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About Numbered Notation

All steps
  1. The numbers are the notes of a scale
  2. “1=C” tells you where to start
  3. Dots make a note higher or lower
  4. How long each note lasts
  5. 0 means rest
  6. Bar lines and the time signature
  7. Curves: ties and slurs
  8. The words sit under the numbers
  9. Repeat signs and 1. 2. endings
  10. Minor keys: “6=A”
  11. Put it together: a line of a hymn
  12. Check yourself
  13. Try it on a hymn

The numbers are the notes of a scale

Numbered notation (jianpu, 简谱) writes a melody as numbers instead of notes on a staff. You do not need to read music: take one small step at a time and press Play on any example to hear it while each number lights up. Sound only starts when you press Play.

Instead of notes on a staff, each note is a number from 1 to 7. They are the seven steps of the scale you already know: do re mi fa sol la ti. After 7 the scale starts again at 1.

The seven numbers with their names. Press Play and say each name as its number lights up.
Sing along: do re mi fa sol, and back down to do.

If you can sing do re mi, you can already sing every number from 1 to 7. Tap or click any number to hear just that note.

“1=C” tells you where to start

At the top left of the sheet you will see something like 1=C. It means the number 1 (do) is the note C, and every other number counts up from there. 1=G means do is G, so the whole tune sits a little higher. Nothing else changes: the same numbers make the same shape, only higher or lower.

1=C: do is C.
1=G: the same numbers, starting higher.

Not sure where C is? On a piano it is the white key just left of the two black keys. Or ignore the letter and start on any note that is comfortable for your voice: the tune only has to keep its shape. The − and + key buttons on a hymn page shift the key for you.

Dots make a note higher or lower

A dot above a number means one octave higher. A dot below means one octave lower. Two dots mean two octaves. No dot is the middle range, where most of a tune lives. The name stays the same; only the height changes.

The same number at three heights: dot below, no dot, dot above.
A tune that climbs: it starts on a low sol and ends on a high do.

How long each note lasts

Tap your foot at a steady pace: each tap is a beat. A plain number lasts one beat, so you sing a new number on every tap. Dashes, lines and dots change that.

A plain number is one beat

Four numbers, four beats: one number for each tap.

A dash holds the note longer

Each dash adds one beat. The 5 lasts two beats and the 3 lasts four.

A line underneath makes it shorter

One line is half a beat, so two underlined numbers share one beat. (Two lines are a quarter of a beat.)

A dot after makes it half as long again

A dot after a number adds half its length. The first 5 lasts a beat and a half, and the short 3 fills the rest of the second beat.

0 means rest

A 0 is silence for one beat. Keep counting and keep tapping, but do not sing. Dashes after a 0 make the silence longer, just as they hold a note longer.

Sing 1 3 5, stay quiet for one beat, then come back down. Rests light up too, so you can feel the pause.

Bar lines and the time signature

Tall lines cut the music into bars, each holding the same number of beats. The two small numbers at the start, like 4/4 or 3/4, say how many: 4/4 is four beats in every bar, 3/4 is three. The first beat of each bar is the strongest, so lean on it a little. A double line with a thick edge marks the end.

4/4: count 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4. The first beat of each bar sounds a little louder.
3/4: count 1 2 3, 1 2 3, the lilt of a waltz.

Curves: ties and slurs

A curve over numbers joins them. If it joins two of the same number, it is a tie: sing the note once and hold it for both. If it joins different numbers, it is a slur: sing them all on one syllable, gliding from one to the next.

A tie: the 5 is sung once and held across the bar line, six beats in all.
A slur: “Him” is sung on two notes, 3 then 2.

The words sit under the numbers

Each number gets one syllable, written right underneath it. A short dash after part of a word means the word carries on under the next number. If a number has nothing under it, it belongs to a curve or a dash: keep singing the syllable you are on.

Read left to right, one syllable for each number: Twin-kle, twin-kle, lit-tle star.

Repeat signs and 1. 2. endings

A bar line with two dots, :|, means go back and sing that part again, from the matching |: sign (or from the start if there is none). Sometimes the repeat has two endings. Sing ending 1. the first time; on the repeat, skip it and sing ending 2. instead.

Play it: you hear the 1. ending, the repeat, then the 2. ending. Watch the highlight jump back.

