{"id":6113,"date":"2011-06-24T11:32:59","date_gmt":"2011-06-24T11:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/?p=6113"},"modified":"2021-03-25T13:20:34","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T13:20:34","slug":"getting-out-of-song-selection-ruts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/getting-out-of-song-selection-ruts\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting out of song selection ruts"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to stay fresh when you\u2019re picking song lists week after week. You fall into predictable patterns and get stuck in ruts, resulting in a certain level of despair when you\u2019re looking at a blank screen and have to, yet again, figure out a theme and a flow and transitions and what\u2019s familiar and what\u2019s not and what to teach and what to repeat and what to try and what\u2019s a bad idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few ways I\u2019ve found (with varying levels of success) to get out of song selection ruts:<\/span><\/p>\n

Revisit a song you already sang<\/span><\/strong>
\nIf you don\u2019t know what song to pick to close a service, or to respond to a sermon, think about repeating a song you\u2019ve already sung. It isn\u2019t against the rules to sing the same song twice in one service. Oftentimes if I know what the sermon is on, and I know what song will work well in response to it, I\u2019ll also do that song earlier on in the service. Then after the sermon I might just reprise it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, if there\u2019s a song that will work great after the sermon but your congregation doesn\u2019t know it, think about teaching it during the offering or as a solo earlier in the service. Then while it\u2019s fresh in their minds, sing it later on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a break from picking songs<\/span><\/strong>
\nWhen you\u2019re in a rut, it might be a sign that you\u2019re burned out. Ask someone else to lead worship for you on a Sunday so you can have a break. If it\u2019s possible, take several Sundays off in a row. You\u2019ll find that after a couple of weeks of not choosing songs, you\u2019re excited to get back into it and you\u2019ll be a little less foggy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steal someone else\u2019s ideas<\/span><\/strong>
\nI\u2019m not ashamed to look at what other churches are doing to help me get good ideas. You get into trouble when you try to recreate the dynamics and capture what God is doing at other churches, but why should every worship leader in the world have to reinvent their own wheel every week?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Use different instrumentation<\/span><\/strong>
\nSometimes what you\u2019re experiencing is not so much a \u201csong selection\u201d rut as it is a \u201cwe always use the same instruments\u201d rut. In my case, I always use acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, piano, and drums, along with singers. This can get old and this can result in the same songs feeling the same way, which starts to get old as well. Using more sparse instrumentation, or adding something in like a string section, or using a choir, can provide a jolt to your brain as you decide which songs to do, and it can make the same songs feel new again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Control your intake<\/span><\/strong>
\nI made a decision several years ago to only listen to worship music. I found that when I was listening to other things, it resulted in those other things wanting to come out of me. There are many downsides to listening to only worship music! I\u2019m not exposed to new sounds, I\u2019m behind the times, and I gravitate to the same kinds of arrangements and chord progressions. I have to rely on the influences of fellow musicians, what I hear while out and about, and careful \u201csurveying\u201d of current trends. But personally, and I am not saying this is a right-and-wrong issue, I am a better worship leader, and songs of praise flow more naturally out of my heart, when I control my intake to be only worship music.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I am experiencing a song selection rut, I\u2019ll put my iPod on shuffle while I run, or instead of listening to the news while on my commute listen to a new worship CD, and very often it\u2019s out of these instances when a song comes into my mind that I wouldn\u2019t have thought of on my own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give yourself time<\/span><\/strong>
\nWorship leaders can either (1) feel guilty taking a lot of time to choose a song list or (2) not think they should allow a lot of time to choose a song list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wait until Thursday or Friday to start choosing songs. Start chewing on it on Monday (at least!) or several weeks out. Choosing songs is a great responsibility and you should give yourself enough time to go through several drafts, different combinations, etc., until God gives you peace that you\u2019ve gotten the right list. Don\u2019t rush it. Don\u2019t feel guilty taking a good amount of time to discern what songs are best for your congregation for a particular service.<\/span><\/p>\n

This first appeared at the Worthily Magnify<\/a> blog written by Jamie Brown. Thanks for kind permission to use.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other posts you might like:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How to introduce a new song<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Harmonizing with the sermon<\/a> \u2013 set list choices<\/p>\n

Choosing keys for women worship leaders and small congregations<\/a><\/p>\n

Suitable worship songs for a funeral<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to stay fresh when you\u2019re picking song lists week after week. You fall into predictable patterns and get stuck in ruts, resulting in a certain level of despair when you\u2019re looking at a blank screen and have to, yet again, figure out a theme and a flow and transitions and what\u2019s familiar and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5303,"featured_media":6115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGetting out of song selection ruts | Musicademy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, nofollow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicademy.com\/blog\/getting-out-of-song-selection-ruts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting out of song selection ruts | Musicademy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s hard to stay fresh when you\u2019re picking song lists week after week. 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