Skip to content
hymnal.net
hymnal.net
My Songs

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.

Open this guide as its own page

Download limit reached

Thou art the Rock everlasting

Praise of the Lord His All-Inclusiveness

English199
1
Thou art the Rock everlasting,
Spiritual Rock cleft for me;
Drinking of Thee as the Spirit,
Thus I become one with Thee.
Thou art the Rock never shaken,
’Tis on this Rock we are built;
Joined unto Thee thru redemption,
Nothing can shake us thru guilt.
 
Lord, how we treasure Thy value,
All that Thou art is for us;
While here in loving remembrance
We share Thy wealth glorious.
2
Thou art the Stone tried by many,
Precious to God, dear to us,
Thou art so sure and trustworthy,
Thy strength is so marvelous.
Thou art the Stone that is living,
Chosen of God, made our own;
So energetic and pow’rful,
With endless life to us known.
3
Thou art the Stone of Foundation
Laid by our God, safe and sure;
It is by this sure foundation
Safety fore’er we secure.
To us no other foundation
Of any kind man can lay;
Thou art the only foundation
Which we have now and for aye.
4
Lord, for God’s spiritual building,
Thou art the Chief Cornerstone;
Both of the Jews and the Gentiles
By Thee are built into one.
Lord, Thou art also the Topstone,
Brought forth in measureless grace;
Thou art our cover and glory,
Moving our hearts in Thy praise.

Copyright Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.

Delete Comment

Delete this comment? This cannot be undone.
Un Hermano

Nov 25, 2025

Taking Christ as the Cornerstone

Ephesians 2:20b says, “Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone. ” Christ is not only the foundation but also the cornerstone. The foundation and the cornerstone have different functions. The foundation holds up the entire house and bears its weight. The cornerstone is a stone at the corner of two walls that joins them together. Christ is not only the foundation upon which all who are part of the church are built; He is also the cornerstone that joins together the two originally separated walls, the Jews and the Gentiles. Without this cornerstone the Jews and Gentiles simply could not be joined together. Now Christ has joined them together. Without Him the two would be separate and different, but with Him the two become one and are being built into a dwelling place of God in spirit. In Christ there is no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. Outside of Christ there is no way to experience Him as the cornerstone.

The Bible speaks many times of Christ as the stone. First, Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:8-11 speak of Christ as the spiritual rock that flows out living water ( 1 Cor. 10:4b ). The Bible also speaks of Christ as the cornerstone, or the head of the corner. Psalm 118:22 speaks of the stone which the builders rejected becoming the head of the corner. Isaiah 28:16 says, “Indeed I lay a stone in Zion as a foundation, / A tested stone, / A precious cornerstone as a foundation firmly established; / He who believes will not hasten away. ” Daniel 2:34 says that a stone cut out without hands struck the great human image at its feet. The stone that crushed the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth ( v. 35 ).

Revelations in Ephesians:

Seeing the Blessings and Position
of the Church in Christ
Chapter 19 CWWL, 1953, vol. 2
(LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

Nov 25, 2025

Christ Being the Spiritual Rock That Follows God’s People

The Lord Jesus is also our spiritual Rock in our journey, constantly flowing out as living water to supply us and quench our thirst.

Christ Being the One Who Prays for God’s People and the One Who Fights for Them

In our journey of following God, the Lord Jesus is the Intercessor and the Fighter for God’s people. In Exodus 17 , as Moses was praying on the hill, Joshua was fighting in the plains. In this way they defeated Amalek, the enemy of God’s people. This tells us that as we follow God in our journey forward, the Lord Jesus is our Intercessor on the one hand, and on the other hand, He is our Fighter, who overcomes the enemies for us, especially overcoming our flesh.

Ten Lines in the Bible
Chapter 2 CWWL, 1959, vol. 3
(LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

Nov 25, 2025

The Spiritual Rock

In 1 Corinthians 10:4 Paul goes on to say, “All drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. ” As the spiritual rock, Christ follows the believers to give them the spiritual drink. The spiritual drink in verse 4 refers to the living water that flowed out of the cleft rock ( Exo. 17:6 ), typifying the Spirit, who flowed out of the crucified and resurrected Christ, as our all-inclusive drink ( John 7:37-39 ; 1 Cor. 12:13 ). In His crucifixion Christ, as the living, spiritual rock, was smitten by the authority of God’s law in order that the water of life in resurrection could flow out of Him into His redeemed people for them to drink. The water of life flowing out of the smitten rock signifies the Spirit ( John 7:37-39 ). We should all drink the same spiritual drink and should not drink anything other than the all-inclusive Spirit.

The rock that was smitten and cleft to flow out the living water for God’s chosen people was a physical rock. Yet the apostle called it a spiritual rock because it typified Christ, who was smitten and cleft by God to flow out the water of life ( John 19:34 ) to satisfy the thirst of His believers. Hence, the apostle said that the rock was Christ. Since it was a spiritual rock signifying Christ, it was able to follow the children of Israel. This indicates that Christ as the real rock is following His believers.

The Conclusion of the New Testament:

Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ,

Message 310 Volume 1 (LSM)

Read more
Dasmith

Lincoln, NE, United States

Dec 3, 2024

Lord, how we treasure Thy value as the sure, safe and everlasting foundation stone, the cornerstone of God’s eternal building joining all manner of precious stones and the Topstone brought forth with shouts of Grace, Grace to it!

Read more
Brian

Pittsburg, Texas, United States

Oct 24, 2023

Christ is the stone that was struck & cleft for us. Out came water to satisfy our thirst. When we build the church on this rock our thirst is satisfied. Praise the Lord for this Living Stone that is precious to God & dear to us.

Read more
Vanessa

Tampa, Florida, United States

May 7, 2023

Amen!

Read more
Christopher Burk

Seattle, Washington, United States

Oct 23, 2022

While here in loving remembrance at Your tab, we share Thy wealth glorious.

Thank you Lord Jesus!

Read more
Medea

Tbilisi, Georgia

Jun 22, 2020

... This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts. (Zech. 6)

.. and he will bring forth the topstone with shouts of Grace, grace to it. (Zech4:7)

Lord grant us to be part of This marvelous Topstone ! Hallelujah! Praise You Lord ! by Your Spirit, By Your Grace, One with You , We will build up Your Body!!

Read more
Medea

Tbilisi, Georgia

Jun 2, 2020

For God's building Christ is a stone in three aspects. Christ is the foundation stone to uphold God's building (Isa. 28:16; 1 Cor. 3:11), the cornerstone to join together the Gentile and Jewish members of His Body (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6), and the topstone to consummate everything of God's building.

Read more
Ronald Musoke

Kampala, Uganda

Nov 2, 2018

Praise the Lord. Christ as the Stone is for God's building. He is the Living Stone. Hallelujah!

Read more