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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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O Lord, how rich Thou art to us

Praise of the Lord His All-Inclusiveness

English187
1
O Lord, how rich Thou art to us,
Thy love reveals the measure!
The boundless riches of Thyself,
In spirit here we treasure.
2
Thou art the Word, e’en God Himself,
With God in the beginning;
Incarnate in the flesh with us,
And God to us defining.
3
Thou art the tabernacle true,
In Thee we see God’s glory;
For God Thou art the temple too,
In Thee is God’s full story.
4
Thou art the only Son of God,
The Father e’er declaring,
That we may have the life divine.
God’s very nature sharing.
5
Thou art the Son of Man like us,
And truly share our nature,
That we may be the sons of God
And grow to Thy full stature.
6
Thou art the Christ, the Lord of all,
By God Thou art anointed;
The One who is the All in all,
For God and us appointed.
7
Thou art the Savior crucified,
Whence issued blood and water,
That we might be redeemed to God,
And life divine may enter.
8
Thou now art Jesus glorified,
From whom descends the Spirit;
The all-inclusive Spirit comes
To us with all Thy merit.
9
Thou art the very light of life
That shineth in the darkness;
The light divine that shines with God
Within our hearts in fullness.
10
Thou art the very life divine,
Which all our spirits quickens;
The life which brings us out of death
And all our being strengthens.
11
Lord, Thou art God’s reality,
The truth that meets God’s pleasure;
The truth that brings Thyself to us,
That we may know Thy measure.
12
Thou also art the way of life,
Which unto glory leads us;
The way of Thy reality,
Which into vict’ry speeds us.
13
Thou art the resurrection too,
All death Thy life doth swallow;
’Tis by Thy resurrection pow’r,
We bear the cross and follow.
14
Thou art the spotless Lamb of God,
Who died for our redemption;
Thou art the Spirit-giver too,
For our regeneration.
15
Thou art the serpent made of brass,
Who saveth us from evil;
Thou on the tree wast lifted up,
To crush for us the devil.
16
Thou art the Shepherd and the door,
For us to leave the sheepfold,
By Thee we have full liberty
And share the pasture freehold.
17
Thy washing keeps us always clean,
In function like the laver;
Thus we are kept in fellowship,
Partaking of Thy favor.
18
Thou art the heav’nly riven rock,
With living water flowing;
We drink of this refreshing stream,
Thy quenching power knowing.
19
Thou art the heav’nly well, in Thee
Is living water ever;
We drink of Thine eternal life,
And thirst no more forever.
20
Thou art the heav’nly bread of life,
Thy food divine doth flourish;
With all Thy riches bountiful
Our spirits Thou dost nourish.
21
Thou even art our breath of life
Thyself we breathe in spirit;
By Thee we live, in Thee we walk,
Thy riches we inherit.
22
Thou art the grain of wheat divine,
That died and rose with glory,
To bring forth us as many grains
To form Thy glorious Body.
23
Thou art the true and heav’nly vine,
And we in Thee are branches;
In Thee abiding, Thou in us,
We share in all Thy riches.
24
Thou art the Bridegroom from above
To take the Bride, Thy Body;
That we may be with Thee as one,
In life and love and glory.
25
Thou art the ladder Jacob saw,
By Thee the heav’n is open;
In Thee we are the house of God,
And earth is joined to heaven.
26
O Lord, Thou art the great “I AM,”
Who all our need doth furnish;
Enjoying Thee as all in all,
God’s purpose we accomplish.

Copyright Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.

This hymn may be used as five separate hymns as follows: (1) Verses 1 to 8 and 26, (2) Verses 1 and 9 to 13 and 26, (3) Verses 1 and 14 to 17 and 26, (4) Verses 1 and 18 to 21 and 26, (5) Verses 1 and 22 to 26

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Sonny Seria

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Apr 21, 2020

L17 Thy washing keeps us always clean,
In function like the laver;
Thus we are kept in fellowship,
Partaking of Thy favor.
WASHING:
[John 15:3; 1 Cor. 6:11]

Ephesians 5:26 - "That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word,"

