Following the song director is a challenge for a lot of church pianists.  Since I’m ancient…and have memorized the majority of the hymnal…I’m more free to look away from the hymnal and watch the director.

Seriously,  the church pianist must learn the hymns well enough  in order to  look away from the music at the song leader or at least have the leader’s arm  within your peripheral vision.

How does the pianist get comfortable playing “by feel”?  Try playing a familiar song in the dark.  I’m serious!  Playing in the dark is an excellent way to sharpen your senses/skills…just as a blind person may have a more keen sense than the average person because they are avidly “tuning in” to the situation at hand.

At least ten years ago…I was playing the prelude  in the Charlotte coliseum at a teacher’s convention.  It was right after 9/11.  All of a sudden, the lights went out!  A sudden rush of anxious, whispered voices stirred through the auditorium.  My thoughts…”Now what?!”

Thankfully I knew the hymns I was playing from “many” years of practice    The Lord just guided my fingers and I just played  soothing hymns to hopefully calm the concerned crowed (considering we had guards around due to the 9/11 event.  I remember hearing people singing along with several of the hymns.   A little over ten minutes went by before the lights came on.  It seemed like an eternity to me.

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The following improvising tip has made a difference in my hymnplaying; creating a more open, balanced sound.  I apply this tip to my congregational and solo playing.

The following hymn example contains “Come Thou Fount” in D major and the improvising tip.

Click here to download “Come Thou Fount” with improvising tip.

Just for fun: After playing  the above improvised example…add the 3rd of the chord in the right hand too…just to hear the difference.

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Have a pencil handy!

The following short video tutorial on improvising hymns is geared to the beginning church pianist.  Playing straight from the church hymnal can sound rather plain. Learning how to dress up the hymns adds a new dimension of sound! This lesson gives some simple left hand fill in ideas for the first line of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”.

Special clarification about the theory rule mentioned in this lesson concerning omitting the 3rd of the chord…The 3rd can be omitted from either hand.   Wait until you see the video below to understand this explanation

The next video tutorial will reveal more improvising ideas for “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”.

Click here to see My First Improvising Lesson

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When a I chord lasts for at least two beats and leads into a V or V 7  chord that lasts 3 or more  beats…the II 7 can replace a I chord.

On to our example in Have Thine Own Way in E flat major.  Since E flat is the first note in the key of E flat…it is number one. So F is the second note in the key of E flat major.  The ii chord would be: F-A flat-C.

Now let’s alter this minor ii chord by making it major.  Raise the middle note to A natural.  Are you beginning to catch on?  You now have the II  chord:  F-A natural-C   See illustration below:

*I added an E flat (not shown)… on the top of the II chord…making it a II 7 (the E flat is 7 notes from the bottom note (F).  Added 7ths make a chord sound SO much richer!

*You’ll notice the note members of the II 7 chord in the following excerpt are scrambled between both hands. The note “C” is missing (which is ok)… but the rest are present.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Now…a couple more examples of the II 7 chord substitution in the key of A flat & G Major.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Are you wondering how to use the ii 7 chord in each example?  Whenever a V or V7 chord is lasting three or more beats…use the ii 7 chord first and then resolve to the written V or V 7 chord. I’ll share examples of this chord substitution in another article.  So much to share!

Church Pianist Tip:  Remember…chord substitutions can not be used during congregational singing unless they are singing unison. Why? Because the substitution chords will conflict with the voice parts.

Click here for: Lesson One: The  II 7 Chord Substitution

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World Tour Double X-Braced Keyboard Stand

Just thought I’d share this bit of information to church pianists looking for an affordable, sturdy keyboard stand.  My original keyboard stand was getting so rickety that I decided to upgrade to a more durable keyboard stand.

After several days of researching keyboard stands online…I found an excellent deal!  I bought it online from Walmart.  This particular stand was only available online.  Having it shipped to Walmart (site to store) voided any shipping costs.  The grand total was $32.27…well worth it too!  Now my keyboard doesn’t wobble to and fro while I play. 

