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Non-lexical syllables. Some cultures in Asia like to sing songs with non-lexical syllables. They are vocables or "untalkables," words or syllables without specific meaning. They gain meaning from the title, the purpose or context, words sung before or after, or the singer's own mood and imagination. I propose that singing in non-lexical syllables may be comparable to St. Paul's idea of "sighs too deep for words" (Rom 8:27); that is, one may express something that is inexpressible. This can be further confirmed from the contemporary view of the Jewish tradition, as was pointed out recently by a Jewish cantor who said that the best kind of singing is wordless, which expresses the deepest and inner personal feelings. This may be demonstrated through the next hymn from the aborigines of Taiwan, Paiska Lau Paku. (See example 6.) 
The Bunun tribe in Taiwan builds its choral singing in overtone series, i.e. do-mi-sol. This can be demonstrated by the jew's-harp. When singing the Bunun people naturally divide into four or more parts to sing homophonically. In certain call and response songs, the congregation responds to the soloist with the non-lexical syllables U-I-HI, which do not have a particular meaning but express agreement or approval of the text just sung. These non-lexical syllables can mean "Yes, I agree," or "I support your words," or even "Amen." Note that the final cadence is in an open fifth without the mi. This is an authentic way of harmonizing without any Western influence. The above examples are just a few native or acculturated sounds of worship, using fingers/spoons, chopsticks, or forks. Some are genuinely indigenous; nothing has been added. Some are syncretic, that is, they mix two styles, with different degrees of Western influence and contextualization. I am pleased to report to you that the Christian Conference of Asia has published Sound the Bamboo: CCA Hymnal 2000, which contains 315 hymns from twenty-two countries in Asia, in forty-four languages, all with singable English translations. Through this collection you will be able to trace and discover some Asian musical identities, and get a general picture of how some Asians are struggling to contextualize our faith in worship. Some Innovative Sounds We have looked at examples of the range of contextualizations taking place in Asia. We turn now to focus more on innovation. There are pockets of innovation in Asia, where composers are adding something new, and stretching beyond both native and western tradition to worship God. Let's look at a few examples. Silence. Silent meditation is important in Asian culture. A composer from Bangladesh, Bart Shaha, made use of silence symbolically in composing a prayer of confession. His innovation involved the creation of two cycles, six counts each, of total silence. Although the music seems to have stopped, the sound of silence becomes the agent of "a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) speaking to us that we can hear only in total silence. This silence may also awaken our conscience to see our true sinful self, thus creating a genuine spirit for confession. As expressed by Madeline L'Engle, "The deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence."8 Let us experience this prayer by looking at "Lord, We Did Not Live Up to Your Teachings. Lord, Forgive Us" in Bengali (see example 7). 
Non-lexical syllables. These are used in various styles of music. Some composers are taking advantage of the nature of non-lexical syllables in a Christian context. For example, the Korean song "Ohoradiya" (see example 8) was originally associated with a farmers' dance during festivals. The syllables are shouts of joy and excitement. Geonyong Lee has adapted the singing style, and has transformed the non-lexical syllables ohoradiya sangsa diya into the meaning of "Hallelujah" by simply adding a parenthetical "Hallelujah" in the lyrics everywhere that ohoradiya appears. In this Psalm 150 Korean instruments have replaced all the biblical instruments. The composer has transformed the folk singing style into a hymn of highest praise. The way to sing this is for the leader to sing the ohoradiya, and for the congregation to repeat after. The leader will continue to sing other phrases, but the congregation still responds with the same ohoradiya, until the leader introduces a new ohoradiya, when the congregation changes accordingly. 
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