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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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Join all the glorious names

Praise of the Lord His Name

English80
1
Join all the glorious names
Of wisdom, love, and pow’r,
That mortals ever knew,
That angels ever bore;
All are too mean to speak His worth,
Too mean to set my Savior forth.
2
Great Prophet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy name;
By Thee the joyful news
Of our salvation came;
The joyful news of sins forgiv’n,
Of death annulled, and Thy life giv’n.
3
Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood, and died;
My guilty conscience seeks
No sacrifice beside:
His pow’rful blood did me redeem,
’Tis worthy of my heart’s esteem.
4
I love my Shepherd’s voice:
His watchful eye shall keep
My wand’ring soul among
The thousands of His sheep:
He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
His bosom bears the tender lambs.
5
My Savior and my Lord,
My Conqu’ror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword,
Thy reigning grace I sing:
Thine is the pow’r; behold I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.

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Jim Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Mar 5, 2026

Isaac Watts (1674–1748) was a prolific English Congregational minister and theologian known as the "Father of English Hymnody" for writing over 700 hymns, including "Joy to the World" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". Born in Southampton to a persecuted Nonconformist family, he revolutionized worship by shifting from strict psalm-singing to hymns, focusing on emotional, gospel-centered lyrics.

Key Details of Isaac Watts' Life:

Early Life & Education: Born on July 17, 1674, he was a child prodigy who studied Latin at age four and wrote poetry by age seven. As a Nonconformist, he was barred from Oxford or Cambridge, attending a Dissenting academy in London instead.

The "Father of Hymns": Frustrated by the poor quality of metrical psalms, he began writing his own hymns at age 18, with his Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707) fundamentally changing English worship.

Ministry & Later Life: He served as pastor at the Independent chapel in Mark Lane, London, starting in 1702. Due to poor health, he lived with Sir Thomas Abney’s family for the last 36 years of his life, where he wrote, preached, and published on logic, theology, and education.

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Un Hermano

Aug 29, 2025

THE WRITTEN WORD

BECOMING THE LIVING WORD

The Lord is the living Word, and the Bible is the written word. Are the written word and the living Word two kinds of words? If we consider the written word to be something different from the living Word, the written word will be dead knowledge to us. The written word cannot be separated from the living Word but must be one with the living Word.

Many wives are very familiar with Ephesians 5:22 , which says, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord. ” Most wives appreciate and respect others’ husbands; hence, the apostle exhorts the wives to be subject to their own husbands as to the Lord, regardless of what kind of husbands they are. How could a wife transfer or translate this written word into the living Word? We have to realize that the submission to the husband which the wives should have is nothing less than Christ Himself. The wives should submit themselves to their husbands, and this submission is Christ.

After reading such a word, we have to put what we understand into prayer. A wife should not pray, “Lord, help me to submit myself to my own husband. ” The Lord never answers this prayer. She should pray, “Lord, I know that this submitting life, this submission, is You. I not only take this word, but I also take You. Lord, work Yourself into me as this submitting life. Work Yourself into me to be my very submission. I take You as the reality of this word. I come to contact You through this word and in this word. ” If a wife prays in this way, she will enjoy the Lord. She may also pray, “Lord, I do not pay much attention to the matter of submitting, but I pay my full attention to You. I want to enjoy You. Lord, I thank You that You are so much to me. You are not only my Savior and my Lord but also my submission. My submission to my own husband is You Yourself. I am going to enjoy You and take You as my submission. ”

The Tree of Life
Chapter 11 Section
CWWL, 1965, vol. 2
(LSM)

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Un Hermano

Aug 29, 2025

Lord, we offer up our worship under Your precious blood. We worship You from the depth of our being. Our hearts and spirits are full of praise. We declare that You are the Lord of heaven and earth; You are the glorious Lord. We praise You. You have a glorious work in our midst. You are leading us to take a glorious way. We lift up our hearts to worship You, praise You, and thank You. We need Your blood to cleanse us in many aspects. Thank You for Your victorious blood, the precious blood that washes away our sins. This blood is forever efficacious. Cleanse us again and again with this blood. Cleanse us and the saints so that we can be acceptable under the blood. We praise You that wherever the blood is applied, the oil flows. We look to You. May the Spirit descend in our midst upon each of us. This fellowship with the glorious laying on of hands is a testimony of glory to heaven and earth. It is like the oil that ran down from Aaron’s head and the dew that descended from Mount Hermon. Lord, open the storehouse in the heavens for us. Cause the oil upon Your head to flow down richly to the whole Body. Not only are those of us here receiving Your anointing, but the entire church is receiving the anointing. We stand in this position in Your rich hands and in Your Body—the glorious church. Lord, may the rich anointing of the Head flow to each member when we lay our hands on them. Through the laying on of hands, cause them to sense that they are in the fellowship to coordinate, to be built up in Your hands, and to receive grace and blessings. Manifest the riches of the Head. Our spirit is looking to You to operate in each one of us.

