Consider Tempo & Key Relationship

Does it matter what keys songs are sung in? Can’t you just change the key to any song to make it fit your range? In this video we’ll talk about the importance of key relationship and the tempo of each song when planning a worship service.

Welcome to part 7 of an 11 part series called How To Plan A Worship Service from Start to Finish.

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The seventh step to take when planning a worship service is: Consider Tempo & Key Relationship.

Now that you have the songs you’re planning to sing down on paper, it’s time to arrange them in a way that will enhance the flow of worship and not cause people to lose their focus.

When a service is poorly planned, it can cause distractions in worship – which take our focus off of God.

Eliminating distractions is an important goal for every worship leader, so that people can give their full attention to God and His word.

And the best way to eliminate distractions is to plan out each transition (see video 8 of this series for more information on that) and to arrange the music in the best way possible.

There are two considerations when arranging music for worship.

First of all, tempo.

The tempo of a song is simply how fast or how slow the song is played.

Fast tempo songs range from 100-130 beats per minute or BPM for short.

A mid-tempo song ranges from 70-100 BPM.

And a slow-tempo song is anything under 70 BPM.

These are not scientific measurements by the way. The tempo of the song is largely determined by the time signature. (4/4, 3/4, 6/8 etc.)

When it comes to incorporating tempo in planning worship, there is no right or wrong way. But there are some general practices that will help with the flow of the overall worship service.

Typically, I begin with an upbeat song that encourages people to praise God. It gets our attention off of us and on to God where it belongs.

Sometimes, though we will start a service with a slow song – that draws people into worship and helps them see the significance of what we have gathered to do.

As we progress through the set, I try to plan a moment of worship that encourages people to focus on the gospel and hear from God. This is when the key element of the service (that I talked about in video 6) comes into play. This is often a slower, more contemplative song.

Again, there is no right or wrong way, but here are a few tempo options for a four song set.

Fast, Fast, Medium, Slow

or:

Fast, Medium, Medium, Slow

or:

Medium, Fast, Medium, Slow

or:

Slow, Fast, Medium, Slow

Going from fast to slow and back to fast is not only hard for the band, it’s hard on the people too. It could feel like a roller coaster if you’re not careful.

Keeping like tempo songs together will help the service flow more smoothly and help your people stay engaged when moving from song to song.

As with everything we’ve discussed in this series, just be intentional about the tempo of the songs you use.

In the same way that the theme shouldn’t be the primary filter in which you choose songs (we discussed that in detail in video 6), neither should tempo.

Tempo is just one factor to consider when arranging songs for worship.

The second thing you should consider when arranging songs is Key Relationship

Understanding how keys are related to each other is a crucial step for worship leaders in planning worship.

Using the Nashville Number System is a great way to understand how keys are related to each other. Be sure to check the links below for more info on that.

If you can stay in the same key from song to song, your transitions will be easy and the service will flow smoothly, but most of the time, that is not possible.

It is possible to change from any key to any other key and do it in such a way that is not distracting, but make sure you have musicians that know how to do that!

That’s when relative keys come into the picture.

A typical worship song will use 4 chords. The I, IV, V and VI minor. (1, 4, 5 & 6 minor)

The chord structure of hymns is often more complicated but the following two principles apply whether you’re using a contemporary song written this year or a hymn written in the 1800’s.

When going from one key to another while changing songs, there are two main options based on key relationship.

First of all, try to go to the relative 4 or relative 5 chord of the key you are in.

For example: Let’s say you end your first song in C Major.  The 4 chord of C major is F major and the 5 chord is G major. So if the next song you sing is in the key of F or G, your transition will be easy to play and easy to hear because those chords have already been played in the previous song.

They are relative keys.

Planning the keys of songs in this way allows for a smooth transition instrumentally and vocally.

In simple terms your ear is already used to hearing those chords so it’s easy to change to a 4 or 5 chord and that chord then becomes the 1 chord of the new song.

Another option to arrange music based on key relationship is to go up a half step or up a whole step.

For example: C to Db or C to D. This transition is easy for a keyboardist to make and doesn’t distract from the flow of worship.

Going to a key that is not a relative key (without an intentional transition) can be very disruptive because it’s difficult for the ear to make the adjustment.

For example, going from G major to E major sounds weird, can be difficult for musicians and it doesn’t make sense musically. Just be aware of minor intervals that will trick the ear.

And here’s a bonus tip:

One other arrangement consideration is Time Signature – going for 4/4 to 6/8 is difficult and will take intentional planning so that the transition is smooth and not distracting.

Now, sometimes it’s just not possible to use one of the above methods to change from song to song. When that happens, be sure to use a transition element before changing keys. I explain transitions in detail in the next video of this series.

Arranging songs for your order of service is an important step that will take some time to develop. If you are new to worship leading, be sure to get some feedback from your pastor and team members to see how you can improve your arranging skills.

Remember to keep tempo and key relationship in mind with the goal of having a distraction free worship experience for your church.

Thanks for watching part 7 of this 11 part series: How To Plan A Worship Service From Start To Finish. I hope you’ll watch the rest of the videos and let us know what you think in the comments.

If you want to go deeper on this topic, we’ve put some additional links in the description below.

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