“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.
I’ve been thinking lately on the different aspects of the church pianist’s role in the church.
In my 30 plus years as church pianist, I’ve never been paid to serve in the area of music ministry.
I’m not apposed to those who are paid to serve but our mindset should be “to serve” regardless if we’re paid or not paid.
As a Christian, we know that we are to strive to be Christ-like and to love the church as Christ loved the church.
Therefore, I always want to try and honor God in all I do…especially within the church consisting of my fellow believers.
Here’s a list of ideas that run through my mind when serving at our church. (I need to take heed to this list!)
Love my fellow believers as God would. It’s amazing how much falls into place when we just love our brethren no matter what.
Patiently mentor those who need lots of practice
Think on words of songs while playing to clearly portray the message of the song (not just a bunch of useless dots on the page) 😉
Adequate preparation to be more effective
Compliment someone after they’ve played or sung a special to encourage them. (Slip them a text or note)
Remember to follow the song leader (exception: use your own judgement if you have a leader lacking rhythmic abilities 😉
Give encouraging words to those you rehearse with (examples: Just sing from your heart! I’ll pray for you as you sing, or thanks for being willing to sing, you’re such a blessing!)
Be as organized as possible! (Keep things tidy around the piano areas, such as put away music) I have a basket on the floor by the piano at church… that holds music I need on a regular basis.
Give uprising pianists an opportunity to play for choir or prelude, etc. to build their experience level. (A great way to maintain a fill-in pianist for when you’re sick or out of town) *Tip: try using them at least once a month to keep them in shape. They do better if they play on a consistent schedule.
The piano bench doesn’t have my name engraved on it! SHARE!!!
I attend a small country church in the foothills of North Carolina so some of the above tips/ideas may not apply to your situation. We have what I call a very “unique” church because they are SO loving and supportive.
When someone sings a special…our congregation is rooting for the singer or instrumentalist, supplying periodic “amens” and nodding of heads as they listen. You’ve probably picked up on that from the videos I share.
We also include children in our special music ministry. It thrills my heart to hear young ones sing. More importantly, it thrills the heart of our Savior.
Feel free to share your thoughts on the role of a churh pianist.
Something that has really been on my mind lately is the mind set of the church pianist regarding the role of a church pianist.
As a church pianist, do you ever give yourself a periodic mind check…to make sure you’re being effective?
I get so busy maintaining the special music schedule and practicing before and after services that it’s SO easy to forget other aspects in the church pianist’s role that you may not have considered.
I’m making a little list and will share it soon. Once you see my list….maybe you’ll have some other ideas to share as well that would help us all as we strive to honor the Lord in our role as church pianist.
I enjoy creating pieces with a certain student in mind. This particular piece goes to one of my older female students who enjoys playing songs in a minor key.
The idea for the introduction hit me as I laid down to sleep this past Wednesday. I had to get up and write it down or the idea would have been history!
Even though I’m an advanced level pianist, I still enjoy playing this early intermediate arrangement of “O Come O Come Emmanuel”.
I just finished writing three Christmas piano arrangements today for several of my students!
I’ll publish them asap…hopefully by this weekend. The titles and levels are as follows:
O Little Town of Bethlehem (Late beginner)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (late elementary)
O Come O Come Emmanuel (Early intermediate)
Also in the process of writing the teacher piano parts for two piano ensemble numbers for Christmas recital.
Piano ensemble numbers are getting popular with my bunch of students. They absolutely LOVE playing in a group setting!
They like it so much that now they have one group lesson rehearsal once a month now until Christmas recital! The titles are: “Jingle Bells” with bell ringing in couple places 🙂 Also..O Come All Ye Faithful (our grand finale number)
I’m REALLY in the writing mood here lately. Hopefully you’ll see the results soon!
