I shared an arrangement for the verse of Love Lifted Me several days ago.

Just barely sliding into home base to complete this before my house is full of grand kids this evening for the rest of this week!

This arrangement can accompany congregational singing, vocal ensemble or instrumental solo/ensemble.

How does this key work for you all?  (B flat Major)

Click the song title to download your free copy of Love Lifted Me

The verse is available at this link:  VERSE ONLY

Does your song leader direct Love Lifted Me in fast mode?

Our song leader sure does!  It’s my son 😉

This particular arrangement barely fits within my son’s speed…quarter note = 120

Remember…the faster the tempo….the less you play!

If I had to play this any faster…I would adapt by playing more dotted quarter note chords  because it would be harder to grab the busy details the faster it goes!

Hope you enjoy this “fun to play”  style.

Click here to download your free copy of the verse for Love Lifted Me (congregational style). Tip:  You can use this arrangement to accompany a flute solo!

LOVE LIFTED ME  (verse only)

Chorus coming soon!

One of my readers asked if I had an arrangement for “It is Better Farther On”.

I told her I had never heard of this hymn.

She told me it was an old hymn.

So, I did an online search to hear the hymn for myself.

WHAT a pleasant surprise!  I REALLY like this old hymn!

The second and third verse are my favorites.  Verse two goes like this:

When my faith took hold on Jesus, Light divine within me shone.                       

And I know since that glad moment, “It is better farther on”.

I have plunged into the fountain, Flowing free for everyone; 

I am saved and Hope is singing, “It is better farther on.”

I’m providing a FREE simple piano arrangement of this old hymn “It is Better Farther On”. Click on the following link.

It-Is-Better-Farther-On

I shared a post a couple of years ago of me playing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” excerpt from my congregational playing at my church.

A good handful of you have expressed interest in that arrangement.  I tried to duplicate the arrangement into written form.

This particular arrangement is accompaniment style only… not compatible as a piano solo.

Click on the following title to download this free piano congregational arrangement.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Awhile ago, one of my readers asked if I had a congregational arrangement for “A Might Fortress is Our God.”

I didn’t at the time but decided to tackle it this week.  This particular arrangement is for the late intermediate church pianist.

What a challenge to stay within the written chords from the hymnal! Maybe I need to come up with a piano solo for this hymn too.

Important Notice!

This arrangement was created for congregational style only.  If  you insert the melody in measures #16 and #20…it can be used for a piano solo.

Print your own copy for free and then listen to the audio while you’re holding the music!

A Mighty Fortress is Our God (FREE PDF)

 A Mighty Fortress is Our God (audio)

Here’s a visual aid for measure #34 in my advanced version of “Holy Holy Holy”.

I used eighth notes instead of sixteenth notes to give a clearer presentation of the RH run layout.

I created this for a reader that was asking if some of the notes were wrong in the right hand run of this measure.

I’m not surprised. It’s a tricky measure!  I had to practice and practice this page!

Download this visual aid HERE

Just throwing a quickie your way!  Here are a couple left hand improvising tips for the hymn…Praise Him! Praise Him!

The tips can be applied to hymns in different time signatures.

I have a student who is late intermediate level and she wants to learn congregational style so bad! So…I’ll be walking her through different hymns and giving her improvising tips along the way.

Let me know if you all want more of these quickies along the way.  Click on this title to download your free copy of this page.  PRAISE HIM! PRAISE!

One of my viewers recently requested fingering suggestions for my free arrangement of “The Old Rugged Cross.”

I added the suggested fingering by hand.  This is just the fingering that’s most comfortable for me.

Here are two different free PDFs for The Old Rugged Cross…

The Old Rugged Cross without fingering

The Old Rugged Cross WITH fingering

Here’s a free arrangement of Christ Arose for the early intermediate church pianist.

Most hymnals offer this  Easter hymn in the key of C Major.  I’ve provided this arrangement in a lower key…B flat major.

This early intermediate piano arrangement was written for one of my students who is the church pianist for her church.

Just click the following link to print this arrangement:

CHRIST AROSE (early intermediate congregational arrangement)

For those wanting more written examples… I’m sharing two more visuals of right hand runs using sixteenth notes.

Runs add a nice driving force to the music and creates energy if played correctly 🙂

Tip:

Emphasize the 1st note in each sixteenth note group for a more shapely sound.  Emphasizing every note can sound mechanical.

In my earlier days of being church pianist, I would often rush a run.  It’s so easy for our fingers to speed too much when viewing a sea of black notes  that need to occur in a brief moment!  I had to  make myself slowly practice the run and count the main beats as I conquered the sea of notes in front of me. In time the run sounded like it fit!  Just remember….not all runs mean “super fast!”

Click on the following title to download free pdf with two more examples of this right hand run:

 MORE RIGHT HAND RUNS