Hymns Arranged for SATB Singing
Found in: Reading
Tina H., Arizona
I have several students who are reading music and want to learn to play hymns from their church’s hymnal that is arranged for SATB singing (see photo for example). I’ve been reading a few related conversations in Simpedia about the process of teaching hymns (most notably, this one: https://simpedia.info/reading-from-a-hymn-book/). I’m wondering if any teachers who have experience teaching hymns would be willing to chat with me via phone. I really want to do this right because I have a LOT of students/parents who will share a similar desire once they begin reading. Tagging a few teachers whose names popped up in the Simpedia chats I’ve been perusing. Cheri Schulzke Jen Pate Shelly Eades But welcoming input from everyone! Thanks!
Robin T., Australia
I would just work out an appropriate accompaniment to play the chords as provided and if they aren’t work them out, typically pretty standard I, IV V and may be ii and vi, and do the same.
Scott J., Australia
Its all about the students level of musicality . The piece above i would be handing out to students in development 11 or above to be sure they dont struggle. Not saying that students in lower levels couldnt decode this piece but i have found that if they have a piece of music that drags out longer than a month then it could be detrimental to their progress. This is a student by student judgment call from the teacher , i always take a look at the music that they can read easily and try to match it with the hymns.
Kimberly B,
I think you can tackle this similarly to Amazing Grace. In the early levels have them learn just the chords. When they can read a simple melody line, move to a lead sheet format, then add in the RH harmony and when ready for both hands tackle one hand at a time focusing on developing fingering that is consistent each time. Hearing the bass parts separate helps me when putting hands together. Piece together in a few measure chunks, maybe even just do the chorus or a verse when you first begin. I find the hardest thing with hymns is the wide range of the notes…I had a hard time finding one that is under 5 fingers or close to that for beginners. There’s usually going to be at least 2 positions for the basic melody.
Dianna E.,
I start earlier students with an accompaniment version using the chords, usually with a parent playing the melody higher on the piano. As they progress, I teach the RH melody with LH chords, working in broken LH chords/octaves as appropriate. I have had some students make nice arrangements to play for offertory/prelude/postlude in this way
Ian B., Pennsylvania
Hymns are some of the most difficult types of music to read, so I agree with above. Try to convert to a more simplified accompaniment (or find one), or wait until they are much further along (Development levels minimum).
Nancy N., New Hampshire
When I occasionally play piano for church I plan to play some music as written, and some as arrangements based on chords symbols. I feel the folk tunes, spirituals and contemporary praise songs are better if you based your acc on chords. If the hymn has a beautiful arrangement in the hymnal that I want to play as written, I use all my playing based strategies to get comfortable with it: RH LH, hand positioning, fragmenting, repeating patterns, planing in LH, recognizing chords, etc. I’ve been reading music for decades but only became really comfortable playing lots of music from the hymnal after I found SM. Thank you Neil Moore! I only have 1 student who is choosing reading projects right now and take him through this process.
Evan H.,
I have some techniques for learning 4-part harmonization that have been effective. I would be happy to share these techniques over a Zoom call if you like.
Cheri S.,
Tina H. you can pm me for more details, but here are a few ideas:
– set expectations early (most people don’t know how challenging SATB hymns are)
– all the strategies learned thru Foundation pieces also apply to written music
– teach chords & inversions (Acc 1 & Acc 2) so they become second nature (SATB hymns = chords)
– know your students’ needs:
*Do they want to play for church or family or just themselves?
*Do they personally prefer to sing along with chords, or to hear the melody in their accompaniment?
*For church, what type of accompaniment does their congregation use? (simple piano chords, a worship band, someone playing as-written from a hymnal)
– once students are up to Traveler’s Tale in TFMM, they could start learning as-written hymns **but** they would *not* be ready to efficiently learn to play every note in a full SATB hymn
>> the Simply Music approach to reading music means students have the tools to decode any music, but that is not the same thing as opening a hymnal & playing
>> at this point, it would take discouragingly long (for most students) to learn every note of even a single hymn
Teaching ideas:
– Search the student’s hymnal and start with easier songs. Look for simpler melodies, with repeating patterns. Look for hymns with fewer position changes, fewer chords & fewer chord changes.
– If you’ve previously had students accompany these hymns with chords, then the bass line and harmonic structure will already be familiar — huge advantage!
– Still, I recommend RH read only the melody, not the alto part
– LH can read the bass line or the chord symbols (if you’re lucky enough to have them!) Using that info, students can play:
> single notes
> 5ths, with the bass note on bottom
> octaves
– These LH “tricks” will fill out the piano sound. The alto and tenor parts can be added much later in the reading process. Many church accompanists never learn to add tenor & alto, and they’re still able to accompany most hymns
– Even with these tricks, learning hymns is still pretty slow. Help the student choose a few simple ones that fit a variety of circumstances. Then keep those alive in their playlist!
– And make sure they’re using the hymns in real life in whatever ways they hope to — if church accompaniment is the goal, encourage them to volunteer as often as possible
(my above reply assumes the student wants to, and is prepared to, learn written SATB hymns)
Purists may feel that leaving out notes is cheating, or could become a crutch. IMO being able to quickly see which notes are the most important is actually a vital sight-reading skill.
“Chorale” in Foundation 6 teaches awesome tools for how BH move in relation to each other in SATB hymns.
Before tackling all four SATB parts, my students will have learned “Chorale” and, in F7 “Church Song” and “Fur Elise section C” — all excellent prep for the complex BH movement in full SATB hymns
Original conversation started October 9, 2024