What do u do when someone sings a song u dont know?

[Cmajor13]

I dont like to play something i dont know but my pastor want me to at lease try and follow them, but the sad thing to that is when you are trying to follow the singer they will sometimes look at you like u dont know what u are doing or they will wave their hand for u to stop. I dont know about u all but to me that is putting me on blast because to the congregation it looks like u dont know what u r doing. I dont see how people what u to play a song like the tape when u never heard it before....so if any one have any tips for me please help a brother out.

[under13]

I simply dont play. There is no point in making yourself as well as the soloist look bad.

[GodChosinOne]

 
 i usually jus play in the key they are singing in and follow along.. but i kinda feel where your coming from...

[BroAllan]

I dont like to play something i dont know but my pastor want me to at lease try and follow them, but the sad thing to that is when you are trying to follow the singer they will sometimes look at you like u dont know what u are doing or they will wave their hand for u to stop. I dont know about u all but to me that is putting me on blast because to the congregation it looks like u dont know what u r doing. I dont see how people what u to play a song like the tape when u never heard it before....so if any one have any tips for me please help a brother out.

I've had similar experiences ... As a musician, you understand how important it is to be playing the right chords and notes, especially when you accompany someone.  Part of the problem is that as we listen to the melody line, we try and figure out the chords and progression that we think go along with it.  But by doing so, we can throw off the person singing because we may be playing something that clashes with the melody.

Yeah, there were times that I've tried to play a song I've never heard, and then there were times that I just sat it out because I felt it was the best thing to do.

Then you have some musicians who aren't afraid to accompany someone even if they never heard the song.
I remember this one particular time when my family and I sang a special.  The keyboardist, (this guy is gifted and can play beautifully), as we were singing, he played nice chords and progressions, BUT ... the chords he played didn't always flow with the song, and it actually became a distraction.

Two points I'm sharing is:

1.  Playing the chords with the melody note in it isn't always the right chord ... the right chord might be a
    minor or diminished and you might play a major, or vice versa.  That will tend to mislead the singer.

2.  People who don't play or know about playing music, don't understand how difficult it is to play a song
    you've never heard before. They think that we as musicians can play anything!

Anyway, that's just my experience ...  BroAllan 

[spider5]

If I have not practiced with that person, then I am not going to play, because though you may know the pattern of the song that singer may want to try something different, and I dont want to be going east and they are going west causing a lot of problems. Don't be embarrased if you don't know it you just don't know it, but afterwards go home and practice that song for next time. Musicians do not know every song at every moment, and sometimes we know how to play beautiful chords taht may go along with the song, but the whole thing about playing gospel music is ensuring that the music ministers and not playing it because it sounds good to you. God wants us to minister to him in everything we do and that is what is most important, not what the audience thinks about you not playing. This is about God and not us.   

[Travis T]

the singer.

2.  People who don't play or know about playing music, don't understand how difficult it is to play a song
    you've never heard before. They think that we as musicians can play anything!

Anyway, that's just my experience ...  BroAllan 

I Have The Same Problem my church sings old songs from the slave days,one enample"Aint No Wata Doan In Hell"LOL (Ain't No Water Down In Hell)Sometimes I Just dont play because I dont know the song.

[Travis T]

*example

[B3Wannabe]

Usually, I'll just listen to the song for the first turn-around to hear the progressions, then I can play along after that. When they get to the vamp, I play behind them until they begin to loop, then I can play with them.

[ddw4e]

Usually, I'll just listen to the song for the first turn-around to hear the progressions, then I can play along after that. When they get to the vamp, I play behind them until they begin to loop, then I can play with them.

Pretty much the same way.

[T-Block]

Usually, I'll just listen to the song for the first turn-around to hear the progressions, then I can play along after that. When they get to the vamp, I play behind them until they begin to loop, then I can play with them.

CO-SIGN!!!  If that fails, then I don't play at all.

[B3Wannabe]

Usually, I'll just listen to the song for the first turn-around to hear the progressions, then I can play along after that. When they get to the vamp, I play behind them until they begin to loop, then I can play with them.

Pretty much the same way.

CO-SIGN!!!  If that fails, then I don't play at all.

And there you have it!

[Cmajor13]

 Thanks for the responds they were all helpful....Be Bless

[reg1985]

i just play soft until i figure out the songs 

[SoundofJoy]

Most of the time depending upon the song theres a rhyme to reason approach. You will find that some singers really don't know the melody to the song they're singing. If they did, then you will "find" the generic chords that follow the melody for example:

If they start of with this meldoy - E, E, E, E............D,D....F,F,F,F.....E.........A, B, C..>G, F ,D...D,E, F#, G..........

Now after the first for notes you should Know the song
hint(Great is thy faithfulness)
The chords can start off genEric then build to advanced as the song progresses. The worst thing to do is give a soloist too much music in the beginning of the song.
Let the soloist have space in their singing......anyway here are the chords

 E,..... E.., E,........ E............D,D....F,F,F,....F.....E.................A,...... B,... C...............<G,.... F................E.........D,.......E,.......... F#,...... G..........
C/C9/2,... A/Gdim, D/F7.......D/F/1...G/F6/1,.....Fm6..C/C7/2....F/F/2...G/2..F#/Cdim/1..G/C..Ab/Dmin7/2...A/A/r......D/D/2..C#/Gdim..C/D7/4......B/G2

My music course is teaches you to recognize chord names and apply them to melodies.

[ferrente]

And there you have it!

Co-Sign!!!!!

[KurzLand]

I don't play at all!

[musallio]

heehehe...good thing i read this post..now I'll know what to do when they pull those on me

[anointedpianist92]

Well, I know how you feel.  Before I didn't play because I didn't want to be embarrased, but in order to progress in playing by ear, I had to try something.  So at first I tried to figure out what key they were in.  (This is good if you know all your keys, and possibly chords).  If you don't, then always try C# or C.  Then, I played the simple keys (not chords) that sounded right.  Such as C,D,E (if that was the melody of course).  Then I either just pounded those keys throughout the whole song (such as C-a higher C, D-a higher D, E-a higher E), or I would attempt to create the chords for each of those keys.  (C-E-G, D-F-A, E-G-B)(with the C,D,E as the bass).  Last but not least, if you are really stuck, you could bang some keys in the middle.  Such as C-?-?-C, and so on.

Also, this is played quietly, while they sing the first verse and chorus, then turn it up and start jamming!  I guess you have to have a pretty good memory too, cause you can only learn in once.  Oh, and most old black songs have the same melody if you think about it.  I play the melody for Sign Me Up and What An Awesome God and Victory is Mine for like every song, with some few exceptions...

Sometimes it doesn't sound how I would like it, but after church everybody is congratulating me about how good I did.

*HINT* If it is a very slow song or a song that the singer really gets into (Encourage Yourself, Never Would Have Made It), then it was meant to be sung accapella anyway.

That's probably confusing, but maybe if you read over it again...
~anointedpianist92~

[Lilralph]

you should practice with the choir and ask them is what beat is it and just follow .thats good ur trying some organist just don't try.

[3rd-Day]

I dont like to play something i dont know but my pastor want me to at lease try and follow them, but the sad thing to that is when you are trying to follow the singer they will sometimes look at you like u dont know what u are doing or they will wave their hand for u to stop. I dont know about u all but to me that is putting me on blast because to the congregation it looks like u dont know what u r doing. I dont see how people what u to play a song like the tape when u never heard it before....so if any one have any tips for me please help a brother out.

I stop playing.