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

O God, in Christ all focused is

Worship of the Father His Wisdom

English24
1
O God, in Christ all focused is
Thy wisdom with Thy grace;
As wisdom Thou mad’st Him to us,
In Him Thy way we trace.
As wisdom Thou mad’st Him to us,
In Him Thy way we trace.
2
What Thou has planned is all in Him,
Thy way of grace is He;
In Him, Thy Wisdom, we have all,
That glory be to Thee.
3
In Him, who is our righteousness,
Have we been justified;
In Him, who is our holiness,
We’re being sanctified.
4
Redemption too He is to us,
According to Thy plan,
That we may fully be redeemed
To be a perfect man.
5
He is Thy wisdom, Father God,
In Thine economy;
For Him we offer praise to Thee
With all humility.
6
Thy wisdom we have seen in Him,
So rich and so profound;
Yet richer, deeper, in Thy way,
By us will it be found.

(Repeat the last two lines of each stanza)

Copyright Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.

Delete Comment

Delete this comment? This cannot be undone.
Un Hermano

Jul 14, 2025

God Loving Zion More Than All the Dwelling Placesof the Holy People

Psalm 87:2 speaks of God loving Zion more than all the dwelling places of the holy people because Zion is built with Christ as the foundation.

The Glorious Things of God Being in Zion

The only things that are glorious in the world are the things of God in Christ. All the glorious things of God are in Christ. This word helped the holy people to know that the foundation laid by God is Christ, and because this foundation is in Zion, all the glorious things are in Zion (v. 3).

Revelations in the Books of Poetry:

Seeing the Experiences of God's Holy People

Chapter 16 (LSM)

Read more
Renee

London, Ontario, Canada

Jun 8, 2025

Amen Lord! Oh Lord Jesus we love you!

Read more
V C

Tampa, FL, United States

Jun 1, 2025

♥️What Thou has planned is all in Him,
Thy way of grace is He;
In Him, Thy Wisdom, we have all,
That glory be to Thee! ♥️

Read more
Un Hermano

May 28, 2025

The Embodiment of God

The all-inclusive Christ is the embodiment of God to express God. “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). Before Christ’s incarnation, the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him as the eternal Word, but it did not dwell in Him bodily. From the time that Christ became incarnate, clothed with a human body, the fullness of the Godhead began to dwell in Him in a bodily way, and in His glorified body now and forever it dwells (Phil. 3:21). The Christ who is the embodiment of God not only speaks God and defines God—He also expresses God. Because He is the solid embodiment of God, He presents God to us, expressing Him.

The Centrality and Universality

The Christ who is the mystery of God, the reality of God, the definition of God, and the expression of God is also the universality and centrality of God’s eternal economy (Col. 1:13-19). In God’s economy Christ is the center and the circumference.

Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification

Chapter 3 (LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

May 28, 2025

CHRIST

The Center of God’s Economy

Christ is the center of God’s economy. Among the thousands of verses in the Bible, one verse is extremely crucial regarding this matter, and this verse is Colossians 3:11. Speaking of the new man, Paul says, “Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all. ” In the light of this verse none of us should boast in matters of race or nationality. During my travels around the world, I have observed that everyone is proud of his country and race. But as believers in Christ, we should not pride ourselves in our race or nationality. According to Colossians 3:10 and 11, the church, the Body of Christ, is the new man. In the new man there are no distinctions of race or nationality. As Paul says, in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew. The Jews are known for their religion, and the Greeks, for their culture, especially for their philosophy. However, there is room for neither Greek nor Jew in the new man. Paul goes on to say that there cannot be circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or freeman. This indicates that in the new man there is no place for religion or culture, no matter what a particular culture may be. Rather, Christ is all and in all.

Colossians 3:11 gives us a strong basis for saying that in God’s economy Christ is everything. He is every person, every matter, and every thing. Christ must be our race and nationality. If someone asks you to what race you belong, you should reply, “I belong to the race of Christ. ” We should have the realization within that we are not Chinese, Germans, French, New Zealanders, Americans, or any other nationality, but are members of Christ. If all Christians knew that Christ is the center of God’s economy, all divisions would disappear.

Life-study 1 Corinthians

Message 5 (LSM)

Read more
Un Hermano

May 28, 2025

THE CENTRAL THOUGHT

The central thought of Daniel is that the ruling of the heavens (4:26) by the God of the heavens (2:37, 44) over all the human government on earth matches God’s eternal economy for Christ to terminate the old creation for the germination of the new creation and to smash and crush the aggregate of human government and establish the eternal kingdom of God.

In God’s economy, Christ has terminated the old creation for the germination of the new creation in His resurrection through His death. This was achieved in His first coming. In God’s economy, Christ, by His upcoming appearing, will also smash and crush the aggregate of human government throughout the history of mankind and will establish the eternal kingdom of God. All of these matters have been and will be intrinsically involved with Israel, either positively or negatively.

The entire world situation is under the rule of the heavens by the God of the heavens, to match His economy for Christ. Today the world situation, especially in Europe and the countries around the Mediterranean Sea, has been balanced and brought into a condition which is ready for Christ’s return. He is at the door and the time is near. As we see this situation, we must wake up and realize that the world is not for us. We are for Christ, and every day we must prepare ourselves to meet Him. Then we will receive a reward from Him.

Life-study of Daniel Massage 1 (LSM)

Read more
John Castro

Siniloan, Laguna, Philippines

May 18, 2025

We praise You and Thank You Father for Your Beloved Son!

We worship You!

Read more
John T.. C. Kan

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Apr 11, 2025

In order for Christ become our wisdom in our daily life, we must take Christ as our righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Thank the Lord for Witness Lee composed a hymn like this!

 “1 Cor. 1:30   But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ”

Read more
Vcarire

Tampa, FL, United States

Jan 26, 2025

Lord I just love you!

Read more
Elmer

Quezon City, Philippines

Mar 21, 2024

This hymn beautifully articulates the centrality of Christ in embodying God's wisdom and grace. It eloquently reflects on the completeness we find in Him, from justification to sanctification and redemption. Truly, He is the epitome of divine wisdom, worthy of our humble praise.

Read more