Category: Congregational Songs

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Live

God Is So Good

Update 10/2/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.

Here’s a little something I arranged for the October 7 BES Combo service at COS.

Everyone knows “God Is So Good” and everyone hears it in a Black Gospel style (don’t they?), but hymnals only have a boring four-part version. I took it upon myself to right this wrong. Opinions varied on the worship team whether this was just right or so wrong (it’s a fine line). I’ll probably do another draft in the near future, so contact me if you’re thinking of using it; I’ll get you the latest version.

God Is So Good: MP3, (see link above for PDF)

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Choir Church Congregational Songs Live Psalms

Bless the Lord: Live at COS

“So how did it sound?” You ask.

I posted a rehearsal MP3 for my choir last week, and now you’re probably dying to know how it went on Sunday. Well, maybe not dying, but at least a tad curious. Die no more, my friends. Here’s how it sounded: Bless the Lord, O My Soul! (Psalm 103)

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Choir Church Congregational Songs Finale demo

Bless the Lord, O My Soul – rehearsal version

I just got out of choir rehearsal. The singers were real troopers, learning Liszt’s “Pater Noster” and my new setting of Psalm 103 in one rehearsal. But even troopers can you use some back up sometimes, so I’m posting an MP3 of the Finale playback of the piece so they can practice between now and Sunday. Here it is folks: MP3.

By the way, you’ll hear some strange stuff at the end of the MP3. I’m pretty sure that Finale’s “human playback” is programmed with the principle that to err is human. Therefore, it inserts random errors in the file. Thanks Finale…

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Arrangement Choir Church Congregational Songs Demos Finale demo

One Generation, orchestra demo

Today’s post swerves from the musical valley of last week’s deacon dance ditty into the higher ground of a majestic orchestral arrangement. Aesthetic whiplash? You betcha.

One Generation is one of my big hits. “Big,” “hit,” and perhaps even “one of” are relative, of course, but it has been published a few times and even sung at weddings, so I count it as my “Freebird.” In any case, there are a few events coming up where they plan to sing One Generation and have large ensembles on hand, so I thought it was time to orchestrate it. I wanted to dress it up so that it felt more majestic than the everyday praise song, so I added a fanfare and splashes of color throughout. Also, knowing that most people won’t have full orchestra, I created multiple options (choir/piano, congregation/strings/piano, etc).

Here’s a rough demo as performed by Finn Alley: MP3. If you want the score and parts, just let me know.

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Church Congregational Songs Contests

Lord, Now Let Your Servants – piano

I was really pleased to find out that one of my songs has been chosen to be included in the Gospel Coalition’s Songs for the Book of Luke project. It’s a big honor.

They’ll create their own arrangement for the recording, but I didn’t want the rest of you to be left out. Here is a piano accompaniment for the song, with SATB vocal parts on the chorus: PDF, MP3.

If you want just a lead sheet, you can visit the original post.

Categories
Arrangement Church Congregational Songs

God Himself Is with Us, violin descant

Update 12/11/21: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.

Just a quick post to show how mean I am. When I found out I had two really fine violinists lined up for our Sunday services a few weeks ago, I decided to give them a little challenge. I wrote a descant for the hymn “God Himself Is with Us” so that they could provided counterpoint to the congregation’s a cappella singing on the last verse. It turns out they had to *practice*, which made me feel really bad when I found out about it later…

Eventually, I’ll turn this into a full-fledged orchestral arrangement–perhaps a theme and variations with violin solo. For now, listen to how it sounded in worship: MP3.

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Arrangement Church Congregational Songs Global

Arabic Lord’s Prayer, piano arrangement

One of the songs I arranged for Global Songs for Worship was the Arabic Lord’s Prayer (aka “Abana Alathi Fi Ssama,” also know as “Abana in Heaven”) from Egypt. For a song that I was told “would never be sung in North American churches,” it’s done pretty well for itself, appearing in Psalms for All Seasons, the forthcoming Lift Up Your Hearts, and churches and conferences across the country.

For those collections I arranged it with a drone that made the haunting melody sound even more, well, haunting. But Egyptians are more likely to sing it accompanied and in more of a folk style, so I decided to write a piano arrangement along those lines. We sang it a few weeks ago at COS, and it went swimmingly. Because this version has a stronger rhythmic backbone, it helps the congregation stay together. Take a listen: MP3. If you’re interested in seeing the music, just email me.

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Church Congregational Songs Psalms

Psalm 1: Blessed Are They

Update 10/6/20: Sheet music for this song can be downloaded here.

First of all, my humble apologies for letting 9 days go by without posting a new song. I’m sure some of you have spent more than a few sleepless nights wondering if the well had finally gone dry. Never fear, my friends. The well is still wet, but there just hasn’t been enough time to tell you about the latest, refreshing drinks from the cool waters of my musical mind. (How’s that for a metaphor?…)

On September 9 at Church of the Servant, Cindy VanderKodde led my new setting of Psalm 1, “Blessed Are They.” Yes, there are lots of very good settings of Psalm 1 that I could have used, but two things pushed me to write a new one: First, as I was going through my files in preparing the service, I found a draft I had written a few years ago. It was too much for me to resist. Second, Psalm 1 has lots of “blessed are they (read: me)” set against the wicked who reject God and curse themselves to destruction. This sort of thing is bitter medicine for moderns, who see things in far less binary terms. A spoonful of musical sugar can go a long way with a Psalm like this.

And so, I finished this new setting of Psalm 1 and we sang it the following Sunday. Take a listen to the MP3 or print out a PDF of the music (see link above).

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Church Congregational Songs Retuned hymn

Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose

A friend sent me a text from Charles Wesley in response to the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. Wesley’s words are just as powerful and comforting today as they were when they were written in 1749.

Here’s a song I wrote this morning to go with that lovely text: MP3, PDF

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Congregational Songs Retuned hymn

Awake, Sweet Gratitude

Ascension Song coverThanks for bearing patiently with the sins of my youth. (I.e. the recent “Spring Cleaning” series.) There are more, but I’m going to give you a little break from that nostalgic tour de force, and introduce something brand new.

“Awake, Sweet Gratitude,” was written for the recently released Cardiphonia compilation Ascension Songs, a great collection of 18 retuned hymns by great songwriters around the USA and beyond. The text is by Augustus Toplady. It does a great job of exploring the role of Christ as the heavenly intercessor–we have a sympathetic advocate in Jesus, who lived among us and ascended in body to the Father’s side. Check out the PDF leadsheet to study the words more carefully.

I took a little different tack on this recording. I wanted it to be a group project, so I enlisted the help of a number of friends from Grand Rapids and beyond. Each contributed a track or two, then I combined them all into a mix that sounds surprisingly coherent given the variety of voices and instruments that went into it. Here’s who took part:

  • Jess Alldredge, backing vocal and violin
  • Luke Brodine, backing vocal and accordion
  • Michael van Patter, accordion
  • Bruce Benedict, mando
  • Dave Landrum, banjo
  • The Church of the Servant Zoombaphonics, choir
  • Greg Scheer, lead vocal, trumpet, trombone, guitars, mandolin, string bass, drums/percussion