Some friends of ours just published their first sacred vocal CD this past summer entitled “His Name is Wonderful”. I absolutely love it!
Thanks to Faith Music Missions for doing an outstanding job on this CD! You can hear samples HERE (offsite link)
You may contact me at jenifer@thechurchpianist.com to order the CD. (I do have a limited number of these CDs for $12 each plus postage.)
I was suppose to accompany them for the recording but distance prevented me from doing so but their pianist, David Chamberlain, did a wonderful job!
Hunter and Morgan commuted to our church for at least four years while attending Bible college. They served in several areas of ministry while there.
We miss them! (Hunter was the inspiration behind the congregational booklets I’ve been publishing.)
Hunter now serves in a church located in New York City while Morgan is serving in a church out in Kansas.
Back to the CD…The songs are fresh! (some haven’t been published yet)
I plan to publish at least 6 out of the 10 from this sacred vocal CD. (“God Can” by Lynndale Hardeman) is already available in our online music store HERE.
Here is a sample of one of their songs “His Name is Wonderful” written by Reece Yandle (my Dad 🙂
(Information for CD drawing is below the video)
To enter this sacred vocal cd giveaway: (a max of 2 comments per person…details below)
1. First comment (like it, nice cd, etc.)
2. Second comment: Share this article link on facebook, twitter, or other social media and leave a 2nd comment providing your social media link.
3. Winner will be notified via email from jenifer@thechurchpianist.com
Just curious…what seems to be one of the most awkward hymns for you as a church pianist to play for congregational singing?
As soon as I collect a sizable list (at least 10)…I will number them and draw a number out of the hat and write a free congregational piano arrangement of that particular hymn. *Please: One hymn suggestion per person
Special note: Please only choose hymns that are in the public domain.
Here’s how a public domain hymn may appear
Public domain hymn
*Sometimes a public domain hymn will have no credits at the bottom like this:
One of my readers requested fill-in ideas for the song But Until Then. I already shared fill-in ideas for the verse in a previous article HERE.
The chorus of But Until Then may be a challenge for church pianists who don’t feel comfortable improvising. The fill-in notes are what give the music a forward motion; adding life to the hymn…IF the fill-in notes are rhythmically correct 😉
Since this particular hymn is under copyright…I’m limited on what I can share according to the US Copyright Office.
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
The amount being considered “fair use” is up for debate but I try to stay on the conservative side of usage which explains why I presented a “cut and paste” layout of only the long held words.
I’ve been in the writing mood ever since our recent snowstorm. (Guess I need more snowstorms to blow in) 😉
Just wrote this early intermediate sacred piano arrangement of Day by Day for one of my teenager lady students who plays in church quite often. I’ve been grooming her for church pianist material 🙂
She’s been needing an offertory requiring minimal practice… because she’s already trying to learn a new congregational song I gave her recently on top of reviewing all the ones she’s learned.
Remember the two congregational collections I published? Well, I’ve been writing early intermediate level for some of them along the way and Hannah (the student I’m speaking about) plays for congregational singing when I’m out of town.
She recently had to cover the whole service on a moment’s notice this past Sunday night. (I wasn’t able to make it due to road conditions with snow and ice.) She said it went well….great experience for her!
As a church pianist, I’m always looking for offertories that don’t require alot of practice since I play quite often. I also attend a small church so shorter offertories work best.
While snowed in this week, I decided to write and finish a piano hymn arrangement in one day like I use to when I first started this website.
Grace Greater Than Our Sin has been on my mind a lot lately, so decided to try writing an arrangement and the thoughts just flowed for a change!
Hope you enjoy this early advanced arrangement of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin with Amazing Grace”.
I love to look through old hymnals for long forgotten hymns that I can try to revive.
But I stumbled across this forgotten hymn in one of my devotional books this week, entitled, “Amazing Grace 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions” written by Kenneth W. Osbeck
I absolutely LOVE this book and not sure how I acquired it.
“May the Mind of Christ My Savior” had two authors: Words by Kate Wilkinson and Music by A. Cyril Barham-Gould (what a long name!) I couldn’t find much information about either author but had to share this hymn loaded with rich meaning!
Here’s an excerpt from my devotional book which introduced this hymn…
“Each day our prayer life should include the request that the Holy Spirit reveal the mind of Christ to us. It is vitally important that we nourish our minds daily with quality materials_ things “that are just, pure and lovely.” Philippians 4:8
Time to escape to an island where it’s just me and my piano and all I have to do is write music!
Working on…
Advanced piano arrangement entitled “Assurance Medley”…an arrangement I worked up after getting saved in 1991…so it’s about time I put it in writing.
Also VERY excited about creating piano accompaniments for Mina Oglesby’s music!! The one I’m working on now is her song “Rest Will Come in the Morning”…here are some of the lyrics:
“Rest will come in the morning, When the battle is o’er;
When the saved and blest enter to their rest On that hallelujah shore…”
What a blooper I made today in the Sunday morning service!
I prefer (congregation included) to play short and sweet arrangements which don’t last much longer than the offering. Occasionally I’ll play a longer offertory for extra special events.
I had a longer than normal offertory special this morning and decided at last minute (like right before offertory prayer)…to play a different arrangement…something shorter… since the preliminaries had lasted longer than usual.
So…right before prayer I dreamed up a home-spun offertory which worked out great since it was the same length as the offering 🙂
But….one major problem! I forgot all about accompanying my son and his wife to sing after the offertory. I was SO wrapped in the change of plans that I totally forgot them! After playing the offertory, I went out back to the restroom like normal and then to slip in quietly for the preaching portion.
As I came out of the restroom my husband was waiting for me in the foyer with a concerned look on his face. “Are you ok?” he said. “Weird!” I thought, “he’s never done this before.” “Well….yeah…why?”
He quickly replied, “David and Jenny were up on the platform waiting for you to play for them.” “Oh my goodness! I forgot all about them!” I quickly tried to explain myself away to him and one of the deacons who had come out back too. Both of them got this funny smirk on their face but also relieved at the same time that I was “Ok”.
