training' an established plant to make it healthier and more fruitful - snipping off the dead wood, encouraging other branches to grow out, cutting back the foliage to encourage more fruit...the analogies continue! We'll discuss this side a bit more in another blog.

But what do you work on when there is no 'established plant' of a song already there? I wonder if you, like me, have been driven to frustration sitting behind a piano or guitar and trying to force some inspiration? It just doesn't seem to work...not for me anyway! So what do you do? Is it just a matter of waiting for inspiration to knock on the door with an established plant delivery?

Over the last few weeks, I've been working hard on preparing seed beds. If you want a plant to grow well, you have to put the work into the soil in preparation...tilling it, making sure it has all the right nutrients and minerals, adjusting the pH level...and it differs depending what type of plant your planning on growing. There's lots of things you can do in preparation, so when that moment of inspiration arrives, there's good soil for it to grow and flourish in.

Here's some of the things I've found helpful for writing church songs...but this is by no means exhaustive! I'd love to hear what works for you...

Pull together a pool of related / complementary verses
After a conversation with a friend, I've been challenged to writing a song based around / starting at James 1:27 - "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." The first place to explore is the verse's immediate context...here in James, its all about having a faith that expresses itself in actions of love, and not just words. But start looking up cross-references and follow the links, and you'll come across many other passages that will support and shed more light on this idea of religion. Do a cross reference search on James 1:27 and Job31:17; Is1:17 & 23 and Mt25:36 come straight up...with many more cross references for each of theses. Follow these idea trails - read them in their contexts - and this will help develop your understanding of these concepts. Having this pool of verses will not only help develop lyric ideas when they arrive, but they will will probably spark some ideas themselves! Best of all, you'll be challenged and changed as you meditate on God's word.

Explore key themes and concepts
This is similar to the point above, but based around themes and concepts rather than verses. Try and articulate the key themes of the passage you are looking at, and then explore these further. Word search functions can really help with this to find other related verses. But it is also helpful to generate a pool of similar words, phrases and concepts as starting points for further exploration or inspiration. Paraphrasing passages can help with this. The other benefit of this broad soil preparation is that it often leads to other ideas and songs sprouting that you weren't really expecting!

Go for a long walk / drive
Its amazing how often, after filling my brain up with lots of these ideas above, a long walk or drive alone will help good ideas float to the surface. Find out what works for you, but try and find an extended time when you can prayerfully ruminate (more agricultural analogies) on the themes and concepts you've discovered - but not in an intentional, sitting at the computer / piano / guitar sort of way...let the cogs spin a bit!

And here's a few tools that I've found helpful in this process...

Study Bible
Study bibles have really useful tools like cross-references and concordances to help you discover connections and complimentary passages that you may not be aware about. The great thing is there is now lots of online / electronic tools that can really help with this. Bible Gateway is a go to site for me when I want to do some searching around - the Holman version has good cross-references. But recently I've been using the Olive Tree Bible Reader App on my phone a lot - it has a great word search function, lets you view different translations side by side, and lets you make notes attached to specific verses or words.

Notebook
Doesn't really matter if this is electronic or old school paper...but something that you keep with you at all times to take down ideas and thoughts as soon as they sprout - don't assume that 'if its good enough, I'll be able to remember it' - I've lost enough good ideas to not think that way anymore!

PersonalBrain
This is a very new discovery for me, but one I think will become indispensable to my songwriting!! I've always struggled with how to compile all this digging around in a helpful way...do you categorise things by verses or themes or concepts when there's often multiple points of connection? PB is a mindmapping tool that lets you maintain, and navigate around, these multiple connections. But it is WAY more than that...rather than just leaving you with a web of concepts and thoughts, it will let you attach your notes, lyrics sheets, verses, demo recordings, websites, emails...whatever...straight into that mindmap so everything is at your fingertips. Hard to explain...easier just to check it out! It wont be for everyone...but if your brain works like me - more random and unsystematic - then this might be just what you're looking for. I'm just hanging for the iOS version...

Anyway, that's a few things that I've found helpful to prepare the seed beds for songs. Even when, at the end of the day, there's no new song ideas, I know I've put some really helpful preparation in, ready for when the ideas surface. And I've spent really intentional, beneficial time in God's word...can't be bad, can it! But how about you - any ideas to add??

