Great app
Will be using this. Works very well. Thanks!
Excellent Hymnal Surpassed My Expectations
I am so pleased with this collection of worship songs! It includes almost all of the best hymns of the past 300 years and I was overwhelmed that my very favorites are all included.
It was an extra surprise that the audio music is available for most of the songs making it possible to learn some that I don't already know. And the audio function allows you to change keys or tempo. I especially liked that I can build a favorites list, and the search functions are first rate.
The only disappointment was that several hymns that were in the original are not included because of copyright issues. However, the ones that were blocked out were not among my own favorites, and since there are almost 900 songs in this hymnal, the missing ones were not a very big loss.
In all, I am very pleased and consider this to be well worth what I paid. Highly recommended!
It was an extra surprise that the audio music is available for most of the songs making it possible to learn some that I don't already know. And the audio function allows you to change keys or tempo. I especially liked that I can build a favorites list, and the search functions are first rate.
The only disappointment was that several hymns that were in the original are not included because of copyright issues. However, the ones that were blocked out were not among my own favorites, and since there are almost 900 songs in this hymnal, the missing ones were not a very big loss.
In all, I am very pleased and consider this to be well worth what I paid. Highly recommended!
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Wonderful...would love more!
Would love to have more songs and if you could include the lyrics to some of the more recent hymns as well. It has just about all of them though!
Good app, lots of great songs, but desperately needs a few things...
I want to say I really enjoy all the hymns, especially the ones that are harder to find. Having the playable tune is great too. I am a song leader in church and I will be using this to reintroduce these hymns to a new generation.
However, this app desperately needs a couple things....
1. Navigation tools to exit out of the 'Favorites' menu are a must. If you accidentally hit the 'favorites' button, the only way to get back to the hymnal is to exit, quit the program and restart it.
2. E-mail capabilities: While being able to print is convenient, many people do not have access to an 'air' printer. Furthermore, for music leaders, having the ability to email sheet music and even the mp3 tunes is extremely helpful. Many other hymnal apps have this feature, and, in the mission of bringing back some of these old (but great) hymns, things like these features are necessary.
3. There are a few copyrights that haven't been cleared yet. I hope the developer can navigate through the legalities and get these authorized.
4. A link to site where the actual printed version of this hymnal can be purchased. I was a confused, because, before downloading, I thought this was the famous "Christ in Song" hymnal by F.E. Belden, from 1908, which recently came back into print. The publishers of this app should really clarify this through an in app link so that the user may find, and purchase, the hymnal used in the app. So far, I have been unable to locate it online.
Please take these recommendations into consideration in a future update.
Thank you.
However, this app desperately needs a couple things....
1. Navigation tools to exit out of the 'Favorites' menu are a must. If you accidentally hit the 'favorites' button, the only way to get back to the hymnal is to exit, quit the program and restart it.
2. E-mail capabilities: While being able to print is convenient, many people do not have access to an 'air' printer. Furthermore, for music leaders, having the ability to email sheet music and even the mp3 tunes is extremely helpful. Many other hymnal apps have this feature, and, in the mission of bringing back some of these old (but great) hymns, things like these features are necessary.
3. There are a few copyrights that haven't been cleared yet. I hope the developer can navigate through the legalities and get these authorized.
4. A link to site where the actual printed version of this hymnal can be purchased. I was a confused, because, before downloading, I thought this was the famous "Christ in Song" hymnal by F.E. Belden, from 1908, which recently came back into print. The publishers of this app should really clarify this through an in app link so that the user may find, and purchase, the hymnal used in the app. So far, I have been unable to locate it online.
Please take these recommendations into consideration in a future update.
Thank you.
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Another Good Effort
I have to admit that the format for this app is one of the best I've seen. However, the selection of hymns is very lacking. After showing the song selections to several other song leaders we all agreed we are only familiar with about one fourth of the hymns. I really wish you could view all the songs included in a hymnal app before purchasing it. This is really an unfair practice but all the apps we have bought do the same thing. And I don't want to discourage anyone from trying this app because it does have some good hymns but if you're looking for an app to use as a hymnal you probably need something different especially if you will be using it with youth. I wish I could give this app a better review but it really does need more hymns that are more up to date and that can in addition be used with youth groups. As I said, love the format but the content needs some work.
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Speechless
Oh my gosh. This is a church pianist's dream come true. You must have this!
No sound
Wrote for help, but no reply back. The song picks are great,only no sound!😟
Nice app
Song choice and score clarity are great, and the search and annotate features make it easy to use. You have to double tap to get the menu.
Great app
I'm so happy with this app. I use it all the time. Thanks
What a Blessing!
This is such a great app!
I use this every morning as I work out on a stationary bike and elliptical trainer... Exercising my spirit as well as my body. It's a wonderful way to start the day, in singing praises to The Lord. It's much better than the hardcover hymnal I had been using for several reasons:
1- it has many more hymns in it than any hymnal I have. and the ones in it are excellent.
2- it fits nicely in the book rest on the machines (a problem with a paper book is that if the hymn I pick is at the front or back end of the book, it doesn't fit in the holder)
3- It PLAYS the music!!! That is such a great help since I don't read music well enough to always sound out the tune. I'm learning many hymns I never knew before, and am enjoying even more that I do already know. This also allows me to focus on reading and singing the words as I listen to the tune
4-the music is a recording of an actual piano, not a midi synth. It's REAL music being played by talented human hands! This is great for using as accompaniment in nursing homes and other groups I sing with, especially if people request a hymn I don't know!
