The Church Pianist » the lily of the valley

The Church Pianist » the lily of the valley http://thechurchpianist.com A help ministry for church pianists all over the world! Tue, 22 May 2012 16:36:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 The Church Pianist: The Lily of the Valley (free piano sample) http://thechurchpianist.com/improvising-hymns/the-church-pianist-the-lily-of-the-valley-free-piano-sample/ http://thechurchpianist.com/improvising-hymns/the-church-pianist-the-lily-of-the-valley-free-piano-sample/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:03:56 +0000 Jenifer Cook http://thechurchpianist.com/?p=1735 “The Lily of the Valley” is a nice, uplifting hymn. Several factors make this hymn a challenge for most church pianists.

The hymn is loaded with repeated notes and a very busy rhythm…(what I call….the “wordy” hymns).

You don’t want it to sound like you’re trying to chop down a tree

The church pianist needs to basically outline or (play) the main beats of the hymn. This particular hymn is in 4/4 time. So…the pianist should at least play on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th beats…creating a steady, rhythmic tempo for the congregation.

It’s not necessary for the pianist to play “every word” of the song when accompanying. Playing every word would limit the pianist’s ability to improvise.

The more familiar the congregation is with a hymn…the less dependent they are on hearing the melody. This allows the pianist more freedom to stray from the melody…making it much easier to maneuver through the accompaniment.

Editor notes for today’s free piano sample of “The Lily of the Valley”

Notice the left hand plays the main beats (1,2,3,4) and the right hand skip words here and there for ease of movement.

Measure #3 (beats 3 through 4) the right hand plays notes within the chord frame being used… “sweeping upward”…for a livelier sound.

Measure #4 (beats 1 through 4) the left hand begins with a dotted rhythm for a peppy tone and drives through with octaves to maintain tempo while the congregation holds the word “soul”.

Measure #4 (beat 4) into Measure #5…the right hand moves into middle range of keyboard for variety in location.

Click here for free piano sample of “The Lily of the Valley”

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