There's no such thing as Christian music...

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:37:00 +0000

I'm sure you've probably heard this one before - and for all the right reasons! Its usually in the context of using 'contemporary' (insert appropriate genre here!) music in church, and coming against opposition that claims that the particular genre is irreverent, debauched...or just plain from the devil! Against this (rightly) comes the declaration that "There's no such thing as Christian music..." - there is no one genre or style that is more sacred or holy than any other - its just our traditions or cultures that tries to assert this. Of course there can be unhelpful stuff associated with particular styles or genres...but that is not inherent in the music as such. Pipe organs are no holier than post-rock, pop-punk or psych-trance.

However, we need to be careful. In defending this truth, the pendulum can easily swing to the conclusion that our choice of music style or genre is irrelevant...that music is purely the 'culturally appropriate' box in which to place christian lyrics. Yes, it is critical that our music is culturally appropriate...but we must think beyond that. What does the style of music we choose communicate? What music is going to serve our people best? Are there some genres that are more appropriate than others for use in church? Here's a few things worth thinking about when choosing songs and shaping our churches music cultures to get the conversation going...

- Does the genre or style encourage your church to participate? Is it easy for Joe Normal to join in? Does it leave space for singing as a group? For example, while the lyrical style of rap / hip-hop has an extraordinary capacity for expressing complex thought and truth, its may not be the easiest genre to join in with. Some styles are just melodically complex - will people be constantly learning songs, but never 'owning' them as their own? On the other side, there's a lot of indie stuff coming out featuring big 'gang' vocals...what is the potential for these styles in our churches?

- Does the emotion of the music align with and enhance the content and sentiment of the lyrics? I think there's two sides to this issue. Firstly, I think we generally have a very limited emotional vocabulary in our worship music - we have songs and music that express joy and longing (which we need!) but not much more. How can we encourage more songs of justice, lament, repentance, even anger (just look at the Psalms!)...and what would be appropriate musical settings for them? But secondly, I often hear lyric / music 'mash ups' - where lyrics are put to music with no thought to how that music adds or detracts to the message of the lyrics. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - the upbeat, hand clapping songs of lament, or the dirgey, funeral marches declaring our joy!! Yes, there's no 'Christian' genres...but surely some will be more appropriate than others for different occasions or expressions...

- Should we immediately rule out styles or genre's that aren't totally culturally aligned? We had an example of this the other day at Kirkplace - during a service celebrating God's work in Africa, we set a familiar song to what might be loosely described as an 'afrobeat' style. Now, I wouldn't say that's our kind of culture, but nevertheless, it really helped our church express great joy in that moment! Why not at other times? Or is it culturally inappropriate? Again, while I'm sure 95% of our church would have no idea that Sigur Ros or Mogwai are bands...let alone know what they sound like...we often successfully borrow post-rock ideas to help express God's majesty and grandeur. Some genres seem to lend themselves to expressing different things...should they be excluded because they don't fit the predominant cultural context of the church?

Anyway, there's some thoughts to provoke some opinions! What do you think? Does style and genre matter? Is there a place for dubstep or art-pop or screamo (or even pipe organs!) in our church contexts...or should we stick to the well worn path of the middle ground?? Over to you...

Glorious Grace - Jonathan Edwards

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:55:00 +0000

More gold from Jonathan Edwards - worth meditating on...and then shouting about!