5- the search function is great, not only to find specific hymns by name, but also if I can only remember one word in the title. Or if I want to see a list of hymns with a word in the title like "Cross" or "Love"
6-the Table of Contents is AMAZING! I have only scratched the surface of the extensive info it has on authors, tunes, topical groupings, etc.
7- I encountered a problem with playback and contacted support. Elbert responded quickly with the answer I needed. Nothing was wrong with the app, I had just muted my iPad without realizing it. I felt the customer support was fast, professional and courteous.
8- I use the favorites list to, well, mark my favorites! I use the notes feature to record what certain ones specifically mean to me.
9- the biographical info after many of the hymns helps set the hymn in context, and makes the words that much more meaningful.
********* Seriously, this is the best $10 I've ever spent! *******
There are some things I wish it did, or did better...
1- the search function only seems to bring up hymns with the search word in the title. If I don't know the title of the hymn I'm looking for, but only the first line or the chorus or the tune or the author's name, I have to go to the table of contents, then to the index of first lines or authors or whatever and find it there. That's still pretty cool, but I'd prefer being able to just enter any of that in the search.
2- one drawback of a live recording of REAL piano music is that you can't change the key or the tempo. If the tune is out of my range, I have to listen and try to remember it well enough to sing in a key that works for me. Some tunes seem very slow, which is most likely the way they're written. That slow speed allows me time to think about the words. But there are times I'd like to sing faster to express more joy or richness as I sing. Not sure what could be done about this...
3- I'd really like to see dates of when hymns were published whenever possible. Besides that just being good info, I have a particular need to know what hymns were sung prior to Autumn of 1865. I'm in a Civil War reenactment group and we try to limit our hymns to those that are period correct. Again, the piano music is very helpful as accompaniment since I don't know many of those older tunes.
4- tunes play twice through the piece whether the 'loop mode' button is pressed or not. Maybe I'm not using it correctly... I haven't written to support about that yet.
Overall, these little 'Druthers' don't begin to compare to the great benefits and features of this app. I absolutely love using it because it helps me draw close to Jesus every morning. I recommend it highly!!!
Joel G
Orange County, CA
I use this every morning as I work out on a stationary bike and elliptical trainer... Exercising my spirit as well as my body. It's a wonderful way to start the day, in singing praises to The Lord. It's much better than the hardcover hymnal I had been using for several reasons:
1- it has many more hymns in it than any hymnal I have. and the ones in it are excellent.
2- it fits nicely in the book rest on the machines (a problem with a paper book is that if the hymn I pick is at the front or back end of the book, it doesn't fit in the holder)
3- It PLAYS the music!!! That is such a great help since I don't read music well enough to always sound out the tune. I'm learning many hymns I never knew before, and am enjoying even more that I do already know. This also allows me to focus on reading and singing the words as I listen to the tune
4-the music is a recording of an actual piano, not a midi synth. It's REAL music being played by talented human hands! This is great for using as accompaniment in nursing homes and other groups I sing with, especially if people request a hymn I don't know!
5- the search function is great, not only to find specific hymns by name, but also if I can only remember one word in the title. Or if I want to see a list of hymns with a word in the title like "Cross" or "Love"
6-the Table of Contents is AMAZING! I have only scratched the surface of the extensive info it has on authors, tunes, topical groupings, etc.
7- I encountered a problem with playback and contacted support. Elbert responded quickly with the answer I needed. Nothing was wrong with the app, I had just muted my iPad without realizing it. I felt the customer support was fast, professional and courteous.
8- I use the favorites list to, well, mark my favorites! I use the notes feature to record what certain ones specifically mean to me.
9- the biographical info after many of the hymns helps set the hymn in context, and makes the words that much more meaningful.
********* Seriously, this is the best $10 I've ever spent! *******
There are some things I wish it did, or did better...
1- the search function only seems to bring up hymns with the search word in the title. If I don't know the title of the hymn I'm looking for, but only the first line or the chorus or the tune or the author's name, I have to go to the table of contents, then to the index of first lines or authors or whatever and find it there. That's still pretty cool, but I'd prefer being able to just enter any of that in the search.
2- one drawback of a live recording of REAL piano music is that you can't change the key or the tempo. If the tune is out of my range, I have to listen and try to remember it well enough to sing in a key that works for me. Some tunes seem very slow, which is most likely the way they're written. That slow speed allows me time to think about the words. But there are times I'd like to sing faster to express more joy or richness as I sing. Not sure what could be done about this...
3- I'd really like to see dates of when hymns were published whenever possible. Besides that just being good info, I have a particular need to know what hymns were sung prior to Autumn of 1865. I'm in a Civil War reenactment group and we try to limit our hymns to those that are period correct. Again, the piano music is very helpful as accompaniment since I don't know many of those older tunes.
4- tunes play twice through the piece whether the 'loop mode' button is pressed or not. Maybe I'm not using it correctly... I haven't written to support about that yet.
Overall, these little 'Druthers' don't begin to compare to the great benefits and features of this app. I absolutely love using it because it helps me draw close to Jesus every morning. I recommend it highly!!!
Joel G
Orange County, CA
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