Due to the recent home going of one of my piano students…I’ve been preparing music for her funeral.  I came across these two songs that I thought I’d share with other church pianists in case they have not heard of them.  Both of these pieces are VERY comforting and appropriate for any occasion but especially for funerals.

 His Way is Perfect by Betsy Kistler

Be Not Afraid by Craig Courtney

Click here to see PDF sample of

Here’s the only youtube recording I could find.

Recently, I’ve been working on an arrangement of “Rock of Ages”.  The introduction contains what I call “weighty chords”…chords with three or more notes.  Thus, the following tip…

Scenario: A pianist sees a chord with three or more notes…(brain computes)…HEAVY touch!  Your brain thinks….I can’t possibly mash all those notes down at once without attacking them    Word of caution:  Relax and apply gentle even pressure as though you’re lightly kneading dough… to avoid a “chunky” or “weighted” sound…especially when the full chords occur on the weak beats.

For example, in 4/4 time, the 1st and 3rd beats are naturally accented. Therefore the 2nd and 4th beats are weaker. In 3/4 time…only the first beat of each measure receives the accent. Why? To produce a more shapely rhythm and to avoid a mechanical/laboured sound.

The following excerpt is from an arrangement that will be included in a “Funeral Collection” which I hope to finish within the next several months. Notice the full chords in the left hand. I will give a brief demonstration of a suggested way to interpret these chords…fighting against the natural tendency of “heavy hand” treatment.

Click here for: video clip of following example

Recently, a friend of mine was searching for “Finally Home” by Don Wyrtzen  in a lower key to sing for a funeral.  I was able to point him to MusicNotes.Com

MusicNotes.Com is an online music store specializing in downloadable sheet music.  They have over 200,000 songs in downloadable format and over 260,000 music books.  If you subscribe to their weekly email newsletter…you’ll receive coupons!  All you have to provide is your email address and a password.  Prices for their sheet music are fairly reasonable for the convenience of having the music pronto!

A great feature I absolutely love is being able to choose a lower key for the song I want to order…especially for vocal music.

Finally Home is one of those songs with a very wide note range…making it a challenge to sing  for the average soloist.  The last line of the song contains the highest note of this beautiful song.  Not everyone feels comfortable trying to hit this note…so…there is a solution…sing the alternate notes…E flat to C.  (shown below on the word “glory”).

©  Copyright 1997 by Majesty Music, Inc. (Majesty Hymnal)

*Tip: I would recommend the key of F major for bass soloists.

I enjoy playing and singing “All Hail the Power”.  The church pianist must add lots of fullness to this majestic hymn to portray the mood of the text.

Just picture it…God is on His throne and scores of angels are bowed down before Him. A huge choir is singing “All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall…”

I think the words as I play this wonderful hymn.  The melody and text are a great match!

Ingredients for  Majestic Hymns

Lots of left hand octaves for fullness and energy

Full chords in right hand

Occasional dotted rhythm…adding extra zest!

Click here to download page one of All Hail the Power

Funerals are not easy for any of us. Death has visited our church family twice in the last two weeks…both very unexpected.  I’m just thankful that both men knew the Lord.

I’ll just share some thoughts with you on playing for funerals.

Think about the mood of music needed for this occasion. For me…I want to play hymns that soothe the broken hearts of many people.

Varying the speed of hymns adds a nice touch. I try not to play too many slow hymns in a row… to avoid a sense of despair. In my mind, I’m trying to encourage the family that is so overwhelmed with sorrow. I want to remind them that God cares… and their loved one is in heaven (if that loved one had asked Jesus into their heart).

Here’s a list of hymns I would play before the funeral starts.  Maybe this will help those of you who have a hard time deciding what to play for a funeral.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Blessed Assurance

Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know

He Hideth My Soul

Does Jesus Care?

God Leads Us Along

Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Simply Trusting

It is Well

Wonderful Peace

My Saviour First of All

Draw Ne Nearer

Near to the Heart of God

Blessed Quietness

In the Sweet By and By

There’s Just Something About That Name

Zion’s Hill

Beulah Land

How_Beautiful_Heaven_Must_Be  page one

How Beautiful Heaven Must Be       page two

*Click on the underlined hymns above for a free piano solo arrangement.

Ever notice how it’s the old hymns of faith that soothe our hearts during such times of need?  I thank the Lord for such a strong heritage of music.

Playing for a funeral is just another way for the church pianist to minister to the hearts of his or her church family.