Need your advice on attending Mass

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Not everyone is going to be a professional musician.

Do you ever just get together with friends and sing? Family sing alongs after dinner?

Imagine at your next family reunion or Thanksgiving dinner, someone wants to play a game of baseball or football in the back yard. Should people refuse to play because they are not professional athletes?

Singing only regulated the professionals would make for a very sad world. And I say this from three generations of professional musicians.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Imagine at your next family reunion or Thanksgiving dinner, someone wants to play a game of baseball or football in the back yard. Should people refuse to play because they are not professional athletes?
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Intetesting way of putting it.
I have played sone football with some frienda or family without asking everyone to be a Zlatan. I was never really good at football.
But I guess it would be more chaotic if I tried to make all the people at Mass play football.
At Mass we can’t even agree upon the good singing key. One would think Silent night is in a good key but it is too low.

I guess I have a problem with this: I am not supposed to sing naturally at Mass. They choose complicated keys. Also, some may even play the organ too fast.
It is very hard when you cannot be yourself at Mass. I shouod try to be like all the other guy but want to be myself.
Am I the only obe with this experience?
 
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The person selecting the music for mass will most often use the key that is in the hymnal. If this key is not good for you, then, sing a harmony part.
 
jesusmademe said:
You teach music outside Mass.
Is Mass a time for teaching the art of singing?
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We have choir practice, a lot of it. We learn so we can lead, we learn so we can go into hospitals etc at sing at Christmas. We learn parts, we identify who can do what wih their voice.

we are volunteer. I also learn from a professional voice teacher, and am now stepping up to do some of the descant and lead the melody a little stronger.

But if you learn voice, you will know it takes a few years to sing and a lifetime to do it well.

How do we teach the Assembly? is that your second question?

Some of the Liturgical Music enacts the rite. Did you know that?
 
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Or they just choose a better higher key!!
It is easy! Just transpose it from D to F.
 
Right now my neighbour, a teen, is learning the violin. and practising it . I enjoy hearing his practice, and he stumbles and gets better.
 
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Are you trained as a professional musician? Most of us who are trained know how to adapt when singing with a group, as I said, by singing a part that suits our range.

Sing the alto line, the bass line, etc.
 
I guess I just wanna fit in and be accepted as I am but they don’t want me as I am. I don’t feel accepted in the social group at Mass. I should problably join the choir or attend a low Mass.
 
I have no idea, i dont read music. I do it by ear. We have in the Choir, very low voices to very high A flats and above. We do not pitch music at a range the Assembly would struggle with. And mostly that is speaking voice range. But we do the Great Amen, the Holy Holy, the Lamb of God, and the Psalm verses a little differently.

I ask again, are you in Music Minostry, if not, I bet they would really appreciate someone with a little knowledge and you could then start suggesting the Assembly needs hymns better pitched to sing.

Join the Choir!
 
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I guess I am the only one who dont fit in at Mass.
You find attending Mass something easy but I don’t.
I guess that if you are different you don’t feel that you fit in with the rest of the group.
What works for most people should work for me but it doesn’t. I have tried not to care about the music at Mass but I just felt like I was rolling my thumbs waiting for the hymns to end.
That felt weird.
Then if you really think about it the Priest also faces the people all the time. I guess I am not very comfortable with the Priest never facing the Liturgical east which is more correct.
We have many problems at Mass. Too many.
But I guess everyrhing is about confession your sins in the booth and the attend Mass and recieve communion. If the details are bad Jesus still helps me go to heaven. The Priests are still Priest.
 
No one putting on a show at mass - their singing their praise to God its not about how you sound. I don’t think its right that someone should not sing their praise to God because it bothers others. So should they remain silent so they don’t offend anyone or is it about God?
 
jesusmademe said:
You are saying that I should never sing at a Mass unless I am in the choir?
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You’re kind of saying that I should never sing at Mass. I’m a very mediocre singer who can carry a tune if I’m sitting next to a strong singer. Unfortunately, I’m usually sitting next to my husband, who is tone deaf, but sings anyway. God bless him! And I usually sit in front of a really nice man who has a very strong singing voice, but he messes up the words a lot. We have a very small congregation and a chanted Divine Liturgy. Congregational singing is an integral part of our prayer.
 
Attending Mass can be exhausting. There are so many weird things going on. And then too many people.
Do people really find it relaxing to attend Mass. I talked to a Priest who would have such an experience.
How is it possible to have such an experience?
Any tips?
I am not sure what the Priest used to do (he is dead now) but he told me that I should be grateful that I exist. He said his only wish was to know God. Maybe I get cought up in the details.
 
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True but alle alle alleiula and all are welcome sung by 4th rate singers and a electronic keyboard on organ setting with a piano drowning out the keyboard with a cantor who hardly speaks English does not lift my heart to God.
 
Then volunteer for the music ministry or start donating enough money to bring in a professional music director.
 
jesusmademe said:
Attending Mass can be exhausting. There are so many weird things going on. And then too many people.
Do people really find it relaxing to attend Mass. I talked to a Priest who would have such an experience.
How is it possible to have such an experience?
Any tips?
I am not sure what the Priest used to do (he is dead now) but he told me that I should be grateful that I exist. He said his only wish was to know God. Maybe I get cought up in the details.
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I encourage you to find a spiritual director and talk through this with him.
 
babochka said:
We have a very small congregation and a chanted Divine Liturgy. Congregational singing is an integral part of our prayer.
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True! I have a horrible voice, but our pastor said he wants everyone to sing.
 
We are ALL supposed to sing together, regardless of ability, because it is a way to praise God in unison. It unites us. We are, after all, the Church. All of us are members of one body. Focus on that unity rather than on the ability of others.

It doesn’t matter if you or the people around you “can’t sing”. It’s still important to sing praises together. This is an ancient form of worship.
 
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jesusmademe said:
Attending Mass can be exhausting. There are so many weird things going on. And then too many people.
Do people really find it relaxing to attend Mass. I talked to a Priest who would have such an experience.
How is it possible to have such an experience?
Any tips?
Click to expand...
There may be something valid or even physiological at the root of your agitation. Have you ever been diagnosed with any sensory processing issues? One of my children struggles with too much noise and stimulation, especially in large crowds. This condition can extend well into the adult years and can make the average Mass a struggle to attend. I’m not sure if you think that’s a possibility worth exploring, but I thought I’d throw the idea into the ring . . .

If this is the case, and early-morning Mass may indeed be your best bet.
 
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