Category: Church

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Church Finale demo

Adopt this tune

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?

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Choir Church

Jesus, Precious Jesus

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.

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Church Demos

We Worship You

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.”

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Choir Church Live

Peace in the Valley

As I finally get serious about putting together Christmas music at the church, I came across a recording from Christmas past. On this recording Charlotte Kerce and the men from the Wildwood church choir sing “Peace in the Valley.” It’s a beautiful song that fits perfectly with the traditional Lessons and Carols reading from Isaiah 11:1-9. Charlotte is not only unique in her ability to wrap her rich alto voice around this lovely melody, but also bears the distinction of being the only person I know who has run over her own foot with her car.

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Church

Family Communion Liturgy

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.

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Church Demos Psalms

Psalm 81: Sing a Psalm of Joy

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.

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Church

Guitarchestra Sunday

All that rehearsing paid off–the Guitarchestra rocked the house last Sunday. Here are three of the songs recorded from the service: Thanks Be to God Our Savior (Psalm 107, Diephouse/Scheer), Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy, and Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You.

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Church Demos

Guitarchestra

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

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Church Congregational Songs Demos Psalms Retuned hymn Rock and/or Roll

Psalm 82: Stick it to the Man

Update: For sheet music or to adopt this orphan tune, head over to gregscheer.com.

This Sunday at Church of the Servant we sang the Psalter Hymnal version of Psalm 82, “There Where the Judges Gather.” After the service Ron and Deb Rienstra commented that the tune which accompanied the text was too nice. What it really needed was a tune that got across the “stick it to the man” tone of the Psalm.

How could I resist?

I spent the next few days writing and recording this new version of “There Where the Judges Gather.” The tune, appropriately enough, is called “STICK IT TO THE MAN.” Do punk rock and metrical Psalms go together? You be the judge. Listen to the MP3 here.

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Church Congregational Songs Live Psalms

Psalm 30: Sing to God (live at COS)

Update 10/1/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.

We sang the new setting of Psalm 30 this Sunday at COS and it went surprisingly well for a new congregational tune. People picked it up quickly and gained momentum each verse. Listen to the recording from the 11am service or download the final version of the PDF file (see link above).

One person remarked that he wouldn’t have known that it was a Psalm if it hadn’t said so in the liturgy. I didn’t know if he meant that as a good thing or a bad thing. Jack, COS’s pastor thought the words were great. He thought he was paying me a compliment until he realized I had only written the music. My wife Amy pronounced the song “okay.”

Even in the face of such ambivalent reactions,  I remain undaunted! My calling in life is to fill up the world with so-so music, and I intend to do it with gusto!