New Song - Your grace is sufficient

I thought it would be a good idea to give a a little practical example of song-writing. Have a listen to the attached mp3 and have a read of the below

'Your grace is sufficient for me'

For about the last 10 months I've been playing around with a song idea about God's grace. There are lots of songs about God's love, God's kindness, God's holiness etc. However I've been challenged to try and look at some of the other themes we read about in the bible and God's grace is one particular example.


To start off with I had a verse idea but didn't really know where to go with it



'Your grace is sufficient for me
Your power is made perfect whenever I'm weak'
Bringing me strength
Bringing me peace
Your grace is sufficient for me'


So, I wrote it all down and left it.


I think it's quite important to give song ideas time to breathe. I say this with some reservations as this can be very frustrating. I'm not sure about you but there have been quite a few times where I've really tried to finish a song idea but deep down I know that it's not ready. This can be frustrating especially if you're working to a deadline etc. However looking back you won't regret giving time for your song to mature. Matt Redman uses the analogy of making a cup of tea. You leave the tea bag in for a while before taking it out. If you take it out too quickly the tea is pretty weak and disgusting. This is true with the songs we're writing for the church. Give them time and space to breathe, to take shape, to grow and develop.


A few months later I remembered my little idea and started playing around with it. I started writing a second verse and ideas for a third verse and chorus. This is what it started to look like:


Verse 1
Your grace is sufficient for me
Your power is made perfect whenever i'm weak
Bringing me strength
Bringing me peace
Your grace is sufficient for me


Verse 2
Your grace is sufficient for me
And though I may stumble, it's You that I see
Cheering me on
Paths that are steep
Your grace is sufficient for me


Chorus
I know that You are all I need
I know, I know Your grace is sufficient for me


Verse 3
Your grace is sufficient for me
Flowing so vast like the waves of the sea
Keeping my life
In perfect peace
Your grace is sufficient for me



So, as you can see, the song started taking shape and was looking promising (I thought anyway). I find it helpful typing out lyrics to songs on the computer, so that I can see all the words in one glance. I find this useful as you start to notice little things that perhaps you could tweak or change. One thing I noticed with the above was that I was using the first line 'Your grace is sufficient for me' a lot. It didn't bother me at first as I thought it was the theme of the song and the message I wanted to sing about. However I started to think that perhaps I should tweak the lyrics slightly and to think of slightly different phrases for the last line of the verses. I also asked some my friends Phil & Laura Le Cheminant and they agreed that I was repeating the line too many times.

So I made some changes and replaced the last lines of the verse to the following:


Verse 1
Your grace is the song that I sing

Verse 2
You call my soul to believe

Verse 3
Because of Your grace I am free


The song was coming along nicely. At this point I was pretty happy with the verses to the song and the melody. However I had some doubts about the chorus. I wanted to write a chorus that was quite simple after a particularly 'wordy' verse 1 and 2. However what i came up with didn't quite feel right. The melody at one point also reached a high F, which is a bit of a 'no no' in terms of 'church friendly' songs. I played the song a lot to my wife and we both agreed that we liked it but perhaps it still needed some work.


Very frustrating! The song at this point was in my opinion 95% finished. However things can change very quickly...


Last weekend I went back home to Romsey to see Mum & Dad but also to spend time with my best mates Phil & Laura. As i've mentioned in previous blogs i try and get together with Phil & Laura every now and then to play new ideas and to get their critique and feedback. I think most of my songs have passed through the 'Le Cheminant Test'. Some ideas have made it through triumphantly to the other side, some have failed miserably and have never left my notebook.


Anyway, I travelled down after work and met up with Phil & Laura on the Friday evening. The first song I played to them was this one. They both agreed that the chorus was weak and wasn't very 'user friendly'. I expressed however that I really wanted to keep the last line of the chorus if possible as I liked the melody and the chords used. So the next 30 minutes were spent thinking about a possible chorus and what we wanted to say. Phil suddenly suggested a melody idea and Laura and myself began thinking over some lyrics. The problem lay in the last line of the verse. For a while we couldn't get back there melodically or lyrically. Finally we finalised a chorus


'You are all I need, You're all I want
You are my desire, my strength, my song
You've opened my eyes to Your majesty
Your grace, Your grace is sufficient for me'


I was really exited at this point. The song now had a strong chorus that felt catchy and singable. The new chorus also seemed to change the idea from what I thought would become a slow reflective worship song to a bigger, more anthemic song.


At this point Phil also came up with a great intro idea which again helped change the shape of the song, but for the better.


But just when I thought it was over and finished.....


Laura got me to read out the verses. We realised that some of the lyrics didn't quite work. 'Cheering me on paths that are steep' didn't feel quite right. We liked the idea but then thought that this might imply that God only cheers us on steep paths and doesn't actually come down to help us up the paths that are steep. So we changed this to 'Cheering me on, strengthening me'.