Click here to see the keyboard stand I purchased.

*Make sure you read the consumer reviews on the above product link.

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Good practicing habits are necesscary for all pianists…if they want to progress and sound prepared.

I stumbled across an excellent article on the best and worst ways to practice located on the website entitled Piano Perspectives.

Click here to read Best and Worst Ways of Practicing.  Decide which list you belong to. 

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Being nervous can definitely affect the church pianist!  I can remember my early years of playing for church….knees knocking together….heart beating fast, etc.   I could barely keep my foot on the damper pedal for my leg shaking so bad!  Ever been there?

I enjoy visiting our local nursing homes and playing the piano for the elderly.  Sometimes I will play an upcoming offertory for church at the nursing home; allowing me the  opportunity to share the piece in a more relaxed setting before playing it at church.

Joy Morin, of Color in My Piano shares some practical tips for the nervous pianist.

Dealing with Performance Anxiety by Joy Morin of Color in My Piano Blog.

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Memorizing music requires planning ahead doesn’t it? A challenge for all church pianists. 

Many pianists like myself, serve as a volunteer pianist for their church. I enjoy every minute of it…but…it does takes time to adequately prepare for offertories and other special music.

One of my goals this coming year is to spend more time planning/preparing my offertories.  I always know at least one month in advance when I’ll be playing my next offertory. I want to be as effective as I can for the Lord by being prepared. There are times I just have to play an offertory on the spot but for the most part…I know ahead of time.

Memorization should be a natural outcome of consistent practice on a particular piece over a long period of time.  Yeah…like a year!  No    Memorizing a piece can easily happen in a month to two months time with daily practice.

Choosing an offertory arrangement within your capability is of upmost importance.  Choose an arrangement well within your level so you can focus on the message and not struggle through it. It’s ok to choose a challenging piece…but be realistic   I like to find arrangements that clearly communicate the message of the hymn without too much frill.  Occasionally, I’ll play a more involved piece such as: “Saviour Like a Shepherd Leads Us’ arranged by Roger House, “Onward Christian Soldiers” arranged by Duane Ream or maybe “Blessed Assurance” arranged by Marilyn Ham.  I really enjoy these particular arrangements because each one of them conveys the meaning of the text with little deviation from the main melody of the song; allowing the listeners to follow along in their minds or in some cases (out loud)    Personally, I like hearing those in the congregation singing along with me. It means they are focusing on the message instead of me.

I”m getting off track. (Sorry about that). Back to memorizing…one of my piano teachers from high school days gave me the following memorization tip that has really helped me. He told me to “find several escape hatches” (easy places in the arrangement) that I could return to in case I got disoriented when playing from memory. To this day,  I still use this tip when playing from memory.

Joy Morin, of Color in My Piano website, offers practical memorization tips (including my favorite tip mentioned above) in the following article:

12 Tips for Memorizing Music

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Communication between the sound man and the church pianist or music director is vital.

Every church pianist may not be in the same situation as myself.  We have two young men  that help out with our music ministry.  Our church seems to be the hub for training young musicians and then releasing them into various ministries. 

I try to take up the slack and keep open communication between myself and the sound man. Here are several ways I attempt to keep the sound man up-to-date.

Provide him with the following:

*Current Special Music Schedule (gives him advance notice for setting up extra microphones for group specials)

*Program Scripts (with sound cues)

*Periodic conversations with sound man to make sure things are running smoothly

*Practice in advance with sound man with various group specials (instrumental or vocal) to work out microphone settings. 

These are only a few suggestions that I thought may be helpful for church pianists; who like myself…are trying to work as a team with the sound crew

Once again…I understand that not all church pianists are in this type of situation.  But, it may make you more aware of the importance of proper sound; reminding you to thank the sound crew or person for their help with this ministry. 

It’s so important to keep open communication amongst ourselves in the various ministries of our church…especially the sound crew

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