Beginning January 2019…I’m starting something new with my piano students who attend our church….three are beginners and one late elementary student.
I will include them in playing for the congregational singing. (At least two at a time) One on digital…the other on portable keyboard. (Evening services only) Why? Not as big of a crowd in the evening services 🙂
(I write the hymns at their level for this) I already have ten hymn arrangements ready for the beginners (C position and Middle C position note range) Preparing the late elementary level ones now.
Oh! An added plus…the arrangements can stand alone as an offertory if needed or all of the students could play as a group offertory 🙂 My students LOVE to play group offertories! (More info below this video)
So…I’m keeping written record of who knows what song and I plug them in when I know we’re singing a hymn they can play.
This gives my students more purpose in learning and they will progress very well with this opportunity in front of them 🙂
It’s amazing how well a student advances when given the opportunity!
Side note:
Each hymn arrangement will show a minus or plus number so the student can set the appropriate key on their keyboard.
“More About Jesus” is one of those challenging hymns to “dress-up”!
Wow! There are multiple pattern ideas for this song! I’m trying to settle on which ones to share with you all.
Did you know you can insert rests in place of the right hand melody during repetitive sections? Doing this avoids overworking the hand and produces a smoother tone. More improvising tips and visuals soon!
Most of this hymn consists of the I and V chord with the exception of the ii chord occurring once in the verse and one time in the chorus.
The upcoming video tutorial will cover the verse of “More About Jesus” in the key of G Major.
The following article discusses the limitations that come with the intermediate level church pianist. A reminder, they are doing the best they can do for the moment. But with a little extra practice…they can blossom into a fuller sound of playing by expanding their right hand horizon; opening up space for more left hand creativity! The following article is meant to encourage the intermediate level church pianist.
Most intermediate level church pianists play basically in the middle area of the keyboard when accompanying congregational singing or other vocal specials.
(See the picture of their range below)
The bass part in the hymnal doesn’t normally go below the second G under Middle C and the right hand probably doesn’t go as high as the second F above Middle C unless the intermediate pianist takes quick ventures into the upper register 😉
When the right hand stays within this boundary…the left hand playing space is limited. Taking the right hand an octave higher for an occasional spin…opens up more room for the left hand. This does not mean the pianist must stay an octave higher throughout the entire hymn. It’s actually better to use a combination of both the middle or upper register for variety in sound.
When to change registers for the right hand? In my early days of training, I was taught to change right hand registers at the end of a line which equates to at least two sentences. It’s nice to gradually work your way up or down by playing extra chords or notes leading into whatever register you’re heading for.
See example below in the hymn excerpt “Like a River Glorious” (click on image to enlarge)
“It is Well”, a favorite among many of us. I just had to share this uplifting video of my Dad leading “It is Well” for a group of Christian educator’s at a convention several years ago in Myrtle Beach, SC. Although you can’t see the crowd….you can tell they were singing from their hearts.
It was my honor to accompany Dad for the congregational singing and for his vocal solos. Dad really “feels” the music which you will notice in the video below.
My parents have always encouraged me to serve the Lord through music. For that, I am truly grateful.
Just finished writing a quickie congregational arrangement for Rescue the Perishing.
My daughter in law is covering for me on the piano this Sunday and I just realized I didn’t have a congregational arrangement of this song written out….so squeaked this one out in about thirty minutes…not always that quick 😉
I want to publish another congregational booklet asap….just so much writing IS taking place…even though you haven’t seen the fruits of my labor yet! 😉
My husband reminds me…”quality” Jenifer not “quantity”. I can truthfully say that is taking place….hopefully!
Wow! I already have a list of at least twelve different left hand patterns for hymns with busy melodies in 4/4 time!
Can’t wait to complete this first booklet of ideas!
It’s a challenge for me to focus on just one aspect while preparing instructive material because I come across so many other ideas closely related but don’t want to give you all info overload!
I’m jotting my random ideas down and saving them for another time.
I think the greatest challenge during the prep time is coming up with a simple, concise way to present the concept.
Here’s an example of how I may display the left hand patterns on the master content list. (There will be PLENTY of visual examples to accompany these ideas)
octave-chord-octave-chord (all quarter notes)
octave-chord-octave-octave (all quarter notes)
octave-chord-octave-quarter-rest (three quarter notes plus one quarter rest)
As of now….I plan to number the visual examples with the number that corresponds to the numbered list of patterns on the master content list.
There are SO many variables to this topic. I will have to discuss right hand activity as well since the left hand is affected by what the right hand plays.
For example: It’s easier on the pianist (truly!) to omit notes here and there during a busy melody and focus more on the main beats. The singers can fill in the missing notes 😉 The key is… omitting melody in places that don’t throw off the singers.
Simple: Start by playing melody at the beginning of the song and then omit a note here and there once you get them going 😉
I want to create a series of booklets on hymn improvising ideas for the church pianist.
The first booklet is going to deal with left hand patterns for devotional style hymns. (I’m working on it now)
The most challenging part for me is presenting everything in a well ordered approach.
I want to keep these books practical, short and concise. Each booklet will deal with one topic.
Another booklet will deal with right hand fill-ins and so on. Hopefully the church pianist can grasp the concept(s) from each booklet in order to make application on their own.
Each booklet will provide a sufficient amount of examples for ample reinforcement.
The booklets will be geared to the intermediate and beyond church pianist.
The church pianist will need to know their scales, chords and chord inversions. A prior knowledge of interval reading would also be helpful.
For the first booklet, the concepts and examples will be presented in the keys of C , F, and G Major for ease of application.
I’m considering naming the booklet series “Making Hymns Expressive”.
During choir practice yesterday afternoon…our choir was practicing “Faith is the Victory” in unison.
I noticed it was just SO awkward trying to grab all the melody notes…especially during the verse!
Each sentence of the verse starts on a fast note (eighth note) making it almost impossible to keep up with the melody. I thought, “The choir KNOWS the melody…why not delete the first word of each sentence to alleviate the awkwardness!?! (Exception: I’ll play the first word of the song to allow for secure entry) 🙂
My mind devised a plan to ease up my old moving hands 😉 Time to have some fun! Just stay within the vicinity of the melody and you won’t get AS lost 😉
Let the singers do the work!
The result: (Download the free pdf version of “Faith is the Victory” below)
