I have been trained in leading congregational singing starting when I was about 4 years old. I'm not bad at it. Whenever I think of the Biblical story of the talents I always think that this is mine. I don't speak well, in either casual conversation or public address. I always feel very awkward saying a prayer out loud (leading prayer) during a worship service, and I'm no good at putting lessons together. But I can lead singing.
I should explain that I am part of a church that does not use mechanial instruments in the worship service. This is why someone who knows how to read music and pitch a song is necessary for good congregational singing. Not all congregations have any such person. Most of the time, their singing is not all that uplifting (in my experience).
Anyway, I led singing today for the first time in a long, long time.
I had been part of a different congregation near here for almost my whole life, until a few years ago when they combined with a "Spanish-speaking" congregation and went bilingual. Suddenly I was left out of half the song service because I don't sing in Spanish. I was no longer able to lead singing there for the same reason. I started going somewhere else.
So, it was very nice today to lead singing again, for the first time in 2 or 3 years. I can expect it to happen more often now, and will probably have to start exercising my voice a little. Singing the soprano line an octave low is always hard on my voice. I normally sing the tenor part and feel best when I'm up in the top part of my range. Dipping down into the lower parts too often wears me out.
I use an A 440 tuning fork to pitch songs. I also have a middle C fork as a back-up. Some people use a pitch pipe, which consists of one (usually) chromatic scale and requires that you blow into it. I use a fork. I'm good enough in music that I can easily jump from one note to whatever key the song is in.
I finally feel like I'm part of this congregation, and that I'm glad and thankful that I'm able to use my talent once more.
