How To Make It Flow

Some churches don’t seem to mind breaks in between songs. You know, the team finishes. There are five seconds of (awkward) silence. The band shuffles their paper charts, the drummer breaks the silence with the clicks of the sticks, and off they go into the next song.

I cringe. My mind wanders. I feel uncared for by the team - like they didn’t consider my heart in their plan for what happens between songs. I disconnect.

In the outside chance that I’m not alone, here are some of the ways that I like to make a set flow.

(And if you want to see it in action, join us this Sunday for a Night of Worship - facebook.com/events/274146220869617/)

Hold seamlessness as a value
If you don’t value it, you’ll only hit it by accident. Don’t make it seem like two songs together are awkward roommates. 

Plan worshipfully
Worship genuinely and when you get to the end of a song, wait, linger, and listen...what pops up? Sing spontaneously and think of other songs in that key, theme, or feel. Don’t just stay in your head, staring at a screen, thinking logically. Actually worship as you plan. 

Make it your own
When you’re trying to figure out how to get to the next song, modify the second one. Start on the bridge or a single line on repeat as an intro, and then “properly” start the song. 

Autopad 
This is low-hanging fruit, but there’s this app that will play a pad in any key. When one is playing, and you tap another key, it fades into the new key. Pretty spiffy for only six bucks. It plays on an iPhone or iPad. 

Eat Scripture
More often than not, what comes out of me between songs is scripture. “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) So I must have my heart full of scripture. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! 

Shh
Use silence intentionally. 

Zamar 
One of the seven Hebrew words that our English Bibles translate as “praise” is zamar. It means to touch the strings. It’s instrumental worship. Allow for some zamar between songs. Have the band re-play a progression from the song or from the next one. 

Lose the fear
Let’s face it. There a certain pressure that gets on you at the end of a song. But don’t miss the point, the moment. Follow the nudge and just respond to the Spirit. No fear. 

Go back in time
Start in 1990 and learn from Kent Henry, the king of flow. I mean, that’s what I did. :) But seriously, watch some of the Maverick City, Upperroom, or Bethel stuff and study how they go from one song to another. Then steal like an artist. 

-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)

How To Make It Flow (Nº 283)