Click here: God of Our Fathers  (print music and view  while reading the information below)

As promised, here is part two of “God of Our Fathers”.  I used dotted rhythm in measures # 9, 12 and 14 to liven up the accompaniment.

The busy left hand octave movement was also added to give this hymn some driving motion as in measures #11, 12, 15 and 17.  (Also in the  right hand on measure #14)

This free arrangement of God of Our Fathers can also be used as a short patriotic offertory or for congregational piano accompaniment.

God of Our Fathers part one

Complete audio of “God of Our Fathers”  (computer-generated)

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)

Here’s another nice resource for church pianists.  I found this website not too long ago and thought I’d share it with you. It’s an easy name to remember….pdfpiano.com

The site contains gospel piano solos and piano duets.  Many of the arrangements require minimal practice…making it a nice resource for church pianists with limited practice time.

Busy times…but still here 🙂   I’d like to share a free patriotic  piano arrangement with my church pianist readers.  My Country Tis of Thee is a very old hymn. The author of the melody is unknown but the words were written by Samuel Francis Smith.  

My Country Tis of Thee (Audio of free piano arrangement)

Hi!  This week I’m working on several new arrangements to offer in the music store.

I recently posted “America Medley” piano duo in the piano ensemble section of the store. It’s actually more of a late-intermediate level.

I’ve also added a patriotic advanced piano  solo of “The Star Spangled Banner”.

Audio excerpt of America Medley