The Dangers Of Clapping

We’ve all heard it before – “let’s put our hands together!” Clapping is a way to get our folks involved – it’s a great way to help the congregation to physically respond. However, it can be fraught with dangers (just trying to ramp up the drama factor here a bit)… Chief among these dangers is the dreaded rhythmic train wreck – when the rhythm of the crowd starts varying from the rhythm on the platform (or even from itself). Yet another is the rhythmically challenged “clap leader.,” who messes up the rhythm, or – worse yet – claps on one & three!
To avoid problems, make sure that the leader has a good sense of rhythm, that there’s a solid beat to clap along with (don’t clap to a capella songs), and that no one claps on one and three!