The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer

Matt Redman, look out! Here’s a heartfelt song of dedication with jangly, open chords, intimate verse and soaring chorus. All it needs now is a good recording by a gifted performer. Matt, let’s talk…

Listen to the MP3 or check out the music at my website.

In my ongoing attempt to win enough song contests to retire from my day job, I just completed a new song called “Christ Shall Reign.” This contest is sponsored by the National Federation of Catholic Youth Workers. If my song is chosen it will be the theme song of this year’s National Catholic Youth Conference. You can read the official contest rules if you’re interested. Hey, wait a minute. The rules don’t say anything about money. Drat! I guess this one will just have to be for the love of the game.

As I prepared this blog post I stumbled across another person who is entering a song into the contest. So now, my dear readers, you can judge for yourselves who should win this contest: the gentlemen at Oddwalk, or yours truly (MP3, PDF). May the best man win! (Feel free to inundate my competitor’s blog with smack talk comments.)

I recently composed a new hymn tune using a meter of 11.10.11.10.11.10. The tune has been driving me crazy the last few days. I just can’t get it out of my head. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. In any case, I’m trying to exorcise it from mind by posting it here.

It joins a number of other “orphan tunes” that you can read about at my other website (www.gregscheer.com). Maybe it’s an orphan because it’s written in a meter that narrows it down to about five existing texts. Maybe it’s an orphan because I gave it the tune name “SYCOPHANT.” Maybe it’s an orphan because you haven’t yet written a brilliant new text to go with it. Take a look or a listen. What would be really helpful is if some kind, semi-informed person (David Fuentes, where are you when I need you?) would give me some feedback–is this tune stuck in my head because it’s a perfectly crafted work of miniature genius or because it’s cloying clump of dump detritus?

Here’s my choir singing a recently penned little song called “Jesus, Precious Jesus.” I was joking with them that I was attempting to skim off some of the royalty stream that usually flows to “Father, I Adore You” and “Alleluia.” But that just a joke. Mostly. What I was really trying to do was compose something very simple for congregation that is supports a sturdy Trinitarian theology. (Only the first of three verses is heard here.) The version here is a four-part, hymn-style version. When I find the time I’ll write out an accompaniment for the Black gospel version I hear in my head.

This was a long, sad week at Church of the Servant, as one of our members died unexpectedly. As I planned music for the memorial service, it brought me back to a memorial service I led when I first began music ministry. “We Worship You” is a song I wrote in memory of Chuck Rosemeyer that continues to express for me the lament and trust of Job 1:21–”The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

No, I’m not taking a trip to Russia, but one of my songs is. I just got word from Colin Gordon-Farleigh that a number of our songs will be recorded by the Russian group, Lyra. Here’s one called “Benediction” in Russian translation. (PDF, MP3)

Paul Ryan at the CICW is editing a songbook of Praise and Worship songs to be published by Faith Alive. He asked me to make suggestions for songs that could be added to the collection. Below is a short list of songs that I think are the best of the genre, but which don’t often get included in Top 100 lists. You can hear a quick demo of each song by downloading this MP3 file. (Watch out, it’s 25 megs!)

THE CREAM (praise songs that I stand behind musically and theologically–it’s a short list!)

Amazing Love - Graham Kendrick
I know it’s a bit dated, but I think it’s a solid song theologically and could have some musical longevity.

Give Thanks to the Lord - John H. Morton
I picked this up from a weird song collection from Lorenz. This song is joyful, but not trite.

Holy Lord - Steve Bell
I’ve used this at COS for our “Guitarchestra” day. It’s a nice combination of upbeat folk and liturgical text.

I Will Hide Your Word Inside My Heart - Paul Field
Paul Field has a great kids praise CD. This is one we’ve used at COS frequently. I stack this guy up against fellow Brit Keith Getty any day.

Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer - Becker/Getty
Speaking of Getty, here’s one that bears his trademark Celtic feel, but it hasn’t been overplayed on radio and in congregations.

Kadosh - Elisheva Shamron
Don’t know anything about the composer, but a Dutch student introduced me to the song and I love it. It’s mesmerizing.