Minor keys: “6=A”

A song in a minor key, which usually sounds more serious or tender, is labeled like 6=A instead of 1=C. It means the number 6 (la) is the home note, here A. The numbers keep their usual names; the tune simply feels at home on 6 and often ends there. 6=A uses the same notes as 1=C.

It starts and ends on 6 (la), the home note. Listen to the darker colour.

Put it together: a line of a hymn

This is the first line of hymn 8, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow”, written in numbered notation. Try the slow tempo first, and sing the words as each number lights up.

1=G in 4/4. Three silent beats, then “Praise” on beat 4. The dots under 7, 6 and 5 mean those notes dip one octave lower.

Check yourself

Four quick questions, with no score and no pressure. Tap an answer to see right away why it is right or wrong. You can always try another answer.

Tap the number that is held the longest.

Tap the 5 that is one octave higher than the first 5.

What does a 0 mean?

Under 1=G, which note is the number 1?

Try it on a hymn

You opened this from a hymn that has a Numbered view, so you can try it right now.

  1. Look at the top left of the sheet: the key, such as 1=D, and the time signature, such as 3/4.
  2. Find the first number and sing it. Then follow the numbers from left to right with the words underneath, one syllable for each number. Press Play in the player to hear the recording while you follow.
  3. Letters above the numbers (C, G7) are chords for a guitarist or pianist. Ignore them while you learn the tune.
  4. To be guided, open the Learn tab and press Play. Under Display, set Learn notation to Numbered (or choose Numbered on the Lead Sheet tab first). For hymns that have numbered lines, each line of numbers scrolls into view in time with the recording while a bouncing ball follows the words; other hymns show the piano notation there. The Speed menu slows it down.

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In the Word of God I found it

Fullness of the Spirit The Anointing, Sealing, and Pledging

English1119
1
In the Word of God I found it,
Wonderful this Word to me;
I need not man’s natural teaching,
The anointing lives in me!
 
Yes, in my spirit now He is moving!
Yes, I have the anointing!
God in me is flowing!
Thank God, I see it!
His Word revealed it!
I will apply it ever!
The anointing lives in me!
2
Making Christ experiential,
God at His pure Word I take;
As the Spirit joined unto me,
He cannot His promise break.
3
Based upon the blood that cleanses
So that nothing stands between,
Christ, the ointment, moves within me!
For His move I’m made so clean.
4
God in Christ as life in Spirit
Into my own spirit came!
He the Holy One anoints me
Till in spirit we’re the same.
5
God in Spirit; I can touch Him;
In my spirit He’s the flow.
Deeper, wider, richer, fuller—
Oh, the very God I know!
6
As I heed “that same anointing”
Ever to “abide in Him,”
He is teaching, He is reaching,
Even all my heart to win.

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B

MA, United States

Oct 15, 2026

Hallelujah!
"God in Spirit; I can touch Him;
In my spirit
He’s the flow.
Deeper, wider, richer, fuller—
Oh, The Very GOD
I know!

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Eric Chong

Rohnert Park, CA, United States

Feb 1, 2026

I need not man’s natural teaching,
The anointing lives in me!
As I heed “that same anointing”
Ever to “abide in Him, ”!

Read more
Un Hermano

Sep 11, 2025

3) Living with Man—Adam Living with Eve

Adam and Eve, being one, lived together. This portrayed that God, the universal Husband, will live with regenerated humanity forever. The universal marriage life of God and man is fully revealed in Revelation 21 . In eternity, God in Christ will be the center, reality, and life of man’s living, and man will live by God in Christ as life. Man will express God’s glory and will exercise God’s authority over the new earth. God and man, man and God will live together in a marriage life forever.

So, Genesis 1:1—2:3 is a picture of God’s purpose, and 2:4-25 is a portrait of the way to fulfill God’s purpose. These two sections may be considered as a blueprint of an architectural plan. Genesis 3 through Revelation 20 may be considered as the building process, and Revelation 21 and 22 as a photograph of the finished building.

