Be a Blessing, Not a Distraction
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Christian music performer's goal is to point each listener to Christ. The audience's attention should not be drawn to the singer, nor to the song, but to the Savior. The effective singer is able to focus his performance on the message of the song, nothing else. In order to do so, he must have a canny ability to “seek and destroy” anything that would detract from the vibrant expression of the message. Here are some distractions to look for:
- Dressed sloppy
- Overdressed
- Dressed gaudy
- Vocal style that causes the listener to be impressed
- Vocal style that causes the listener to be disgusted
- Flashy performance
- Pitch problems
- Rhythm problems
- Excessive vibrato
- Harsh vocal timbre
- Overly breathy
- Breathing in the middle of words
- Breathing in the middle of phrases
- Singing a song in which the lyrics and the music are not fitted
- Words that are not clearly understood
- Distorted vowels
- Pronouncing words in a dialect other than that used by the audience
- Facial expressions which do not match the text
- Distracting motions and bodily movement
- Holding a microphone in front of your mouth, covering the bottom half of your face
- Tilting your head back too far (makes you look arrogant)
- Tilting your head too far forward (makes you appear not confident)
- Poor posture
- Forgetting the words
- Poor eye contact
- Attempting to sing notes above or below your range
- Singing too loud or too soft
- Attempting to sound like someone else
Remember, the listener will focus on whatever the singer focuses on, and the whole purpose of the singer's delivery is the transmission of a message from his heart to the heart of the audience.
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Music Success Posters
Thursday, August 14, 2008 (Edited 8/18/2008)
I am sure many of you have seen the ever-popular motivational posters, or success posters. They generally consist of a striking, eye-catching photograph of some kind, labeled with an emotion-rich word, followed by a thought-provoking quote.
True success is only measured by how closely our activities align with the principles of Scripture.
The Bible has much to say about musical success. If I were to develop a series of posters based on scriptural music principles, they would read something like this:
Excellence - (1Ch 15:22) And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song: he instructed about the song, because he was skillful.
Creativity - (Psa 144:9) I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
Holiness - (Psa 29:2) Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Greatness - (1Ch 23:5) Four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
Education - (1Ch 25:6, 7) All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
Organization - (2Ch 5:12) Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets.)
Unity - (2Ch 5:13) It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD.
Dedication - (1Ch 9:33) And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.
Joy - (Psa 98:4-6) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
Beauty - (Psa 147:1) Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
Inspiration - (2Ki 3:15) But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him [Elisha the prophet].
Revival - (Eph 5:18, 19) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Ministry - (Col 3:16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Thanksgiving - (Psa 147:7) Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.
Praise - (Psa 28:7) The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Witness - (Psa 18:49) Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
Testimony - (Psa 40:1-3) I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Sincerity - (Psa 28:7) The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Effort - (1Ch 16:37) So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required.
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A Musical See-Saw
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
When I was a small child, I really enjoyed going to the park to play on the playground equipment. I think my favorite may have been the twister slide, you know, the one that seemed like it was a mile high and went down in a corkscrew shape. Of course, I really enjoyed clambering about on the support bars like some sort of wild monkey. Back then, playgrounds had equipment that was deemed to be fun, and manufacturers were not as concerned about lawsuits and liability as they are today.
One of the common pieces of equipment on every playground was a device known as a see-saw or teeter-totter. It was a long, thick board balanced across a fulcrum or support in the exact center of the board. Ideally, two children who weighed approximately the same would sit on either end of the board and would alternately jump up, making the other end go down, and then sit heavily on the board to cause their end to go back down, making the other end rise. Up and down we would go, entertaining ourselves for a few moments. Sometimes, the child on the other end would fall off or jump off, causing my end to crash down to the ground, and knocking me off in the process as well.
Music preferences and standards tend to be like that. When we get too much weight or momentum on one end or the other, we can have the tendency to fall off into areas that we should not be in. I tend to categorize the two ends of the musical see-saw as folk-type music styles on one end, with the more classical, educated types of music on the other end. Within this spectrum, there are many fine examples of music that are fit for human consumption and are perfectly legitimate pieces of music for the Christian to listen to.
The problem comes when fall off one end or the other. The negative aspects of folk-type music tend to be issues like rebellion, immorality, freedom from all restraint, music that appeals to the flesh predominately, music for purely amusement or entertainment, etc. Classical music can become an overly intellectual exercise, can promote arrogance and disdain for those who have not been trained in it, and can become an arena for man to promote the idea that life is meaningless and purposeless. Just listen to some of the horrendous 20th century classical pieces.
