Chords for the United Methodist Hymnal

A Roadmap for ChordsUMC

chordsumc — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 05:11:22 +0000

ChordsUMC recently celebrated its second birthday. A lot of great things have happened here in the last two years – I’ve posted chords made to fit the hymnal for common songs and a few obscure ones. But in two years, just about anything ends up with some deferred maintenance, and this blog is no exception. So, for the next little while, I’m not going to post very many new songs, and instead focus on two housekeeping tasks:

Comprehensively review songs, especially earlier ones (first year or so) to check that the chords fit well with the melody and the harmony in the hymnal. I was just learning to play guitar in 2009, and I wasn’t that great at this.
Move many of the chords that have been posted on the Submit page into full-fledged posts.

When this is complete, ChordsUMC will be even better than it is now!

399 Take My Life, and Let it Be

chordsumc — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 04:56:41 +0000

Take My Life, and Let it Be
Note: this song starts on third of the first chord (F# capoed, A uncapoed).
It isn’t hard to find the pitch, though.
Capo 3

D                 A7     A  D
Take my life, and let it be consecrated,
         A     D               A7     A
Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days;
D                A         D
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
A7                 F#m      D
Take my hands, and let them move
    A              D
    at the impulse of thy love.
                  A7       A  D
Take my feet, and let them be swift
              A7      D
    and beautiful for thee.

Words: Frances R. Havergal, 1873 (Rom. 12:1)
Music: Louis J. F. Hérold, 1839; arr. by George Kingsley, 1839
Tune: MESSIAH

Happy Birthday!

chordsumc — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:31:01 +0000

ChordsUMC is now two years old – I started it on Jan. 4, 2009. This year, the blog got over 31,000 views – more than three times what it got in its first year. Hymn 334 Sweet, Sweet Spirit got the most views of any hymn, with 1,507 views. The next highest rated were 701 When We All Get to Heaven (731 views), 408 The Gift of Love (685), 79 Holy God, we Praise thy Name (605) and 707 Hymn of Promise (589).

239 Silent Night, Holy Night

chordsumc — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:08:34 +0000

Silent Night, Holy Night
Capo 1

A                         E
Silent night, holy night, all is calm,
    A
    all is bright
D                A
round yon virgin mother and child.
D              A
Holy infant so tender and mild,
E                 A
sleep in heavenly peace,
         E        A
sleep in heavenly peace.

Words: Joseph Mohr, 1818, alt.; sts. 1, 2, 3 trans. by John F. Young
Music: Franz Gruber, 1818
Tune: STILLE NACHT

237 Sing We Now of Christmas

chordsumc — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:23:08 +0000

Sing We Now of Christmas
Capo 1

Em      A      Em         D     Em
Sing we now of Christmas, Noel, sing we here!
Em       A        Em      D      Em
Hear our grateful praises to the babe so dear.
Em   F#m  B7      Em      F#m     B7
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Em      A      Em         D       Em
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!

Note: You can leave out the F#m if it is too difficult to get to.
Words: Trad. French carol (Lk. 2:8-20; Mt. 2:1-12)
Music: Trad. French carol; harm. by Martin Shaw, 1928
Tune: FRENCH CAROL

229 Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

chordsumc — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:34:38 +0000

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

G            D
Infant holy, infant lowly,
G
for his bed a cattle stall;
             D
oxen lowing, little knowing,
G
Christ the babe is Lord of all.
          C       Am     D
Swift are winging angels singing,
G              C       D
noels ringing, tidings bringing:
Em         G            D7 G
Christ the babe is Lord of all.

Tag for the last two bars

E|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|
B|-----------------0---1---|-3----1----0-------|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|---------------2---|-0-----------------------|
D|-----------------2---2---|-0----2----0-------|-0-----------------------|
A|-------------------------|---------------3---|-2-----------------------|
E|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|

Words: Polish carol; trans. by Edith M. G. Reed, 1925 (Lk. 2:6-20)
Music: Polish carol; arr. by Edith M. G. Reed, 1926; harm. by Austin C. Lovelace, 1964
Tune: W ZLOBIE LEZY
Harm. © 1965 Abingdon Press

227 The Friendly Beasts

chordsumc — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:11:34 +0000

The Friendly Beasts
Capo 3

D                   Em         D
Jesus, our brother, strong and good,
    F#m    G                D
was humbly born in a stable rude,
                 G                 F#
and the friendly beasts around him stood.
D                  Em         D
Jesus, our brother strong and good.

Words: 12th cent. French carol; trans. anon.; (Lk. 2:7)
Music: Medieval Fench melody; harm. by Carlton R. Young, 1987
Tune: ORIENTIS PARTIBUS
Harm. © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House

254 We Three Kings

chordsumc — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:00:30 +0000

We Three Kings

Em                Bm     Em
We three kings of Orient are;
                 Bm        Em
bearing gifts we traverse afar,
          D         Em       G
field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Am        Em
following yonder star.
D G              C       G
O star of wonder star of light,
                C      G
star with royal beauty bright,
Em                Am
westward leading, still proceeding,
G               C       G
guide us to thy perfect light.

Words: John H. Hopkins, Jr., 1857 (Mt. 2:1-12)
Music: John H. Hopkins, Jr., 1857
Tune: KINGS OF ORIENT

581 Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service

chordsumc — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:11:47 +0000

Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service
Capo 3

D           A    D                 Bm
Lord, whose love through humble service
    D        G      A7 G     D
    bore the weight of human need,
      A  D               Bm
who upon the cross forsaken,
D       G  A7   G       D
offered mercy's perfect deed:
         A         Em        D
we, your servants, bring the worship
           F#m              G
    not of voice alone, but heart,
Asus Bm      Bm7     A  G
consecrating to your purpose
    D     G    D7   Em    D
    every gift that you impart.

Words: Albert F. Bayly, 1961, alt.
Music: Attr. to B. F. White, 1844; harm. by Ronald A. Nelson 1978
Tune: BEACH SPRING
Copyright © 1961 Oxford University Press; harm. © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship

561 Jesus, United by Thy Grace

chordsumc — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:57:36 +0000

Jesus, United by Thy Grace

G       Am G  Am D   G
Jesus, united by thy grace
D7  G    D  G    A7 D
and each to each en-deared,
Am              A7 D    A7  D
with confidence we seek thy face
G                   D  G
and know our prayer is heard.

Words: Charles Wesley, 1742
Music: John B. Dykes, 1866
Tune: ST. AGNES