u/Cazarstan

So here in America it's Independence Day today, and a lot of passion and energy welling up inside us US folks, which inspires a broader series of questions:

1. Can a worship song be true, faithful, AND patriotic?
2. Should we be including "nation-specific" imagery or ideals(that still align with scripture) as lyrics within worship songs, or should we avoid them?
3. Do you have any "patriotic" songs selected for tomorrow's setlist, or are any played regularly in your church?
4. If you know of one, which "patriotic" worship song would you recommend to others (even if it's not FOR church)

Could be something you sang at church, heard on the radio, or Spotify, or a new song someone at church requested you introduce - what's the song and what do you like about it? how can it inspire you in your own songwriting?

Could be a song you're in the process of writing, reading a songwriting book, scheduling co-writes, studying scripture, listening to music for inspiration, and who knows what else - what are you working on and why?

Show us what you've been working on! This is the time and place to share your songs - written, cowritten, performed, and more! YT Videos, Spotify, voice memo, lyrics sheet - whatever you've got, post a link in this thread and lets encourage each other!

(this is not the time for critique, or overt self-promotion, just encourage each other on the good you see in the song, and be encouraged to know you're not alone in the world of Worship Songwriting)

Conferences, Books, podcasts, YT Channels, Bible studies, and more - what's something that helped your grow as a songwriter?

Could be something you sang at church, heard on the radio, or Spotify, or a new song someone at church requested you introduce - what's the song and what do you like about it? how can it inspire you in your own songwriting?

Hey y'all, my Country band just got our first REAL booking, to play a 3-hour gig at our local BBQ joint/bar!

We've only played 1hr coffeeshop gigs so far - what should I expect in terms of what the venue wants/needs from me?

what is conventional in terms of how many breaks, # of songs expected, how much "free food + drinks" tends to amount to, etc.?

In other words, is there a sort of "standard" order of events for the avg bar gig?

I don't want to pester the booking agent with first timer questions if such sort of stuff is pretty standard.

It’s always fun learning how different people’s journeys went. I would learn a lot of intros and verses when I first started playing guitar. Lots of tabs. I actually didn't learn much about how to write choruses or bridges and all of that and it shows lol. I'm hoping to better learn how to write fully realized songs but it can be a slog.

I don't want to start a conversation about "what denomination is the best" or most truthful, etc. and i don't even want us to list what denominations we belong to, but i stumbled upon this "denomination quiz" and took it just for fun, and realized some of the imagery or concepts we highlight in the songs we write may be "denomination-specific".

has anybody ever written a song that is too specific that it wouldn't fit in other churches? or had your pastor or folks from church say your writing didn't fit with the expressed doctrines of your local body? how did you respond?

PS - If this conversation gets too crazy I will lock it down - keep it light y'all!

I'm looking for a place for me and my band to play live country music, but I'm not really in the bar scene - where are specific places you go to hear FREE live music where country music would fit in well?

The venues don't have to be alcohol free, and I'm not against having a beer now and then; it's just that family friendly/coffeeshop is more my "vibe" right now.

Could be a song you're in the process of writing, reading a songwriting book, scheduling co-writes, studying scripture, listening to music for inspiration, and who knows what else - what are you working on and why?

Could be something you sang at church, heard on the radio, or Spotify, or a new song someone at church requested you introduce - what's the song and what do you like about it? how can it inspire you in your own songwriting?

Could be something you sang at church, heard on the radio, or Spotify, or a new song someone at church requested you introduce - what's the song and what do you like about it? how can it inspire you in your own songwriting?

Could be a song you're in the process of writing, reading a songwriting book, scheduling co-writes, studying scripture, listening to music for inspiration, and who knows what else - what are you working on and why?

Hello Everybody, if you're ready to reveal your song as "finished, complete, published" this is the flair for you to share with the group! this is a post type where you can post official music releases, artists recording your songs, songs ready for publication or pitching.

Using this Flair means the song is truly FINISHED - you are not asking for constructive feedback or ideas.

I want you to use this flair, but be ready to back it up - if you're hoping people use your song in worship or church, you might want to prepare:

• In the description, tell us the story or inspiration for writing the song - don't just wing it; compel us.
• Include Spotify Link, official Youtube video, etc. so worship leaders can hear the song.
• Make your Chord-sheet available (Ultimate-Guitar or similar free website if DIY, or post CCLI number or Songselect/Multitracks link if you have one) so leaders can teach the song to their team/congregation well.

If things get too SPAMMY or LOW-EFFORT with this type of post, we may need to rethink this idea. but for now, give it a try and let's get more QUALITY, BIBLICAL worship music into the hands of the body of Christ.

God bless.

Show us what you've been working on! This is the time and place to share your songs - written, cowritten, performed, and more! YT Videos, Spotify, voice memo, lyrics sheet - whatever you've got, post a link in this thread and lets encourage each other!

(this is not the time for critique, or overt self-promotion, just encourage each other on the good you see in the song, and be encouraged to know you're not alone in the world of Worship Songwriting)

Any musicians out there that would be interested is possibly doing some magical, actually inspiring cool Gospel or Christian Rock or Blues? (also Folk and pop) You would be surprised how much credit and share you could have. If anyone wants a sample list of songs to hear, just ask. Cheers

Conferences, Books, podcasts, YT Channels, Bible studies, and more - what's something that helped your grow as a songwriter?

Could be a song you're in the process of writing, reading a songwriting book, scheduling co-writes, studying scripture, listening to music for inspiration, and who knows what else - what are you working on and why?

Could be something you sang at church, heard on the radio, or Spotify, or a new song someone at church requested you introduce - what's the song and what do you like about it? how can it inspire you in your own songwriting?