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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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O Master, let me walk with Thee

Service By a Closer Walk with the Lord

English905
1
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret, help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
2
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the Godward way.
3
Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
4
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future’s broad’ning way,
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.

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Jack Petrash

Irving, TX, United States

Jun 7, 2024

Believers living Christ (Phil. 1:21 For to me to live is Christ... ) with forbearance are a testimony to those around us. This should open hearts for us to speak Christ.

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Ndidi Aziken

Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria

Mar 12, 2022

Teach and help me dear Lord to walk with you in a closer and dearer way; in faith and strength, for in this world lies a lot of noise, distractions from within.

Help me wait patiently Holy Spirit and guide my steps into pleasing you at all times.

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Oladayo Oladosu

Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

May 21, 2021

As I walk through this world of social-spiritual distraction and confusion, help me stay focused on what You have called me to fulfill. Many things are fighting for my attention, only You can stay my heart on You to preach to the wandering souls and stand out for the truth irrespective of the persecutions. Help me dear Lord to be patient to raise Godly generation out of this pervert and corrupt positivism.

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Ana Lara

United States

Mar 29, 2020

This hymn was published in 1876 during a time in history where much emphasis was given to the social Gospel. The Civil War had ended and the United States was in the pangs of the industrial revolution. Because of this the individual was often exploited for the sake of economic progress. Many American clergymen became champions of social causes. One such leader was Washington Gladden, known as one of our country’s finest liberal clergymen.

Washington Gladden was born on a farm in Potts Grove, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1836. After graduating from Williams College in 1859, he was ordained to the Congregational Churches ministry. While he ministered

in the pulpit, he also spent much time fighting against such political groups as the Tweed Ring which dominated New York’s political corruption in Tamany Hall. Eventually the hall was dismantled in the following elections and “Boss” Tweed served a fifteen year prison sentence. In 1882, Gladden was called to the First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio, where he served for thirty-two years. He became a powerful voice in the pulpit as he continued to preach about “the gospel to the social, political and economic life of America and the world. ” He not only preached but was also an influential writer as well as arbitrated in national strikes and disputes. In 1883 he negotiated the Telegraphers’ strike and the Hocking Valley Coal Strike the following year. He believed that it was the Church’s responsibility to “elevate the masses not only spiritually and morally, but to be concerned about their social and economic welfare as well. ”

Throughout his life Gladden was the object of sharp criticism from many leaders of the business world as well the conservative sector of the church. When he attacked John D. Rockefeller for donating $100, 000 for what he believed to be “tainted” money to the Congressional Church Foreign Missions Board, his own denomination turned against him. He also received criticism from conservative clergymen when he preached that the Bible was merely a book of religion. Two original stanzas of this hymn are no longer included reflecting Gladden’s feelings towards those he felt were his persecutors:

O Master let me walk with Thee before the taunting Pharisee;

Help me bear the sting of spite, the men who hide Thy light.

The sore distrust of souls sincere who cannot read Thy judgments clear,

The dullness of the multitude who dimly guess that Thou art good.

The tune “Maryton” was composed by an Anglican minister, H. Percy Smith, for John Keble’s hymn, “Son of My Soul. ” It first appeared in “Church Hymns with Tunes” published in 1874. “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee” was not meant to be used as a hymn but as a devotional meditation. It first appeared as a poem in a publication called “Sunday Afternoon” of which Gladden was editor under the caption, “Walking with God. ” When it was eventually suggested that the poem be used as a hymn, Dr. Gladden chose the Maryton tune for his text. He is best remembered for this hymn.

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Theresa Wilks

Salina, KS, United States

Dec 28, 2019

Father, 2019 was kind of a rough year. I haven't always looked to You even though I knew I should. Forgive me, dear Father, and as I stand here on the door step of 2020 help me to remember that I can do nothing without You. I am nothing without You. Things are still kind of rough around here and I'm just not sure how much security I have right now. But I do know that whether the days ahead bring good or bad, You are the blessed controller of all things. And because of that I know that You will take care of me & mine regardless of anything that Satan or the world throws at us. Thank You, Father, for bringing this beloved old hymn to my mind and help me to make it my prayer in the coming year. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

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Robin Quinn

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Dec 4, 2019

I want to walk with You, Lord God, every step, every day. Keep my mind and spirit tuned to your Holy Spirit, day and night, so Your will becomes my will, Your thoughts become my thoughts, Your way becomes my way. I love and NEED You, Father, ALWAYS.

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Sarah Pam

Abuja, Plateau, Nigeria

Jul 27, 2019

O Lord help me to walk with You. Hold me with Your righteaus right hand. My desire each day is to know You more. Direct my path and teach me the way to follow.

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Istifanus Ariko

Kaduna, Nigeria

Nov 18, 2018

Oh Lord! In accent clear and still, I declare my fraility and fragility! How weak I am, and how this mortal flesh have continually kept me unfit for You and Your service. Please Lord, help me to walk with Theeeeee!

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E Ashu Mbeng

Yaounde, Center, Cameroon

May 2, 2018

In peace that only Thou can give..... I need Your peace dear Lord. May Your name be praised Lord Jesus.

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Jean Patience

Kolwezi, Lualaba, Democratic Republic Of Congo

May 15, 2017

O Lord, just let me walk with Thee.
Tell me Thy secret, help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me be better and better for Your glory.
Thank You Lord.
I love You Lord Jesus Christ.

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