Victory in Jesus (free improvising ideas)
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!
Thank you so much! Your instructions and visual example are a big help! Most church pianists make their craft look so easy, but, now I know a lot of thought and practice goes into their Sunday presentations.
These examples help so much! Thank you 🙂