Hymns and Spirituals for Those Who Have Never Played Music

You have never played music before or you cannot read sheet music, but you want to play famous and inspiring hymns and spirituals. Don’t worry! You will begin to play right away. I made my pictured sheet music as simple as possible. You’ll play by letter-coded circles. No musical staff or notes. The easy-to-play songs and melodies were adapted especially for beginners.

The melodies have been transposed to one octave and simplified. Also, the letter-coded notations have been added and complex notations and symbols have been reduced. Such simplification makes it possible for people to play melodies, especially those who can’t read music or who have never played
music before. Additionally, it makes it possible to play on the most primitive instruments, such as a child’s xylophone, bell sets, chime bars, and even a kid’s piano.

You will be able to begin to play right away if the keys of your instrument have letter notations on the keys. Some percussion instruments already have them. They are printed by suppliers (for example, a simple xylophone or kalimba).

For other instruments, you just need to get and apply stickers with letter notations. For most songs, just 8 stickers will be enough.

Most songs from this e-book are possible to play on an 8-note instrument, so a one-octave instrument, for example, a 10-key kalimba, 8-key xylophone, small tongue drum, handbells, or even toy piano will be enough.

But some songs here involve the neighboring with the main octave notes. For these songs, you will need a 2-3 octave instrument. It might be the kalimba with 17 keys, 15+ key xylophone, melodica, synthesizer, or piano. All of them need to have special note stickers for beginners. These transparent removable stickers are available on Amazon for 88/61/54/49 key instruments and they can really help in your musical experience.

I don’t use most musical symbols and notations here: the length of the notes, bars, beams, etc.
This e-book is aimed at your first musical experience no matter what age you are. There is no wrong time or not enough preparation to take up spiritual pursuits.

Table of Contents

Amazing Grace
Babylon’s Falling
Christ Was Born on Christmas Day
Elijah Rock
Every Time I Feel the Spirit
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
God Is So Good
Great Big Stars
Great Day
He’s God the Whole World in His Hands
Holy, Holy, Holy
I’ve Got Joy Joy
I’ve Got Peace Like a River
Jesus Loves Me
Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley
Joy to the World! The Lord is Come!
Just As I Am
Kumbaya, My Lord
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
Praise Him, All You Little Children
Shall We Gather at the River
Silent Night, Holy Night
Sinner Man
Soldier of the Cross
Somebody’s Knockin’ at Your Door
Song of Praise
Swing Love, Sweet Chariot
The Little Light of Mine
There’s a Meeting Here Tonight
We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder
We Are Marching (Siyahamba)
We Shall Overcome
When the Saints Go Marching In
Who Built the Ark?
Will the Circle Be Unbroken