Both ends of the musical teeter-totter have their problems. Both extremes should be avoided by Christians. I like to think of the issue this way: some music reaches the foot, some music reaches the head, but as a Christian, I want to reach the heart.
So instead of referencing our music as being of a “higher” standard (which is more often applied to classical styles of Christian music) or “lower” standard (the folk music type), we really ought to be thinking about having a more balanced, Biblical music standard. Music should not speak to us primarily physically, nor should it speak to us primarily intellectually. Music should speak to us on a spiritual level. It should be “balanced,” so that it reaches our spirit, that part of us that relates to God.
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God Has No "Gray Areas"
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 (Edited 8/2/2008)
Because music has the ability to communicate a message, music can be judged to be good or bad. Using the Bible as our standard of what is right and wrong frees us from the subjective quagmire of personal opinion about whether or not a particular piece of music is appropriate for us to hear. Anyone who takes a candid, unbiased listen to a song while comparing it's sounds, rhythms and lyrics to Scripture should be able to make a clear judgment concerning it's morality.
God does not view any activity that man is involved in as being morally neutral; He has no “gray areas.” Music is no exception to this principle. God does not want us to be unsure about whether or not the music we are listening to pleases Him. The problem is, many of us have not yet learned to deny the flesh in favor of being obedient to God's Word. Instead, we lash out at anyone who would dare “criticize” our personal tastes.
Good music is not a matter of taste or personal opinion, it is a matter of giving God control of our will, basing our musical activities and attitudes on the principles of Scripture.
Let's think about this for a minute; get a picture in your mind of your favorite CD. If the Lord were to convict you through His Word and the working of His Holy Spirit that this CD was wrong for you as a Christian to listen to, would you be willing to throw it away? Does the very question cause a feeling of resentment or rebellion to well up in your heart? You have not yet surrendered your will to Him. Do we not yet understand that God always has our best interest in mind, and knows what is ultimately good for us? Why do we try so hard to have our own way instead of giving Him the benefit of the doubt and ensuring that our music pleases Him?
Just as there are certain books we should not read, certain magazines we should not look at, certain drinks we should not partake of, certain movies we should not watch, there are songs, music forms and styles, etc. that we should not have in our lives.
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The 3-Way Influence of Music
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Have you ever heard someone make the statement, “It doesn't matter what kind of music I listen to. It doesn't affect me at all?” Are we really impervious to any influence that music may have on us?
Remember the story of King Saul in I Chronicles 16, where the Bible says that the Spirit of God departed from Saul and an “evil spirit” troubled him? His servants, wanting to help, told him he should let them find a musician to come and play for him. As the story goes, David was called to the king's house, because he was “cunning in playing.”
Notice what happened when David played his harp for King Saul. (By the way, as far as we can tell from Scripture, this was purely instrumental music, no words were sung.) The music affected Saul in three distinct ways: “Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
- “Refreshed” – this word means “to breathe freely.” The music affected Saul physically. In this case, the music caused Saul to be able to physically relax; he was freed from physical tension.
- “Was well” – he was cheered, he began to do better. This indicates how the music affected his soul, which includes the mind, will and emotions. He was encouraged, his attitude toward life was changed.
- “The evil spirit departed” – our spirit is that part of us that relates to God. The music had a spiritual influence on Saul. David's harp playing was able to help Saul return to a condition where his spirit could again communicate with God.
It is not difficult to find current examples of music where certain groups of people attempt to utilize these aspects of musical influence.
- Physically - Music therapy is one field of study that uses music to help people improve physical and mental wellness.
- Mentally & emotionally - Have you ever noticed how important a movie sound track is in making the audience feel the emotions involved in the storyline?
- Spiritually - Think of different religious movements and the types of music associated with them. Consider the music of new age, eastern mysticism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholics, Protestants, or Baptists.
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
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An Audience of One
Friday, May 02, 2008 (Edited 5/7/2008)
Have you ever stopped to consider what the bottom line is when it comes to your life? You know, the age-old question of “why am I here?” and “what is the meaning of life?” Those who truly seek for honest answers find one of two conclusions: either life as we know it just happened as a result of some freak accident of nature, or we were created by some superior, intelligent being. In our current culture, (and apparently throughout history, I might add) these two ideas are war with one another, as seen in the evolution vs. creationism debate. Both sides have the same observable facts to consider, and both sides tend to rule out the remote possibility that the other viewpoint could have any merit. The funny thing is, few people realize that the reason they choose one philosophy over the other is because of their own previously chosen belief systems and lifestyle preferences.
