| The Church Pianist |
| A help ministry for church pianists all over the world! |
One of my readers recently requested that I maybe share some fill-in ideas for Calvary Covers it All.
Unfortunately, this hymn is still under copyright so I can only legally share a portion of the hymn.
This particular hymn holds a word for five counts in four different places and then six beats for the final word.
Below, are some fill-in ideas for the verse of “Calvary Covers it All”.
If you read the previous article on “Like a River Glorious” then the following will make sense.
I’m sharing a way that the right hand can climb back down the ladder after playing an octave higher during the first sentence of “Like a River Glorious”.
To read the previous article, click HERE.
Here’s a quick tip that would make any church pianist sound much fuller when playing from the hymnal.
When improvising from the hymnal, the pianist can make the hymn sound fuller by playing 4 note chords in the right hand….allowing more space for the left hand to improvise.
“Like a River Glorious” is a great hymn to apply this idea…since the rhythm isn’t real busy…making it easier to maneuver.
The first two measures in the example below demonstrates the standard five-part style hymnplaying (3 notes in the right hand and 2 notes in the left hand).
The final two measures show the right hand playing an octave higher to allow room for the 4-note style in the right hand. One of my teachers from years back taught me the idea of playing a phrase in one general area and then gradually climbing back down or up (whichever the case may be) for variety.
Next time, I’ll show you a fun way the right hand can climb back down to the middle of the piano for the next phrase of “Like a River Glorious”.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
“Christ Arose” is a very well-known hymn that most churches only use around Easter. We use this beautiful hymn periodically throughout the year as a reminder of Christ’s glorious resurrection.
Robert Lowry, a well-known hymn composer/preacher, wrote “Christ Arose”
Click on song title below to download your free congregational arrangement:
Christ Arose in A Flat (lower)
I had to write a few congregational arrangements in a hurry this week for a couple of our church pianists to play this Sunday. Since that took up the majority of my music writing time…I’ll share one of those arrangements with my readers tomorrow
Timeless Truths, an online resource, containing public domain hymns has a feature that church pianists will love! Simply go to their site and search a hymn by title. The page for the hymn will show the words on the right column. Scroll down and look for the choice in left column that says “View Scorch sheet music” and click on it.
The sheet music for the hymn will appear (if you have downloaded scorch player). If not…it can be done for free. The nice thing about viewing the music with scorch player is you’re given the chance to transpose the hymn to any key you desire before printing it for free! Just look for the (2 flats symbol) at the top of the music and click it. A small box will appear allowing you to choose how far down or up you want to transpose.
Click here to go to Timeless Truths: Free Online Library of Hymns
Just wanted you all to know I’m still alive and working on the next article as well as future articles that I’m excited about!
Tomorrow, I plan to share a free sheet containing key changes for a thematic prelude on the “Blood of Jesus”. I love creating transitions and key changes between hymns during prelude or the Lord’s Supper. I will share some EASY key changes soon…stay tuned!
This free organ arrangement of “Amazing Grace” for unison congregation or choir goes with the piano arrangement of “Amazing Grace” which I recently published for FREE.
Please understand…I am not an organist and it’s my very first attempt at writing an organ arrangement!
I’m glad one of my readers pointed out the need for organists needing the same arrangement in order to prevent chord clashes…an excellent observation! Our church doesn’t have an organ…just two pianos (one being a digital).
I thoroughly enjoyed creating this organ arrangement!
Click here to download FREE organ arrangement of “Amazing Grace”
Amazing Grace: Complete Audio
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Introducing…a free piano arrangement of Amazing Grace for unison choir or congregation. It’s nice to be able to sing parts but most congregations of small churches seem to sing unison.
Church pianists can enliven hymns such as Amazing Grace by playing with mucho enthusiasm! I understand not every church pianist knows how to improvise from the hymnal. It took a lot of practice for me to feel comfortable adding unseen notes while playing from the hymnal.
Improvising tip: Grab an improvising idea from someone else’s arrangement and try applying to a similar congregational hymn with same time signature.
Stick with that one idea for a while until it becomes natural to use…then on to the next improvising idea!
Hope you enjoy this arrangement. Since most people are very familiar with this hymn, I took more liberty with the piano accompaniment.
Warning: This arrangement does not support the four-part style in the hymnal.
Question from a reader:
I love these ideas but at my church both piano and organ play. I find it hard to take any liberties since I am not playing alone. Any suggestions for those of us who would love to add flare to hymns but still have to keep the organist in mind?
Answer: (at least for this arrangement) I will soon provide a free organ arrangement of this particular version of Amazing Grace.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
