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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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What a Friend we have in Jesus

Prayer Telling the Lord

English789
1
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
2
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

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Rosetta Lambert

Parkersburg, WV, United States

May 7, 2026

Glory to God in the highest, he is my refuge, he is my peace, he is my comforter, he is the answer, he is my strength, he is my saviour, he is my everything and more and I would be nothing without him. I thank him for his love and grace and mercy, for not giving up on me even when I wanted to give up on myself. For anyone who doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lird and Saviour I encourage you to seek the LORD wholeheartedly give him your burdens, talk to him about all your troubles. He knows everything about you and he loves you anyway and endlessly. Invite the Holy Spirt into your life by asking for forgiveness in repentance of your sins so Jesus can live in your heart and give your everllife, eternal salvation is free to all as he paid that debt for us all on the cross through his sacrifice. He defeated death and hell so that we all may live forever in the kingdom of heaven. There is nothing more important than giving your heart to the Lord, he is waiting for you🙏🏼🤟🏼

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Nahna

United Kingdom

Apr 24, 2026

The hymn *“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”* traces back to a deeply personal story of grief and faith. It was inspired by a poem written by Joseph Medlicott Scriven, a man born in Ireland who endured profound loss.

Joseph fell in love and was engaged to be married, but the day before their wedding, his fiancée tragically died. Heartbroken, he left Ireland for Canada, hoping for a fresh start. In time, he found love again with a woman named Eliza—but heartbreak struck once more when she, too, passed away just weeks before their wedding.

As if that weren’t enough, Joseph later received word that his mother was gravely ill. Unable to afford the journey back home, he did the only thing he could—he wrote her a letter. In that letter, he included the words that would later become the beloved hymn: *“What a friend we have in Jesus…”*

Those words weren’t written from a place of comfort, but from deep pain. Yet even in overwhelming grief, Joseph spoke of Jesus as a faithful friend—someone he trusted completely, someone he could turn to with every sorrow.

That’s what makes this hymn so powerful. It’s not just poetry—it’s testimony. A reminder that even in our darkest moments, we are not alone

The question it leaves us with is simple, but searching:

Can we say the same?

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Abasiama Ubon

AkwaIbom/Uyo, Nigeria

Apr 22, 2026

The sang this song today at Open Heaven, Truly Jesus is the only one we can tell our problem to. I'm truly bless by the Song

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Sherri

Kennedy, AL, United States

Apr 20, 2026

We sing this hymn often in our little church. The words bless me each and every time. So grateful to be able to carry it all to God in prayer!

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Richter

Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria

Apr 16, 2026

Jesus is the only answer to every problem
This song reminds me of the bountiful LOVE and mercy of GOD.
Take your challenges to GOD and only him.

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Akinyemi Tayo

Warri, Nigeria

Mar 29, 2026

Churches have practically abandoned hymns and it shouldn’t be so. Hymn worship is special and spiritual so it should be encouraged once again in our various churches. Peace and love

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Martin

Bristol, City Of Bristol, United Kingdom

Mar 26, 2026

This is a particular favourite of mine. It's a shame that the sung worship in our church service consists almost entirely of modern worship songs. I've recently written to our Worship Team leader and she has promised to bring the matter up in their next meeting. I'm praying that they'll decide to introduce more hymns. I know that there are plenty of others in the church who feel the same way, especially the elderly members.

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Betsy Kutch

Dallas, TX, United States

Feb 28, 2026

I love the old hymns too. I remember Momma singing them around the house & playing her piano too. Miss her much! 💟

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Angi

Tahlequah, Ok, United States

Feb 27, 2026

I haven’t thought about hymns like this in forever but when the Holy Spirit gives me a song… I’ll stand on it. What beautiful and pure hymns we used to sing. ❤️

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Sh

Owasso, OK, United States

Feb 20, 2026

This hymn, as many others, are really devotionals set to music. They reiterate Biblical truth and because they are set to music the truths they proclaim stay in our mind and we internalize the powerful, Godly message. Oh, how I miss these hymns as part of our church service and regret that a generation of people no longer know these Biblical truths taught in hymns like this one.

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