Learning to Play the Piano

[Edwin]

It is interesting the way church/hymn music is written. They are written with all combinations of sharps and flats including up to 5 flats, and 4 sharps. There are a lot of church songs written with five flats and five flats is very easy to play. Many church songs are written with 3 and 4 sharps, and sharps have been more difficult for me to play simply because playing my trombone in high school I was more familiar with flats as that is what most high school music for brass is written in. I got used to playing sharps in the orchestra, as many orchestral pieces are written in sharps, and a lot of them. We had high school kids come play with us who had never seen any sharps, that is the number of them that we played, and for a while they didn't know what to do with sharps because they were not familiar with them.

In some church song/hymn books we can encounter unusual keys. The book I am now playing out of is a wonderful old Hymnbook that Doug Oldham's Father worked on and was one of the contributors. He was a Baptist Evangelist, and they are wonderful people. Well anyway I found a song in that book, "Be Ready When He Comes" that is written with 6 flats! With the usually 5 the note C is also flat, which is the same as B natural, and while it is very easy to play 5 flats, that 6th flat, the note C can really throw you if you are not familiar with that key signature, and it takes you by surprise! I think once you get accustomed to playing music written in 6 flats it is easy. I also came across another church song/hymn, "Consecration," which is written in 5 sharps. I very seldom see 5 sharps in the music so it is more difficult for me. As well as the usualy 4 sharps the Note A is also sharp, which actually is B flat! I am sure if I were playing 5 sharps often that would be easy. There was a time that 3 sharps was a challenge, and now 4 sharps is pretty easy, but I seldom see 5 sharps and 6 flats, but then it is important to be able to play those key signatures well also!

[Edwin]

One of the last times I was in Wenatchee, Washington, which was about a month or so ago, I found a beautiful old church hymn/song book that was printed in England. I enjoy all my church hymn/song books as I come to them playing their lovely melodies. At first I took a dim view of this book because it was printed in England, I thought that it would be less enjoyable because of it being less familiar, but boy was I wrong. It has 952 church hymns/songs and 48 choruses which makes it the largest church hymn/song book that I have. Many of its songs are familiar, and most all of them are written with simple enjoyable melodies, and I love them! By the time I play all of them I will know how to play the piano, wouldn't you agree?

I can't find a copy right date although it is copy righted in Great Britain and America. There is a person's name written Wm Isenhart, which is a familiar name for this part of the State of Washington, and the date given is 1935, so the book is older than that!

In the over 1000 songs and choruses there are many wonderful ones, many of which I have never heard played or sang before. One of them is "I Shall See Him by and by."L "When my heart is sad with life's cares and toils, I will hush my troubled spirit's anxious cry; For the day is coming fst, when my cares shall all be pasat, I shall see Him! I shall see Him by and by. The chorus: I shall see Him! My Redeemer! O my heart, be brave, be strong! I shall see Him! I shall see Him, and I'll praise Him With an everlasting song. Second verse: When the path is rough, and the way is hard, And no resting for my weary feet is nigh; I will bravely press along singing still my hopeful song, I shall see Him! I shall see Him by and by. Third verse: When the day grows dark, and the clouds o'er hang, And they close out all the sunshine from the sky; Tho' in darkness I abide, He is still my faith ful guide, I shall see Him! I shall see him by and by. Verse four: Then my heart be brave, and my soul rejoice, For His promise standeth sure on it rely: And for all the care and pain therer shall be eternal gain, When I see Him! When I shall see Him by and by."

[Edwin]

"There'lll Be No Dark Valleys when Jesus Comes," is a good one, and it is certainly true, that when Jesus comes there are no dark valleys. Jesus gives a song in your heart, and give you joy in living. This is important for some people who do have a hard time. A lot of the Negro Spirituals, or I think they call them traditional songs, and think there is another name for them as well, but I can't remember it now. Anyway when those poor people were having to work so hard and being abused, they made up songs to give them joy in their hearts in spite of their trouble. One such is "No Body Knows the Trouble I see."

[Edwin]

When I first started playing the piano I had only one church hymn/song book, and that was one from our church that I used for years when I was playing my trombone in the church orchestra. At first my playing bothered everyone who had to listen to me very much! Carol would beg me to take breaks, saying "aren't you getting tired; don't you need a break." Also she has told me that she thought my piano playing was bothering the dogs! My older brother laughed! He had it figured out! He said the dogs nothing, it is her that the piano playing is bothering. Carol told me once that she was getting tired of hearing me play the same songs over and over. So I went on ebay and bought church hymn/song books, hundreds of them, literally. I got them from every denomination; Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Catholic, and every other organization. I can understand her feelings on it, because I played at a snails pace, figuring out every note before I played it. Things have really improved because I have now developed enough playing skill so that she is encouraging me to play more instead of begging me to stop playing. I will have to admit that I got pretty irritated about it a few times, and I think she did also having to listen to me struggle to try to play. Last Christmas she told me that she wanted me to play more Christmas music because I was playing them well enough so that she could enjoy them, and she wanted to hear Christmas carols/hymns before Christmas and until Christmas was past.

I have been systematically going through my hynm books playing every song in each book. I am now playing out of that church hymn/song book that was from our Assembly of God church that I played my trombone from for so many years, and it is so much fun to do that. I will probably skip some of them because I have several copies now of that same church hymn/song book. The songs are familiar because of singing them and playing them on my trombone, that it is so much fun to play them. I have already played past the Christmas carols/hymns, and since Christmas is so near at hand, I will need to play them again. The first year I started playing the piano, I thought before Christmas I would learn to play all those Chrsitmas songs, and boy didn't I have a surprise, as it was about 3 years before I was able to do well enough to play them!

