Dear Editor,
There were some excellent ideas in ‘My congregation barely sings’ (November en). Here are three extra thoughts on Point 6:
Most people need to hear their own voices to know if they are in tune. We don’t want to bawl (John Wesley’s term) like drunks in a pub. If we can’t hear, we stop singing. Turn down the volume, and we will actually sing louder.
Some percussion instruments, e.g. cymbals, snare drums and drums played with brushes, can make a sound close to white noise, so called because, like white light, it fills the spectrum. It blots out all other sound, especially the human voice.
19th- and early 20th-century tunes often depend on phrasing and cadence, evoking the inflexions of the spoken voice. ‘Nearer my God to Thee’ (Propior Deo) and ‘O Love that wilt not let me go’ (St Margaret) are good examples. Earlier tunes are often built on the light and spritely rhythms of traditional folk dance; ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation’ (Lobt den Herrn), and ‘Let us with a gladsome mind’ (Monkland) are obvious examples. Either way, flat-footed thumping with drums and rhythm guitar kills the tune stone dead, and makes it unsingable. Like dancing in a diving suit.
Regards,
