I regularly play guitar for worship. With high schoolers on Wednesday nights, I lead quite a few contemporary worship songs. (Sometimes we use contemporary songs for special music on Sunday mornings, too.) Some of the songs we sing have a section (a chorus, a bridge, etc.) that gets repeated three or four times in a row. As a worship leader I try to make each time through a little different in an attempt to keep the repetition from getting stale. Maybe we'll start quietly and slowly get louder. Maybe I'll change my strumming pattern as we go. I think it's good musicianship to use dyanmics (how loud or soft the music is) and tempo to help express emotion. One of the great things about music is how it can express emotion in ways that words alone can't.
But sometimes I have an internal debate. When I quiet a song down and then build it back up again, am I really expressing emotion, or am I actually controlling emotion? I'm not always sure. I don't want to manipulate anyone. I don't want repeat a section of a song again and again until people get the feeling I want them to have. But at the same time, I know that a bit of repetition can create space for people to reflect on lyrics. And if I can help people express their emotions and worship more fully, that's fantastic. The debate goes on for me because I don't have a simple solution. However, I think as a general rule I'm safer as a worship leader if I spend more energy making sure I'm focusing on worshiping God than worrying about if the music feels right. And hopefully I'll learn to lead worship better over time.
I know I'm not the only one who thinks about these things, so feel free to send me your thoughts!
Grace and peace,
BMH
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