Perfect Pitch Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit - Review of Ryanne Molinari’s ‘Spirit-Filled Singing’
“She presents a well-argued case that those leading church music need to think beyond technical excellence and song selection to the spiritual formation of both the music team and congregation. Worship isn’t just something we do; it forms us for good or ill.” - TGC
OK, I must admit that the article says a lot more than just "you don't have to have perfect pitch", but having suffered through a fair amount of CCM where let's just say autotune was overstressed, I think learning to sing on key might be a big improvement! Also, except in rare cases, learn to sing from the abdomen and don't slip air past your vocal cords. The whole song shouldn't be all breathy unless you're singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy.
(and if you are, what are you doing doing that in church...let's be blunt, musical cues like this do have meaning!)
And per that, the consistent habit of turning the volume "all the way to 11" does, as the article notes, inhibit learning to sing by suggesting singing is optional. I would also note that the habit of using expensive instruments simply as a metronome hurts musicality; first by preventing musicians from learning to use their instruments, and second, ironically, by depriving others on stage of the musical cues that teach them where to enter/exit/etc..
More or less, I think it's very, very important for both CCM musicians and church praise team members to listen to, and borrow from, the secular musicians that gave them the genre they're trying to use. The greats use all kinds of things that are generally absent from CCM.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
Discussion