"III. Let those who have been made partakers of this free and glorious grace of God, spend their lives much in praises and hallelujahs to God, for the wonders of his mercy in their redemption. To you, O redeemed of the Lord, doth this doctrine most directly apply itself; you are those who have been made partakers of all this glorious grace of which you have now heard. 'Tis you that God entertained thoughts of restoring after your miserable fall into dreadful depravity and corruption, and into danger of the dreadful misery that unavoidably follows upon it; 'tis for you in particular that God gave his Son, yea, his only Son, and sent him into the world; 'tis for you that the Son of God so freely gave himself; 'tis for you that he was born, died, rose again and ascended, and intercedes; 'tis to you that there the free application of the fruit of these things is made: all this is done perfectly and altogether freely, without any of your desert, without any of your righteousness or strength; wherefore, let your life be spent in praises to God. When you praise him in prayer, let it not be with coldness and indifferency; when you praise him in your closet, let your whole soul be active therein; when you praise him in singing, don't barely make a noise, without any stirring of affection in the heart, without any internal melody. Surely, you have reason to shout, cry, "Grace, grace, be the topstone of the temple!" Certainly, you don't want mercy and bounty to praise God; you only want a heart and lively affections to praise him with.
Surely, if the angels are so astonished at God's mercy to you, and do even shout with joy and admiration at the sight of God's grace to you, you yourself, on whom this grace is bestowed, have much more reason to shout.
Consider that great part of your happiness in heaven, to all eternity, will consist in this: in praising of God, for his free and glorious grace in redeeming you; and if you would spend more time about it on earth, you would find this world would be much more of a heaven to you than it is. Wherefore, do nothing while you are alive, but speak and think and live God's praises."

Jonathan Edwards - Glorious Grace (Sermons and Discourses 172o-1723)

Jonathan Edwards - Praise in heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 22:57:00 +0000

As you might have gathered, I'm reading a bit (actually, a lot) of Jonathan Edwards for a project at college. Was moved to tears this morning by this quote from one of his sermons. If you, like me, seem to struggle so often with a "dead, dull heart" towards God, and long to praise him more fully, then I hope this will encourage you as much as it did me. Stick with the language...its worth it!

IV. In the way of CONSOLATION to the godly! It may be matter of great comfort to you, that you are to spend your eternity with the saints in heaven, where it is so much their work to praise God. The saints are sensible what cause they have to praise God, and oftentimes are ready to say, they long to praise him more, and that they never can praise him enough. This may be a consolation to you, that you shall have a whole eternity in which to praise him. They earnestly desire to praise God better. This, therefore, may be your consolation, that in heaven your heart shall be enlarged, you shall be enabled to praise him in an immensely more perfect and exalted manner than you can do in this world. You shall not be troubled with such a dead, dull heart, with so much coldness, so many clogs and burdens from corruption, and from an earthly mind; with a wandering, unsteady heart; with so much darkness and so much hypocrisy. You shall be one of that vast assembly that praise God so fervently, that their voice is "as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of might thunderings."

You long to have others praise God, to have every one praise him. There, there will be enough to help you, and join you in praising him, and those that are capable of doing it ten thousand times better than saints on earth. Thousands and thousands of angels and glorified saints will be around you, all united to you in the dearest love, all disposed to praise God, not only for themselves, but for his mercy to you.

Jonathan Edwards - Thanksgiving Sermon, Nov. 7, 1734

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:38:00 +0000

"As bodies, the objects of our external senses, are but the shadows of beings, that harmony wherein consists sensible excellency and beauty is but the shadow of excellency; that is, it is pleasant to the mind because it is a shadow of love. When one thing sweetly harmonizes with another, as the notes in music, the notes are so conformed and have such proportion one to another that they seem to have respect one to another, as if they loved one another." Jonathan Edwards - 1714

Eugene Peterson on poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:16:00 +0000

"Not all words create. Some merely communicate. They explain, report, describe, manage, inform, regulate. We live in an age obsessed with communication. Communication is good but a minor good. Knowing about things never has seemed to improve our lives a great deal. The pastoral task with words is not communication but communion - the healing and restoration and creation of love relationships between God and his fighting children and our fought-over creation. Poetry uses words in and for communion.

This is hard work and requires alertness. The language of our time is in terrible condition. It is used carelessly and cynically. Mostly it is a tool for propaganda, whether secular or religious. Every time badly used and abused language is carried by pastors into prayer and reaching and direction, the word of God is cheapened. We cannot use a bad means to a good end.

Words making truth, not just conveying it: liturgy and story and song and prayer are the work of pastors who are poets."
Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor.

Thought I'd blog this as a shout out to all the songwriters - to encourage you to be careful and creative with your words, and to really treasure and nurture this amazing gift from God.

"Distractions" to worship?

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Reading this blog from Bob Kauflin on worship leading - http://www.worshipmatters.com/2010/02/04/open-the-eyes-of-my-face-lord/ - got me thinking about some recent conversations I’ve had with muso’s, and especially leaders, who struggle to worship in song because they’re constantly distracted by trying to sort out ‘on the job’ issues...the bass player that has gone to the verse rather than the chorus, or the wrong lyrics up on the screen, or issues with the mix...the list goes on!

