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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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What He is: He’s the Father

Praise of the Lord His All-Inclusiveness

English1103
1
What He is: He’s the Father.
He’s the everlasting Father.
He’s the firstborn of creation.
He’s the One who lives inside of me.
He’s the Father! Wonderful!
2
What He is: He’s the river.
He’s the mighty flowing river.
He waters me in a desert land.
He’s my hiding place; He is our man.
He’s the river! Wonderful!
3
What He is: He’s the vine tree.
He’s the branch, the root of Jesse.
He’s the tree of life: we have the right
To eat of Him and have His life.
He’s the vine tree! Wonderful!
4
What He is: He’s the Shepherd.
He’s the lamb of God, the he-goat.
We rest and feed in the pasture land.
We strike the blood and eat the lamb.
He’s the Shepherd! Wonderful!
5
What He is: He’s the Spirit.
He’s the all-inclusive Spirit.
He’s our everything; He’s our all in all.
He gives life to us whene’er we call.
He’s the Spirit! Wonderful!
6
What He is: He’s a Person.
He’s a real and living Person.
He is living now inside of us.
This Person is so glorious.
He’s a Person! Wonderful!
7
What He is: He’s the Body;
He’s the fullness of the Godhead;
He’s the center of the Father’s plan,
Christ and the church, the one new man.
He is wonderful, wonderful.
 
He is wonderful, wonderful.
He is wonderful, wonderful.

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Un Hermano

Aug 11, 2025

ONE CHRIST-THE UNSEARCHABLE ONE

I. Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of God, the second of the Divine Trinity-John 1:1-2, 18; Matt. 28:19.

II. He is self-existing, ever-existing, and coinhering with the Father and the Spirit in eternity.

III. He is, with the Father and the Spirit, the only God-John 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8.

IV. He is the Creator (v. 10), and all things were created through Him (John 1:3; Col. 1:16a), cohere in Him (v. 17), and will be an inheritance unto Him as the Heir (v. 16b; Heb. 1:2; Rom. 11:34-36).

V. In time He became a man through His incarnation, a God-man having both divinity and humanity as His nature-John 1:1, 14; Heb. 2:14.

VI. He is the Firstborn of all creation-Col. 1:15b.

VII. He is the effulgence of God's glory and the impress of God's substance-Heb. 1:3a.

VIII. He is the embodiment of God-Col. 2:9.

IX. He is the image of the invisible God-1:15a.

X. He lived in His humanity on the earth to express God for thirty-three and a half years-He is God manifested in the flesh-1 Tim. 3:16.

XI. He is the faithful Witness of God-Rev. 1:5.

XII. He is the tabernacle of God as God's movable dwelling place among men-John 1:14.

XIII. He is the temple of God as God's established dwelling place on earth-2:19-21. 9:43

XIV. He is the temple of God as God's established dwelling place on earth—2:19-21.

XV. He is the light of the world —8:12. [1641

XVI. He died an all-inclusive death through which He crucified Satan-the old serpent (3:14; Heb. 2:14)- sin (Rom. 8:3; John 1:29), the world (12:31), the fallen man with his flesh (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20), the old creation (represented by the old fallen man), and the law with its ordinances (Rom. 10:4; Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:15) for the accomplishment of God's eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12), and released His divine life from the shell of His humanity to be dispensed into His believers (John 12:24; 3:15).

XVII. He resurrected from among the dead (Matt. 28:6-7; 1 Cor. 15:4b), and through His resurrection He in His humanity was designated to be the firstborn Son of God (Rom. 1:4; 8:29; Acts 13:33), became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), and regenerated with His resurrection life all the people chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:2-3; Eph. 1:4).

XVIII. He ascended to the heavens, and in His ascension He was crowned and enthroned to be:

A. The Lord of all men and all things to rule over the whole universe-Acts 10:36.

B. Christ-the Anointed of God-to accomplish God's economy-2:36.

C. The Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5) to arrange the situations of the world and the environment of God's chosen people that they may be saved by Him as

D. The Savior who will be received by all His believers as their everything-Acts 5:31.

E. The Head of the church to take care of the church as His Body-Eph. 1:22-23; 5:29-30.

F. The Paraclete in heaven before God to take care of all the cases and needs of His members (1 John 2:1), and the One who is realized by His Spirit as the Paraclete in His members (John 14:16-20).

G. The heavenly Minister to minister heaven into His believers to make them the heavenly citizens-Heb. 8:2; Phil. 3:20.

H. The great High Priest in the heavens to take care of His (1651 believers' needs, intercede for them, and save them to the uttermost-Heb. 4:14-15; 7:25-27.