[Edwin]

Well, Rand and I are here alone for a few hours, and he does not want me to play the piano! He wants Carol and I both to be here, and when one of us is missing he stays right beside me, and if Carol is gone very long he hunts for her. He whines a little also, because he doen't think things are right when we are not both here! He comes over and puts his front paws on my legs. If I don't play attention to him, he pushed my hands up off the keyboard by lifting up on the bottom of my wrist! So I will not feel guilty for being here and doing this. There is a Scripture someone what says something to the effect that if you allow yourself to do something, then don't feel guitly about it; as long as it is not wrong of course. So here I am doing this for now, and I am eating some of what Carol suggested; red, not hot, peppers, 3 of them, 8 wedges of apples, one half a tomatoe, and a small chunck of meatloaf with a glass of milk, and I may eat some chocolate before it is all finished!

[Edwin]

I am now playing the piano out of an old church hymn/song book, "Pentecostal Hymns Three and Four." I grew up with our family attending Assemblies of God churches. They are a Pentecostal group of churches. The first book I remember was green, then they had a blue book, then after that a red book, and the last one I sang out of and played my trombone from was "Hymns of Glorious Praise." The Assemblies of God churches have adopted at least one other church hymn/song book after that, and it had a lot of songs from Bill and Gloria Gaither, as well as some of the other more recent contemporary church music authors, many from Baptist churches. We saw that book in a Pentecostal Church of God that we attended for a short time. That is one book I would love to have, and one of these days I may go on ebay and see if I can find and purchase one of them. "Pentecostal Hymns Three and Four" were before my time. "Pentecostal Hymns Three" dated back to 1902, and "Pentecostal Hymns Four" dated to 1907 which was the very year my Dad was born! Some of the songs/hymns in that book are familiar to me, but many of them are not, but even the ones that I am not familiar with I love. I am having fun playing the songs out of that old book!

[Edwin]

Usually when Carol is gone my doggie, Rand, will not allow me to play the piano, so I played the piano until Carol left for the knitting/spinning guild. But, it is warm outside, and my doggie is happy to lay on the South steps in the sun! I saw him a while ago out digging snow out of a snow drift, and having fun in the deep snow! So I have been able to play all morning and afternoon so far except for the time it took me to eat a bowl of dry cooked/boiled beans, drink a glass of milk, as well as eating some dark chocolate!

Besides the Assemblies of God church song/hymn books, I have other Pentecostal song books as well. I have all kinds of books, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, you name it, I have it! Any some time back I played the songs out of the Pentecostal Hymns 3 and 4. The songs out of 3 were published in 1902, and the songs in 4 were published in 1907. Then I played from an old 1927 Tabernacle Hymns number 2, which had wonderful old church songs in it. Now I am playing out of the Pentecostal Hymns number one, and all of those songs were written before 1900! It is amazing. Many of those are old familiar church songs that I didn't realize were that old, and many of the songs in the book I have never heard of, but they are all wonder old church songs, and I am having fun playing them!

[Edwin]

I just finished playing all the songs out of the "Pentecostal Hymnal Number One." All the the songs were written before the year 1900! Many of the books are associated with certain church denominations. I have Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and a number of other church song books from various denominations. This Pentecostal Hymnal has not church denomination written on it. It is certainly not UPC or Jesus Only because it is filled with hymns/songs about the Trinity!

My next church hymn/song book I am playing out of it "Hymns of the Christain Life." This book was copyrighted in 1936 which means the songs are very old! It is "A book of worship in song emphasizing Evangelism, Missions, and the Deeper Life." It has the mark of vibrant faith on it. When this book came out you could buy one of them for 85 cents, and now a new book like this that is up to day costs anywhere from 20 to 30 dollars! It is by the Christian Publications, Inc. Third and Reily Streets, Harrisburg, Pennsylvainia, USA! That company was established in 1886.

Looking in some of these old books is like looking into someone's personal diary! I says, " From Aunt Nellie and Raymond Rucsh." Also "To Norman Travers with kindly affection." "Jesus Christ declared to be the Son of God with power.....by the resurrection from the dead."

"Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God." "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world."

That is priceless, huh, and I think as old as this book is these people who wrote in it are dead, gone, and with Jesus! Isn't that wonderful!

[Edwin]

When I am playing these church songs/hymns, I am amazed sometimes at what I find. There is a song that ever since I was a small boy I thought it was a popular secular tune until I started playing these church songs. This is not the first time I have run across it as it is in several of my church song books, and I play it every time I come across it. It is "My Home, Sweet Home."

"Walking along life's road one day, I heard a voice so sweetly say, "A place up in heav'n I am building thee, A beautiful, Beautiful home." Home, sweet home, home, sweet home, Where I'll never roam; I see the light of that city so bright, My home, sweet home. Verse 2: Loved ones upon that shore I'll meet, Casting their crowns at Jesus' feet; I'll worship and praise Him forever more, In my beautiful, beautiful home. Home sweet home, home, sweet home, Where I'll never roam; I see the light of that city so bright, My home, sweet home. Verse 3: Life's day is short, I soon shall go, To be with Him who loved me so. I see in the distance that shining shore, My beautiful, beautiful home. Home, sweet home, home sweet home, Where I'll never roam; I see the light of that city so bright, My home, sweet home."

[purex]

I really wanted to play piano and have been the plan to have my own. But it is still only in desire. I stop studying piano due to many problems lately. And it would be another burden to go to the studio everyday.