One of the biggest challenges facing worship leaders and musicians that support them is how to segue from one song to another without ugly and abrupt interruptions.
It’s not always easy nor automatic. But it is a skill that you can & need to acquire because the fewer the distractions in worship, the better.
The common segue for most is to talk between songs, and I’ve heard many reasons why people speak… often too much. Here’s some I’ve heard recently…
- “So the band can get their music ready for the next song”
- “So the guitarist can work out the chords / introduction for the next song.”
- “To “pump up the people” to help them sing better in the next song”
- “To explain what the song is about” (Which may mean that the song isn’t clear and probably shouldn’t be sung)
- “To focus on a theme in the song”
- “I simply don’t know what to do next” … and many more reasons.
Remember… worship leading is not a time to preach or teach (mostly). When I lead worship, I consciously remember to put on a different “hat” to preaching.
So, perhaps the first question to ask is… “Why speak at all?”. Is it to fill gaps? Or is there a greater purpose?
Undoubtedly from time to time, words need to be spoken as a leader of worship. Here’s where I personally use words to lead…
- A call to worship. Right at the start, remind people why they are there, and help them focus on God.
- Prayer... Prayer between songs can often be of benefit, especially if you focus on the theme of what has just been said, and turn it into a prayer.
- Bible passage. As a rule, keep them brief. Too long, and the flow can be interrupted, and people drift. Also… be sure it’s relevant.
- Prophetic words. God often speaks through leaders, and those with a prophetic gift. Be careful with this one and defer to your lead pastor.
Words should be sparing, inspiring and few. You don’t always have to speak.
During the psalms, the writer would sometimes write the word “Selah” – which means “stop, reflect, mediate, think.” [See Psalm 66:4]. Silence is OK – directed silence can also be helpful.
I sense there is sometimes no space for silence or reflection in worship. I’d encourage you to try these ideas:
- Play the chords only of a chorus or bridge (not melody as that is distractive). Use a mellow pad sound, or picked acoustic guitar.
- Hold the last chord of a song.(Again, a pad sound) holding the bass note, and change the RH chords very slowly using chords I, IV, V or VI – in C major this would include C, F, G, Am respectively.
- If possible, end on the 4th degree of a song (e.g. in C major, this would be an F major chord). This tends to sustain the idea in the ear of the listener and gives the feeling that there is more – another song, another chorus.
- Pray over a chord that is held.
- If you can’t neatly segue between songs, fade out one chord, and fade in the new one manually.
These are just a few ways that you can segue between songs. Be creative. Practice them separately between songs.
If you work hard at segues, those you lead will follow more readily and be lead to engage with God, I’ve found, at a deeper level.
Share below other ways you might segue between songs.
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