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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 Tempo menu slows it down without changing the pitch.

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Thy mighty love, O God, constraineth me

Consecration Constrained by the Lord’s Love

English431
1
Thy mighty love, O God, constraineth me,
As some strong tide it presseth on its way,
Seeking a channel in my self-bound soul,
Yearning to sweep all barriers away.
2
Shall I not yield to that constraining power?
Shall I not say, O tide of love, flow in?
My God, Thy gentleness hath conquered me,
Life cannot be as it hath hither been.
3
Break through my nature, mighty, heavenly love,
Clear every avenue of thought and brain,
Flood my affections, purify my will,
Let nothing but Thine own pure life remain.
4
Thus wholly mastered and possessed by God,
Forth from my life, spontaneous and free,
Shall flow a stream of tenderness and grace,
Loving, because God loved, eternally.

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Miguel Soltero Jr.

Farmington, MI, United States

Jan 8, 2026

Wow, such a touching hymn! O, that Your love would constrain us more and more each day! May we yield to His constraining, saying "O tide of love, flow in!" Our God is so gentle; His gentleness has conquered us! Break through our nature, clear EVERY avenue of our thoughts! Flood our affections and purify our will, that NOTHING but Thine own pure life would remain. Lord, that when we wholly mastered and completely possessed by You, a stream of tenderness and grace would flow forth from our life, spontaneous and free!! "Loving, because God loved, eternally..."

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Un Hermano

Nov 10, 2025

APPRECIATING THE LORD JESUS

Proof that the faith in 2:20 is both the faith of Christ and the faith in Christ is found in Paul’s words at the end of the verse. He concludes the verse by referring to the Son of God as the One “Who loved me and gave Himself for me. ” In writing these words, Paul was filled with appreciation of the Lord Jesus. Otherwise, at the end of such a long verse there would have been no need for him to speak of Christ loving him and having given Himself for him. He could have concluded with the expression, “the faith of the Son of God. ” But as he was speaking of the way he now lived, his heart was filled with gratitude and appreciation. Faith comes from such an appreciation of the Lord Jesus. The faith in Christ and the faith of Christ issues from the appreciation of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 5:14 and 15 Paul says, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. ” As we consider these verses, we can see that Paul’s faith came from an appreciation for the constraining love of Christ. The more we appreciate Christ’s constraining love, the more faith we shall have. This faith is not produced by our own ability or activity. Rather, it is produced by the working in us of the very Christ whom we appreciate. In our appreciation for the Lord Jesus, we shall say, “Lord Jesus, I love You and I treasure You. ” As we speak such words to the Lord, He operates within us and becomes our faith. This faith brings about an organic union in which we and Christ are truly one.

I would like to tell you a true story which confirms the point that the faith which operates in us comes from our appreciation of the Lord Jesus. During the Boxer Rebellion in China, hundreds of Christians were martyred. One day in Peking, the old capital of China, the Boxers were parading down the street. Sitting in the back of a wagon was a young Christian woman who was being led away to be executed. She was surrounded by executioners with swords in their hands. The atmosphere was terrifying, filled with the shoutings of the Boxers. Nevertheless, her face was glowing as she was singing praises to the Lord. The stores were closed because of the rioting. However, a young man was observing this scene through a crack at the front of a store. Deeply impressed with the young woman’s glowing face, happiness, and songs of praise, he decided at that moment that he would find out the truth about the Christian faith. Later, he did learn the truth and became a believer in Christ. Eventually, he gave up his business and became a preacher. One day, when he was visiting my hometown, he told me this story of how he had become a Christian.

Life-study of Galatians

Message 10 (LSM)

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Diane Miniel

Reno, Nevada, United States

Jul 8, 2025

I was brought up "going to" many denominations. On my 18th birthday, I gathered together with the Church in Los Angeles, Hall 2, to enjoy the Lord's table. I had been meeting with Hall 1 for a few months. As I walked in, the saints were singing the "new" tune for Hymn 431. The camera in my human spirit opened: click. I saw the reality of the local churches according to the genuine ground of oneness. Almost 50 decades later, my prayer and thanksgiving is echoed in this memorable hymn.

