Piano Sheet Music The Easy Hymn Fake Book 100 Songs In The Key

Working With Hymn Fake Books For Piano

I picked up a copy of Piano Sheet Music The Easy Hymn Fake Book 100 Songs In The Key a few years ago when my church needed someone who could fill in on piano and I needed something I could flip through without thinking too hard. The concept is straightforward: it compiles a hundred well-known hymns arranged for piano solo, mostly in a single key so you don't have to transpose on the fly. For people who play by ear or read lead sheets, this kind of book can save you from carrying around three different songbooks. The book itself is exactly what the title suggests. One hundred hymns, simplified arrangements, all transposed into one key. Most of the arrangements put the melody on top with chord symbols above and a basic bass line below. Some have full left-hand patterns. A few are just right-hand melody with chords written out as symbols, which means you fill in the harmony yourself. It varies page to page, which is worth knowing before you commit. I learned this the hard way. The first time I used this book at a real service, I flipped to "Amazing Grace" expecting the same layout as the previous song. Instead it was a full chord chart with no written-out right hand. I fumbled through the first verse because I was mentally prepared to read every note. The workaround was simple: I started skimming ahead two songs before I actually needed them. That way I could tell which arrangement style I was dealing with and adjust my reading strategy before the song started. I haven't been caught off guard since.

The main advantage of a fake book like this is speed. If you know your chords and can read a melody line, you can get through most hymns without any prep work. In a live setting, that usually means you spend about five to ten minutes scanning the book before a service instead of practicing songs from scratch. For people who play regularly at churches or small events, that is a real difference. But there are limitations that nobody talks about. The biggest issue is that everything is in one key. If your singer needs the music in a different key, you have to transpose. You can do it by ear if you know the chord shapes, but if you are reading note-for-note arrangements, you are stuck. I ran into this at a wedding where the bridal party wanted "Holy, Holy, Holy" in F sharp major instead of the C major it was printed in. I spent twelve minutes rewriting the melody line in my head and adjusting the chord voicings on the spot. It worked, but it was not ideal. Having a second book in a different key or knowing how to transpose quickly would have saved me that stress. Another thing that catches people off guard: the arrangements are simplified. Some of those simplifications are actually helpful, like stripping out difficult ornaments or complex inner voices. But a lot of the chord choices are pretty basic. You get G major, C major, F major, maybe a D minor or an A minor now and then. If you want richer harmony, you will need to add extensions or substitutions yourself. This is not a bad thing if you are comfortable comping, but if you are strictly a sight-reader who relies on written notes, you might find the books a little thin after a while.

Here is how I use it practically. I keep the book open on the stand and I scan the next two or three songs during transitions. I circle the ones that have full notation versus chord-only so I know what mental mode to switch into. When the organist or pianist before me hands off, I already know whether I am reading notes or making stuff up. That habit alone cut my rehearsal time for services down significantly. If you are looking to get a copy, you can usually find it on Amazon or through music supply retailers. The exact ISBN varies depending on the edition, so search using the full title. Sometimes you will also find digital versions on sites like Sheet Music Plus or MuseScore, though those are less reliable in terms of formatting. The physical book is worth it because you can write in it, bend it flat, and dog-ear pages without ruining anything. One counter-intuitive tip: don't rely on this book alone for learning hymns. Use it as a reference tool, not a primary learning source. The real value comes from knowing the tunes independently. If you only memorize the pages in this book, you will struggle when a song is not included or when the arrangement style doesn't match your strengths. Learn the chord progressions by ear, learn the melodies separately, and then use the book to confirm voicings or fill in gaps. That approach will serve you better long-term than treating the fake book as a crutch.

There are alternatives if this book does not fit your needs. The Real Book series covers secular and jazz standards rather than hymns. For hymn-specific material, the Christian Copyright Licensing International catalog has individual sheet music options in multiple keys. Church pianist communities often share their own arrangements online, which can be more musically interesting than a one-size-fits-all fake book. But if you want something portable and comprehensive for basic gigging, the Easy Hymn Fake Book is still one of the more practical options on the market. The bottom line is that it works well for what it is. It is not a substitute for strong musicianship, but it is a solid shortcut when you need to look competent in a hurry. Just remember to prep ahead, transpose when necessary, and build your own skills so the book remains a tool and not your entire strategy.