Music Writing Software.

[Invicta]

While I have not been able to get out much in the last month, I watched a number of YouTube videos of how to play hymns on various instruments. One site played and sang hymns on various instruments and invited you to join in and play with them.  You could also download the music with a melody line and chords.  I didn't like a lot of the hymns they had.  But you could choose which you watched and downloaded.  One instrument they used was the Autoharp.  Well I have an Autoharp which I have hardly got out for about 20 years but watching those videos encouraged me to get it out and have a play.   I bought a new electronic tuner and tuned it up and played some of their downloads.  I now wish to transpose some hymns and wondered if there is any software which will enable to write the melody lines with chords above and words below.  I could write them out by hand but it is not too easy these days as I have arthritis in my hands and my writing is not all that legible.  I did find a commercial package but it was quite expensive and I would not want to write vary many.

 

My wife also has an Autoharp, an Oscar Schmidt attaché Autoharp which she plays on her lap.  She has been asking me to tune it for her for ages but I knew what she would do, she played it once when I reminded her and then put it away.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

15 chord or 21 chord?

 

I have a 21 chord Oscar Schmidt autoharp (I, my younger daughter and my youngest son all play autoharp).

 

As to the software -- I don't know.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

I looked your wife's up and see it's an OS30, I have the OS21-C

[ThePilgrim]

While I have not been able to get out much in the last month, I watched a number of YouTube videos of how to play hymns on various instruments. One site played and sang hymns on various instruments and invited you to join in and play with them.  You could also download the music with a melody line and chords.  I didn't like a lot of the hymns they had.  But you could choose which you watched and downloaded.  One instrument they used was the Autoharp.  Well I have an Autoharp which I have hardly got out for about 20 years but watching those videos encouraged me to get it out and have a play.   I bought a new electronic tuner and tuned it up and played some of their downloads.  I now wish to transpose some hymns and wondered if there is any software which will enable to write the melody lines with chords above and words below.  I could write them out by hand but it is not too easy these days as I have arthritis in my hands and my writing is not all that legible.  I did find a commercial package but it was quite expensive and I would not want to write vary many.

 

My wife also has an Autoharp, an Oscar Schmidt attaché Autoharp which she plays on her lap.  She has been asking me to tune it for her for ages but I knew what she would do, she played it once when I reminded her and then put it away.

Take a look at this web page.  http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/cat/CHORDS/

[Covenanter]

I use songselect which is linked to the church copyright licence - which I run. It gives melody line and chords and transposes.

I only play melody and chords on my keyboard. With practice, my left hand knows what to do.

The principle I use is "3 chords and the truth" - all you need is 1st, 4th & 5th to cover the octave.

I presume you want old hymns that won't be in copyright. The Praise! book gives chords for hymns old & new.

What specific hymns do you want?

Edited January 25, 2015 by Covenanter

[Invicta]

15 chord or 21 chord?

 

I have a 21 chord Oscar Schmidt autoharp (I, my younger daughter and my youngest son all play autoharp).

 

As to the software -- I don't know.

 

They are both 21 chord.  I have worked it out and we must have had them for about 35 years. My one is in bits at present.  One of the screws holding the mechanism down came out, and while I had it apart to replace the screw, I dropped all the chord bars and then I noticed that some of the felts were coming off so I have been replacing some of the adhesive strips.

[Invicta]

Take a look at this web page.  http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/cat/CHORDS/

 

It doesn't seem as if any of those are what I am looking for, thanks anyway.

[Invicta]

I use songselect which is linked to the church copyright licence - which I run. It gives melody line and chords and transposes.

I only play melody and chords on my keyboard. With practice, my left hand knows what to do.

The principle I use is "3 chords and the truth" - all you need is 1st, 4th & 5th to cover the octave.

I presume you want old hymns that won't be in copyright. The Praise! book gives chords for hymns old & new.

What specific hymns do you want?

 

Thanks Ian.  We have CCLI, how does Song Select link with CCLI?

 

On the autoharp we only have a limited number of keys we can use.  I could use just the words and the chords, but I prefer the melody line as well.  It is easy transposing on the autoharp.  The piano in our rear hall at church is half a tone down, so hymns in Bflat I can play along in A.

 

This one looks just like mine 

  (except it is one piece) Edited February 1, 2015 by Invicta

[Invicta]

THis is how I wanted to write it.

 

http://www.music-folk-play-hymns.com/support-files/nearer-my-god-to-thee.pdf

 

I am unable to download the PDF on Chrome but it works on IE.

