#11 Key Changes

In case you’ve never had the opportunity to sit in on a church interview for a worship leader, here’s about how it goes:

“Can you play songs in the keys of C, G, and occasionally E and A?”

“Can you play songs a half-step or whole step above or below those keys?”

“Can you play chords that sound good in between those keys?”

“You’re hired.”

An exaggeration, maybe. Still, Christians do love their key changes, mostly because they know that a key change makes everyone feel like the Holy Spirit showed up in a major way, in a major key. And since churches keep most of their worship songs to a strict I-IV-V-I progression (except for those new-fangled fancy churches that use real drums and guitars… they occasionally throw a ‘ii’ or a ‘vi’ in there) it makes transitioning up a half step or a whole step (Hallelujah!) that much easier.

For the less-than-musically-inclined, a key change is that part in the song when everything sounds a little bit more emphatic, and usually everyone starts singing louder. It usually happens after the bridge, or between choruses. It’s often done to add interest to a otherwise typical pop song (see: “You’re The Inspiration”, Chicago, “A Moment Like This”, Kelly Clarkson) or, in the interest of the church, to repeat lyrics in a more emphatic way than just playing another chorus straight. The worship leader lets you know that this time around, when we Shout To The Lord, we’re gonna mean it, and we’re going to make it a little more enthusiastic.

The only trouble is, key changes can be difficult, especially in the church. If you start in C or G (known as “Jesus’ Favorite Keys”) and move up a half or whole step, you’re looking at a minimum of two sharps (C to D), and as many as five flats (C to Db), and those notes are, well, just really super hard. This is why you’ll often hear key changes when the church choir sings with a prerecorded track–leave the key changing to the professionals, and the choir doesn’t even have to know it changed keys at all, and likely won’t.

If your worship band is talented enough to smoothly pull off the illustrious and inspirational key change, then consider yourself lucky. It increases the worship experience, making worship that much more meaningful. The thought is that raising the key ‘raises’ the congregation, thus bringing us a whole (or a half) step closer to God. Which is why there won’t be key changes in Heaven.

We’ll already be there.