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

Due to a hectic but wonderful weekend…I’m sharing a free piano arrangement of “At the Cross”. I wrote this particular arrangement for one of my students who is preparing to be a church pianist. Our congregation usually sings unison…so the piano accompaniment contains chords that would not support the four-part style from most church hymnals.

You’ll notice it’s also in a different key…C Major.  She only had two weeks to learn the song before playing it in church. (She  filled in for me while I was out of town)

Hopefully some of you church pianists can make use of this arrangement.  You could also use it as accompaniment for a vocal solo or ensemble singing unison.

Click here to download your free piano arrangement of “At the Cross”

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.

Trying to figure out what to play for piano introductions can be tricky at times for church pianists.

The previous article entitled: Piano Introductions (part two) provided a piano introduction of “Wonderful Words of Life” using only the verse.  Sometimes it works better just to use the starting and ending phrase of a verse. Other times, the entire first line of the verse works well for the introduction.

Always remember to end the introduction with the one (I) chord for the key you’re using. For example, if the song is in C major…make sure you end on a C major chord to provide a “finished” sound.  Otherwise, you’ll have everybody guessing when to enter.

There are times when a V 7 chord works well at the end of an introduction or during the invitation when you’re providing background music and you’re in the middle of a phrase and need to end on a chord that makes sense before the congregation starts to sing…but I will cover that at another time.  SO much to talk about! 

In today’s example, you’ll notice a fairly, easy piano introduction for “Count Your Blessings”. The faster the hymn, the less frills the church pianist has time to play

Click here for: Piano Introductions: Part Two (second example)

Click here to download and print part one of “God of Our Fathers”

“God of Our Fathers” is a wonderful hymn to sing anytime of year, but especially around July 4th. This stately hymn reminds Christians of God as their leader. 

In part one of today’s free arrangement of “God of Our Fathers” I tried to portray the majestic mood of the text by solid octave movement in the left hand and full chords in the right hand. 

The introduction (trumpet fanfare) was doubled (both hands) for a fuller sound.  The octave higher treatment gave it a brighter tone.

In measure five, I added a light touch of syncopation to the left hand  for text enrichment.  The words for this measure speak of God’s  ”…almighty hand”.

Congregational singing plays such an important role in the worship service.   As a church pianist, I try to play with enthusiasm, since I represent the Lord in all I do.  I want others to know that I truly believe the words of the great hymns of faith as I play them for God’s glory.

To be honest, I don’t always feel energetic on a Sunday morning when I’ve had maybe a couple hours of sleep… but God is good. He gives me just enough energy to make it through. I’ve found I do better during those times.  I think it’s because I’m relying more on His help…as I should ALWAYS do

Part two of “God of Our Father’s” will take us up an octave as we prepare for the climax of this great hymn.  Looking forward to sharing the rest!

Click here to read the story behind “God of Our Fathers”

The “Battle Hymn of the Republic” is a hymn the church pianist must “dress-up” to enrich the congregational singing. It’s not always easy to grab every note “word” of a hymn when it contains a busy rhythm such as the frequent dotted rhythm in the “Battle Hymn”. Moving from word to word can be quite awkward for the church pianist.

Remember…the hymnal is written for voice parts not the instrument. The church pianist must learn to adapt…creating a simple but full-sounding accompaniment that will support the singers…making them sing out with even more energy and confidence.

Editor notes for Part Two of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”

*Please click here to print part two so you can view the music while you read the following notes:

1. I only added a few of the sixteenth notes from the vocal score into the piano accompaniment…creating a more user friendly hand movement, which in turn helps the pianist maintain a steady beat for the congregation.

2. When I play the chorus…I deviate so much more from the melody–using sprinkles of 3-note triplet chords in the right hand during half notes. But…I kept enough melody in the chorus of this free arrangement for church pianists that may not be use to deviating alot from the melody.

Click here for Part One of Battle Hymn of the Republic

It’s hard to believe that July 4th is so close!  Since I’ve been so busy…it takes less time for me to write an arrangement as opposed to a strict “teaching” article.  Today’s free piano arrangement of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” is arranged for congregational singing.

The hymnal version (voice parts) contain a lot of repeated notes making it necessary for the church pianist to create a more interesting sound to bring it to life!

In part one of this free arrangement…I added the vocal score above the piano score… so you could see what I’m playing as opposed to the written voice parts from the hymnal. I’ll provide an audio after I share the entire arrangement with you.

Click here for free congregational piano arrangement of: Battle Hymn of the Republic (Part One)

A book  giveaway…compliments of Soundforth (BJU Press).

*This book drawing applies to residents within the US

  “Bless the Lord”, contains ten early intermediate piano arrangements by Gina Sprunger…an excellent addition to any church pianist’s repertoire! 

Gina’s  introductions,  interludes and endings are a perfect fit to each arrangement.  I’ll share some of my favorite picks through audio excerpts below. Just click on a song title to hear a sample.

Come, Christians Join to Sing

Take Time to be Holy

Meditations on Praise (Bless the Lord, Holy is the Lord, Thank You Lord)

Meditation on When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

The remaining arrangements are:

Open My Eyes That I May See, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, We Three Kings, I Wonder as I Wander, Showers of Blessing (piano duet)

Book Drawing Guidelines:

1. Simply leave a comment to enter your name once in the drawing

2. To enter your name a second time…share this specific link for book giveaway on your blog, facebook or twitter and leave a separate comment saying you have done so.

*Winner will be chosen on May 2nd, Monday at 9pm EST

When Ordering Music From Soundforth:

*Special Note: If you order by phone and your order  is under $30…you can request US Mail to receive a cheaper shipping rate.

(Just realize there’s no tracking available with the US Mail rate)

Call toll free:      1-800-258-7288

I enjoyed improvising the chorus of “Christ Returneth”.  There are fewer chord changes in the chorus, making it easier to add extra movement.  The frequent half notes also provide time for fill-ins. 

This arrangement was written for the  intermediate to late intermediate level church pianist.  The advanced church pianist can just play more four-note chords in the right hand where feasible.

Editor Highlights for Part Two of “Christ Returneth”

1. page two (first measure)  The left hand octave movement is used to create excitement to match the words “Jesus will come in the fullness of glory”. 

2.  page two, measure #20 (where chorus begins)  A simple accompaniment is used for a more “subdued” mood.

3. page three, measure #30, third count, right hand (right hand plays octaver higher for contrast…but still remains soft).

Click here to download free sacred piano arrangement “Christ Returneth” part two

Click here for “Christ Returneth” part one

I’ve had my computer off because of our weather and now back online. Sorry for the late posting.  Since I’m short on time…I only entered the soprano for the vocal score of “Christ Returneth” to help you follow the words while you play the piano accompaniment.

I think “Christ Returneth” is one of the most awkward hymns to play when accompanying the four part harmony from the hymnal.  Due to the frequent chord changes, the church pianist only needs to create a simple, but stately accompaniment to enrich the text. 

Notice the time signature changes during the verse.  The verses are sudued and the chorus is jubilant. The congregation will enter with confidence if they hear how the song starts in the piano introduction. 

To maintain the subdued mood of the verse, the church pianist can just play the beginning phrase of the verse followed by a improvised ending…creating  a smooth transition for the congregation to begin singing.  I did include an introduction in today’s free arrangement of “Christ Returneth” Part One

Click here to download free piano arrangement of: Christ Returneth (Part One)