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)

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)

Just thought I’d share a free hymn piano arrangement of “Power in the Blood”.  I wrote it for one of my level four students this week  to use for offertory or congregational singing. 

I’ve been sick since last week but feeling better each day and looking forward to sharing more ideas with you soon!

Click here for free piano arrangement:  Power in the Blood

One of my readers recently asked if I would share some improvising ideas for Victory in Jesus. Since this hymn is copyrighted, I’m limited to how much of the song I can share due to the “fair use” law for copyrighted music.  (Another interesting topic for a future article)  🙂

Editor’s Notes for the free handout of Victory in Jesus (improvising ideas): Click here for free handout. 

For time’s sake, I only entered the melody on the vocal score but the piano score utulizes the basic chord structure of the four voice parts from the hymnal.

Left hand accompaniment description for line one:  I used an alternate bass note (D) on the third beat for variety.  The note (D) fits in a “G” chord…therefore making it a good choice for an alternate bass note. 

LH accompaniment description for line two: I used the same alternate bass idea. The final measure contains a busy octave stepping pattern to fill-in three counts on the word “me”.   The dotted rhythm on the first two octaves adds an extra spice to the sound; making it more lively.

I know more visual examples of this hymn would be helpful but I’ve reached my limit of “fair use”.   Although, I can tell you in words… that I use the alternate bass idea on the chorus too.  Just look in a hymnal at the chorus.  See the words “Saviour” and “blood” ?  I play stepping octaves for these words with my left hand.

Just a peek at what can be done with this hymn but may provide a springboard to your own creativity!

How long should a piano introduction be?  What part of the song do I play for the introduction?  

I hope the following video and free pdf sheet of piano introduction examples will benefit church pianists needing guidance in this area.

Free PDF Sheet: Piano-Introductions-Part-One 

Piano introductions play a vital role in the music of the church service.  Listen to the following audios and decide for yourself which one better prepares the congregation to enter with confidence.

Jesus is Coming Again (introduction #1)

Jesus is Coming Again (introduction #2)

Why are piano introductions so important?   I plan on answering this question and sharing several introduction examples from commonly used hymns in the next article on piano introductions for congregational singing.

 Part One of Sunlight

PDF link: Sunlight Part Two

The chorus of Sunlight contains several twists and turns in the melody line making it tricky for the church pianist to manuveur through this peppy hymn. 

Simply play more blocked chords on the main beats (one.two, three, four).  I had to add an occasional  sprinkle of triplets in the right hand for a lively sound. The triplets also allude to rays of sunshine as the congregation happily sings….”…sunlight, sunlight, in my soul today!”

Complete audio for Sunlight Part Two (congregational accompaniment)

Just use your imagination to make the music come to life…causing the congregation to sing with more enthusiasm.

I hope the accompaniment ideas I’ve shared over the past few years have helped to stimulate the  creative thinking of other church pianists…encouraging them to be even more effective for the Lord as they serve Him through the ministry of music.