Tag Archives: Contemporary Worship Songs

Playing “I ask and seek”.

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2016 WW album cover2 (2)I typically try to keep these songs very easy to play with instrumentation that most contemporary worship bands can accomplish… hopefully I did that here. In general, the instrumentation is standard and can be accomplished with a standard rhythm section. The only tricky part may be the wah guitar… but hopefully that won’t hold anyone back. Guitars should be able to easily play this song with a capo on the 2nd fret, and a drum set should be able to support the song if hand drums are not available.

This song is all about setting up the “vibe”. Try to make sure the tempo is slow enough to set up a groove. You’ll know you nailed it when you see folks in the congregation swaying to the beat, that is the goal here. This song is meant to be a transition from a praise song to the Gospel or sermon. So as the congregation is winding down, try to guide them with the feel of this song.

I Ask and Seek

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Liturgical content for “I ask and seek”.

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2016 WW album cover2 (2)Just like the other songs, you can find lots of scripture to support this song. The Pre-Chorus is taken directly from Micah 7:7 “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” (KJV). This passage was just too perfect for me to not use. Additionally, I found inspiration for the chorus from Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” (KJV). What great words of wisdom from Matthew here! This song and these passages really speak toward the exchange we have with God. It is a great reminder of this exchange when this song is used during the Gospel or sermon part of the worship service.  

I Ask and Seek

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Singing “I ask and seek”.

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2016 WW album cover2 (2)This song really sits in the lower part of the register. The entire song dances between the low E and middle B on the staff. This very small range should help the congregation sing the song with no problems. Additionally, harmony parts for this song should be well within the singable range too. For female singers, an octave jump above the male singers should put the melody right into a very comfortable range. There are only 5 notes used in this song that are right in the middle of the staff… that should make this song easily singable for everyone.

The only trick to singing this song may be for lead male vocalists. Since this song is sitting at the lower end of the register, you may need to sing a little closer to the microphone. Typically, the lower in someone’s register, the less volume they will have. Don’t be afraid to get right up on the microphone for this song. That will help to get the proper volume out and will also give the performance an intimate feeling.

I Ask and Seek

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“I ask and seek” in your worship service.

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2016 WW album cover2 (2)I was really looking for a song that would fit well around the Gospel. To me, this is a tricky time during the service. Do you need a fast inspiring song, do you need a slow self-reflective song… what kind of song is the best to prepare your congregation for the Gospel. My work around is to find a medium tempo song with a great groove. Sure, you may be coming from a high energy praise song, but keep in mind you are going toward sermon time… It may be time to wind the congregation down a little so they have the patience to listen to the sermon. If the band takes the congregation into the sermon with too much energy, the pastor will have a hard time keeping everyone’s attention. “I ask and seek” is setup to prepare the congregation for accepting God’s word and it is somewhat of a wind down for the sermon. A great medium tempo groove and easy to sing melody will help to prepare your congregation for the Gospel and sermon.

I Ask and Seek

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Playing “Here We Come”

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2016 WW Here We Come.YTThe chord progression for this song should be an easy walk right up the major scale. You may want to encourage your bass player to find interesting bass lines around this progression and ask your guitar players to use a capo on the 2nd fret. Although there is a lot of percussion on this track, a simple drum set beat or only hand percussion will work well. Likewise, playing the song with just a guitar (or piano) and vocalist should work fine too.

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Liturgical Content for “Here We Come”

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2016 WW Here We Come.YTThere are so many references in the bible that call us to worship God… I’m not even going to try to list them all. For the first verse I did reference 1 Chronicles 16:23-30 where we are called to bring an offering and come before him. Although I will leave interpreting “offering” to you, it is important to note that we are not to come before God empty handed… For the second verse I looked to Matthew 6:14-20. This verse is all about forgiveness and our treasures that are in heaven. Really, one can not go without the other and these are important parts of coming before God. For the bridge section I wanted to address the fear some people have when they come before the Lord and fear of acknowledging our faith to the world. In Genesis 15:1 we find that we have a shield of God that covers us… so what is there to fear? Although there are many answers to that, we are protected by God and should not be afraid to acknowledge it. Finally, although I did not use any direct bible verses for the chorus… I think you will find an abundance of liturgically accurate references to this chorus.

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Singing “Here We Come”

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2016 WW Here We Come.YT“Here We Come” is really written to be an easy entrance into a worship service for the congregation AND for musicians. Lets face it… not all musicians wake up at 5am on Sunday morning ready to make great music. The melody for this song really stays in the middle register for most male singers, which should also work well for many female singers to jump up an octave. This also leaves some comfort room for singers to find the harmonizing 4th & 5th above the melody.
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“Here We Come” in your worship service

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2016 WW Here We Come.YTThis song, as you may have guessed, is intended to be used at the beginning of a contemporary worship service as a gathering songs. Although there is a strong tendency for music directors to try and make a grand entrance with a big flashy song… I also like to use softer songs as gathering songs. I have found that sometimes people like to be welcomed in (and sometimes woken up) before they are immersed into a full on praise experience. This song is a great way to welcome people into a worship space before you blow them away with a loud praise song. Feel free to add in solo sections or instrumental sections if you need more time to let your congregation settle.

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