planned , and making room for a spontaneous song which may or may not happen , and 2 ) stuffing the set and service to the brim with content , so that when a spontaneous song comes you have to hold it back and discard it as quickly as you find it … choosing the first option is always preferable . Because the most important thing you can offer a potential spontaneous song is plenty of time . instrument exploring the space . Find a chord progression or musical phrase worth repeating , and slowly ease into repeating it . Listen intently , no pressure , no hurries . The congregation is observing a tiny spark and waiting for it to bloom . Perhaps some are praying or singing out on their own . And as you nurse that progression or musical phrase , and really listen to it , you might hear how you can sing with it . our creations .
And if that ’ s possible for your band or team , it ’ s also possible to take your spontaneous song and build it up to a spectacular crescendo … But it ’ s also possible that the most epic thing you could do in the moment is to keep it simple and minimalistic , and let the voices take over the room .
A lot of leaders fill each possible moment they can with planned music , and many churches have services scheduled down to the second . But it ’ s important to avoid that way of doing things if you want to see spontaneous songs become a feature of your worship community . You can engineer some parts of the service , but other parts you will need to leave up to what the Spirit would do in the moment . There ’ s a lovely tension to be had in being very deliberate in some places and very improvisational in others .
There will be times you make room and it leads to nothing .
But you have to hold the space , or it won ’ t ever be anything .
FINDING THE FLOW
So how is it done ? Allow me to describe a scenario we ’ re all familiar with , and what it might lead to .
Sometimes you end a song or a prayer , and you sense the people are still wrapped up in it . They ’ re basking in the afterglow , meditating on something resonant or lovely . This is a good moment to seize and explore — spontaneous songs tend to find their spark this way . Maybe you ’ re still in the key from a previous song . You can stay in that key , maintaining it gently as you wait for movement to stir . Or you can find what that key wanted to shift to . In either case , a simple pad from the keys or a sample can work wonders .
You can start with a hum , an ahh , a simple vocal … Find that melodic essence . Cling to it . Nurture it . Repeat . All within the flow . Then begin to extract whatever words it has to offer the moment . Something simple , something essential , something for now . You can pray them out with melody .
Maybe they ’ re from God ’ s perspective . Maybe they ’ re from ours . Maybe they ’ re deeply personal . Maybe they ’ re universal .
Begin to dance with the phrase or phrases that come to mind . When you find something that clicks and is worth repeating , invite the congregation to join you . All within the flow . There ’ s no rush to develop each next step ; you just wait until it feels right . You ’ re on a plateau in the brilliant sun . Soak it in .
As the congregation sings , the dynamic intensity rises . Maybe the band can start punctuating that now , but sensitively and with subtlety . If you lack for players who can easily find notes and chords on their own , it might be best to keep them from joining , and to maintain this moment as a pared down one . But in a setting with a group of accomplished players , having other musicians join something they ’ ve never learned or even heard can be magical . When a group of artists feel their talents and sensibilities stirred in the same direction , there really is nothing like it . We can communicate without words and move together in a powerful way .
There are many ways you could take it . It ’ s really about finding an idea that ’ s already in the room with you … and pointing to it .
Each spontaneous song is specific to its own moment , and only that moment can birth it .
There ’ s a complex mixture of people and hopes and anxieties in any given worship service that can never be replicated . It ’ s like each person is a frequency , and you ’ re seeking the discernment to amplify and harmonize those frequencies .
When it comes to spontaneous songs and expressions , some artists and composers go out and begin a service this way . Prophetic musicians can break the congregational ice like this . They just walk out and start listening — to the room and to the Spirit . And then they play and sing in response . They find the resonant frequency of the moment and harmonize with it .
There are countless ways it could all go . Countless ways to find resonance in a specific moment with others .
It will take practice . Your instinct and institution need to be cultivated like any other skill when you ’ re exercising them in a specific context with multiple variables at play … But don ’ t be discouraged . Skillfully going with the flow to find your spontaneous song is an art form of its own .
A worthy craft for any writer of sacred music .
Begin slowly , like you don ’ t need to end up anywhere , and do something simple with one
People experience God in such moments , because God is a creator who is magnified in
Kevin MacDougall Worship leader , published and recorded songwriter , musician and podcast producer . macdougall . k @ gmail . com