Hymn Playing
Learning points from an RCO class given in Portsmouth Cathedral on 11th February 2017 by Canon Peter Gould GRSM, FRCO, ARAM, HonMMus, ARSCM, LRAM, ARCM, FGCM and attended by NDOA members Andrew Cox and Richard Foster
The Playover
Learning points from an RCO class given in Portsmouth Cathedral on 11th February 2017 by Canon Peter Gould GRSM, FRCO, ARAM, HonMMus, ARSCM, LRAM, ARCM, FGCM and attended by NDOA members Andrew Cox and Richard Foster
The Playover
- As well as to introduce the tune, a primary purpose of the playover is to set the speed. Play it at the speed you intend to take the hymn and do not slow down at all at the end of the playover. You are the boss. Make sure that everyone knows they have to go at your tempo and you won't wait for anyone.
- In general play the first two lines (as opposed to the last two), so as to remind the congregation of how the hymn starts. One line is probably not enough.
- If the playover ends on the dominant, that's ideal as it has the effect of launching you back to the tonic. But if it takes you to a different key, have a re-think.
- All hymns are different but two extra beats at the end of the playover and between verses generally works.
- Try soloing the tune occasionally (in the playover, not in the hymn).
- Don’t be afraid to use simple unison or octave announcements – this can be very effective when used sparingly.
- Play legato. An exception might be repeated notes in the tune at the start, where each chord might be articulated.
- Don't feel obliged to use pedals in all verses.
- Be prepared to transpose down, especially early on a Sunday morning, if you are confident to do it.
- Be familiar with the hymn text and phrase your playing according to the commas. Ideally learn the tune by heart and play while reading the words, like a psalm.
- Change registration between verses to maintain interest but never lose the tempo. Choose registrations that match the mood of the verse.
- Maintain the tempo throughout your extemporisation.
- Choose a key to modulate to at the start of extemporisation, eg dominant, sub-dominant or relative major/minor. This adds interest. Establish the new key by playing the note that differs from the notes in the old tonic scale (usually the leading note of the new key or the flattened leading note of the old one, perhaps using the new dominant or dominant seventh).
- Keep it simple by not wandering off into other keys. Always return to the original key unless you have a reason not to.
- If you wish, pick a phrase from the hymn and play around with it.
- You can disguise or overcome mistakes (when improvising) by following an erroneous discord with more similar discords or by using the wrong note to move to a new key.
- Some clergy like you to extemporise before the final verse rather than after it. If so, end on a dominant seventh as the signal to start singing the final verse.
- Use your own harmonies in the final verse if you wish. Eric Thiman published harmonies for final verses for many hymns.
