Here’s a brief explanation as to why the original recorded key of worship songs are often not the best keys for congregational singing (with visuals!). Even if you can’t read music, hang with me here.
This is a music staff with the generally accepted vocal range of the average male.
Green = comfortable
Yellow = doable- but with effort
Red = out of range
Green = comfortable
Yellow = doable- but with effort
Red = out of range
Ok, here are the melodies of three popular worship songs, condensed and mapped out in their original keys.
Sure, most of the notes stay out of the "red zone."
Sure, most of the notes stay out of the "red zone."
But look closely at how often the notes hover around the upper portion of the range. Singing this is the musical equivalent of trying to bench-press your max over and over again. Not healthy, nor accessible to average singers.
What we’re talking about is called “tessitura,” and it’s one of the most important things to consider in choosing songs and the right keys for corporate worship. We can’t just look at the range of a song, but also how the notes are used.
For comparison, here’s another popular song, and “Amazing Grace.” Note that though the notes touch the edges of the range, they quickly move on to something more comfortable (creating "arcs" in the melody).
These are the types of songs that encourage healthy congregational singing, can be sung by families in the car on the way home from church, and tend to stick around longer.
All this is not to fault recording artists--they choose the keys of their songs for specific reasons, like what "pops" on the radio, what cuts through a mix, or what fits the lead singer best. But the criteria for choosing keys and songs for a congregation must be different.
So yes, let’s choose songs primarily for their lyrical content. But range and tessitura are often the difference between singing AT people, and singing WITH people. /end of Saturday morning thoughts
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