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.

Categories
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.

Categories
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).

Categories
Half the Man Rock and/or Roll

55 Feet, Half the Man edition

Our Half the Man collection continues with a new mix of an oldie but goodie: 55 Feet.

This song was a staple of my singer-songwriter days. (Or as one place advertised me: “Greg Scheer, single guitarist.”) More recently I finished a full band mix which won 3rd place in the 2009 National Speleological Society Cave Ballad contest. (Significant feather in my compositional cap? You betcha!)

This new mix builds on the speleological version, but I think it’s starting to feel more organic and exciting. Don’t get me wrong, I love that larger-than-life sound, but I’m starting to miss the days in which pop music sounded like it could have been born in something like sonic reality. (Listening to some early David Bowie this morning reaffirmed how rich of a musical palette was available before the advent of digital recording.) But enough recording philosophy. Listen to the song.

Categories
Half the Man Rock and/or Roll

A Half Manathon

7 down, 5 more basically finished, and a few more waiting in the wings. This thing is starting to take shape! Good thing, too, because I need to begin working on some other projects.

In order to bring this Half the Man CD to a timely closure, I’m planning a listening party in October, most likely the week of October 27, when I’ll be running a half marathon. (Get it? A half manathon the week of the half marathon. It was too good to resist.) Anyone in driving distance is welcome to attend. Anyone who has a good stereo system and room for a half dozen people is welcome to host the event. (Really, my house is nice, but my stereo system is a boom box.)

In the meantime, here’s another track from the project. If you’re a loyal follower of this blog, you heard it on Valentine’s Day: Starting Fires.

Categories
Half the Man Rock and/or Roll

Silent Star

The Half the Man project continues with Silent Star. You’ve heard this one before here at the blog, once with the Allegro String Quartet and once as a solo. With each version I get a little closer to what I hear in my head: Sandra McCracken on lead vocals, Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark band, and the Children’s Festival Choir of Pittsburgh singing the the Glorias. And T-Bone Burnett producing. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

For now you’ll have to settle for me, me, and more me. Luckily, there’s also Erin De Young making a guest appearance as the angel choir. Take a listen and let me know what you think: MP3.

Categories
Half the Man Rock and/or Roll

This House Is Lonely

As promised, my Half the Man project is taking a more mellow turn this week, with a song called “This House Is Lonely.”

I posted this a few years ago as a Valentine’s gift to my wife, Amy. Why am I posting it again? Because I recorded a new vocal, replaced the programmed drums with brushed real drums, and spent lots of time on the mix. You can take a listen to the old version and compare it to this one. I think it’s headed in the right direction.

What do you think of the song? How about the mix? Do you think this has any hope of peacefully coexisting on a CD with a song like “Doghouse“?

Categories
Half the Man Quirky Rock and/or Roll

Up, Up, Up, Guitar

Here’s an outtake from the previous post, Doghouse. I had originally planned to include a big mess of rising guitar lines at the end, creating sort of a punk Shepard Tone. In the end I decided that it added volume to the mix, but decreased clarity. So I had to cut it.

But I couldn’t bear to keep it from you, my faithful blog devotees. Here is the one that got away.

Categories
Half the Man Rock and/or Roll

Doghouse

One more punk song and then I’ll slow things down a little: Doghouse, MP3.

Categories
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