Worship Band Series

The Worship Band Series features a long list of popular praise and worship songs arranged for praise band or church orchestra. The series was developed and currently edited by PraiseCharts veteran arranger, Dan Galbraith.  These arrangements are generally geared towards a contemporary “rhythm and horns” praise band sound, but will focus on whatever section of the orchestra is appropriate for the artist’s track.  They are eminently scalable, from a small string section, brass section, or woodwind section, all the way up to a medium-sized church orchestra, or any combination thereof.  Also, the music director may “pare down” the orchestrations if need be for his particular situation. Orchestral parts are written with lines and stylings appropriate for each instrument. These orchestrations are written at an intermediate/advanced level, and should be appropriate for high school students, adult amateurs and pros alike. Every arrangement includes at least two keys: the original key and an alternate key. Click here see a complete list of songs in the Worship Band Series.  That will narrow the list of titles down to only those that have Chord Charts available.

Orchestration Features

  • Worship Flow - The arrangements are designed for the flow of live worship. All parts have lyric cues and section numbers to aid players in keeping their place, giving the worship leader freedom to make impromptu changes as the Spirit leads or simply follow the chart as written.
  • Rhythm section - The Rhythm part is for the section player (pianist, guitarist, or drummer) with all the specific rhythms and chords necessary for the arrangement. The Lead Sheet is a combination rhythm and vocal chart meant for the vocalists, worship leader, or rhythm player needing more vocal cues. The Piano-Vocal part includes a full piano part for those not comfortable with playing from a chord chart. When playing with a complete band the pianist would be advised to simplify this part in order to "stay out of the way".
  • Vocals - We include an SAT Lead Sheet and a SATB Piano-Vocal score. When using the SAT part (soprano/alto/tenor), the baritone/basses should sing the melody (soprano) down an octave – any exceptions are listed on the score. When the part is written in unison, the men should sing it down one octave or it may be done as a solo. This method provides a contemporary sound that is very appropriate for modern praise music.
  • Alternate keys - There is at least one alternate key included with every orchestration.  It is chosen to accommodate a guitar‐based band, to give the orchestra a more playable key, or to make the vocal range more accessible.
  • Rehearsal aids - Rehearsal numbers are given in the form of “1”, “2”, and “3”, providing the easy use of finger signals by the worship leader who may want to make impromptu changes during worship. Normally, “1” is the verse of the song, “2” is the chorus, and “3” is a bridge or other section, but there are exceptions. When a section is repeated in its entirety later in the arrangement, it is labeled “1a” or “2a”, etc. All endings and repeats are clearly notated to facilitate these impromptu changes. Finally, each instrumental part includes lyric cues to aid the player in keeping their place.
  • Brass stylings - For most titles, the brass parts should be interpreted with jazz articulations and inflections in mind, not “legit” orchestral treatments. They have been notated very carefully to aid the player in this interpretation.

Instrumental Parts Included Rhythm Section

  • Lead Sheet (SAT) - for worship leader and vocal team
  • Piano/Vocal (SATB) - a piano part and SATB vocals
  • Acoustic Guitar - modified rhythm part in capo keys
  • Rhythm - detailed chart for keyboard, guitars and drums

Core Brass

  • Trumpet 1-2
  • Alto Sax (or Trumpet 3)
  • Trombone 1 (or Tenor Sax 1)

Additional Parts

  • Trumpet 3 (doubles Alto Sax)
  • Tenor Sax 1-2 (doubles Trombone 1-2)
  • Trombone 2
  • Bass Trombone/Tuba
  • Bari Sax (doubles Bass Trombone)
  • Percussion 1-2 (Timpani, Bells, Sus, Cym, etc.) - extra percussion part
  • Horn 1-2 (aka French Horn)

String & Wind Section

  • Flute/Oboe 1-3
  • Clarinet (doubles Flute 3)
  • Individual string parts (Violin, Viola, Cello-Bass) - note, all multi-note parts are divisi, unless otherwise indicated
  • String Reduction - string reduction for keyboards

Additional Notes

The Worship Band Series has developed over time since 2001.  Earlier arrangements may have some slight variations in instrumentation.  For example, prior to 2006, the arrangements did not include individual string parts, the vocals were only available in SAT voicing, etc.  However, you will be able to preview the exact parts included on the song detail page before making your purchase.