Loud is not a Melody

[eliskimo]

There was a beer commercial fairly recently which used the phrase "good as cold ever tasted". Critics pointed out that "cold is not a flavour." I think I could make a similar statement about why praise band style "contemporary" worship does not appeal to me: "loud" is not a melody

Comments

[florentinescot]

raises hand in silent witness.

Preach it sister. I don't think endless repetition of a few phrases is what God had in mind as worship. "Vain words" is the phrase that comes to my mind.

I like meat in my preaching -- and I want meat in my music. I visited several churches here in Tifton before I found the one that I attend. The first 3 had good preaching, but all they sang was Praise Choruses. When I went into First, the congregation was singing "How Great Thou Art" ... all of the verses too.

I knew I was "home."

and LOUD is so not a style. IMO, when you alienate a segment of the congregation (in particular, the elderly) there is NO way that it can be pleasing to God!

[camillofan]

"...endless repetition of a few words..."

I think there's plenty wrong with the way contemporary music is done in the churches that use it (and I speak as one who serves in those particular trenches), but I have to say that in my experience the "nothing but a few repeated phrases" criticism applies much less now than it used to. I certainly remember that back in college (20-some years ago) our Christian group's songbook seemed to have lots of very short songs (often settings of a single verse of Scripture!) which were typically sung through, say, three times when we used them in worship. But many of the songs I wrestle with now on Sundays are much more thoroughly composed, with multiple verses that might share only a common chorus (but even "How Great Thou Art" has that structure).

I'd still rather be singing "My Song is Love Unknown" or "Rejoice! The Lord is King" (to name two favorite hymns) but that's a post for my own journal, and I've already made it too many times. :-)

[florentinescot]

oh, yeah -- I'm not talking about things like refrains, I'm talking about things like "You are my King" for 5 minutes ..... I don't really mind singing the same short song 2 or 3 times. It's when you get up to 10 or 15 (or more) times that I draw the line.

I don't know "My Song is Love Unknown," but I do like Rejoice! The Lord is King!"

[camillofan]

My Song is Love Unknown

[lametiger]

The criticism of endless repetition is a valid one. I, too, would argue that needless repetition is far from new (most egregiously the singing of the FIRST VERSE of "Just As I Am" over and over again for a gospel invitation because no one seems to remember the words for any of the other verses). But I do feel that it has become more common in recent years in many cases. One example is the arrangement of the Doxology popularized by Promise Keepers. First the Doxology is sung in the old standard fashion. Then it is repeated with a little more lilt, and ending with "praise Father and the Son; praise Father and the Son; praise Father, So-on and Holy Ghost." Then they go into 7 or 8 repetitions of just the words "praise Him from Whom all blessings flow" before going back to the full chorus. A bit much for my tastes. I'm glad to say that most of the time we (at the church I attend and where my wife and I are on the rotation for praise team singers once a month) do not do the really worst of the repetitious stuff, but I would be very

[florentinescot]

I will say that we never repeated the first verse of "Just as I am" for ever ... we did the whole song ... I think twice was the most we ever did it, though.

[camillofan]

Come to think of it, our congregation seldom did "Just as I Am" during one former minister's tenure precisely because he'd learned to dislike the hymn from hearing that first verse repeated ad infinitum in "altar calls."

I'd forgotten that.