Observable scientific processes confirm the fact that life does not happen by chance (spontaneous generation does not occur), and living things do not have any mechanism whereby they can change into other forms (mutations only scramble existing genetic information, and natural selection can only weed out non-beneficial, environment specific genetic information). The alternative, of course, is that our cosmos and everything in it was created by a “god.” Search it out, and you'll come to the conclusion that the only choice of “gods” that makes any sense at all, is the God of the Bible.
However, this discussion is not about such debates. We will approach the subject of music from the viewpoint that God is real, that His word is true, and that He cares about what we do. We must consider what He thinks about the subject. God, and the truth that He embodies cannot be separated from any aspect of our existence.
He is the ultimate audience for all we do. Our actions, our thoughts, our passions, our relationships, everything we are, and all we do, are in His view. Our standing to sing or play an instrument is no different. The Bible teaching is, that one day, we will all give account to God of what we have done (Rev. 14:12).
So why do you sing? Why do you play your instrument?
In both the Old and New Testaments we are told to “sing to the Lord.” He is the focus of our music. Our music is not for entertainment, or amusement, or show, or self-promotion. We perform in His presence, for His pleasure, to fulfill the purpose for which we were created (Rev. 4:11). We must reflect His desires, His doctrine, His lifestyle and His truth. We sing a new song (Psalm 40:3), to the Lord (Psalm 96:2), for the edification of believers (Colossians 3:16), as a testimony of what He has done (Psalm 118:14).
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Music vs. Lyrics
Monday, April 14, 2008
How many times have we heard from the proponents of contemporary “Christian” music that only the words matter? Musical styles, they say are “amoral,” which means that music apart from lyrics cannot be labeled as right or wrong.
Music and musical style could be labeled amoral if, indeed, music does not communicate anything apart from the lyrics.
Any time communication takes place, there is a moral element. For example, putting words together in certain orders and contexts can create blasphemy, hateful speech, seductive language, etc. Putting lines and shapes together in certain patterns can create pornographic, lewd, or obscene pictures. Speaking, writing, drawing, sculpting, and any other way in which a person communicates becomes a medium with a moral context. To deny the moral aspect of music is to deny it's ability to communicate.
The fact is that music and musical styles do indeed communicate. As a matter of fact, the music of a song communicates on a far deeper level than the words alone do.
As a simple example, consider this song contained in the popular children's movie, Mary Poppins. There is a scene in which Mary Poppins, the nanny, is trying to get the two children in her care to go to sleep. As the children are lying in their beds, Mary Poppins sings a song. The words are:
- Stay awake, don't rest your head
Don't lie down upon your bed
While the moon drifts in the skies
Stay awake, don't close your eyes
Though the world is fast asleep
Though your pillow's soft and deep
You're not sleepy as you seem
Stay awake, don't nod and dream
Stay awake, don't nod and dream
Here are some observations to consider:
- Musical style can communicate a different message than the words. In this case, the message of the music is the exact opposite of the message contained in the words.
- Musical style communicates on different levels than the words. On an emotional level, the music in our example communicates peace, lack of stress, gentleness. On a physical level, the music in our example communicates softness, relaxation, calmness, lying still, breathing slow.
- Musical style communicates a message that is stronger than the words. In our example, the words become basically irrelevant, except possibly as a cute example of “reverse psychology.”
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God Did Not Create Music
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Before you label me a heretic, consider the following: God never changes, God has always been, and always will be. The Bible teaches us that this eternal, unchanging God encourages, enables, and participates in musical activity. As a matter of fact, Exodus 15:12, Psalm 118:14, and Isaiah 12:2 all tell us that the Lord is our song. Therefore, music is a part of God's eternal, unchanging character. God did not create music, He is musical. Man is musical, because man was made in God's image (Genesis 1:27).
Notice the following passages, in which we learn that all three persons of the Godhead are involved in music.
God the Father sings, according to Zephaniah 3:17:
- “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
- "And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.”
- “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”
- "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
- "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."
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Jubal, Father of Musical Instruments
Tuesday, April 08, 2008 (Edited 4/10/2008)
Jubal is called the “the father of all such as handle the harp and organ” in Genesis 4:21. Jubal was the 7th generation from Adam. It is interesting to note that Jubal was of the line of Cain, not the line of Seth. His polygamist father, Lamech, apparently killed a man in self-defense. His brother Jabal was the first nomad and keeper of cattle. His half brother Tubalcain was “an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron.” Sounds like a fairly noteworthy family to me.