As Bob says, we sometimes shut our eyes to “to shut out distractions. We want to focus completely on the words we’re singing.” And while its a good thing to aim to authentically engage with God through the words we’re singing and to not give him lip service, I wonder whether we’re short selling the breadth of what worshipping God entails. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the understanding that worship is 24/7 - every aspect of our life offered to God. But sometimes I think we put this understanding on pause when the music starts and we feel like the only authentic way to worship God at that time is by being totally lost in singing to him.

I wonder it would help us to remember that the concepts of service and worship are intrinsically linked in the Bible (often the words used can be translated either way). If we view things from this perspective, then surely my service to the congregation by being “distracted” by getting the music right (so they aren’t distracted!), or ensuring the correct lyrics are up, or making sure the mix is clear and helpful - surely these are pleasing acts of worship to God and service to his people, even if they draw me away from engaging with Him through the words and music.

What do you think? Is this an issue you struggle with? And how do you go on your week off - do you struggle with not being able to ‘switch off’ these thoughts even when you’re not rostered on for that week?

Called or sent?

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:13:00 +0000

Should we primarily think of ourselves as “called” or “sent” in ministry? The language we choose to use can make huge difference in how we perceive ourselves.

The Bible talks about us being called - but perhaps not so much to a specific place or ministry...its more about our identity and its implications. We're called to belong to Jesus Christ (Rom 1:6), to an eternal hope and inheritance (1 Tim 6:12; Heb 9:15; Eph 1:18) - and consequentially we are called to be holy (Rom 1:7; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Cor 1:2), serve one another in love (Gal 5:13) and suffer for Jesus sake (2 Pet 2:21)...to live a life worthy of this calling. (Eph 4:1)

However, the Bible also talks about being sent - to a place or for a task. Moses was sent to Egypt (Ex 3:10), Isaiah and Jeremiah were sent to prophecy to God's people (Isa 6, Jer 1). Jesus instructs his disciples to pray that more workers will be sent (Matt 9:38) and later sends them into the world (Matt 20:18-20).

So what difference does it make? Is this just a question of semantics? Being called seems to imply that you're someone special compared to everyone else - a chosen one..."I have a special calling." Sometimes I find myself slipping into that mentality. Our world tells us to strive for greatness - and so much of the aspiration in the music scene is to achieve recognition and glory. This mindset so easily bleeds into our ministry - we can be driven by the ambitions of our world...just dressed up in respectable church clothing - called to greatness...for the Kingdom's sake, of course! For me, its not so much seeking the limelight...but if I do something that I think is worthy or significant and it goes unrecognized, then that's a different matter!

However, as Paul introduces himself to the Romans, he refers to himself as a slave or servant of Christ - that's definitely not putting tickets on yourself! As a slave or servant, you are sent to do your masters business, not pursue your own dreams and ambitions. The recognition or glory never goes to you, but to your master. You cannot demand to be respected or place yourself on a pedal stool over anyone. There isn’t any task that’s beneath you. There’s no room for rock stars and guitar heros. Just servants.

Even as I think about this, my ego is taking a pounding. Even though its good enough for Jesus (Phil 2) and no servant is greater than his master (Jn 13:16), there’s a part of me that still feels I deserve more than this (more than what Christ has already done for me?!). But I have to remember that this is God’s upside down kingdom - whoever wants to gain his life will loose it.

But it is also liberating - it places the Sovereign God back in the drivers seat. My “success” does not rely on my talents, persistence, good ideas or ambition. Success for me is faithfully trusting and following Jesus as he sends me - to whatever ends and whatever results he desires.

