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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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Since Christ my soul from sin set free

Assurance and Joy of Salvation General

English348
1
Since Christ my soul from sin set free,
This life has been a joy to me;
And ’mid earth’s sorrows and its woe,
’Tis joy my Jesus here to know.
 
O hallelujah, yes, ’tis joy!
For it is Christ that I enjoy!
On land or sea, what matters where?
Where Jesus is, my joy is there.
2
The earth was once a bitter place
Till Jesus showed His smiling face;
Now joy’s begun within my soul,
’Twill last while endless ages roll.
3
What matters where on earth we dwell?
On mountain top, or in the dell,
In cottage, or a mansion fair,
Where Jesus is, my joy is there.

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Jim Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Jun 10, 2026

Since Christ my soul from sin set free,
This life has been a joy to me;
And ’mid earth’s sorrows and its woe,
’Tis joy my Jesus here to know.

This song really spoke to me this morning and impressed me. We first got a taste of this joy when we were saved. That joy created a desire for the pure milk of the Word. This joy is Jesus Christ and we enjoy Him in good times and bad. Hallelujah this joy sets us free.

Read more
Un Hermano

Oct 23, 2025

The Lord Jesus came as the new King to start a new dispensation. With the coming of the new King, God began a new economy. God’s new dispensation is involved with a wonderful person. Speaking figuratively, this new economy is simply this person. Do not consider the kingdom of the heavens as something apart from Christ. No, it is Christ Himself. Without the King, we could not have the kingdom. We cannot have the kingdom of the heavens without Christ. When the Pharisees asked the Lord Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, “Behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:21). The Lord’s word to the Pharisees indicated that He Himself was the kingdom. Where Jesus is, there the kingdom is also. The kingdom is simply the person of the King. Therefore, when we have the King, we also have the kingdom.

Life-study of Matthew

Message 14 (LSM)

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Un Hermano

Oct 23, 2025

OUR NEED TO BE THE CRAZY LOVERS OF JESUS

I want to say again that you need to forget about outward correction, outward improvement, and outward activity. Always pay your full attention to the inner part of your being where Jesus is. Do not try to serve the Lord, work for Him, or do anything for Him. You have to look unto Him so that He would show you all His beauty, His sweetness, and His fairness. This will attract you to love Him. We should say, “Lord Jesus, to me You are so sweet. To me You are so loving and so lovely. Whenever I call on You, I have a sweet sense deep within my being. ” We should have a love toward Jesus that is sweet to our inner sense. We should tell the Lord all the time, “O Lord Jesus, I love You. ”

Many dear Christians have been distracted by trying to do something for the Lord. This is because Satan in his subtlety would like to distract us from the very center of our being. Do not pay attention to outward activities but always return to the spirit. From within your spirit you have to tell the Lord a thousand times a day, “Lord Jesus, I love You. ” The name of Jesus is the sweetest name on earth. By telling the Lord that you love Him, you will spontaneously give more space, more room, within you to Jesus.

To say, “O Lord Jesus, I love You, ” is not just a saying. This is spiritual breathing by calling on His name. When you say, “Lord Jesus, I love You, ” you have a sweet sense within you. When you say this, you afford Him more space within your being. He will spread Himself in your being and saturate your being with all that He is, with all His riches. If you do this day and night, you will be thoroughly saturated with Jesus. This is to have Jesus revealed in you (Gal. 1:16a), living in you (2:20a), formed in you (4:19), and making His home in your whole being (Eph. 3:17a).

The Living and Practical Way to Enjoy Christ

Chapter 3 CWWL, 1972, vol. 1 (LSM)

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Maria L

Fremont, California, United States

Nov 14, 2024

Where Jesus is, our joy is there, and where we are and the Lord is, no matter the environment, our joy is there. Hallelujah, our joy is Christ Himself, and when we abide in the Lord, His joy is made full in us. Praise the Lord 😀

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Akinwumi Ayoola

Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria

Oct 31, 2024

Where Jesus is, my joy is there. Hallelujah! My peace I give unto you, he said, the joy and peace that money can't buy. It is lovely to be his followers, for he leads with absolute assurance. Thank you, Jesus.

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Jim Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Jul 30, 2024

This song has been my experience many times. Even though I have been in dire circumstances, the Lord shows himself and I experience joy. Where Jesus is my joy is there! Now I have found my greatest joy is being with other believers in the church life. Even when there are only two or three of us, Jesus is there. We could not live a Christian life without this joy.

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Mark

Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Jun 29, 2024

Where Jesus is, my joy is there!

His presence is everything to us. Without His presence we have nothing. With His presence we have everything!

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Dorcas T Akinleyimu

Wylie, Texas, United States

Oct 20, 2023

Where Jesus Christ is not, there's no joy, but wherever Jesus Christ is , there's abundance of joy. Thank you Jesus for joy everlasting you have given us. Glory be to your holy name. Amen. Hallelujah there's joy!! I love the hymn.

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Zheng Fang

Waltham, MA, United States

Sep 23, 2023

Really enjoy! Jesus is my joy!

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Samuel Yu

Austin, TX, United States

Aug 16, 2023

On land or sea, what matters where?

Where Jesus is, my joy is there.

Read more