Verse 3 also had a mini crisis. The lyric 'Flowing so vast like the waves of the sea' I thought was fine but was soon pointed out as 'not making sense'. Things don't tend to 'flow vastly'. So, we changed it to 'Endlessly flows like the waves of the sea'.


Finally the song felt completed:


Verse 1
Your grace is sufficient for me
Your power is made perfect whenever i'm weak
Bringing me strength
In times of need
Your grace is the song that I sing

Verse 2
Your grace is sufficient for me
And though I may stumble it's You that I see
Cheering me on
Strengthening me
You call my soul to believe

Chorus
You are all I need, You're all I want
You are my desire, my strength, my song
You've opened my eyes to Your majesty
Your grace, Your grace is sufficient for me

Verse 3
Your grace is sufficient for me
Endlessly flows like the waves of the sea
Keeping my life
In perfect peace
Because of Your grace I am free


It was about Midnight at this stage and Laura had gone to bed, but Phil and myself wanted to record a quick demo (check out Phil on the keys). I mentioned that perhaps the song needed a little tag at the end, but when it came to laying the vocals down nothing seemed to come. That's not to say something might not come when singing this song at church or in future months.

And from starting this little blog I have infact led this song once and I speeded it up a tad (from what you hear on the mp3). Also I'm thinking of ways to connect the chorus a little more.


I hope this has been helpful to any song writers out there. The one thing I've learnt is that you've got to be patient with your ideas


God Bless,

Tim






















/Your%20grace%20is%20sufficient.mp3

Interview on CBN's 700 Club

Last November I spent 2 amazing weeks with my friend Don Chapman in the US.

During our time with 'Chappers' we travelled up to Virginia and did an interview for CBN which was featured on the network's 700 Club. Check out the link:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/286968.aspx

We also got to meet the man himself Pat Robertson who heads up the CBN Network (Don and Adam are on the right).

It was great to lead some worship at the weekly Chapel Service for CBN's employees and to hang around Don and Adam. It was also an experience to be caked in makeup for the interview. I couldn't believe how hard it was to get the stuff off afterwards.....

co-writing with friends part 2

Had a great time meeting up with Peter Russell on Saturday. We spent a few hours worshipping together but also looking at a few song ideas.



We worked on an idea that Peter had taken from Colossians 1 v 15-20 which talks about the supremacy of Christ and how Jesus holds all things together. It's really cool to think that the hands that shaped the universe are the hands that hold our lives.

We managed to reflect this in a chorus which was very cool:

Jesus You hold all things together
The sun and moon, the earth, the waters
The things unseen, the host of heaven
Yet still

You hold me in Your arms
You hold me in Your arms
Hands that hold the universe
Are the hands that hold me now
You hold me in Your arms
You hold me in Your arms
Friend who never lets me go
The one who's always near

Into Your arms I will run, for in Your presence is where I belong

Sometimes when you're writing songs it's very easy to fall into predictability. Lately I've been thinking about this and how I can make my songs/music a little more interesting yet without losing the feel of the song. It could be an unusual chord thrown in that's not expected. A great example is Matt Redman's 'You are God in Heaven' where he uses a G Augmented chord which really works well.

With the song above we had a chord sequence for the chorus which was predictable until we threw an F chord into the works. The chord sequence was just a run down from G to D/F# to Em but instead of going to a C we went straight to the F which sounded quite cool. Later in the chorus we added a C minor which again sounded a little different from the norm.

Before you settle with your chord sequence it's always good to think whether or not you can add something a little different.

One song off 'Resounding', 'Moon and Stars', did have quite a predictable chord sequence for the chorus which I was very aware of. When I finished the song I played it to my friend Phil and asked him whether we could change any of the chorus chords without changing the 'feel' of the song. Originally it was the typical run down of G, D, Em, C. However Phil suggested changing the D to a D/G which made the chorus sound a lot better.

co-writing with friends

Recently I've had fun meeting up with my good mate Peter Russell who leads worship at Purley Baptist Church, Surrey.

I've known Peter since our University days in Southampton where we used to lead worship for the Christian Union.

This year we've tried to meet up one Saturday a month to worship, pray and basically see what happens. This has been really exiting as a couple of songs have flowed out from the times of worship that we've had. We haven't managed to lead these songs through yet in our local church and realise they still might need a little bit of tweaking but I'm really excited about them.

As a guitarist it's great to write with other instruments (Pete plays keys) and to bounce ideas/melodies off each other. I think writing with other people also gives you lots of ideas and creativity and can teach you not to be too precious about your own ideas etc. Having said that I find it really fun to write with Peter. We have similar ideas and tastes and things seem to flow out very naturally when we worship God together.