[Covenanter]

I suggest you subscribe to www.praise.org.uk for £10. That will give you 1,000 hymns and tunes with chords. More chords than you need. Three chords (and the truth) is o.k. You can view out of copyright hymns without subscribing, I think. But it's well worth £10.


Songselect does provide instant transposition, but costs more. Ask your copyright person. It includes modern items.

[Invicta]

We  rejected the Praise book because of the number of item by Kendrick.  

 

Does it have any of the old gospel hymns?  Most of the modern books don't. 

 

I don't think we have ever sent a report to CCLI.  We always use hymnbooks.  

[Covenanter]

We  rejected the Praise book because of the number of item by Kendrick.  

 

Does it have any of the old gospel hymns?  Most of the modern books don't. 

 

I don't think we have ever sent a report to CCLI.  We always use hymnbooks.  

Praise begins with 150 Psalms;

has many old hymns including Gospel with modernised wording - you want music, so you can look up the tunes - you can still sing the old words;

you don't have to choose Kendrick, nor the RC hymns from your usual book; 

 

For £10 you can get 1000 tunes in the format you want. The ethos pf Praise is to preserve the old hymns that are going out of use because of the archaic language & the new pop-style songs. A few of the Scriptural modern hymns are included.

 

Or you could ask for specific tunes & I could help.

 

I like this one by Kendrick: a suitable tune is "O little town of Bethlehem.

 

O what a mystery I see,
what marvellous design,
that God should come as one of us,
a son in David’s line.
Flesh of our flesh, of woman born,
our humanness he owns;
and for a world of wickedness
his guiltless blood atones.

2. This perfect man, incarnate God,
by selfless sacrifice
destroyed our sinful history,
all fallen Adam’s curse.
In him the curse to blessing turns,
my barren spirit flowers,
as over the shattered power of sin
the cross of Jesus towers.

3. By faith a child of his I stand,
an heir in David’s line,
royal descendant by his blood
destined by love’s design.
Fathers of faith, my fathers now!
because in Christ I am,
and all God’s promises in him
to me are ‘Yes, amen!’

4. No more then as a child of earth
must I my lifetime spend-
his history, his destiny
are mine to apprehend.
O, what a Saviour, what a Lord!
O, Master, Brother, Friend!
What miracle has joined me to
this life that never ends!

[ThePilgrim]

Some site to hymns with chords

http://www.chordie.com/publicbooks.php?show=details&songid=12257

http://hymnchords.net/

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/hymn_tabs.htm

 

There are a lot more.  Just search Google for "hymns with chords".

[Invicta]

Thanks, there are a lot of useful ones there. 

 

One hymn I cannot find chords for is Come for the Feast is Spread.  It is on the net hymnals but I cannot find it with chords.  I have put chords on it but it doesn't sound quite right at times.

 

Most online hymnals have only three verses, but I did find one set of lyrics with all five verses, as in Sankuys.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Thanks, there are a lot of useful ones there. 

 

One hymn I cannot find chords for is Come for the Feast is Spread.  It is on the net hymnals but I cannot find it with chords.  I have put chords on it but it doesn't sound quite right at times.

 

Most online hymnals have only three verses, but I did find one set of lyrics with all five verses, as in Sankuys.

Even though a I, IV, V (or V7) arrangement is usually sufficient (I being root: example of Key of C -- I is C, IV is F, V is G with V7 being G7 or in Ab you have Ab, Db, Eb), sometimes your ear screams for a different chord (such as in the Amazing Grace on the autoharp video my mind wanted to fill in the "missing" chords of D7, E7, and Bm since he was in the key of D.

 

You can almost always find the missing chord with the following formula : Major, Minor, Minor, Major, Major, Minor, Major. This would be I, IIm, IIIm, IV, V, VIm, VII. Example in C: the chord you can't find will be a C (I), Dm (IIm), Em (IIIm), F (IV), G (V), Am (VIm), or B (VII).

 

This is true in almost every form of "simple" music (most hymns and almost 100% of folk music), complex arrangements (Classical, Broque, Jazz, etc) are a horse of a different color.

 

Some of the transitions that work between chords (depending on the song) are a I7 to go from a I to a IV, V to V7 before resolving back to root (I), II7 to go from I to V (or I, VIm, II7, V). The VII is technically supposed to be a half diminished but a major chord works fine there (such as in "He Lives".)

 

It's 11pm and I may have missed some info but I hopes this helps you in chording and transposing.