"According to the divine concept, water here refers to the flowing life of God, which is typified by flowing water (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17). The washing of the water here is different from the washing of the redeeming blood of Christ. The redeeming blood washes away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14), whereas the water of life washes away the blemishes of the natural life of our old man, such as the “spot or wrinkle or any such things” mentioned in v. 27. In separating and sanctifying the church, the Lord first washes away our sins with His blood (Heb. 13:12) and then washes away our natural blemishes with His life. We are now in such a washing process, that the church may be holy and without blemish (v. 27)." - footnotes 3, Eph. 5:26

FELLOWSHIP:

John 13:5 - Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

"... there is the need for the washing with the Holy Spirit, the word, and life. This is the washing away of their dirtiness that their fellowship with the Lord and with one another may be maintained; it is not the washing away of their sins by the blood (1 John 1:9). - footnotes 2, John 13:5

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Sonny Seria

Regina, SK, Canada

Apr 16, 2020

L5 Thou art the Son of Man like us,
And truly share our nature,
That we may be the sons of God
And grow to Thy full stature.

In the fullness of the time came God sent forth His Son (like us, but without sin) that He might redeem us and that we might receive the sonship. Christ’s redemption brings us into the sonship of God that we may enjoy the divine life. He predestinated us unto sonship and regenerated us to be His sons. Hallelujah, we are sons and heirs also through God. (Galatians 4:4-6)

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Jovic Liwag

Lucena City, Quezon Province, Philippines

Apr 16, 2020

13

-Thou art the resurrection too,

John 11:25a - Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

Praise the Lord! He is the resurrection and the life!
-All death Thy life doth swallow;
1Co 15:54b - “Death has been swallowed up unto victory. ”

The victory over Satan, God’s enemy, over the world, over sin, and over death!

-'Tis by Thy resurrection pow'r,

Phi 3:10 - To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

The power of Christ’s resurrection is His resurrection life! The reality of the power of Christ’s resurrection is the Spirit!

-We bear the cross and follow.

Mat 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Before the Lord’s crucifixion, the disciples followed Him in an outward way. But now, after His resurrection, we follow Him in an inward way. Because in resurrection He has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) dwelling in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), we follow Him in our spirit!

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Hiram Chalcedony Guyo

Lucena City, Quezon, Philippines

Apr 16, 2020

9 Thou art the very light of life
That shineth in the darkness;
The light divine that shines with God
Within our hearts in fulness.

John 1:4 - In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 12:46 - I have come as a light into the world, that everyone who believes into Me would not remain in darkness

We just need to take Christ as our light and continue on believing in Him so that we would not remain in darkness.

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Janeth

Lucena, Quezon, Philippines

Apr 16, 2020

6
Thou art the Christ, the Lord of all,
By God Thou art anointed;
The One who is the All in all,
For God and us appointed.
(Acts 2:36)fotenote 1a <Lord>

The Lord was made Lord, the Lord of all, to possess all; and He was made Christ, God's Anointed (Heb.  1:9), to carry out God's commission.

Praise the Lord!
Thou art the Christ, the Lord of all,
By God Thou art anointed;
The One who is the All in all,
For God and us appointed.

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Mistica G

Lucena, Quezon, Philippines

Apr 16, 2020

11
Lord, Thou art God's reality,
The truth that meets God's pleasure;
The truth that, brings Thyself to us,
That we may know Thy measure.

James 1:18 says "He brought us forth by the word of truth.." Praise the Lord, truth denotes the reality of the Divine Trinity especially of the person of Christ (ftnote1, 1John 2:21).

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Maisha Parkar

Round Rock, TX, United States

Mar 19, 2019

17 Thy washing keeps us always clean,
In function like the laver;
Thus we are kept in fellowship,
Partaking of Thy favor.

Praise the Lord for the laver which; washes away the filth of the world, exposes our true condition, and affords us a way to approach God in a proper way.

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Andrew Codia

Houston, Texas, United States

Sep 21, 2014

Saints,
I felt it will help if we use the tune of Hymn 1276.
Amen.

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Sue-Ellen Cox

United States

Jul 29, 2014

(For the saints in Africa) Perhaps you could find another tune which would fit and break it up; singing one verse and then another. The words are rich and full and beautiful. Praise to our All-Mighty God! Halleleujah! We love You Lord Jesus!!!

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Kitty Joubert

Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa

Feb 15, 2013

Isn't it a little bit confusing for young people to sing? We wanted to enjoy the song, but the music is just ONE verse long and the words very difficult to understand for youngsters. The words are rich and full. Please arrange it so that the young ones can go on and on singing for the 26 verses?

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