Coordination in Service
Chapter 3 Section 1
CWWL, 1961–1962, vol. 1
(LSM)

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Steve Miller

Detroit, MI, United States

Sep 29, 2013

Isaac Watts originally wrote 12 stanzas for this hymn and included 17 different names for Christ. Watts wrote several hymns on the same theme, but his final analysis was, "Earth is too narrow to express His worth, His glory, or His grace."

One such hymn starts each stanza with a question: "Is He a Rose?" "Is He a Vine?" After 18 stanzas Watts concludes,

"His beauties we can never trace
till we behold Him face to face."
And still another of his hymns begins,
"Tis from the treasure of His Word
I borrow titles for my Lord.
Nor art, nor nature can supply
sufficient forms of majesty."

Watts understood that no matter how many titles he might ascribe to Jesus Christ, all of them together would still be inadequate to express His greatness. - Great Songs of Faith by Brown & Norton

--------------------------
The additional stanzas are:
Original stanza 2:
But O what gentle terms,
What condescending ways,
Doth our Redeemer use
To teach his heav’nly grace!
Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
What forms of love He bears for me.
-------------------------------------------------
Original stanza 3:
Arrayed in mortal flesh,
He like an angel stands,
And holds the promises
And pardons in His hands;
Commissioned from His Father’s throne
To make His grace to mortals known.
--------------------------------------------------
Original stanza 5 (follows hymnal.net stanza 2):
Be Thou my Counsellor,
My Pattern, and my Guide,
And through this desert land
Still keep me near thy side:
Nor let my feet e’er run astray
Nor rove nor seek the crooked way.
---------------------------------------
hymnal.net stanza 4 is the original stanza 6
------------------------------------------------------------
original stanza 7:
To this dear Surety’s hand
Will I commit my cause;
He answers and fulfils
His Father’s broken laws:
Behold my soul at freedom set!
My Surety paid the dreadful debt.
-------------------------------------------------
hymnal.net stanza 3 is the original stanza 8

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Original stanza 9:

My Advocate appears
For my defense on high;
The Father bows his ears,
And lays his thunder by:
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn his heart, his love away.
------------------------------------

hymnal.net stanza 5 is the original stanza 10 except that the 1st line of the original says, "My dear almighty Lord" instead of "My Savior and my Lord", a change common in most hymnals. The original wording is a bit strange, but I prefer it because it is a true paradox that our Lord is both dear and almighty. "My Savior and my Lord" is too common.

------------------------------------
original stanza 11:
Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down;
My Captain leads me forth
To conquest and a crown:
A feeble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.
-------------------------
original stanza 12
Should all the hosts of death,
And powers of hell unknown,
Put their most dreadful forms
Of rage and mischief on,
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
Superior power, and guardian grace.

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Dudley Horscroft

Banora Point, New South Wales, Australia

Oct 8, 2012

In verse 2 of this selection of verses (verse 4 in MHB) the last line is "Of hell subdued and peace with heaven."

Verse 6 of the original has, in place of "His bosom bears" "bears in His arms.

Verses 4 and 5 here are 7 and 6 of the version in MHB 96. In addition to inverting the order of these verses at least four verses have been omitted.

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Dianne Mueller

North Ridgeville, OH, United States

Mar 8, 2012

I prefer the words that Mr. Watts wrote; in our Methodist "Celebration" hymnal, the word "mean" was changed to "poor." I believe this is a drastic change from the meaning of Watts' original lyrics. In the current 20th century context, people will not connect 'poor' with the 19th century 'mean.'

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Mary

Mar 6, 2012

It would be helpful if the words were not altered. For example, in the original the last two lines of verse 3 read: "His powerful blood did once atone, and now it pleads before the throne."

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