I. The Mediator of the new covenant, bequeathed by Him to His believers through His death, to execute it —8:6; 9:15.

J. The surety of the better covenant to be its guarantee —7:22. [166]

Prayer: Father, we worship You for Your word. Lord Jesus, we love You because You are the Word of God. We love You, and we thank You for tonight's meeting. Strengthen us in the speaking and anoint us in the listening. Grant us a real revelation in every word. Amen.

The Ten Great Critical "Ones"
for the Building Up of
the Body of Christ
Outline of Chapter 2 (LSM)

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Un Hermano

Aug 11, 2025

LIVING BY CHRIST,

NOT BY CULTURE

If we see that Christ is everything, we will spontaneously realize that we are nothing and nobody. In the words of Galatians 2:20 , we have been crucified with Christ, and Christ lives in us. He is the One who is patient, kind, loving, and full of life.

However, instead of living Christ, many of us unconsciously strive to improve ourselves. For example, a young brother who is about to get married may make up his mind to be an ideal husband. To do this is to live either according to our self-made culture or according to the culture we have inherited. Sometimes in conferences saints may testify that after that conference they will never be the same. Because such a statement is according to culture, a few days after the conference that person is the same as before. How easy it is to impose a cultural standard on ourselves!

The culture we impose on ourselves is actually a form of asceticism. Suppose a certain brother finds his wife difficult to bear, even though she is a dear sister in the Lord. This brother vows that, whatever the cost, he will be a good husband to his wife. He will bear with her, even if it is with gnashing of his teeth. This brother is living according to asceticism. Every time we make a decision to improve or to be different, we are living according to culture instead of according to Christ.

God’s intention is to dispense Christ into us so that He may be our life and our everything. God wants Christ to be our righteousness, holiness, humility, and patience. Since Christ is everything, there is no need for us to decide to do anything or to be anything. Instead, we should simply turn to the Lord and say, “Lord, thank You. You are my life and my everything. You are the real God and the real man. When I need love, You are love. When I need humility, You, Lord, are humility. Whatever I need, You are. ”

Life-study of Colossians

message 38 (LSM)

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Basil George

India

Aug 7, 2025

What He is, He’s the star, The Morning Star

He is our shining Sun who shines within us

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Danny Cortez

Orange, California, United States

Jul 28, 2024

This person is so glorious!

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Sam Liu

New York City, NY, United States

Jun 11, 2024

He’s the Father!
He’s the River!
He is the Vine tree!
He is the Shepherd!
He is the Spirit!
He is a Person!
He is the Body!

He is my God! my Lord! The Christ! The Son of the living God!

He is the one who is now executing His heavenly ministry for us before God!

If we have this realization of the Man-Savior as we contact Him, our contact with Him will be different.

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Jeremiah Chongkingdom

Gurugram, Haryana, India

May 5, 2024

He's so wonderful!

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Peter

United States

Dec 15, 2023

他是何: 他是圣父。
是永远永恒的圣父。
是受造之物的首生者。
是住在我心里的我是。
他是那奇妙的圣父。
他是何: 他是河流。
是浩浩荡荡的河流。
他在旷野里给我浇灌
是我隐密处； 是我磐石。
他是那奇妙的河流。
他是何: 是葡萄树
是耶西的树枝、树根。
他是生命树：我们有权(权柄)
吃他并得着他的生命。
他是奇妙的葡萄树。
他是何: 他是牧者。
是神的羔羊，公山羊。
在草场上我们安息、牧养。
我们涂宝血并吃羔羊。
他是那奇妙的牧者。
他是何: 他是圣灵。
是那包罗万有之灵。
是我们一切，在一切之内。
我们呼他名他赐生命。
他是那奇妙的圣灵。
他是何: 他是人位。
是真实而活的人位。
他此刻住在我们灵里。
这人位是如此荣耀。
他是那奇妙的人位。
他是何: 他是身体。
是神格一切的丰满。
他是圣父计划的中心。
基督与教会，同为新人。
他是何等的奇妙！
他是何等的奇妙！
他是何等的奇妙！

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Jerermiah Macklis

Victorville, California, United States

Dec 3, 2023

He is wonderful

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Sarah Hong

Cupertino, California, United States

Sep 17, 2023

O Lord you are the One and only Father!

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Tim

Milwaukee, WI, United States

Mar 19, 2023

I’ll Lord Jesus You are wonderful!

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