This afternoon, we went live on our Instagram page, @beautynblacknwhite, for a Q&A session on hymn-playing. These tutorials are so much fun for me! I absolutely love answering your questions about hymn-playing on such a wide range of topics. When we ended, I couldn’t believe that we had been live for more than 40 minutes! The time flies by when I’m sharing about something I love so much!
A couple main points from the video:
- For a beginner hymn-player- aim to play three or four notes in your right hand as quickly as possible. Identify the chord you’re playing, play all three notes, and octave the melody, giving you four notes. If you’re not ready for that octave, play three notes of the chord in your right hand.
- Octave the left hand as soon as possible as well. Don’t think “octave-chord” pattern all the time. Think of ways to connect your left hand notes with octave scales, outlining the chord (explained in the video), and some chording as well.
- Use a different style for invitational hymns. Play lighter and softer. Use more of a rolling pattern in your left hand- broken chords, slow arpeggios, etc…
- Learn to read music. Even if you’re an accomplished pianist who plays by ear, discipline yourself to learn to read the notes. Basic hymn-reading will serve you well.
- Parents, if your child demonstrates an ear at a young age, foster it, but continue making them develop a strong theoretical music foundation built on good technique and note-reading. Let them play a little by ear for fun, but make sure they understand that developing a strong foundation is essential! 🙂