One idea that flowed out of a time of worship was the fact that we were made for God and that He is therefore the centre of who we are:

I was made for Your glory
I was made for Your presence
I was made in Your likeness
I was made for You

You are the centre of my life
You are the centre of my life
Be glorified

I was made for Your worship
I was made for Your pleasure
I was made for Your kindness
I was made for You

You are the centre of my life
You are the centre of my life
Be glorified

Now to live the life You made
All I am I give in praise

Another time we got together the sense of Heaven and earth joining as a united front came alive to us as we were singing. Initially we were singing out 'Blessing, honour, glory, power' as a little melody during our worship time. We then felt that we were joining in with a greater song, with the whole universe rather than just us.

There is a song that's rising up
Heaven and earth
Joining as one to sing
There is a cry within our hearts
We're longing to sing Your glorious praise

Holy, Holy is our God
Worthy, worthy to be praised
You are Holy, You are Holy
You are worthy, You are worthy of all praise

Angels rejoice in Harmony
United in praise
Lifting Your name on high
Creation responds in melody
And hearing the sound, my soul awakes

Holy, Holy is our God
Worthy, worthy to be praised
You are Holy, You are Holy
You are worthy, You are worthy of all praise

Blessing, Honour, glory, power
Blessing, Honour, glory, power

I'm meeting up again with Peter this Saturday and can't wait to see what happens as we spend time together in worship.

Stories behind the Songs - 'Resounding'

Stories/thoughts behind the songs:


He died for me, I live for Him – This was inspired by a banner that I came across when leading worship at New Forest Community Church. It simply states ‘He died for me, I live for him’ and got me thinking about the subject of salvation. For a while I’ve wanted to write something that expresses our thanks to God over the gift of our salvation, the fact that God has saved us and given us an amazing new life.

Resounding – I had a little guitar hook for a number of years, but hadn’t been able turn it into anything. I brought it to my friend Alan Bridges and together we crafted it into ‘Resounding’. I was inspired by the fact that worship isn’t just something that takes place down here on earth, but also in the heavens. It’s really inspiring to think that both Heaven and earth are worshipping together, with a real sense of unity and purpose. What an incredible sound it will be when we’re in the Heavens worshipping God with the angels, the elders and all of creation.

O my soul arise – I had the chorus to this song finished for a number of years but couldn’t for the life of me come up with a decent verse that actually fitted in with what I was trying to say. Eventually the verse and the tag poured out one day. A call to one’s self to arise and bless our maker. I was particularly inspired by Psalm 103 in which David is rousing his soul to worship God.

Face to the ground – It’s an amazing thing that we can come and worship such a Holy and awesome, even terrifying God. A song of worship to a holy God and a challenge for us to recognise his awesomeness and that we need to come before him with due reverence. I initially came up with some lyrics and a melody idea for the verses. I then brought it to my friends Phil and Laura who came up with a melody for the chorus and helped me finish the song off.

Who can we compare You to – The last song written on the album. We can describe God in many different ways or compare him to things we see on earth. However God is so much bigger, better and brighter than anything we may think of as big or impressive. How could we respond to such a brilliant God but worship him. The day we came to record it was a Sunday, so we played it during the worship to try and get a feel for band arrangements/dynamics. I really liked the feel of a song by the 'Doves' called 'the pounding' and wanted to do something similar.

Precious – A personal song, the title of which says it all really. I was in Malaysia leading some worship and as we finished and I put my guitar down the thought ‘Precious are the moments spent with you’ came into my mind. I jotted it down. About a year later I finished the song. The song really came home for me after watching the Passion of the Christ with my church and really ministered to me personally how precious Jesus is to me in my life. This is probably my favourate song on the album.

Journey to the cross – A song I wrote in the US with my friend Don Chapman. Don had told me about a series of radio talks by his church entitled ‘Journey to the cross’ and challenged me to try and write a song with that title. I started looking at the scriptures about Jesus’ death and resurrection. What struck me initially were the verses in Isaiah 53 and how Jesus was so disfigured when he went to the Cross. The bible describes him as unrecognisable and a ‘man of sorrows, which I was inspired to include in the song. I wanted to write a song that took us to the death of Jesus on a journey and for us to ponder on just what he did for us. The second verse is more triumphant, though I wanted to focus mainly on the fact that Jesus died for us and chose to go and die in our place. We could never understand what he had to endure on the cross.

Moon and Stars – A song declaring our God as creator. Really inspired by nature and the fact that we’re really with out an excuse to acknowledge God as maker of Heaven and earth. Literally everything you see outside, be it trees, sky, landscape, the sun, the clouds – they all point back to God. My lovely wife Amber helped me out on this one.

