How do you keep from composing music that sounds just like every other song you’ve composed, especially given all the strictures of congregational song?
First, if you always write in the same key, try writing in a different one. Try different tempos and rhythms, too. Most contemporary worship songs are in 4/4 time—try 3/4, 6/8 or 7/8.
Composing Music: How to Broaden Your Songwriting
Broaden your range of listening experience by searching for music outside of your immediate preference. In an interview here at My Song In The Night, Stephen Altrogge of Sovereign Grace said,
“I listen to a lot of different music—Coldplay, the Beatles, Matt Redman, Mumford and Sons, the Police, Mutemath. I’d say that the main thing I’ve learned is that a good song is good no matter what the production, and a bad song can’t be saved by good production. When I listen to The Police, they have a distinctly ′80s sound. But their songs are just incredible. So if you’re going to write songs, make sure that they’re good songs. Don’t count on the music or the production to save you.”