Life-study of Genesis

Message 17 Section 4 (LSM)

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Un Hermano

Sep 11, 2025

THE CONTENT OF THE WORD

Here we must explain what human elements are. As far as content is concerned, the Bible is full of human elements. If we remove the human elements from the Bible, not much is left of it. Human elements occupy a crucial place in the word of God. For example, the book of Galatians speaks of God’s promise by referring to the story of Abraham. If we removed Abraham’s story from the Bible, we would not understand what God’s promise is. The Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God that redeems man from sin ( John 1:29 ), and the Old Testament speaks of men repeatedly offering sacrifices of bulls and goats. From Abel’s sacrifice in Genesis to the book of Leviticus with its many offerings, we find men offering sacrifices to God again and again. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus becoming the Lamb of God to propitiate for sinners. Consider the example of David in the Old Testament. He fought in battles and won. He obeyed God, and he was a man after God’s heart. He prepared materials for God’s house, and Solomon built the temple with the gold, silver, and precious stones that David had prepared. We see David, and we see Solomon. These two show how the Lord Jesus fought the battle, how He won, how He ascended, and how He was enthroned. If the story of David and Solomon were taken away, we would not be able to see the Lord Jesus fully. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus is greater than David and Solomon ( Matt. 22:43-44 ; 12:42 ). Before the Lord Jesus came, there first had to be a David and a Solomon. Otherwise, we would not see anything. Consider the example of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt through the wilderness. The details of this history are recorded in the Bible, including how Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan and how they overcame the thirty-one kings of Canaan. If the stories of Moses and Joshua were taken away, there would be very little left of the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua. If we did not have the book of Joshua, it would be hard to understand the book of Ephesians. These examples show us that human elements are present throughout the Word of God.

One characteristic of God’s word is that it is full of human elements. God’s word is not released through thin air; it is released through man. God reveals His word through man and events related to man. This makes His word simple, understandable, and comprehensible. Whenever God speaks, He speaks so that man can understand. God’s word is not merely something that God utters, but something that man can understand. It is not merely supernatural; it is also very natural. It is not merely spiritual; it is also human. Through its human composition we can understand what God is doing and, therefore, what He is saying. The book of Acts provides very little doctrine; it is primarily a record of the acts of the apostles under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s actions became part of God’s Word, and Paul’s actions also became part of God’s Word. The beginning of the church in Jerusalem became part of God’s Word, and the beginning of the churches in Samaria and the church in Antioch also became part of God’s Word. These events are not merely history; they are part of God’s Word. Through history, man acted out God’s word. By means of history, man declared God’s word. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s word through man by means of history. God’s Word is full of human elements. This is a characteristic of the Bible. It is not a book of creeds. It is a book of man acting out God’s word. When God’s speaking is being carried out, acted out, and lived out by man, we have the word of God.

The Ministry of God's Word

Chapter 2 Section 1 (LSM)

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Jack Petrash

Irving, TX, United States

Mar 24, 2025

The lyrics to this hymn were composed by Robert "Bobby" Allen while he was meeting with the church in Houston TX in the 1970's. Bobby currently meets with the chuch in Irving TX.

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Chris Condon

Fargo, ND, United States

Mar 10, 2025

Many will come to me in that day and say (I did many things FOR You... ). This hymn reveals the secret of doing things BY Him and not just for Him. "For Him" originates from our soul. "By Him" originates from the anointing in our spirit. Lord, teach me, day-by-day, to live by Your moving in our inner man.

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Maria L

Fremont, California, United States

Sep 24, 2024

Thank the Lord that the anointing is constantly moving and working within us to add the element of God into us and cause us to understand and know God’s will intimately and subjectively! Hallelujah! 😀

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Jack Petrash

Irving, TX, United States

Sep 6, 2024

Our daily experience of the anointing, which is Christ as the life-giving Spirit, shining, speaking, saving, enlightening, is so precious, so inspiring, so caring, so intimate, making us just love our dear and precious Lord Jesus more today than yesterday!

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Maria Levi

Los Angeles, California, United States

Apr 19, 2021

Thank You Lord for Your Spirit as the anointing I have have received who abides and dwells in my spirit. Your anointing teaches me in all things and is true and is not a lie. You are flowing and moving, teaching and reaching me deeper, wider, richer, and fuller as I abide in You more and more!

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Maurice Ward

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Dec 13, 2020

God in us is flowing! This is the very God I know! Lord win all my heart!

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