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Hymn Tunes for Keyboards

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Andrew Grahame

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Hymn Tunes for Keyboards

PostSat Aug 03, 2019 1:15 am

Nearly 20 years ago I published a collection of 100 traditional SATB hymn tunes rearranged into SAB texture. The purpose was to provide a more approachable way for beginners to perform these tunes using manuals only.

SATB texture is, by its nature, intended for voices not keyboards. Transferring this musical texture to the organ requires a degree of skill significantly above beginner level.

If pedals are used, the bass part is taken on the pedals and the tenor by the left hand. This calls for skills in pedalling and in left-hand-and-pedal independence which take most beginners some time to master.

If pedals are not used, the player must contend with intervals greater than an octave between the bass and tenor parts. This is best managed by sharing the tenor part between the hands - also not a beginner-level skill, especially if it has to be done at sight. All too often, inexperienced players simply omit hard-to-reach notes at random, weakening the setting's harmonic integrity.

My three-part arrangements keep the original melody and bass lines but collapse the alto and tenor parts into a new coherent inner voice. In the majority of settings this new alto part can be managed by the right hand along with the soprano part, leaving the left hand free to play just the bass part. In the handful of instances where sharing of the inner part between hands is advisable, it's marked in the score.

These arrangements work very well using the Hauptwerk bass pedal coupler feature. They are ideal for manuals-only playing, or for use on a piano, reed organ or portable electronic keyboard. Some settings could even be used as SAB arrangements for voices. Every effort has been made to maintain the feel of the original 4-part settings while making the texture more approachable to a beginner.

I've now published this collection as an e-book on Lulu.

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/hymn ... s/25013564
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engrssc

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Re: Hymn Tunes for Keyboards

PostSat Aug 03, 2019 2:05 am

Seems like a good idea for beginners, I didn't find a list of song titles. Did I miss something?

Rgds,
Ed
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Andrew Grahame

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Re: Hymn Tunes for Keyboards

PostSat Aug 03, 2019 2:07 am

Hi Ed,

Thanks for alerting me to this problem. There should be a preview but I can't get it to work either. I'll check this out now.

Andrew
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Andrew Grahame

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  • Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:51 pm
  • Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Hymn Tunes for Keyboards

PostSat Aug 03, 2019 2:11 am

Hi Ed,

Preview now in place. You can see the hymn titles, my introduction/explanation to the concept and the first few tunes.

Andrew

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