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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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Shine Thou upon us, Lord

Service By being Wrought upon by the Lord

English902
1
Shine Thou upon us, Lord,
True Light of men, today,
And through the written Word
Thy very self display;
That so from hearts which burn
With gazing on Thy face,
Thy little ones may learn
The wonders of Thy grace.
2
Breathe Thou upon us, Lord,
Thy Spirit’s living flame,
That so with one accord
Our lips may tell Thy name;
Give Thou the hearing ear,
Fix Thou the wandering thought,
That those we teach may hear
The great things Thou hast wrought.
3
Speak Thou for us, O Lord,
In all we say of Thee;
According to Thy Word
Let all our teaching be;
That so Thy lambs may know
Their own true Shepherd’s voice,
Where’er He leads them go,
And in His love rejoice.
4
Live Thou within us, Lord;
Thy mind and will be ours;
Be Thou beloved, adored,
And served with all our powers;
That so our lives may teach
Thy children what Thou art,
And plead, by more than speech,
For Thee with every heart.

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Jim Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

May 5, 2026

Speak Thou for us, O Lord,
In all we say of Thee;
According to Thy Word
Let all our teaching be;
That so Thy lambs may know
Their own true Shepherd’s voice,
Where’er He leads them go,
And in His love rejoice.

For God to speak through us we must let the Lord as the Word dwell in us richly. This desire should not be just in serving ones but in all God’s children.

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Maria L

Fremont, CA, United States

Mar 24, 2026

Lord, You are our True Shepherd, whose love has no end. Shine on us, that we may see the wonder of Your grace the Shepherd who seeks us, who never lets us go. Breathe on us, that Your Spirit may dwell in our spirit,

for we are the sheep of Your hand, held in unfailing love. Speak to us in all that we say, according to Your Word the voice of our Shepherd, guiding us back to God. Live in us, so that our minds may be Yours, that our hearts may rejoice in the love that never ends 🙏. We love you Lord Jesus.

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Jack Petrash

Irving, TX, United States

Jun 3, 2024

Dear Lord, do fill us every morning that we would be a living testimony of Your wonderful life in us. And embolden us to be those speaking the joy of having You make Your home in the hearts of men!

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Maria Levi

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Jul 27, 2023

Shine upon us, Lord, through the written Word, to display Your very self;

As we are gazing on You, we may learn the wonders of Your grace.

Breathe upon us, Lord, wrought in us the living flame of Your Spirit;

So that we all with one accord, our lips may confess Your precious name.

Speak for us, O Lord, in all we say of You;
Let all our speaking be, according to Your Word.
Live within us, Lord, Your mind and will be ours;
You are adored, beloved and served with all our powers.

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Maurice Ward

Columbus, Ohio, United States

May 30, 2022

Because of the merciful compassions of our God, in which the rising sun will visit us from in high,

To shine upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace

Luke 1:78-79

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Ana Lara

United States

Apr 19, 2020

John Ellerton was born in London, England, of a strong evangelical family. After graduating from Cambridge University, he became associated with the Church of England’s liberal side because of a great concern for the social problems of his day. Ellerton along with William How were looked upon as the leaders of the liberal faction of the Anglican Church. He was however able to keep friendly relations with the evangelicals as well as appreciate the best in everyone.

John Ellerton ministered in the poor and hidden parishes throughout England. He was loved and respected by his parishioners as someone of noble character and having a broad knowledge of culture. His people admired him for being an authority of hymnody as well. During his time, no hymn was ever published unless he approved it. Matthew Arnold, renowned theologian of that era, considered him to be “the greatest of the living hymn writers. ”

Ellerton composed around eight-four hymns including ten Latin translations. Many of these hymns are used today. He chose never to copyright his hymns saying that, “ if his hymns were counted worthy to contribute as Christ’s praise in the congregation, one ought to feel very thankful and humble. ”

Besides this hymn (902), he wrote another popular one titled, “Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name” which was used as a hymn to close the service of worship. This is in keeping with the Lord’s meeting with his disciples just before his crucifixion: “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out... ”.

“ Savior Again to Thy Dear Name” was written in 1866 for a choral festival in Cheshire, England, by one of England’s leading hymnodists of the day and is considered one of the finest closing hymns. It was included in the Anglican Church hymnal, “Hymns Ancient and Modern, ” in 1868. Its tune was composed by Edward John Hopkins who was born in London on June 30, 1818. He was one of the best musicians of his time. He composed the tune for Ellerton’s text in 1869.

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Steve Miller

Detroit, MI, United States

Feb 8, 2015

Ellerton was born in Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England, to George Ellerton, the head of an Evangelical family. He was educated at King William's College on the Isle of Man, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he came under the influence of Frederick D. Maurice.

Taking orders in 1850, he was Curate of Easebourne, Sussex. In 1852, he was in Brighton, and Lecturer of St. Peter's, Brighton.

In 1860, he became chaplain for Lord Crewe and vicar of Crewe Green in Cheshire, about thirty miles southeast of Liverpool. He became chairman of the education committee at the Mechanics Institute for the local Railway Company. Reorganizing the Institute, he made it one of the most successful in England. He taught classes in English and Bible History. He also organized one of the first Choral Associations of the Midlands.

In 1872 he became Rector of Hinstock, Shropshire. In 1876, he was transferred to Barnes, (then in Surrey), a western suburb of London. The work among a large population broke him down and he had to go abroad for a year, serving as Chaplain at Pegli in Italy from 1884-1885. After returning, he took a smaller parish in White Roding in 1886, his last. During his final illness, he was given the honorary title of Canon of St. Albans Cathedral

He was best known as a hymnologist, editor, hymn-writer and translator. He published Hymns for Schools and Bible Classes in Brighton in 1859. Co-editor with Bishop How and others of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) Church Hymns, 1871. His Notes and Illustrations of Church Hymns were published in the folio edition of 1881. Ellerton wrote or translated eighty-six or more hymns.- Wikipedia

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Estaeheli

Spokane, WA, United States

Jan 31, 2015

Amen!

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Filip S. Syrek

Reading, United Kingdom

Jan 19, 2003

I am so glad to have brothers and sisters in the church life! You know why? - few of them recently "discovered" this beautiful hymn for me! I went much into the depths of it by researching the Bible to support every sentence with verses. This is wonderful experience of studying the hymns and a real exercise I enjoy! Oh, after doing this the hymn becomes so sweet and personal and the riches really flow from every word! This particular hymn caught me with its brightness, lightness and so beautiful a tune. Oh, He is working on us by shining, breathing, speaking and living in us so that all of His Person and possessions as the Life-giving Spirit could be wrought into us for our faithful service to hasten His return. Lord, grant us full days of the growth in life and may each day count in your economy!

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