10 Tips for Creating Great Worship Vocals

Recently, I wrote a blog post with 10 tips to improve your worship band. I didn't want to leave out the 10 tips to improve your vocal team.

Most worship team vocal parts, like rhythm arrangements, are developed organically (with a little help from the original recording). I've been asked several times about how to develop great vocal arrangements. For me, it's all about creating a beginning, a middle and end to a song, which then helps it to blossom all the way to the final note. The tendency for some is to have everyone jump-in, find a note, and sing everywhere.

The following are 10 tips on avoiding the trap of over-crowding your vocal arrangements. I have included both technical and musical hints to give a song a place to start, to develop and grow, and to become an even greater tool to help lead the congregation on the worship journey.

Of course, it's important to correctly warm-up before vocalizing (my friends Chris and Carole Beatty at Vocal Coach can elaborate on the finer details of warm-ups and proper singing techniques).

10 Tips for Creating Great Worship Vocals

1. Confidence. This is so important because a vocalist is a high-profile position on the worship team. They are the most visible people on stage, next to the worship leader. An individual's confidence will set the congregation at ease as they help lead the singing. Confidence in one's part, and comfort with one's self, brings about positive and confident body language for the singer.

2. Find and stay on your part. Tenors usually gravitate toward the harmony right above the melody (following the major-third part of the chord progression); altos usually gravitate toward the harmony part above the tenor (following the fifth-note of the chord progression). Sometimes the melody will require the tenor and alto to “flip” parts, where the alto takes the major-third above the melody and the tenor takes the fifth, this time below the melody. Good harmony singers will be able to “flip” parts when needed. Avoid absolute parallel singing—it leads to an occasional gospel 7th and 6th, which may not be desirable for modern rock-styles of worship.

3. Unison, 2-part and 3- part harmony. Start songs with either a solo lead-vocal or a unison group-vocal to establish the melody for the congregation. Split-off into either 2 or 3-part harmony in the chorus to create a bigger sound. A harmony part (tenor: 3^rd above melody) will make the second verse stand up a little more than the first verse, but leaves somewhere for the song to progress into chorus number-two. Using this layering technique will help create differences between sections and will build musical interest. Some modern rock styles require less vocal harmony, so a simple harmony (3rd) above the melody in each chorus may be all that's necessary.

4. Dynamics. It's the lead singer's job to set the pace for vocal dynamics. If the song requires a breathy vocal sound, the whole vocal group should follow suit, and the same when there's a need for a more aggressive vocal styling. The goal is for the vocal team to sync with the lead vocalist. Sometimes dynamics can be achieved by having less or more people sing; sometimes it's achieved through the varying of volume and vocal expressions.

5. Blend. Sing like a group, not as individuals. Eliminate excessive vibrato and other undesirable qualities that cause individual voices to jump out within the mix. A vocal section leader—which may be the worship leader or the overall music director— must take responsibility for mapping out the song for phrasing and blend. It's so important for each vocalist to hear their part and the other singers, therefore, a proper monitor mix is essential. When singers don't hear themselves, they tend to over-sing. Please sing on pitch!
   
   
6. Phrasing. Good phrasing is singing a musical line so that it sounds effortless, not rushed, easy and carefree. When a song's melody and lyric are complex, it's a good practice to map out which notes to hold, and those to cut short. It's important to find appropriate places to breathe, where to pause and where to scoop or taper note endings. Good phrasing helps to tell the story of the song, and it emphasizes the emotion—if it's soft and delicate or high-energy and aggressive. When vocalists sing together, they must sing as if they are one voice; they must also pay close attention to ending consonants like P's, T's” and S's.
   
   
7. Proper microphone technique.  An inexperienced singer on the worship team tends to hold the microphone away from their mouth. It's important that they hold the mic at chin-level, at an angle suitable for capturing the voice, but not directly in front of the mouth (the area between the chin and the bottom lip is a good place to start). It's important for the audience to see the singer's facial expressions and articulation of the lyrics. Most microphones used in live-music settings are “dynamic” (utilizing a moving coil—kind of like a speaker in reverse—to deliver quality, consistency and durability, and to reject bleed from other sources with a high resistance to feedback). Therefore, since a dynamic mic is best positioned close to the sound source, encourage the vocalists to keep the mic as close to their mouth as possible whenever they sing.
   
   
8. Matching chords. Be sure that the vocalists are aware of the chord changes in a song for correct harmonization. Pay attention to embellished chords like minor-7ths, major-7ths and major-9ths, and be sure to add the definition to each chord when necessary. Make note of chords like suspended-2nds and 4ths, and see that the vocal team is matching the chord movements with the band. These little details will make or break a vocal sound.

9. Let the congregation take a solo. Build a time in the worship set for the congregation to sing all by themselves. It may be helpful for the worship leader to sing along softly, and for the band to lower their volume, but the congregation will appreciate it. They may seem reluctant the first few times, but soon they'll learn to jump in and sing with passion. After all, in worship the congregation is the lead singer, and God is the audience!

10. To fill or not to fill. So many of our favorite worship songs are recorded in live settings, where it's characteristic for the worship leader, or an assortment of soloists, to add “fills” (using certain words from the lyric for dynamic and emotional impact, or non-word vocalizations such as “ooh” or an “aah”) between phrases. This helps create excitement and helps the congregation to anticipate the subsequent lyric. When it's overdone, though, doing fills or vocal licks can get annoying (depending on the musical style,,,). It's best to figure out where and who will do licks beforehand in rehearsal to avoid confusion. Less is more, so make sure that a fill or any kind of talking between song sections is necessary to advance the song. If it's not, then let the song speak for itself.

I hope these hints are helpful for you and your team. Let me know some of your thoughts so we all can learn to be better worshipers.