Glory in the Highest

You may wonder why I don't talk about music much on my blog, seeing as it is very much who I am and what I am employed to do. I don't talk about it much because I have a love/hate relationship with it. These last years, it has weighed heavier on the hate side of the relationship. (Just writing those lines makes me realize that this could be a huge topic for me to blog about - a journey to embark on so to speak). Music is probably my biggest insecurity. I feel a great sense of failure when it comes to music. I kinda know the root of the problem and it is slowly getting better. I have a few things to work through though. Ok, maybe a lot. Do any of you want me to explore this facet of my life on this blog? Or would you rather not hear about it?

Anyway, what I wanted you to know is that I am embarking on a musical journey but not of the magnitude that blogging about my 'love/hate music relationship' would be. Every year the churches in Summerland get together for 'Carol Fest.' It is a night in which every church brings a choir that performs one song for the community. It really is a great night. The pastors all get up and do some sort of performance, usually involving humor. It is usually the hit of the show. The problem with Carol Fest though is that I have to come up with a choir piece, direct it, and then have our church choir perform it. This is stressful on a number of levels. First, the pressure of the perfect song. Who's gunna like it? Who's gunna hate it? Can my choir sing it? Can my band play it? Do I like it? Do I hate it? Then there is the stress of practicing it. Then there is the stress of performing it. If I have to arrange it, then that is a whole new level of stress.

Last year, I rearranged the Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLaughlin's version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I worked on it for over 12 hours when my laptop hard drive failed. Yeah that was fun. I had to redo it all. Anyway, I arranged the choir parts and played guitar for it. I had our intern conduct it. I had a bass player play. I put CD's together for everyone. On it, I sung all the parts separately, then put them all together. A lot of our people don't read music so I do what I can to help them learn it by ear. All in all, our choir did very well and I was proud of them.

The year before that, we "That little Baby." The year before that, "Light of the stable." I think we used the soundtrack for "Light of the stable" which is always embarrassing, but we had a full band for "That Little Baby." Yeah, I conducted the choir and played guitar. I had to. It was weird, but we did it.

So this year, we are going to do "Glory In The Highest" found on Chris Tomlin's new album that came out last week. It is not a Christmas song, per se, but it is. Listen to it and you will know what I mean. Angela had the vision for it, and I am going to run with it.

I have these grandiose plans for the song but therein lies the problem, I don't know if I can really pull this off. What I want to do is have a full band: piano, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. Finding people to play the parts isn't the problem. It is notating the parts, or rather, somehow communicating to the musicians what I really want to hear. You may say, duh, that is what music notation is for, and I agree, but I am really rusty at notating parts. I can read music but I don't always know how to write it? Do any of you know how to notate an egg shaker part? See what I mean.

So there is that part. Then there is arranging the choir voices. That's stressful for my mind and ears want everything to be perfect. Then there is the recording the song on CD for the choir. Mostly that is a time issue. Then there is the practices, which actually could be fun. Then the performance.

So this is where I am at: I spent a couple hours this afternoon working on the score layout. I am laying it out like a conductors score so I can see every part at once. I have got the layout for the first half of the song. I have got some of the solo parts notated. I am singing the solo so it that doesn't have to be too accurate. I have some of the electric guitar parts in there too. Basically, I am trying to make a map of the song so I can plot what I want, where I want it. Believe me, it's a lot of work.

The plan is to take this song, not as a choir piece, but as a worship song, let by a worship leader, backed up by a band and choir. Sure, it doesn't really fit the mold but I have decided that since I am a worship leader, not a choir director, I am going to lead worship. What I hear in my head - my plan for what it should sound like - is quite awesome but I am scared that it won't sound the way I want it to. That I won't be able to communicate to the musicians and singers what I want to hear. Ultimately, I'm scared it will fail, flop, and that I will look bad. Call me shallow, whatever.

So you may be saying: "what are you waiting for, get to work!" I will in a sec. Give me a break. I have to have it all done by the time we go to Saskatchewan on the 30th. Oh, I just scared myself. I just realized how soon it is. . .

Just know that this will take up a good chunk of my life this next little while. I am warning you just in case I don't post as often. And you can pray for me too. And pray for my family. Sometimes I can get too focused and that is not good for any of us.

Anyhow, go listen to the song. The whole CD is awesome. Google Chris Tomlin and you'll find it. I'll keep you posted as to how it is going. Maybe we will even record our performance and I could post it. That is not till November . . .