The best of 2010’s new worship music from the festivals

By Guest Blogger | September 2, 2010

As a worship leader, I’m always on the lookout for new songs that will bring a fresh expression of worship to the church, and the festivals are a great place to find them. I served at two of this year’s Soul Survivor events, and attended the student equivalent, Momentum, as a punter, giving me a […]

Playing by ear (part 2) & Nashville Numbering explained

By Andy@Musicademy | July 21, 2010

Learning how to play by ear Previously we looked at how to work out all the chords available in the key of G.  I suggested you took a song and worked out which chords came where by listening to see which ones sounded major, which ones sounded minor and by the process of elimination work […]

Lyrics and Storytelling – guest post from Hillsong’s Mia Fieldes

By Guest Blogger | July 15, 2010

I found this lovely blog post over at Vicky Beeching’s Women in Worship site. Vicky has kindly given us permission to publish it here. Lyrics and Storytelling Lyrics that are helpful give a voice to emotions. Lyrics that connect with you and help bring understanding. Lyrics that become your confession when you can’t find what […]

Playing by ear (part 1)

By Andy@Musicademy | July 14, 2010

How to play by ear For many people, the thought of playing ‘by ear’ or being able to anticipate the chords, notes and musical charges in a song you’ve never heard before seems an impossible task. It’s often considered a ‘God given’ gift rather than a skill that can be learned and constantly improved on. […]

Ask the Expert – How to find a musician co-writer

By Andy@Musicademy | April 9, 2010

Mike Williams writes: When I was younger I advertised with a local radio station for someone to collaborate with, writing music for songs I had written.  I had the tunes in my head but couldn’t write the music.  No response at all. Now, at least, I can write guitar chords to some of my songs, […]

Writing great melodies

By Bob Kilpatrick | February 9, 2010

The melody is the aspect of your song that will immediately excite or bore your audience. It doesn’t take long to recognize that a tune is emulative, repetitive, lacking in creativity or just plain boring. Is there a way to learn to write great melodies? I’m not sure. I was asked recently if songwriting was […]

How to write a really good worship song

By Bob Kilpatrick | June 29, 2009

Awhile ago I wrote an article titled “How To Write A Really Mediocre Worship Song.” It was a tongue in cheek examination of good song-writing in reverse. I received many emails with many different takes on what I’d written. Some were offended. Some were really, really offended (Perhaps they were spectacularly successful at writing mediocre songs […]

How to write a really mediocre worship song

By Bob Kilpatrick | June 16, 2009

In most cases, one can use these three qualitative judgments- good, mediocre, bad- in descending order. Good is better than mediocre. Mediocre is better than bad. But, in my humble opinion, it’s different in song-writing; good is best, bad is good and mediocre is bad. As an example of proof I would reference the Shaggs […]

Creative ideas on song writing – Ink Brethren

By Marie@Musicademy | May 26, 2009

Todd Fadel from Portland Oregan has developed a really interesting and creative approach to communal song writing. The game is an exercise in consciously putting yourself at a disadvantage to reach unexpected results. Here’s how it works: INK BRETHREN All you need is a tape recorder, paper, pencil, all the instruments you own,three friends and […]