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10 Tips to Create Great Worship Vocals

4. Dynamics.

It’s the lead singer’s job to set the pace for vocal dynamics. If the song requires a breathy vocal sound, then for great worship vocals the whole vocal group should follow suit, and the same when there’s a need for a more aggressive vocal styling. The goal is for the vocal team to sync with the lead vocalist. Sometimes dynamics can be achieved by having less or more people sing; sometimes it’s achieved through the varying of volume and vocal expressions.

5. Blend.

Sing like a group, not as individuals. Eliminate excessive vibrato and other undesirable qualities that cause individual voices to jump out within the mix. A vocal section leader—which may be the worship leader or the overall music director—must take responsibility for mapping out the song for phrasing and blend. It’s so important for each vocalist to hear their part and the other singers. Therefore, a proper monitor mix is essential. When singers don’t hear themselves, they tend to oversing. Please sing on pitch!

6. Phrasing.

Great worship vocals mean good phrasing. Good phrasing is singing a musical line so that it sounds effortless, not rushed, easy and carefree. When a song’s melody and lyric are complex, it’s a good practice to map out which notes to hold, and those to cut short. It’s important to find appropriate places to breathe, where to pause and where to scoop or taper note endings. Good phrasing helps to tell the story of the song, and it emphasizes the emotion—if it’s soft and delicate or high-energy and aggressive. When vocalists sing together, they must sing as if they are one voice; they must also pay close attention to ending consonants like Ps, Ts and Ss.