Crowder does this too

Looks like The David Crowder Band has a pretty good back log of things they went through to make their record at their church. I thought it might be an interesting watch:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3FC1B892A7E054D8

Song Criteria

Hey guys,

So I was thinking that it might be helpful to have a "check list" or a couple of guidelines to writing the kind of songs that we value here at hcbcut.  Here is what I came up with:

1. A song must say something at least objective but in addition, subjective and    reflective.

a. Objective: says something true about God, often times straight from the bible (not necessarily verbatim).  Hymns for the most part are objective.

b. Subjective: Speak to feelings and emotions and how much we love God, how amazing God is, etc.  These songs speak to love, adoration, conviction, longing, etc.

c. Reflective: Talks about what we are doing.  We are offering our praise, lifting our hands, bowing our heads, etc.

2. A song must be sing able for the congregation

a. Worship songs are for the congregation and not just a performance.  They must be sing        able.

3. A song must be contextual

a. Song must relate to the culture of our community.  They need to not just have sound doctrine and be sing able, but they need to sound good too.  They need to be cool!!!

4. A song must speak the heart of the congregation

a. All our songs must come out of what we believe God is speaking to our congregation or    what our church, corporately is expressing to God.

5. A song must be Gospel-centered

a. All our songs must be written through the lens of the Gospel

Tunes

I'm experimenting with some open-tuned jams on guitar...right now i'm pretty much just hitting the record button, and playing around, If I get a chance to prune some of them, I'll try posting a link or attachment of some sort...

"What a Savior"

Here is a song that Erica and I have been working on for the past month.  Let me know what you think...

Verse 1:

Lord we remember your grace

You died upon that tree

And you took my place

Lord we remember your love

There’s no greater love

Than he who lays down his life

in sacrifice

We’re so undeserving

Chorus:

What a Savior is this  

We stand in awe

What a Savior is this

Amazing God

What a Savior is this

We stand in awe,

of you Lord 

Verse 2:

Lord you first pursued our heart

When we were choosing sin

We were so far apart

Lord such love a paradox

Though free from all guilt

You suffered wrath on the cross,

You paid the cost

We’re so undeserving

Bridge:

Jesus you tasted death for me

You conquered the grave and you set the captives free

Jesus you Reign and you live in me

Forever and ever we will sing

Why does God want us to write Songs? Part 1

I want to take this opportunity to begin a dialogue on "Why does God want us to write songs."According to Mark Altrogge there are three major reasons why he wants us to write.  He wants us to write for his glory, for the church, and for our personal worship.  In the next several posts, we will be digging into these.

For his glory

It say in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  First and foremost, our motivation for writing songs is for his glory alone.  The truth is, because of our sinfulness, we will not be one hundred percent pure in our motives.  We do, however, need to PRAY for pure motives.  We need to pray individually and corporately that God will change our hearts and allow us to write for his glory alone.  As we draw near to God and desire him above all things and realize that all joy and satisfaction comes from him as we respond to his love that He has shown to us on the cross, our songs will be an overflow of the heart and most glorifying to God! 

We see throughout all of the Psalms time and time again that God not only delights in us praising him through song, but that he commands it (Psam 33:1; Psalm 81:1-4; Psalm 98:4-6; Psalm 147:7; Psalm 150).  The command that God has on our lives as gifted writers and musicians is that we use our gifts to make music for his name and for his Glory.   

 

Lyrics

Lyrics I am working on from the "stream of consciousness" writing last night. Hopefully someone sees something they can do with this? I'm still working on which verses to use/formatting/re-wording, etc.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You brought me out of darkness
You are my Rock
My Fortress
When I was weakest
Your presence was strongest

Chorus1:

Oh Glory so great, how great is Your name

Lord I lift You up on high

Oh Mercy and Grace

I'll never be ashamed

to cry out Your name

Your Glory is so awesome
Too much for me to fathom
How I fall repeatedly
And You just keep on saving me
Blessing me with undeserved Grace
So I live for only You
And always seek Your face

Chorus2:
Oh Glory so great, How great is Your name
I will never be ashamed
Oh Mercy & Grace
I profess how great
Your love is in me
In You I trust & believe

Your Grace is sufficient for me
For Your strength is made perfect
in my weakness

Bridge:

But nothing I can do
will prove how great
Oh nothing I can do
will prove how great
And there's nothing I can do
to earn your Grace

Chorus 1

Writing prompt 1

Last night's writing prompt was based on a quote:

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."--C.S. Lewis.

Hey! Check out this picture! Just 'cause.

How to Write a Worship Song, by Kim Linton

I know everyone is different so there is no real "right way" to write a worship song, but I stumbled upon this article and I thought it was interesting. So enjoy! It is from eHow.com. http://www.ehow.com/how_2312691_write-worship-song.html

How to Write a Worship Song

by Kim Linton

Writing a worship song.

Introduction

Writing a worship song is very similar to writing a secular song except for one very important difference: Your intended audience happens to include God. Worship songs can be written in any genre or style, as a hymn or chorus, or even a simple Bible verse set to music. No matter what style you chose for your worship song, the most important thing is it must come from the heart. Here are a few tips to help you write a great worship song that will encourage others to worship Jesus in a meaningful way.

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You'll Need
Musical Instrument
Recording Device
Bible
Paper
Pen

Instructions

Steps
1
Step One
Pray. Ask God to inspire you. Many people can write lyrics, but few can write lyrics that are powerful, moving and anointed. Writing a worship song requires that you humble yourself before God while you bask in His majesty and glory. Only then will you be able to write a worship song that describes who He is and encourages others to join in His worship.

2
Step Two
Write the melody. A worship song must be easy to sing. It should be written in a key that is not too high and not too low. Most people who worship in a church setting are not trained musicians. Your song should have a strong melody, not too many words, and simple phrasing. Everyone, young or old, male or female, should be able to sing your worship song easily.

3
Step Three
Write the lyrics. Your lyrics should encourage people to worship God. Writing about personal experiences can be very powerful, but only if it ends with the attention being brought back to Jesus. A good worship song will touch people in a way that causes them to think about how awesome God is and, as a result, worship Him.

4
Step Four
Add some scripture. Many worship songs are inspired by scripture. Using scripture when writing a worship song can help to encourage scripture memorization. Reading the Bible is a great way to get inspiration for your next worship song.

5
Step Five
Write down your song. No matter how good your memory is most people will forget their lyrics if they are not written down. Also, inspiration for a worship song can come at the most unexpected time. Always keep a notepad with you so you can write down new ideas.

6
Step Six
Record your song. Once you have your chord progression, melody, and lyrics, record your song to see how it flows. Playing back your worship song will allow you to identify any awkward phrasing or chord changes that might distract from the worship experience.

Tips & Warnings
Don't try to force a worship song. If your worship song is not birthed out of your love for God, it will be cold and meaningless. Take your time and let God bring it to you.

Welcome

Welcome to the HCBCUT Songwriting blog. If you are not yet an author that means I don't have your email address, so let me know. (But I believe you still have to sign up for an account with your email address even if I've already added you as an author of this blog, if you don't already have an account on blogger.)

Feel free to post any songs or lyrics you are working on here; post also if you want feedback/critique, or if you have any interesting articles that are helpful and/or inspiring about writing worship songs, because remember we are writing to glorify GOD and not ourselves! =)

There will be a seperate section for just anything you want to write at all that isn't a song. Anything that glorifies God, or inspires you, or perhaps if you just like to write in general and have something you feel like "letting out", to get it off your chest. I'm not very blogspot savy but I'll figure out how to go about creating these "sections" later.

Yours in Christ,

Milli