Showing 11–20 of 25 results
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Psalm 11: Our God Is Still on the Throne
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_011-our_god_is_still_on_the_throne.mp3
Though a few millennia may obscure some of Psalm 11’s meaning, the theme is still relevant today: life can be scary, and sometimes even what seems reliable can crumble beneath us. Still, God is in control and watches over us. This song recasts Psalm 11’s timeless message in modern language and heartfelt Gospel-style music style.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 13: How Long?
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/how_long.mp3
Psalm 13 is the loneliest of Psalms. It begins with the famous words, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” In this song, I cast the “enemy” named in the Psalm as depression. The clues are all there: endless sorrow, feeling forgotten, emotional turmoil–even the lethargy and over-sleep that often accompanies depression. The Psalmist poignantly prays to be seen: “Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.” Certainly, we’ve all felt some of this at some point.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 135: I Know the Lord Is Great!
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_135-i_know_the_lord_is_great.mp3
Hunter Lynch’s lyric based on Psalm 135 is an exuberant ode to God’s might. It is accompanied by a funky gospel tune. It is likely more complicated than most congregations could tackle, but it would be perfect for Jazz or Gospel choirs.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 141: O Lord, I Call to You, Please Hear Me
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/Psalm-141_-O-Lord-I-Call-to-You.mp3
A jazz Psalm is out of the sweet spot of many congregations, but this might be a good place to start. A one-note refrain is paired with straightforward metrical verses. If I were leading this in a congregation, I’d likely have them sing that simple eight-measure phrase only, leaving the verses to a soloist until it became familiar.
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 143: O Lord, Hear My Prayer
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_143.mp3
One doesn’t usually associate jazz with responsorial Psalms. But as you can hear, this song has everything a good responsorial Psalm needs: a quickly learnable refrain, verses that can expand or contract to match the length of the text, and clear harmonic movement to support the chant. Give it a try!
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Psalm 146: Praise the Lord!
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_146-praise_the_lord.mp3
Charles Freeman wrote this text for Psalm 146, an exuberant Psalm of trust and praise. When I sat down at the piano to write the music, I immediately heard Black Gospel. I wanted this song to sit comfortably between Andraé Crouch’s “Bless the Lord” and James Moore’s “Taste and See.”
This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church, please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.
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Psalm 25: Foothold
Price range: $0.00 through $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page[embed]https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/foothold_COS_07.10.16.mp3[/embed]Debra Rienstra won the Fuller Seminary School of Psychology Fortieth Anniversary hymn competition with this hymn text based on Psalm 25. Originally paired with the hymntune KINGSFOLD, I wrote a new tune in a jazz ballad style that brings out the more prayerful, pleading, and melancholic aspects of the words.
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Psalm 26: Upheld
Price range: $0.00 through $5.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_026-upheld.mp3
Many Psalms talk about God putting them on solid rock, but only Psalms 26 and 143 use the phrase “level ground.” It echoes the words of Isaiah 40: “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” This image tells us that God is making a way, clearing a path for us.
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Psalm 28: My God, the Rock
$0.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagehttps://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_028-my_god_my_rock-sandy-1.mp3
Kate Bluett follows the three-part prayer we find in Psalm 28, teasing out the image of God the Rock, as opposed to the stony silence of a god who doesn’t hear people’s prayers. I wrote two tunes for her text and simply couldn’t decide which I like better. The first tune (SANDY, sample above) is a jazzy melody that gives the song a mournful, prayerful character and brings out the pathos of Kate’s text. The other tune (ROCKY, sample below) is more rustic and forceful, which gives the song confidence in the midst of a trial.
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_028-my_god_my_rock-rocky.mp3
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Psalm 63: You Are My God
https://musicblog.gregscheer.com/wp-content/uploads/psalm_063-you_are_my_god.mp3
Psalm 63 has a strong sense of longing throughout. Too often, our faith is fueled by duty, guilt, or habit. It is refreshing to hear the Psalmist expressing faith in such a passionate way. This song uses jazz’s rich harmonic vocabulary to portray Psalm 63’s intense emotions.