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Ana Lara

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

May 20, 2025

Emily May Grimes Crawford is described in the author index of the book of Common Praise (Toronto, 1938) as a Canadian Anglican author of “The Master Comes! He Calls for thee. ” The hymn was first published in London by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1890, before Emily had ever left her native country of England. In 1893, she went to South Africa under the sponsorship of CMS to work among the Pondo tribe; then, in 1904 she married

T. W. W. Crawford, M. D. , and went to work with him among the Kikuyu people of Kenya.

The mission station in which the bride arrived had been started by CMS but had been turned over to the newly formed missionary department of the Church of England and Canada; most of her coworkers were Canadian-born, like her husband and brother-in-law. The brothers hailed from Western Ontario, where Thomas had trained in medicine at the University of Western Ontario while Edward took theology at Huron College. Thus all three of them were working under Canadian sponsorship until 1913.

Thomas and Emily left for England, in her search for a treatment for arthritis and Thomas wanted further medical training, Edward continued in Kenya.

Their plans were altered by the outbreak of World War I, which kept them in England. They may have intended to return to Canada, but in fact, they never did; they were still in England when Emily died in 1927. She wrote, under her maiden name, all the books she published even after she was married.

Although, at the time, a woman automatically acquired the citizenship of the man she married, Emily was never a Canadian citizen: no such status existed until 20 years after she died. Although she and Dr. Crawford hailed from different parts of the empire, they were both British subjects by birth, and remained thus. Her connection with Canada was an indirect one, though this may not have been what she intended.

There are eleven hymns written by Emily May Grimes, (her maiden name) which is the name she used to publish her hymns as well as her books.

Hymnal. net has selected four hymns from Emily Grimes under four different categories:

1. Encouragement (656)-Consider Him, let Christ be thy Pattern.

2. Hope of glory (955) In the Advent Light O Savior

3. Study of the word (809) The Lord Will Silently Plan for thee.

4. Consecration (431) Thy Mighty Love, O God Constraineth me.

Her most popular hymn is the latter.

—Hugh Mc Kellar, DNAH Archives

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Maria L

Fremont, California, United States

May 9, 2025

Hallelujah, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus! Amen, Lord, we open to Your intercession. Have a way in us. Conform us to Your image! Praise the Lord! We need to be constrained by the love of Christ to be more than conquerors in all things! 😀

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Selene Leyva Hernandez

Fort Stockton, TX, United States

Mar 8, 2025

Lord I want to simply love You. Being a normal Christian allowing You to remove all barriers away! Lord captivate me fully!

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Frank Pytel

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Jan 17, 2025

God is love, and within Him there is a flow of love between the Father and the Son, and the Son with the Father. This flow of love is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. As this flowing God of love reaches us, He is a mighty love, even a strong tide of love, pressing within our soul. We can only say to this constraining flow of love, "O wonderful tide of love flow in!" Even more, we desire that this flowing love would flood our affections, clear our mind, and purify our will, until only He remains, flowing freely. In such an intimate connection with the flowing love of God, we can flow love back to Him in praise and worship and bring this wonderful flowing God of love into others!

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Christopher Mathison

Midland, TX, United States

Nov 19, 2024

Yes Lord, sweep all barriers away, that we may live a life before You, so spontaneous & free! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

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Amy

Anaheim, CA, United States

Nov 17, 2024

amen!!

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James Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Jul 2, 2024

Thy mighty love of God constrains me. Isn’t this our experience? When we would go our own selfish way, he restricts us. Where would we be with out this love? Shall I not yield to this holding power. To yield is my choice. Break through my nature. This is a powerful prayer. Break through, let nothing but your pure life remain. Only the Lords love could bring us to such a thought. Finally we would be completely mastered by this love. This is the result of the Lord working in us and us yielding to His love. O Lord may I experience this love more and more.

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