-----------------
Expanded from points raised in a lecture with Stuart Coulton - 5/2/2010

Theology and Music

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:59:00 +0000

I don't know how you go with keeping a journal or blogging? I'm really bad - it usually lasts for a week at the most, and then fizzles out. But this year I'm determined to persist. There's so many things that I've been encouraged or challenged by in my last two years at SMBC - www.smbc.com.au - so I thought for my final year I should share the love. In particular, I'm often thinking about how what I'm learning about or wrestling with intersects with music and worship ministry. So, I'll kick things off with my musings, rants and opinions...but I'd love you to join in!! And you can help me persist with this - you have my full permission to hassle me if there's a week without any blogs! You can comment at trevorhodgemusic.blogspot.com

Notes from Ariel Hyatt workshop Pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:09:00 +0000

- Get on the major social network sites - and make sure they’re all linked up. The rule of thumb was share great information with your tribe. Here’s her “9 sites you must be on + some tips for how to get the best out of them…

- Ping.fm - central point to populate all the other sites…

- Reverbnation - use some of its functions and widgets, such as tour dates, to make sure info is continually up to date on your other sites.

- Wordpress (or Blogger) - to go deeper on issues that people might be interested in. Also lets you get “off topic” - such as a cause you might support - and gives an opportunity to connect with a different crowd.

- ilike - lets fans find you through other similar artists. Has a great facebook app that gives a really good first impression - her example was John Mayers site...

- twitter - didn’t go into too much detail - assumed people understood.

- flickr

- youtube - build a channel. You don’t have to always update with your own content (while that is good!). Curating with other similar artists or interests is a good way of reaching a new crowd.

myspace - still the “A & R” site - the place to showcase, but not as useful for social media - more a Electronic Press Kit. Also stressed that we have to unlearn some myspace habits - rather than top down information, you need to incourage more authentic and transparent fan interaction.

facebook - encourages this authentic interaction. Suggested setting up the ilike app - and to make sure you have a band / artist page, and not just your personal profile.

Notes from Ariel Hyatt workshop Pt 1

noreply@blogger.com (Trevor Hodge) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:05:00 +0000

APRA ran a recent workshop with Ariel Hyatt - www.arielpublicity.com - on music and social media. Here’s some of the gold I gleaned from it...there was lots!!

Yesterday’s gone - the old way of ‘making it’ in the music industry is no longer a viable path. Some of the stat’s were eye opening. In the US market last year…
- Just over 5000 artists sold over 1000 albums
- Around 1500 artists sold over 10,000 albums
- Of those 1500, only 200 were new artist!
Getting signed, making a mega album and living off it just doesn’t happen any more.

A new way - while still in flux, Ariel pointed to the opportunities made available by social media. Here’s some of her suggestions…

- Check out these - a lot of her thoughts were consolidated from these guys...
- 1000 true fans - http://ping.fm/Zw2K6
- Tribes - Seth Godin (I’ve just finished reading this...I’ll blog some thoughts soon)
- The Long Tail - http://ping.fm/zVtZG

- Fix up your own website. Get everything you need on the homepage, and make sure it’s quick. (I think the stat was 3.5 sec before people start moving on). Make sure there’s a lot of interconnectivity with your other sites.

- Be strategic and proactive about your marketing. I didn’t get all the stats about blogging, but one that stood out - if your album is blogged about 40x prior to its release, its sales will be 6x the average...irrespective of whether it’s a major label or indie release!

- Build an online strategy
- Map out a goal based marketing strategy
- Persevere - 2 way communication takes time
- Ask for help - use your communities leverage
- Authenticity and transparency are vital

trevorhodgemusic

Reflections for WorshipGod13 #2

Family

Generosity

Identity

Reflections from WorshipGod13 #1

NextGen 2013 Music

NextGen 2013 Music

Holy Hands

Holy Hands by City Hymns

Holy (Jesus You Are) and 10,000 Reasons

Go Tell The World

Reflect Your Heart

Subscribe to the Overflow mailing list

ILF Conference in Costa Rica

Different Songwriting Techniques #1

Click here for NTE MUSIC RESOURCES

Worship Band Roles and Tips

"Translating" recordings to your church context

Upcoming events with Bob Kauflin

Helpful steps for rehearsing a new song for church #2

Helpful steps for rehearsing a new song for church #1

Songwriting - preparing the seed bed

There's no such thing as Christian music...

Glorious Grace - Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards - Praise in heaven

Eugene Peterson on poetry

"Distractions" to worship?

Called or sent?

Theology and Music

Notes from Ariel Hyatt workshop Pt 2

Notes from Ariel Hyatt workshop Pt 1