Songwriting

So, here are some short tidbits for those composing new songs for Liturgy.

• Range: Middle-C to a D one octave above. Stretchable to A two notes down to E one note higher.
• Relevance: You should be able to cite a relevant Biblical passage.
• Relation: is the song from us to God, from God to us, or about God? Be consistent throughout the song, i.e. You cannot change your mind to make he bridge fit.
• Form: Be consistent and deliberate about your song's form. Traditional "hymns" are AAA. typical pop songs are AABA.
• Liturgy: if composing for the Psalm or for one of the parts of the liturgy, you cannot break out the thesaurus or rhyming dictionary. You must use the text from the relevant translation of the Roman Missal.

I've met a ton of budding songwriters that think rules stink and they should be able to express themselves however they see fit. We are called to rise above our individualistic impulses and worship as a community. As songwriters, we must build songs fit for communal worship, and these "rules" are there to assist in that. They are a simple quantification of what we experience across all quality liturgical music.

God bless you in your ministry.

(c) 2007 by Art Leonard. All rights reserved.