Last night, we had dinner with an elderly couple from the church, after which we stood around their piano to sing some hymns. In the preface to the hymnal, which was produced by the Evangelical Movement of Wales, was this list of instructions originally given by John Wesley on how to sing hymns:

1. Learn the tunes.
2. Sing them as printed.
3. Sing all. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find it a blessing.
4. Sing lustily and with good courage.
5. Sing modestly. Do not bawl.
6. Sing in time. Do not run before or stay behind.
7. Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself or any other creature. In order to do this, attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually.

It is not a bad list to check yourself against as you think about your own singing in worship, whatever the musical style.