Alot of times, our choir will sing a special from the church hymnal. Sometimes I just want an introduction other than the regular last phrase of the song.
Congregational introductions do require introductions that are self-explanatory. But…for the choir and other specials, it’s nice for the church pianist to have a creative introduction as long as it fits the song.
I”m sharing an introduction idea today that would work for offertory, choir or other vocal special.
For example, if you’re giving an introduction for a song in C Major…start the introduction with an F chord…then to a C chord and finally end with a G (7) chord right before the first word of the song.
Sound clear? Check out the example below that illustrates this type of introduction. In this particular case, I used the introduction idea in an offertory special entitled “We Gather Together”.
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.
All piano books are on sale right now until September 6th at Bible Truth Music.
One of my favorite books from Bible Truth is Wonderful Grace of Jesus (piano duos). Two of these books are being sold for only $16.95! Two copies are necessary to play two pianos unless you have two pianos side by side plus a pianist with super eyesight 🙂
I also discovered another neat site where you can purchase individual piano arrangements. I’ll have to share this information soon!
I announced earlier about the soon coming release of my book entitled: Showersof Blessing. This piano arrangement book is now available throughSoundforth. Soundforth did an excellent job putting the book together!
The book contains eight early intermediate sacred arrangements. The final arrangement is a peppy piano duet of Stepping in the Light.
I’m excited about the upcoming release of my first piano arrangement book being published by Soundforth. The piano book entitled, Showers of Blessing, contains seven early intermediate arrangements (six solos and one piano duet).
The arrangements will work well for pianists with small hands.
Audio samples will be provided very soon. Stay tuned for publication notice.
It always excites me to have young people wanting to get involved in the music ministry. Our church family is so supportive of their young people’s endeavors to serve the Lord.
Hannah and her family have recently joined our church and they are a blessing. Hannah hasn’t had lessons in a little while and is a level one student. She is anxious to begin lessons this fall and is ready to serve in the area of music. Amen!
I recently gave her one of my beginner arrangements of “Nothing But the Blood“ along with an audio to help her out. To my surprise, she had it down in a short time. (It’s always encouraging to work with self-motivated young people) 🙂
As a church pianist, I try to encourage our youth to get involved in the music minstry. I’m thankful that our young people are interested in doing so. The younger they start, the easier it becomes as they gain experience and much practice. I usually schedule the younger ones for a Wednesday or Sunday evening until they feel more comfortable. (Sunday mornings require longer offertories due to a larger attendance.)
Here is a video of her playing the offertory at our church this past Sunday night. (Notice the encouraging responses at the end)
I’m also providing this arrangement free…with this article. I plan to offer more of the beginning student hymn arrangements as time allows…in the music store.
I always enjoy finding more piano arrangements for offertories! The following audio samples are taken from the book entitled: Playing Piano Praises Volume One by Glenn & Jan Christianson. The arrangements from this book are available in downloadable pdf format. Another neat feature is…you can purchase the arrangements individually or as a whole book!
I’m adding a new website to my blogroll list! Bible Truth Musiccontains a nice selection of resources that will benefit the church pianist.
I recently purchased one of their new piano duo books entitled WonderfulGrace of Jesus. The arrangements are fairly easy to learn but sound wonderful! The piano arrangements can also be purchased individually from this book in downloadable pdf format! Sunshine and I are playing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” for July 4th Sunday. I will provide sample audios of this book in an upcoming article.
Here’s a list of audio excerpts from several of their piano books:
More sample audios and book titles will appear in the next few articles. Bible Truth Musicplans to have all of their piano books available in pdf format very soon! Hop on over and see what they have as of now. I plan to purchase several of their books very soon to add to my offertory repertoire.
Church pianists of all levels will benefit from this website!
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.
Ken Renfrow is one of my favorite arrangers for sacred piano arrangements. His latest book, Sacred Favorites Book One, is an excellent resource for the church pianist. This book features familiar hymns that are rarely seen in piano arrangement books.
A must have for church pianists looking for offertories!