The Light of your presence – I wrote this song whilst in Scotland with my friends Lynn Swart and Gabby Tham. I was on my year out and was serving Lynn at a YWAM school of prayer week. I really didn’t know what to expect when I arrived but really met God in an amazingly intimate way. The light of your presence summed up what I had experienced in that trip and I wrote it all in one go on the second night there. It was a really exciting time for me.

With all my heart – This song literally came out of nowhere while in the shower. The song is about praising God with heart, mind, soul and strength.

Forevermore – A song about looking to Heaven and to that time when we will see Jesus face to face. Phil 3:18-21 says that our citizenship is in Heaven and I really wanted to write a song around this theme. This was another late song to make it on the album, but I’m really glad we had some extra time to record it.

Pour out over me – Inspired by a little idea I had on the guitar in a 7/8 time signature. A simple song that reflects our need for Jesus, asking Him to come and pour out his blessing over us.

I can do all things – Inspired by 1 Corinthians 1 and Philippians 3. Living God’s way is foolishness to those who don’t believe in him. However Paul in Philippians states that actually everything is rubbish next to knowing Christ and the fact that through him we can do all things. A song for the church to embrace.

Rhythm of the saints – At Soul Survivor there used to be a song-writing workshop called 'the rhythm of the Saints. This title stuck in my mind for a few years as a potential song idea. I remember bringing this song to my friends Phil & Laura Le Cheminant one day and to be honest wasn't sure it was any good. However they really liked it and encouraged me to press on with it. After a few tweaks and suggestions from my friends the song was born. A song that unashamedly proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord. I hope that this song encourages you that there are millions of people from every tribe and tongue that love and follow Jesus Christ today. May the world and society we live in feel the rhythm of the saints.

Our God reigns – I wrote this song during my last year at University. I read Psalm 93 one day and it really leapt out at me and I knew there was a song to be found there. A few weeks later I came back to it and pretty much completed the song. For the chorus I was inspired by Psalm 95 vs 6 as our response to our mighty God, who reigns. This song was the title track of my first album released in 2003. However I really felt that I needed to record the song again and to hopefully give it a fresh sound.

The Glory School

I've just come back from an amazing weekend away near Bedford attending the Glory School.







The Glory School was started by Patricia King. http://www.extremeprophetic.com/







It was fantastic to get away for a weekend and just soak in the presence of God. We travelled up with our close mates Jonny and Emm Sweetman on Thursday night and to be honest didn't quite know what to expect. The weekend was led by Sue Davies and her team.





We all came back on Saturday night really excited about the prophetic words spoken over us. One excercise we did was to ask God for one word for another person in the room and to give it to them. Once we had done that the other person would do the same over us. This was a really powerful time and lots of amazingly accurate words were said over people. One person brought the word 'encourager' to me which blew my mind as I had recently written in my journal that I felt God calling me to be an encourager and a 'barnabus'.





Lots of people at the Glory School also saw the angelic during the worship times which was very cool.

This is pic of me and my good mate Jonny Sweetman 'havin a laff' at the Glory School and at the state of my hair.

'Resounding' Album Launch - 20th October 2007

On the 20th October 2007 we had a cool time launching the new 'Resounding' CD.

It was fantastic to finally work with most of the guys who played on the album.

In this picture you can see Phil Le Cheminant (far left) who produced and masterminded the album. Also in shot are Steve Szymanski on guitar, Laura Le Cheminant on backing vocals and Dan McDougall on drums. It was the first night I had met Dan, who is an incredible musician.

The evening went really well and we managed to play most of the tracks from the album. We even did a funky cover of 'O happy day' which really took off.

Unfortunately the Rugby World Cup final was the same night, although we managed to watch the game via dvd as we were packing up.

The band:

Dan McDougall - Drums

Gary Sankey - Bass

Steve Szymanski - guitars

Liam Lynch - guitars

Phil Le Cheminant - Keys/organ

Laura Le Cheminant - bvs

Me - Vox, acoustic guitar

For both the album and the 2 launch nights I was really blessed to have some incredible friends and musicians involved. Most of the band for both consisted of 'Crossbeam', who are one of the best christian bands around. Check out www.crossbeam.co.uk and listen to their album 'a time for everything'.

It was great to work with my best mate Phil Le Cheminant again. I've known Phil since I was about 12/13. If there is one person who has had the most impact in my christian walk it's this man. Phil was heading our worship team at New Life Church Romsey when I started leading at 16 and has been a great source of encouragement over the years. Most of the songs I've written have gone through Phil and Laura's critique and suggestions. I love coming over to their house and testing out new ideas with them (i'm not sure if they feel the same way). What I love the most though is that we have a laugh and don't take things too seriously.

If you would like to buy 'Resounding' visit www.resoundingcd.com where you can listen to bits of all the songs.

Tim