Happy New Year!...
...I'm sorry it's a little belated! I trust you had a refreshing break over Christmas, and that 2007 will be a fruitful and rewarding year for you.
I thought I'd briefly update you on some new projects and dates that are coming up...
First, I'm planning with Kingsway a new 50 song songbook of my stuff. What will make it slightly different is that the songs will include full piano arrangement with separate melody line (I'll explain the thinking on this in a moment). It will also include all the songs from the "Monument to Mercy" album, with piano parts as close to the recording as I can get them!
Why separate melody line? Well, I do quite a few keyboard seminars during the year, and I always encourage keyboard players to free themselves from playing the tune, so they can develop the more contemporary style of playing that many songs these days require. However, many keyboard players have (quite rightly) come back to me complaining that the sheet music in the songbooks and on the kingswaysongs.com website encourage exactly the opposite - they incorporate the melody in the right hand!
There are very practical reasons why this practice continues in the sheet music world (which I won't go into now), but the long and short of it is, the new songbook will have separate melody line! In fact, we're thinking of a format of songbook where the songs are printed in a melody line only format with guitar chords etc (this I personally believe is the ideal format for guitarists, singers, bass players and all keyboard players who just want the chords, not the dots), and the full piano arrangements are on a CD Rom in the back of the book. This means that a) people can print out just the piano parts they want, b) the book won't assume the proportions of a telephone directory, and c) consequently it won't cost the earth!
Sheet music formats are an important issue at the moment, so if you want to have you say on what this and other Kingsway songbooks look and feel like, post your comments here.
Apart form the songbook, there are various dates coming up which I will shortly be posting on the 'diary dates' section. Suffice to say, the summer will be extremely busy, with the usual trip to New Horizon in N Ireland closely followed by my first ever visit to the Keswick Bible Week. Then I'm leading worship at one evening of the FIEC gathering in Cheltenham, then a week at Lee Abbey in Devon. Dates and contact details if you want to come along in the "Diary Dates" shortly.
Keep in touch!
Stuart
Stuart,
Our church has been so blessed by your songs. My wife, Nancy and I lead a monthly meeting called "The Father's Touch" at our church (The Vineyard at Tuttle Crossing, Dublin, Ohio, USA). It seems that everytime our worship band plays, "How Deep the Father's Love", or "In Christ Alone", a powerful presence of Holy Spirit occurs. Do you have any plans to come to the United States or Canada? We often visit the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, in Canada. Keep following Holy Spirit around and blessing your brothers and sisters in Christ!!!!
God Bless You,
Steve Murray
Posted by: Stephen Murray | January 18, 2007 at 12:04 AM
I will like to ask you how you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.
Posted by: Faith Tillman | January 22, 2007 at 02:12 AM
Regarding the sheet music issue...this is a tricky one and I can see both sides of the 'argument'. Personally I prefer having as many dots as possible - this is because I learnt to play the piano classically and my improvisation skills are not amazing... We shall see what happens though. Looking forward to seeing the piano arrangements from 'Monument to Mercy' transcribed!
Posted by: Rebecca Williams | January 22, 2007 at 01:58 PM
I have the Kingsway Songs 001 and 002 CDROMs and I much prefer this form of publishing to traditional books.
We have a licence to reproduce sheet music in our church (the CCLI MRL) and I like being able to print off stuff as I need it.
Rather than wading through a stack of tatty books with torn pages, I can print off a nice clean set of large A4 sheets on demand.
And I really like the mixed format of the KS CDs (i.e. piano, guitar, topline and acetates). As a pianist I tend to gravitate to the piano format, but I'm using the topline format more and more because it like having ALL the words aligned with with music, and because it is easier to use in a band context (i.e. when I'm not expected to play all the notes).
It would be good to see some topline parts for the common transposing instruments too.
I'm not sure how useful the acetates format really is these days, and I would find RTF or Word format much more useful when importing stuff into projection software.
Posted by: Phil | January 23, 2007 at 11:07 PM
Stuart,
My husband and I attended the Mission:Worship conference in Eastbourne this past November and I've been meaning to write ever since. What a blessing! We both enjoyed your music and your teaching and are already sharing your songs with our praise band.
