larry
From St Bernard's, Belfast
18 November 2008 - 3:15pm
Hi,
Anyone care to share thoughts on putting old standards to new music or reinterpreting the classics?
I do like a mixture of new and old...sometimes the firm favourites deserve to remain untouched, but as most are beyond copyright restriction they're legally up-for-grabs in terms of "putting a new spin" on them.
Any success stories? Or disastrous failures? Gut feelings about ditching classic melodies or changing the phrasing?
Erik Thien
From ELEMENT NOLA
18 November 2008 - 7:47pm
I agree that some are better left the way they are. The hymns, I find, are a good way to tap into a nestalgic sense of church for our context in the southern states of the US. It helps to connect people who used to go to chruch and are disconnected from God.
Our team has found success in re-writing Nothing But the Blood. It's a great song in and of itself and we kept the melody too. We made the music dark and ambient and let it get really big by adding a tag (that we wrote) at the end and going back into the chorus for a big full finish...its one we do pretty often now.
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GO FOR IT!!!!
David Crowder Band are amazing at redoing hymns!!!
Also "Amazing Grace - My Chains are Gone" by Chris Tomlin works really well.
So if you can do it well...do it =D
Thats my opinion :P
Jordan :D
This is something that I've looked at too. I started looking because, whilst I love the words to some hymns, I have struggled to get our band to play them and sound good. I have written new tunes to "There is a redeemer" and "When I survey" both of which have worked very well. They are easier to play with a band (as opposed to just keys or an organ) and have worked well at our informal evening service.
I can see three main benefits:
1. Easier to orchestrate a band around a more modern tune
2. Changing the tune inevitably makes people think more about the words
3. Its a great place to start learning about song writing - work with existing words and learn to shape write tunes which work congregationally.
Andy
ive tried playing around with hymns with varying degrees of success. stereotypically the older folks dislike me playing around with the hymns and prefer them the way they are. i even did a version of amazing grace in 4/4 not the usual 3/4 and some people hated me for it 3 wks ago!!
i love modernising hymns but often step on peoples toes when i do it. problem is i lead a more contemporary service so trying to accomodate the old without modernisiing it is hard!
some hymns are great tho and i love the imagery some of them have.
Personally, I wouldn't touch it. There's a reason why these hymns have stood the test of time and new versions usually sound lame in my opinion, like scrawling on a Rembrant! I think that it's best to change the original concept radically if you are going to try - 'There is a Green Hill in a Far Away Country' is an example that works really well.
I agree with some of the other posters that there is mixed response from people in regards to modifying hymns. It seems that when a new chorus is introduced a la Chris Tomlin's The Wonderful Cross or Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) that people do seem more open as there is a familiar ring to the song, usually a touchstone from their past, that is recognizable still. Nevertheless, I like the idea of using some of these great lyrics from past hymn writers and setting them to a new tune. I tried my hand at it and I think the result was favorable. People are able to recognize the lyrics, it is easier to sing, and still has a hymn like feel. I'll post it under a separate post
http://www.worshipcentral.org/forum/topic/and-can-it-be
Graham Page
WAVE Band
I've posted a version of There Is A Redeemer to give you an idea of where I'm coming from. There are some hymns which aren't great tunes but are great words! I guess the decision to know when to do change things will come from knowing your congregation.
Andy
by the way, in my post above im just referring to adjusting the arrangement of hymns not writing new tunes or lyrics for them. i think theres 2 different discussions we could have on those.
cheers,
gav.
Personally i think its cool when bands re-do hymns, like when Chris Tomlin brought back I stand amazed for example, and i like it when new Chorus' are added to hymns if they are good like 'my chains are gone' But i don't quite get it when someone takes a really good powerful hymn, and rewrites it just for the sake of it. In my opinion you can't beat a good hymn.
But at the same time, some hymns that are maybe not the strongest and aren't as well known, then its cool when these get revamped. But i think often it spoils the whole passion and originality of a hymn when it is just completely ripped a part and started again really!
I agree. I think I'm in a minority in not liking the Chris Tomlin version of Amazing Grace. I can't see the point of the new section he adds - it doesn't fit with the original verses in my view. Gav - I like new arrangements of old hymns (like the 4/4 version of Be Thou My Vision). I suppose it's difficult to be dogmatic on the issue of new tunes to old words but you can end up setting yourself up to fail by attempting it!
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