Hopefully Helpful Hymn Hints

Thursday, March 15, 2007
Hopefully Helpful Hymn Hints

Here are just a few helpful ideas I have learned along the way while playing for church. When I first began playing in church I was 9 years old. I had only been playing the piano for 2 years and didn't know how to play from a hymnbook -- so many notes, so little time, and only 10 fingers! YIPES!!! It wasn't until I went to college and learned the value of scales and chords with the hymns, that the hymns became easier. I have posted all of the scales and chords for you over on the Joyful Melodies blog, so feel free to copy them and post them at your piano or in your hymn book.

Get a hymnbook from church and make it your workbook. You will be writing in it and those notes will become priceless as the years go by!

Work on 3 hymns per week. Ask your pastor what hymns he likes to use most often and start learning those first. Keep a list of hymns you've learned well and perhaps your pastor can use those for awhile, while you are learning more.

Select a hymn that you are familiar with. At the top of the page, write in what key you are in (based on the key signature -- refer to Joyful Melodies if needed).

At the first beat of each measure, pencil in what left hand (LH) chord or note you will need for that measure. You can either use the chords I've given you, or you can just play the one single lowest note that is beat one of the measure. This note is known as the bass note.

Practice playing just the melody with the right hand (RH) alone. The melody notes are the notes that are the tune of the song, and also are the very top notes written in each group of notes on the page (see pic below).

If you can play the single melody notes with the RH, and a single note in the LH from the bass line, then you are ready to play for church! Eventually, we will add other "filler" notes to give more support, but for now, that's the starting point to playing congregational hymns.

The 4 notes written vertically in the hymnbook are notes for the 4 vocal parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass). You are NOT supposed to play all of those notes at one time! We will use those notes as a guide to form our piano part, but those notes are not the exact ones we play.

As you build your confidence with playing just the melody in the RH and the one bass note per measure in the LH, take the next step by occasionally adding a chord in the LH, instead of a single note. Your chord will be either a 1 or a 4 or a 5 chord. Look at the notes written, as they will usually contain some or all of the notes of your chord.

Go through the song measure by measure and write in the LH chords for each measure.

It is helpful to bracket your introduction to the song.

I have included two songs below as examples for marking your hymnbook.

Most LH notes and chords will follow one of two patterns, either octave-chord-octave-chord (for 4/4 timing) or octave-chord-chord (for 3/4 time signatures). You can vary the LH by playing a note an octave lower or higher, or walking up or down the scale, depending on how much time you have in the measure. More on that another day!

For now, just focus on choosing 3 songs per week, learn the single-note RH melody, add the single-note LH bass first note of every measure, mark your introductions and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

It is also helpful to practice on your church piano as well as on your own piano at home. Every piano feels differently under your fingers. But don't worry, over time you will adapt to the different feel.

Most importantly, remember that you a tool in God's hands. Be prepared, be willing to serve, and enjoy being used!