Tuesday Training - Song Transitions
How are your transitions between songs in your set done? Do things flow well and seamlessly, helping ease distractions in worship, or are things choppy with awkward pauses? Here are a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to song transitions:
Don’t…
- …say “The first song we will be singing,” or “The next song will be…” More than likely, the songs are either listed in the bulletin, or the title is on the screen. The people are smart enough to figure out what the song is. This draws attention to the title of the song, rather than the content of the song.
- …have silence between every song. Learn what keys go together and how you can flow seamlessly from song to song without silence. Sometime silence is good, but not between every single song.
- …talk in between every song. Sometimes songs can jump right into each other without a need for comment. Sometimes people are in a prayerful attitude, and just playing a simple chord progression with no commentary helps people be able to pray during the worship time.
- …say, “We’re singing this song because I like it so much.” I made this mistake my last day at a church and knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as it came out of my mouth. Again, this draws attention to you and the song, not to the One that you and the song are supposed to be pointing to.
Do…
- Learn which keys relate to each other and pick songs that are in similar keys. This will help your transitions flow much smoother and create a unified song set.
- Use Scripture. Always bring people back to the Word. When in doubt of what to say, read Scripture and leave it alone. God’s Word will not return empty.
- Be careful to talk about personal issues. While some personal testimony can be powerful and appropriate, we are tools being used to magnify God, not call attention to ourselves.
- Learn to give up the reigns. Let others give a transition, even if you are the “official” worship leader for the day.
Hopefully these tips will help you construct a seamless, flowing worship set. Let me know if you use them or if you have other thoughts!