Nearer than Before - Jim Crowan
I’ve used this over and over, and it always works. It’s got a classic melody in the lines of Seek Ye First, and the words have a simple sincerity.

Purify My Heart - Jeff Nelson
You probably know this one. I think it’s better than the “other” Purify My Heart. It makes a great confession song.

Ready My Heart - Lois Shuford
I love this song! Shuford is virtually unknown, but this song is a gem. And where else can you find a true Advent song in the P&W repertoire?

Restore My Soul - Andi Rozier
The first part is based on the tune “The Water Is Wide.” Great song of confession and dedication.

Salvation Belongs to Our God - Adrian Howard and Pat Turner
I think this one is under-rated. I wrote a new arrangement for the New Testament Songbook to bring out the classic rock anthem feel that I hear in it. It was getting overplayed 10 years ago, but I think it’s ready for a revival.

The First Place - Matthew Westerholm
I would stack this up against anything by Getty or Tomlin. It’s a fantastic song. Added bonus: serious Reformed theology.

Throw Down Your Crowns - Glenn Kaiser
The singer from Rez Band did an acoustic worship album. I’ve always like this one. It may need some finessing with the piano arrangement to make it work in a hymnal context, but I think it’s worth considering.

What the Lord Has Done in Me - Reuben Morgan
I don’t know that he meant to do this but he wrote a really good baptismal song. We used it at COS a few weeks ago during the confession on a baptism Sunday, with confession readings scattered throughout.

SONGS I’VE USED TO GOOD EFFECT

Build Your Fire - Eltzroth: nothing earth-shaking, but it’s a good dedication song along the lines of “In My Life Lord Be Glorified.”

I Will Sing Praise
Psalm-like language in a rockin’ package.

My Soul Finds Rest - Dan McGowan
This was extracted from a choral anthem. I’ve used the chorus (My soul finds rest) as a sung response with a reading from Psalm 72 (?). It’s kind of the pop answer to the Taize chorus.

Omega
They used to use this at the close of every student-led Sunday Eve P&W service at Northwestern, like “My Friends” is used at LOFT. It’s simple, but it never really ends, which lends it well to repeated singing.

Yesterday at Church of the Servant, we held “family communion,” in which the younger children join the congregation at the table. I wrote musical settings for 5 sections of the service. The goal was to write something simple that could be easily learned by the COS children, who will only take part in communion every two months. Another goal was to train the children for future involvement in worship, so I used the traditional Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation, and Amen texts. You can read the liturgy and download the music at the COS Worship blog, or listen to an MP3 of the gathering or communion sections of yesterday’s service.

Psalm 81 starts with a call to worship, then the rest of the Psalm is God recounting Israel’s unfaithfulness and calling them back. Marie J. Post has a good metrical rendering of the Psalm in the Psalter Hymnal. But you know Greg–he can’t leave well enough alone–he just had to compose a new melody for the text. I decided to emphasize the dialog between the people and God. So the people’s call to worship (Post’s verse 1) becomes the refrain, and the rest (Post’s verses 3-7) become cantor verses.

At the same time I was writing this, I was playing around with GarageBand. Lo, and behold, I ended up turning it into an easy listening pop recording. Kind of anachronistic, I know…

In any case, here’s the MP3. Actually, it’s an M4A, which I guess is the newest generation of MP3. Let me know if you have trouble playing it. Oh wait, I figured out how to make an MP3 in GarageBand. Here’s the real MP3.

At Church of the Servant, there’s a little thing we do called “Guitarchestra.” We bring together as many guitarists, mandolinists, and banjists (is that a word?) as we can into one glorious glob of worship-leading stringiness. This post is for all the members of the COS Guitarchestra who missed rehearsal this week. It’ll give you an idea of how each song sounds. I’m sorry the recordings are so bad–I’m having some serious computer issues. Here are the songs to learn for Sunday, August 5, in order:
Gather Us In, Joyful, Joyful We Adore You, What the Lord Has Done in Me, Thanks Be to God Our Savior, I Will Hide Your Word Inside My Heart, Gracias Señor, Holy, holy, holy Lord (Bell), Come, Ye Sinners, Here I Am to Worship, Before the Throne of God Above, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Blessed Assurance