Special thanks from me for the keyboard seminar (I'm classically trained too and am making feeble attempts to 'get away from the dots'). Very much looking forward to your songbook with "Monument to Mercy" -- I think the format you're talking about will be a tremendous help in making the 'translation' from dots to chords.
And I second Steve's question above re when are you coming to the States again? :)
Many blessings!
Posted by: Peg Bowman | January 26, 2007 at 01:27 AM
Stuart,
How funny that I came over here today to look for sheet music for your songs.
What I would love to have available is the kind of piano accompanyment you are talking about that does not have the melody incorporated. I have some books like this from other artists, and I love to accompany a soloist on these songs.
I have heard a recording of you (I'm guessing) singing How Deep the Father's Love, and it was with just a piano in the background. Or maybe a guitar, I can't remember. But if the piano music is available in this form, please let us know!
Posted by: Amy | January 28, 2007 at 12:12 AM
Stuart,
I am completed hooked on the 'Monument to Mercy' album with all the different piano arrangements, so I can't wait for the new music book! With regards to the layout of sheet music; as someone who plays keyboard and sings at the same time, I have to agree with Phil. It is so much easier if ALL of the words are aligned with the music so that I don't have to keep looking across to see the words. Just a thought...
Anna
Posted by: Anna | February 04, 2007 at 01:56 PM
Hey,
Nice to meet you.
I came here when I typed "Stuart Townend".
And I can find your page.
I looked your page.
I think I must live for Him more.
I have taken so much(xo) of your time.
Thank you for reading my comment.
From Japan...
Posted by: Akiko | February 23, 2007 at 04:16 PM
Hi Stuart
I'm from Argentina South America. I'm a full time worker there, my wife is Fiona (a scottish beautiful lady). Just now we are in furlogh till 13th march and I listend a lot of times your songs in Brunstfiel Evangelical Church. I love your songs and we are traslating them to our languaje SPANISH. I want to know if your song are in spanish and if you give us permission to do it?
My favorite song is "oh to see the dawn".
God bless you in all your ways. Go ahead!
Heber Alfredo Gallitto
Posted by: heber | February 25, 2007 at 03:25 PM
Hi,
I just wanted to say thanks. Several years ago my Dad was dealing with a lot of stuff and I sent him a recording of "How Deep the Father's Love". I had all but forgotten about it until a couple of days ago. My Dad just turned 60 and when asked what he wanted on his birthday cake he answered 'my favorite song, "How Deep the Father's Love".'
What a wonderful way to celebrate.
Posted by: Claire | February 26, 2007 at 11:09 PM
Hi Heber
Thanks for your commenst on the songs. To find out about song permissions you need to get in touch with Kingsway (tym@kingsway.co.uk), as they copntrol the translations.
Stuart
Posted by: Stuart | March 09, 2007 at 08:51 PM
Dear Stuart, I saw you at the Keswick convention,I was the cheeky one who pushed to the front of the que when buying your album, I just want to let you know I love the "monumentto mercy album" when you did the For every Child song with that backing track it just gave me goose bumps and just blew me away and knew I HAD to have it, I have now become a BIG fan of yours, I didnt realise you wrote so many of the songs I love and sing . A big THANK YOU.
LOVE MARY
Posted by: MARY HATT | August 02, 2007 at 06:36 PM
As a note trained pianist and not having a great ear I have to agree with Rebecca and Peg re getting the notes and if it's what's on the album even better i.e a transcription from the album. This is especially true where the only instrument available is a piano or keyboard as in my case. Having said all that having the melody and chords is also important and I am trying to make an effort to improve my improvisation given the chords.
Posted by: Robert | September 04, 2007 at 02:16 PM
For Easter my Children's Choir is singing How Deep The Father's Love For Us. It is beautiful and I wish you could hear it :-)
Blessings,
Pam
Posted by: Pam | March 11, 2008 at 04:41 AM
For Easter my Children's Choir is singing How Deep The Father's Love For Us. It is beautiful and I wish you could hear it :-)
Blessings,
Pam
Posted by: Pam | March 11, 2008 at 04:41 AM