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When you first learn how to read, you do not start with Lord Of The Flies. You start with the alphabet. You learn all about the foundational pieces that are used to form words. Then you learn how to put words together into sentences. Then you build paragraphs with multiple sentences of a common thought. You get the idea. Music follows that same line of thought. So, let's dig in to the foundational elements of music with the major scale and the circle of fifths.

One of the most important details to know about any song that you are playing or singing is what key it is in. However, many worship leaders and musicians brush by this little detail. We are going to not only look at WHY, but answer the question of HOW to determine the key of any song. Knowing the key puts you in a position of knowing what notes to play (or not play)... and what chords you will most likely be using. It is also important in the putting together of your worship set lists! Knowing the key is a foundation. A starting point... and it's important.

As a worship leader for over 20 years, I've experienced that the majority of worship leaders and church musicians fall very short in the area of music theory. Many know just enough about music and their instrument to fill a spot on the team, and sadly most of them have zero motivation to be anything more than what they are today. Of course, it's not a sin to lack a solid understanding of music theory. However, it's not right to just hack through... to just "get the job done", etc.

Check out the FEBRUARY 2019 Top 10 posting from WorshipReady.com showing the most downloaded chord charts by our subscribers. This is a great way to see what other worship leaders are using and to get ideas on what you might want to get familiar with yourself!

In recent years, smart phones and tablets have changed pretty much everything around us and how we do the things we do. The realm of music and worship leading is no exception to this. Since the very first release of the iPad, there have been apps hitting the scene for displaying your music, which could of course be used in any scenario that you play music. A handful of such apps have become popular over the years for use while leading worship or playing in your church worship band. One of those apps is Power Music.