The questions people ask

Short answers, with a link to the page that has the long one.

Are the chord charts really free?

Yes. All twenty-two hymn and carol charts on this site are free to read, transpose and play along with, with nothing to sign up for. They are public-domain hymns, so anyone may share them. The printable PDF sets (chord and lyric sheet, large-print lyrics, guitar chart, Nashville number chart) are in the Etsy shop.

How do I change the key of a hymn?

Open any chart and use the Key selector at the top. Every chord name on the page moves with it, and so do the keyboard diagrams under the chords. Use it when a singer needs the hymn lower, or when the worship leader modulates and you need the new chords now.

What do the Hear and Play buttons do?

Hear plays one chord so you can find it by ear. Play, on charts that have it, plays the whole hymn's chords in time: the words being sung light up, the chord's keyboard lights with them, and a tempo slider lets you slow it down to practise. There is a metronome you can switch off and a one-bar count-in.

I don't read music. Is this site for me?

It is written for you. Nothing here uses notation. Chords are named over the words, drawn on a keyboard, and played so you can hear them. Henry learned this way himself, at thirty-five, and still plays by ear every Sunday.

What is the free starter guide?

A short PDF for the church pianist who has just been handed a keyboard and a Sunday: the three chords that carry most of the hymnal, how to hear which comes next, what the left hand does, what to do when the key changes mid-song, and a first hymn worked through. It arrives by email from the Free guide page.

What are the books?

Gospel Piano Chords by Ear is Book One: a beginner's guide to church piano without sheet music, in paperback and Kindle, with eleven free play-along recordings on this site. Music Theory for Self-Taught Gospel Pianists is Book Two: the names and reasons behind what you already play by ear.

Does Henry teach lessons?

Yes, online over Google Meet with a camera on the keys, and a few in person in St. Louis. A first lesson is $20 for thirty minutes. The Sunday-Ready month is four weekly lessons and a thirty-day plan that takes a beginner from three chords to a full hymn for $160. Details are on the Lessons page.

What is Sunday-Ready?

A thirty-day plan: fifteen minutes a day, by ear, and at the end of the month you play one full hymn for your church with chords over the words, and can move it to a new key when the singer asks. It uses Jesus Paid It All and It Is Well with My Soul, which share the same four chords. You can do it with Henry now, or wait for the self-paced course.

Why only public-domain hymns and carols?

Because those are the ones anyone may share freely. Modern worship songs are under copyright, however familiar they are in church, so you will not find their charts here. In lessons we can work on the chords and approach for any song.

Is the site accessible?

It is built to be. Every page is checked for contrast, headings, focus and labels before it goes up; the keyboard diagrams have text equivalents; the play-along announces chord changes to screen readers; everything works from the keyboard. Henry is legally blind himself. If something does not work for you, email [email protected] and it will be fixed.

How do I contact Henry?

Email [email protected], or reply to any email from the free guide. Lesson enquiries get an answer within a day.

Still stuck?