Advancing lyric slides is really important and all to often new CG operators don’t realize the effect missing the cue for lyric slides as on the congregation. This is not as easy as it would seem, and all to often I see new volunteers set in front of Pro Presenter and trained on how to operate the software, but not carefully trained on how & when to advance the slides.
I feel really strongly about this. It is really important that the lyrics on the screen are not late (behind the worship leader). It is also equally important that the lyrics are not to fast. Not only does this impact the people in the room, but also the vocalists on stage that are relying on the words…
Look at this example and try to sing along with it while reading the words.
(warning: this is NOT the way to do it)
You can see from that video, how difficult it is. This obviously puts people into an awkward and uncomfortable feeling and they will stop singing all together.
Take a look at this version and see how much easier it is to sing along with:
Notice, the slide changes before reaching the last word on the slide. That is because we read ahead of what we’re singing. By cuing up a little earlier it gives the singer a chance to get the upcoming words before they need them. **Caution:** Advancing the slide too early can have a counter effect. If the slide is changed before they have a chance to completely read the last line they will be lost. So be careful not to over compensate.
This third version has yellow arrows marking the cue point of when to advance to the next slide.
Also notice, the first slide appears before David starts singing. This is important. We need to give people a second or two to get the words cued up. This can be accomplished by either A) knowing the song and arrangement very well (ie. there are 8 bars of instrumental between the chorus and verse—and you know how to count bars), or B) watching the worship leader.
Another thing to notice that two short, fast words (ie. my king) could be counted as one word and cue at the beginning of “my,” instead of “king.” The reason is simple; “my king” is sung as myking. If you wait until you get to “king,” you’ll be too late.
When the song has a phrase break in it, such as between “nothing Lord is hindering this passion and my soul,” {breath} “And I’ll become…” you have a little more leeway in cuing. With those types of phrases, you can make the slide change happen during the breath.
Cuing Slides for SLOW songs
Changing slides is one of the hardest things to teach. It takes being able to count, almost instinctively, and know the music well. Slower songs can actually be more difficult than faster songs. There is a graceful balance in not advancing to soon and advancing to late.
Watch this example. (warning: this is NOT the way to do it)
The slides in that example were late every time. Also, notice on the bridge the words were not removed. That is confusing remove the lyrics if there is nothing to sing.
Now watch this example of advancing correctly.
How do you decide where to cue a slow-moving song like that?
For the answer to that question, we need to dive into a little music theory. First you need to know that songs are broken up in to measures (or bars). Each measure has a specific number of beats in it. This song is written in 6/8 time. This means that each measure is made up of 6 eight notes, and the beat happens on 1 and 4.As you listen to the song, you can count along; 1,2,3,4,5,6; 2,2,3,4,5,6; 3,2,3,4,5,6; 4,2,3,4,5,6. That represents 4 measures.
Here’s another example with some beat markers thrown in to illustrate the point.
This is where paying close attention during the rehearsal is so important and if possible listen to the songs ahead of time .If you know that a song has a 4-bar intro, you can count right along and get the words up just before the lyrics start or when there is a 4-bar instrumental between verse 1 and verse 2.
Content for this article was extracted from a blog post by Mike Sessler at www.churchtecharts.com
