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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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Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole

Longings For Cleansing

English408
1
Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole,
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 
Whiter than snow; yes, whiter than snow;
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
2
Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
To get this blest cleansing I all things forego;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
3
Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice;
I give up myself and whatever I know;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
4
Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat;
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;
By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
5
Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee Thou never saidst, No;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

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Jobie

Indiana, United States

Jun 7, 2026

We are washed by the blood of Christ as our substitutionary atoning sacrifice. We receive this cleansing of all our sins by faith, not by anything we do.

Scriptures help us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and the truth of the gospel.

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It's a free gift given by God for whosoever will believe.

Read more
Un Hermano

Mar 25, 2026

The Washing of the Water in the Word

----------

Ephesians 5:26 says, “Cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word. ” According to the Bible (Rev. 22:1 ; John 7:37-39 ; 19:34) and our experience, we can conclude that the water the Lord uses to cleanse the church is the life of God. However, this water is not the life that remains in God but the life that flows out from God. The life of God that flows out from God is the water of life for us to enjoy and for us to be washed from the things of the old creation. Only this water can wash and cleanse the church.

The Word—Rhema

-----------

The water of life that Christ uses to cleanse the church washes us inwardly, and the effectiveness of this washing operates through the word. In the original language word here is not logos but rhema. Logos is objective, whereas rhema is subjective. Rhema is the word spoken into us by the Holy Spirit. The function of this rhema is to wash us inwardly, washing away the element of the old creation. Christ’s work of washing the church is carried out by the word that is rhema.

My natural love for people was touched by the rhema word. I loved people before I was saved, and after I was saved, I loved people even more based on the Lord’s exhortation for us to love people. I also endeavored all the more to love people in the church, but one day I read Galatians 2:20 : “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. ” I was inwardly enlightened, and it was as if I had been suddenly jolted by a power that said, “Is your love for people out of yourself or out of Christ? It is you, not Christ! ” I saw that with such a natural love, my self and my natural life had been brought into the church, and that for this I had received not only praises from others but even praises from myself. My natural love was not the issue of Christ working His life into me; rather, it was something that my natural man originally possessed. Hence, I immediately prayed according to this verse and fellowshipped with the Lord. As a result, the Holy Spirit shined this word into me, and this word became rhema in me. In this rhema the washing function of the water of life operated to wash me of my natural love, just as water washes away dirt. A few days later, when I was about to love others according to my self, the word of Galatians 2:20 manifested its rhema power in me, saying, “It is no longer I but Christ. The one who loves people is no longer I but Christ. ” This is to experience the washing of the water in the word, the washing of a part of our natural old creation.

Washing Away the Spots and Wrinkles

------------------

The spots and wrinkles in Ephesians 5:27 represent the elements of the old creation that need to be washed. Spots do not refer to sins or mistakes but to particular marks of the natural life, which are the peculiarities and characteristics of the natural life. A sister’s quick disposition can illustrate this point. A quick disposition is neither a sin nor a mistake but a peculiarity of the natural life. One day a sister with a quick disposition may read Psalm 147:10, which says, “He takes no delight in the strength of horses; / Nor pleasure in the legs of man, ” and the Holy Spirit will speak this word into the depths of her being. Then the word will begin to operate, producing a washing function to wash the spot of quickness. Another day she may read that the hem of the high priest’s robe had golden bells around it so that the high priest could not be quick when he entered into the presence of God. If he was quick, the golden bells would make noise; consequently, this noise was to warn the high priest not to be hasty (Exo. 28:33-35). Then the Holy Spirit will operate in this sister through this word so that this spot of her natural life—her quick disposition—would be dealt with again. This is to experience the washing of the water in the word—rhema—to wash her of her spot of quickness.

Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Living and Responsibility of the Church in the Holy Spirit

Chapter 17 Christ Giving Himself Up for the Church and Cleansing Her in Order to Present the Church to Himself

CWWL, 1953, (LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

Mar 25, 2026

The Washing of the Water in the Word

--------------

Ephesians 5:26 says, “Cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word. ” According to the Bible (Rev. 22:1; John 7:37-39; 19:34) and our experience, we can conclude that the water the Lord uses to cleanse the church is the life of God. However, this water is not the life that remains in God but the life that flows out from God. The life of God that flows out from God is the water of life for us to enjoy and for us to be washed from the things of the old creation. Only this water can wash and cleanse the church.

The Word—Rhema

The water of life that Christ uses to cleanse the church washes us inwardly, and the effectiveness of this washing operates through the word. In the original language word here is not logos but rhema. Logos is objective, whereas rhema is subjective. Rhema is the word spoken into us by the Holy Spirit. The function of this rhema is to wash us inwardly, washing away the element of the old creation. Christ’s work of washing the church is carried out by the word that is rhema.