So, Jubal introduced the production of musical instruments and the playing of them into the world. The “harp” would be a stringed instrument of some kind, and the "organ," a wind instrument, most likely a reed instrument.
Here we learn that in the pre-flood world, man had learned to do some pretty remarkable things, such as domesticate animals, work with metals, and excel in the fine arts. All of these things, of course, would have affected and influenced Noah and his family many years later, through whom the entire pre-flood world's population and culture bottlenecked. Obviously, Noah and his family were accomplished in many areas, such as woodworking, metalworking, animal husbandry, food preparation, and the like. Think about it: Noah was six hundred years old when he went into the ark, and surely he and his family of eight had had exposure to music and musical instruments.
I would presume, that if all musical knowledge had died with the pre-flood culture, that Genesis 4:21 would not be worded that Jubal was “the father of all such.”
It is amazing to see how far back in ancient history we can go to find the origins of man's music.
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If the Devil Were a Musician...
Sunday, April 06, 2008 (Edited 4/9/2008)
He is, you know. When he was created by God, the Bible tells us in Ezekiel 28:13 that “tabrets” (tambourine, a percussion instrument) and “pipes” (probably something like a flute, a woodwind) were made as a part of his body. Isaiah 14:11 mentions the “noise of thy viols” (a psaltery, a stringed instrument of some kind). What he looks like or sounds like, I am sure I do not know, but regardless, Lucifer was given the ability to create musical sound.
This brings up the interesting discussion about whether or not angels sing. The only Bible reference I know of that seems to indicate angels singing is Job 38:7, where God asks Job, “[Where were you] when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” The format of Hebrew poetry indicates a parallel between the “morning stars” and the “sons of God.” If the morning stars, then, are interpreted to equal the sons of God, and the sons of God are understood to be angels, then the angels sang at the time of creation. Ezekiel 28:13 does say that Lucifer was in “Eden, the garden of God.” Notice also the similarity between the phrase in which Lucifer is called the “son of the morning” in Isaiah 14:12 and the wording of this mention of the “morning stars/sons of God” in Job 38. A case could then be made for the idea that the Devil is probably a singer as well.
I know that in our present culture, great derision is attached to the idea that a certain type of music could be labeled the Devil's music, but let's consider what kind of music the Devil would produce if he were a musician. His music would be characterized by:
- Rebellion against authority, specifically God's authority (Gen. 3:1, Is. 14:14, Matt. 4:9, Luke 4:6, 7)
- Questioning God's love (Gen. 3:4, 5; Job 1:9-11)
- Emphasis on the material and physical instead of the spiritual (Matt. 4:3, Luke 4:3)
- Emphasis on man instead of God (Mark 8:33, Matt. 16:23)
- Violence (Ez. 28:16)
- Promotion of the breaking of God's moral law (1 Cor. 7:5)
- Selfishness and pride (Isa. 14:13, 14; Ez. 28:17)
As a side note, it is interesting that in Exodus 32:16, 17, when Moses and Joshua came down from Mt. Sinai after receiving the Law, they mistook the sound of idolatrous music coming from the Israelite camp for the “noise of war.” The music was, presumably, loud, percussive and violent. You will, of course, remember the great rebellion and immorality that also accompanied the idolatry.
Do you know of any musical forms or styles that fit the description of the Devil's music? You make the call.
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Curtis Hollembeak
Curtis holds a bachelor's degree in Bible with a music minor, as well as a master's degree in Sacred Music, having studied under Dr. Frank Garlock, president of Majesty Music, and Ray and Ann Gibbs, well-known Christian singers. He has served as music director and jr. high/high school supervisor at Grace Baptist Church of Mankato, Minnesota; school music director at the Franklin Road Christian School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; media engineer for the Sword of the Lord in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and, full-time music director at Second Baptist Church and Twin City Christian Academy in Festus, Missouri. Curtis is co-founder and President of the Asaph Music Co.
Subscribe to Blog Subscribe to PodcastCurrent Blog Titles:
Be a Blessing, Not a DistractionMusic Success Posters
A Musical See-Saw
God Has No "Gray Areas"
The 3-Way Influence of Music
An Audience of One
Music vs. Lyrics
God Did Not Create Music
Jubal, Father of Musical Instruments
If the Devil Were a Musician...
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Music That Touches the Soul
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