You have never played music before or you cannot read sheet music, but you want to play famous and inspiring hymns and spirituals. Don’t worry! You will begin to play right away. We made our pictured sheet music as simple as possible. You’ll play by letter-coded circles. No musical staff or notes. The easy-to-play songs and melodies were adapted especially for beginners.
You will be able to begin to play right away if the keys of your instrument have letter notations on the keys. Some percussion instruments already have them. They are printed by suppliers (for example, a simple xylophone or kalimba).
For other instruments, you just need to get and apply stickers with letter notations. For most songs, just 8 stickers will be enough. You can create your own using post-it notes or stickers, or you can buy them. Write the notes with a marker - A B C D E F G and C of the next octave. Apply the stickers correctly. Find note C (see picture on how to find middle C on piano).
Most songs from this book are possible to play on an 8-note instrument, so a one-octave instrument, for example, a color bell set, 8-key xylophone, small tongue drum, or even toy piano will be enough.
But some songs here involve the neighboring with the main octave notes. For these songs, you will need a 2-3 octave instrument. It might be the kalimba, 15+ key xylophone, melodica, synthesizer, or piano. All of them need to have special note stickers for beginners. These transparent removable stickers are available on Amazon for 88/61/54/49 key instruments and they can help in your musical experience.
We don't use most musical symbols and notations here: the length of the notes, bars, beams, etc.
This book is aimed at your first musical experience no matter what age you are. There is no wrong time or not enough preparation to take up spiritual pursuits.
CONTENTS
1. Hymns
Be Still My Soul
Holy, Holy, Holy
I've Got Joy Joy
Jesus Loves Me
Just As I Am
Praise Him, All You Little Children
Shall We Gather at the River
Soldier of the Cross
Song of Praise
We Are Marching (Siyahamba)
We Shall Overcome
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
When We All Get to Heaven
2. Spirituals
Babylon’s Falling
Elijah Rock
Every Time I Feel the Spirit
God Is So Good
Great Big Stars
Great Day
He’s God the Whole World in His Hands
I've Got Peace Like a River
Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley
Kumbaya, My Lord
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
Sinner Man
Somebody’s Knockin’ at Your Door
Swing Love, Sweet Chariot
The Little Light of Mine
There’s a Meeting Here Tonight
We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder
When the Saints Go Marching In
Who Built the Ark?
3. Christmas Songs
Amazing Grace
Away in a Manger
Christ Was Born on Christmas Day
Desk the Halls
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Joy to the World! The Lord is Come!
O, Holy Night
O Sanctissima!
Silent Night, Holy Night
The First Noel
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
We Wish You a Merry Christmas