How to Transition Between Songs
When we choose songs for a worship set that aren’t related either by their tempo or their key, we can end up with bumpy musical transitions between songs.
A few decades ago, it was common for a worship leader to stop after each song and read a scripture or exhort the congregation and then start the next song. The songs were often in different keys, musical styles, and tempos. There’s no real musical flow when that happens. The songs are stand-alones.
What I see in many churches is a lack of musical knowledge in creating a musical flow between songs. There we are, singing an uptempo song, and when the song ends, there’s no transition to the next song’s key or tempo or style. It’s a full stop from upbeat to really slow; like the driver jammed on the brakes and turned a corner without warning. If I’m in the congregation, I feel like the driver behind you who shouts, “Hey, signal where you’re going!”
If you’re a worship leader who creates set lists, you should have some musical skill—a knowledge of how to use music as a tool to lead the congregation and to glorify God in the worship experience.
Here are some simple things you can do to create a musical flow between songs.
End the song and start it again on the chorus at a different tempo.
If you’re transitioning from an uptempo to a slower song, look at the uptempo song to see if you can end the song with a slight slowdown, and then sing the chorus again at a slightly slower tempo with a different feel. Something I’ve done with some uptempo songs—for example, Our God, and You Are Good—is to finish the song, then restart the chorus at a slightly slower tempo (more related to the next song in the list) but using a different feel/style on the drums. I use a style with less drive; more on the back of the beat. It’s like lightly touching your car’s brakes to start the slow down.
It’s actually easier musically to use a mid-tempo song between an uptempo and a slow song. I know that sounds really simplified, but there are great songs available in different tempos.
Also, why would you feel that you need to sing a song in the tempo at which it was recorded? You can create your own arrangement. I lead the song Our God faster than Chris Tomlin recorded it. I lead the song Majesty of Heaven faster as well. It’s the same thought as changing a chord in the song to create interest or a different musical feel. The point is, be creative. You’re not limited.
Pay attention to the keys in which a song can be sung.
When songs are sung in the same key, then the tempo difference is not as noticeable, especially when there is no full stop between songs. You can hold a sustained chord or chord progression on the keys or guitar while the drummer sets the new tempo.
If the songs can be sung in the same key and have similar tempos (maybe they differ by a few bpm [beats per minute]), you can find a common tempo for both of them and then just flow from one song immediately into the next one. I’ve done that with three songs as well since many worship songs can be played at 80 bpm and can be sung in the key of D or G—which can be good keys for the untrained voices in the congregation.
If the songs next to each other are not in the same key, see if you can sing them in similar or related keys. For example, songs in the keys of D and G or A and E can have easy transitions with some creativity. Here are two options.
You could create a key change at the end of one song while seamlessly starting the intro of the next song. Play around with the chords of the first song and see if you can find a nice transition to the next song.
A simple (and slightly abrupt) way to create a key change is to play the last chord of the first song, then play the IV chord of the next song’s key over the V note in the bass. Then play the V chord of the next song’s key, then play the I chord of the new key, and start the intro to the new song. For example, to transition from the key of A to the key of E, you would use the chords: A A/B B E.
That’s a good starting place, but it can and should be made smooth with some thought about how the first song ends and the next one begins.
You could look for a set of chords in one song that are similar to a chord progression in the next song, and transition by blending those chord progressions while the drummer sets the new tempo. Maybe the chorus of the first song has a similar chord progression to the bridge of the second song. So you would finish the first song with the chorus, do the instrumental transition, and start the second song on the bridge.
I have a few more helpful tips in my blog Creating a Dynamic Set List.
Think about how you can seamlessly lead the congregation from one song to another, and be creative.
