Church pianists often wonder if they are playing a proper hymn introduction. Since the intro is the “front door” to a song, it should be purposeful and beautiful.
Learn to Follow Your Worship Leader
The congregation follows the worship leader (music minister), but the introduction to the hymn should be easy to follow so everyone knows exactly when to start singing.
In the past, most worship leaders wanted the pianist to play the introduction and stop, waiting for the worship leader to start singing. Now, more worship leaders are counting the time while the introduction is playing and will begin singing immediately after the introduction.
If the first measure is a part measure, the last measure of the song will also be a part measure. The partial measure at the beginning of the song and the partial measure at the end of the song combined will make one whole measure.
Example of a hymn that begins with a part measure: The time is 4/4 and the first measure is a part measure containing a beat. So the last measure will contain three beats. As he plays the intro, the worship leader will count three beats as he plays the last bar and then begin singing on the fourth beat.
If the first measure is full, the last measure will also be a full measure.
Example of a hymn that begins with a full measure: The time is 4/4 and the first measure and the last measure are complete. As he plays the intro, the worship leader will count the four beats in the last measure and begin singing on the first beat of the song.
Purpose of introducing a hymn
Hymn introductions play a vital role in congregational singing in church. Since we serve a living God, the pianist should play an introduction that reflects this message.
We express emotion through music, so the introduction of the piano should set the mood for singing during the worship service.
Introductory brackets in modern hymnals
Modern hymnbooks have brackets (corner shaped) that are placed above the sheet music to suggest a suitable introduction for piano or organ.
Some marked introductions are completely at the beginning of the hymn or completely at the end of the hymn. These piano introductions are the easiest to play.
Some marked intros will include a phrase at the beginning and a phrase at the end of the song. Be sure to look carefully at the brackets before you start playing. This makes it clearer what you’re going to play so you can jump from the first phrase to the last.
Scanning the marked hymn introduction makes it easy for you to view the entire introduction. You may want to highlight the marked introduction in your personal hymnbook. This can be very useful if the marked introduction is in more than one place or when the final phrase of the introduction is not at the end of the hymn.
It’s a bit more difficult to play if the intro if the jump between parts of the intro is done in the middle of a sentence. You should practice this introduction until you feel comfortable playing it.
If the hymn is unfamiliar to your congregation, you may wish to play the entire hymn so that the congregation will feel more comfortable singing it. If the hymn is well known, then the last line or phrase may be a sufficient introduction.
It is okay to shorten or lengthen the suggested introduction that is marked in the hymnal.
Additional Tips for Playing Hymn Intros
1. Get excited about every song you perform!
2. Keep the intro moving until the end of the song.
3. Do not notice any grip while playing the intro.
4. Don’t slow down because this will destroy the tempo of the singing.
5. Keep the intro moving
6. Don’t play a cascading note arpeggio to end the intro.
7. End the intro with the same chord the song starts on
8. Play a rousing and loud intro to encourage the congregation to join in the singing.
9. Although it plays a soulful intro for peppy songs, you may want to play a more subdued mood for devotional type hymns.
Apply these tips for playing hymn introductions and you should make a difference in congregational singing at your church.
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