How do you tell right from wrong?

I'm not talking about good and evil (well, not strictly anyway) but instead good arrangements from bad arrangements for worship music.

One of the advantages of the position I've 'enjoyed' in BCC is that I get to review how we put our music together. While I'm by no means perfect (my dear friend Jane often has to correct the keys I try to use, and occasionally vice versa ;-) I can hear when a chord arrangement doesn't suit a song for ordinary people to sing together. So it's been interesting being involved in another church that uses other peoples arrangements (not their own) and CDs.

There are a lot of really lousy arrangements out there, being recorded by professionals.

In fact that's the key, really. Because they are professionals they can sing through the innappropriate chord choice, poor rhythms, ridiculous pitches and naff styles while making it, if not good, then at least not screamingly awful.

Examples? In church a couple of weeks back we had 'There's a place' used from a CD (I have no idea whose recording it was) that at first listen sounded like the bland mix used for congregational worship. And then we tried to sing. It must have been pitched a good 2 tones above what was comfy for most people: you could see peoples bugging eyes a strained expressions as they tried to push for the higher notes. But worst of all, the arrangement completely emasculated the song, using a turgid progression in the chorus that sounded more like 'Puppy Love' than 'Rockin All Over The World', which is where it should be.

Another example came last night.

The song 'Majesty' has been around seemingly forever. I remember learning this one around the same time 'Make Way' was happening (Graham Kendrick moment anyone?) and the chord progression that should support the song is clear, obvious and unambiguous. In the chorus there's a strong movement of contrast that requires a B chord, before resolving back down to D - "Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the king". This was written into the music when I learned it, and if it hadn't been I'd have wondered what should go there and sought it out.

So why is it that every other version I find as online tab (including some apparently official ones) hold a G there before resolving to the D? It is singable, sure, but it crunches like a bull in a room full of Wedgewoods finest. There's a whole bunch of other obvious chords that lead the musical progression through the song that have been lost/left out/never noticed too.

After worship practice last night I played through the version I knew of the song to one of the other guitar players and someone heard what I was doing and sang to it. His immediate reaction was "can you score that for me?".

Maybe it's the internet age, that lets every man do what's right in his own eyes and then tell the world about it. For the same reason I have trouble with 'ordinary' people writing 'Christian' books (too many of them seem un-necessary and indulgent) people publishing tabs that are wrong for songs don't help others, so much as confuse the issue. And when something has been recognised as RIGHT by making it into print (albeit tab from a website "I know it's true, I found it on the internets") it's darn difficult to unpick and correct.

Maybe I'm now just old skool and old fashioned (tune - who needs one of those?). This was not meant to be a rant. Hmmm.

So, other musicians out there, how do YOU tell good from bad, right from wrong, wet from rocking, or do you just accept whatever is presented to you and like it?

p.s. if anyone would like 'my' arrangement let me know.