My natural love for people was touched by the rhema word. I loved people before I was saved, and after I was saved, I loved people even more based on the Lord’s exhortation for us to love people. I also endeavored all the more to love people in the church, but one day I read Galatians 2:20 : “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. ” I was inwardly enlightened, and it was as if I had been suddenly jolted by a power that said, “Is your love for people out of yourself or out of Christ? It is you, not Christ! ” I saw that with such a natural love, my self and my natural life had been brought into the church, and that for this I had received not only praises from others but even praises from myself. My natural love was not the issue of Christ working His life into me; rather, it was something that my natural man originally possessed. Hence, I immediately prayed according to this verse and fellowshipped with the Lord. As a result, the Holy Spirit shined this word into me, and this word became rhema in me. In this rhema the washing function of the water of life operated to wash me of my natural love, just as water washes away dirt. A few days later, when I was about to love others according to my self, the word of Galatians 2:20 manifested its rhema power in me, saying, “It is no longer I but Christ. The one who loves people is no longer I but Christ. ” This is to experience the washing of the water in the word, the washing of a part of our natural old creation.

Washing Away the Spots and Wrinkles

The spots and wrinkles in Ephesians 5:27 represent the elements of the old creation that need to be washed. Spots do not refer to sins or mistakes but to particular marks of the natural life, which are the peculiarities and characteristics of the natural life. A sister’s quick disposition can illustrate this point. A quick disposition is neither a sin nor a mistake but a peculiarity of the natural life. One day a sister with a quick disposition may read Psalm 147:10, which says, “He takes no delight in the strength of horses; / Nor pleasure in the legs of man, ” and the Holy Spirit will speak this word into the depths of her being. Then the word will begin to operate, producing a washing function to wash the spot of quickness. Another day she may read that the hem of the high priest’s robe had golden bells around it so that the high priest could not be quick when he entered into the presence of God. If he was quick, the golden bells would make noise; consequently, this noise was to warn the high priest not to be hasty (Exo. 28:33-35). Then the Holy Spirit will operate in this sister through this word so that this spot of her natural life—her quick disposition—would be dealt with again. This is to experience the washing of the water in the word—rhema—to wash her of her spot of quickness.

Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Living and Responsibility of the Church in the Holy Spirit

17. Christ Giving Himself Up for the Church and Cleansing Her in Order to Present the Church to Himself

CWWL, 1953, (LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

Mar 25, 2026

Question: Many times, I have gone to the Lord and sensed that there was something really wrong within. But I did not have the utterance to say anything specific.

-------------

Answer: Just pray according to what you can utter. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I sense that I am wrong in certain things, but I do not know how to express it. Lord, You know; wash me according to Your knowledge. ” Many times when you say, “Lord, I cannot utter, ” the utterance comes. Then you can tell the Lord what is wrong. The Lord is gracious. If you are not willing to confess your sins, the Lord is legal, but as soon as you are willing, He is not legal. If you will not confess, He will not let you off. Once you are ready to confess, He will say, “That is all right, My child. ”

Life Messages
Chapter 5 Questions and Answers (1)
CWWL, 1978, vol. 2 (LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

Mar 25, 2026

By God’s creation we all have a human spirit (Zech. 12:1) by which we may sense God and contact Him. However, as a result of the fall man’s spirit was deadened; it became functionless and senseless, no longer possessing the ability to contact God. The God-contacting function of the human spirit was deadened. When we repented and applied the redeeming blood to cleanse our conscience, our deadened spirit was quickened. Then our spirit began to sense God and contact Him. Now the more we say, “O Lord, I love You, ” the more alive our spirit becomes. The more we say, “Lord, cleanse me, wash me, and cover me with Your prevailing blood, ” and the more we confess our sins and praise the Lord, the more living our spirit will be.

Life-study of Genesis
Message 18. The First Fall of Man
(LSM)

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Ruth

Northwood, Oh, United States

Jan 7, 2026

What a blessing to sing along with the piano music provided.

Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow. Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Thankful for this resource.

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Jane

Toronto, ON, Canada

Aug 4, 2025

Soothing reverence song touches the heart ❤️

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Edna Lindo

Sunrise, FL, United States

Jul 19, 2025

Praise the Lord oh my Soul! I was having my morning devotion and this hymn came to my mind. I had forgotten some of the lyrics and decided to look for it. What a blessing the prayer is. Thank you. I have never heard verse 6 before what a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful hymn! Blessings to you.

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Anonymous

Jun 17, 2025

Beautiful hymn for the people to turn from their wicked ways and seek God

Read more
Dalton Webb

Palm Bay, Florida, United States

Apr 4, 2025

For 3 days this song resting on my heart, I look for it in the hymnal and I could not find it, so I google it, it is so refreshing ✨️, O glory to GOD, whiter than snow)

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