Congregational Worship Keys | Vocal Vary Research

Introduction

Solely not too long ago did I learn yet one more worship chief/author pleading together with his viewers, “Let’s sing in singable keys”. Is {that a} affordable plea? Is it truly achievable? As worshipers, all of us notionally assent to the concept that with a view to sing our worship, the melodic pitches must be inside our singable vary, however what does that imply precisely? And we all know everybody’s vary just isn’t the identical, so how will we account for particular person variation throughout a congregation? How a lot particular person variation exists? And the way will we work together with songs that aren’t sometimes in our singable vary?

I’m grateful to PraiseCharts, who supplied me with the information for this text, and who’ve led in a really sensible method grappling with the query, “What key ought to we be singing in?” For each music (besides SATB-only scores), PraiseCharts provides an interactive keyboard which exhibits the vary of the unique recorded key of the music, and permits individuals to enter their very own vary, after which regulate the important thing to discover a model that might match their vary (Determine 1).

Determine 1 – PraiseCharts Vocal Vary Finder

Earlier than we dive in, let’s determine the parameters of this examine. PraiseCharts supplied a Prime Songs listing primarily based on the previous 12 months (1 yr) in early March, alongside knowledge on the recorded and downloaded keys (of charts). It’s much like different Prime Songs lists, with a number of anomalies. For instance, some Christmas songs appeared within the Prime 50, corresponding to Phil Wickam’s “Pleasure To The World (Joyful, Joyful)” and “Angels (Glory To God)”. Additionally, PraiseCharts lists are primarily based on interplay and downloads on their platform, so there have been some choral variations of songs that appeared along with their corresponding authentic variations, corresponding to “Reward (Choral Anthem SATB)”. Moreover, had I analysed past the Prime 50, we might have additionally began to get extra double ups of songs due to the a number of choices of various recorded/organized variations. I’ve usually restricted my evaluation to the Prime 25 for each consistency and feasibility, however on this case, the Prime 50 was achievable for the evaluation, and it supplied just a little extra knowledge for this important query of how singable are up to date congregational songs (CCS)?

As a facet observe, throughout my PhD analysis, I performed a survey the place Christians might sing (and file) a CCS of their alternative with out accompaniment on an internet portal. I used to be taken with what music they selected, what a part of that music they commenced with, and what vary they selected to sing in. I grew up being given the same old singable vary spiel: Write songs ideally inside an octave vary someplace between A3 and Eb5 (written). Nonetheless, the most well-liked CCS, and the outcomes of that survey didn’t replicate that philosophy in any respect. There was no common vocal vary. You’ll be able to discover that additional if you want, however I preface this analysis with the truth that I’m more and more sceptical in regards to the concept of congregationally ‘singable keys’.

Key Keys?

No single key from the recorded variations of the most well-liked CCS achieved greater than 16% of the entire, and the important thing that achieved the 16% was Db! Sure, Db!! D Main was at 12% and B and G Majors have been each at 10%, and it went down from there. Mockingly, there have been no recordings within the enharmonic equal of Db, C# Main. There have been additionally no recordings in F#, G#, A# or D# (probably not any surprises there). Nonetheless, their enharmonic equivalents did seem within the listing; Gb (3 songs), Ab (4 songs), Bb (4 songs), and Eb (4 songs). Why the love of flat keys? Extra importantly, what does this inform us? Properly, firstly it tells us CCS producers are in no way involved about releasing songs in troublesome keys. Which means two issues, first, that they prioritize one thing else above playability, which clearly appears to be the optimum key for the artist/worship chief, and second, that producers know native church buildings will transpose a music right into a key that works for his or her singers and/or musicians.

Recorded vs. Downloaded Keys

The story of downloaded charts, nevertheless, is kind of a special one. Whereas the vast majority of songs (28 of the 50 – 56%) have been downloaded of their authentic recorded key, no songs have been downloaded in Db! The preferred obtain keys have been C (27%), G (24%), and D (17%). In different phrases, 68% of downloaded charts are in 3 of the best musical key signatures. Now, the difficult factor right here is that this doesn’t account for many who downloaded in these keys not as a result of it was the important thing they wished to sing these songs in, however reasonably, as a result of they have been simple to play on a capo’d guitar in no matter key they DID intend to sing them in. Even when that was a big consider these downloaded keys, shifting a music down or up one semitone displays a reasonably small shift from the unique recorded model. And given 8 songs have been in Db, it isn’t a shock that they ended up in C or D when it got here to downloading the charts. Nonetheless, returning to the beautiful determine that 56% of songs have been downloaded of their authentic recorded key tells us one thing else. All issues being equal, native church worship groups would favor to obtain a chart in the identical key as they’re listening to on the recording. Sure, there are methods to pitch shift recordings, though they all the time sound barely bizarre, however there’s one thing about with the ability to use the recorded monitor as a studying device/rehearsal monitor by taking part in together with it, which you’ll be able to’t do if it’s in a special key to your chart.

What about songs that have been downloaded in additional considerably totally different keys than their authentic? “I Imagine”, recorded in Gb was downloaded equally in D or C. Each “O Come To The Altar” and “Graves Into Gardens” have been recorded in B, however downloaded largely in G. “Hymn of Heaven” was recorded in E, however downloaded predominantly in C. You might need already noticed what these have in widespread… All of them have male vocal leads. Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, and Chris Brown all have spectacular greater registers, though not atypical of the style. Even worship leaders with such comparable ranges might not really feel as inclined to steer in these keys with smaller congregations or much less musically-supported contexts. I imply, I can belt out most of these notes too, however there’s a distinction between how that sounds in a megachurch live-recording context with nice post-production, and the way that sounds un-warmed-up at 9am on a Sunday morning in most native church buildings!

All this dialogue is fascinating, however there are different elements that play into causes for the selection of downloaded keys. Maybe an important is expounded to the vary of the music. A music with a smaller vary has a higher chance of transposition than a music with a wide range… proper?