A Simple Way to Start Chanting
Intoning the Words of Scripture in an Accessible Way
Many evangelicals are uninterested in chanting because they are uneasy about trying it. It can be done, and one way to succeed is not taking on too much from the start. The trick is starting at an entry level. What do I mean by that? Think: walking before running. Chanting is not uniform or identical in how it is sung or scored. Like everything, there are numerous types and subtypes. It can be confusing, overwhelming, if not odd, to our modern ears.
On the whole, chanting aims to allow the text of scripture to literally be “exalted” (or lifted up) on an elevated set of sounds that are still speech-driven. We want the scriptures to dwell with us richly. We want to sing God’s words as part of our response of praise. Chanting often sounds alien to our modern sensibilities because we live with music filled with countless combinations of complex melodies, harmonies, rhythms, etc. Additionally, chant does not exist in a 4/4 common sing-song meter. Its rhythm is irregular and driven by the text it carries. That is hard for many of us hymnal-trained singers who cut our teeth on hymns with each syllable sounding a quarter note value in 3/4 or 4/4 time.
If you are unsure what I mean or don’t have training in reading music notation, look at these eight Lutheran tones below.
Eight Lutheran Psalm Tones
You do not have to start with a particular lettered tone. I often will introduce folks to chanting by using Tone D.1
I believe in “sounding out” the music in a similar way that we used phonics to sound out new words when we were in school. Look again at Tone D. Give each note a solfege syllable and sound out the tone.
Sing the solfege. Hum the shape of the line. Then find some pointed chant notation that keeps the markings to a minimum and focuses on the text. Here is an audio recording of me singing this Tone D on solfege. (Forgive my voice, for I am fighting off a bit of a head cold.)
The text below is pointed in this simplified notation, and I’ve added the solfege for you. If you read music, you may not need the solfege. But many do not read music.
Here is a video that a friend showed me demonstrating the Psalm Tone chant above. He does not use the solfege to sound it out. Instead, he demonstrates the Gloria Patri text above sung to Tone D.
Notice that the notation is simplified by utilizing only barlines and asterisks to show how the tone fits the text. In my opinion, this is the simplest form to start with—especially if you are trying this for yourself and not relying on someone to teach you. Pick up a print or Kindle copy of Concordia Publishing House’s “Reading the Psalms with Luther,” whose book cover is pictured above. It provides a short commentary on the psalm from Martin Luther, then the psalm text pointed, and then a brief concluding prayer. It uses the English Standard Version of the Scriptures.
Conclusion
This is a worthwhile resource for families or groups wanting to chant the Psalms together but not knowing how to begin. You have to start somewhere. Why not here? Just get comfortable singing one or two of the tone sets and sing that same tone for each Psalm passage. See how it will begin to “dwell with you richly.” There are numerous other ways to chant in unison and harmony that are rich and glorious. More could be said about that later by others. My hope here is to point folks to an accessible entry-level way to start chanting the scriptures. Therefore, I cheerfully commend these Lutheran tones and text pointing to you.
These are the psalm tones printed in the 2006 Lutheran Service Book from Concordia Publishing House. There are other tones out there. These are accessible, simple, and clear in their layout.