Best Hymn Books for Violinists: A Violin Teacher's Guide

/
Best hymn books.jpg

I’ve been playing violin solos for church services since just about the first day I started learning violin. Okay, I might be exaggerating there, but I have played violin hymns for church more times than I can count. Wherever I’ve moved across the country, churches have welcomed me in. I’ve met some wonderful people, made music with some great musicians, and worshipped God in the best way I know how—playing violin! I’ve been on the constant lookout for hymn arrangements for violin and piano. Whether you are just starting or you’re ready for some advanced violin hymn arrangements, I’ve got something here for you.

Don’t forget to check out my free arrangements of some easy hymns and fiddle songs as well as my top picks for beginner violin books, scale books, and fiddle books!


For even more easy hymns along with intermediate third position parts, join my online studio to download my hymn book, Favorite Hymns for Violin. It has over 50 of my favorite hymns transposed into easy to read key signatures for violin. You’ll get Favorite Hymns for Violin in addition to several other downloadable violin books and over 200+ songs and sheet music for violin.

Violin Hymns for the Beginner

Level: Beginner—Advanced Beginner

This hymn book offers 24 classic hymns that are easily accessible to beginner violinists. This is one of the few beginner level violin hymn books that I’ve been able to find. Some of the choices include Amazing Grace, Come Ye Sinners, and This is My Father’s World. For the advancing beginner, there are also slurs, accidentals, and fermatas to add more of a challenge.




Favorite Hymns Instrumental Solos for Strings

Level: Advanced Beginner—Intermediate Player

This collection features several timeless hymn arrangements for violin and piano. This book offers more advanced rhythms and key changes for those advancing players wanting more of a solo-like arrangement of hymns. I love that it comes with a CD so you can play along with an accompaniment, even if you don’t know a pianist!



100 Gospel Songs and Hymns for Violin and Guitar

Level: Advanced Beginner—Intermediate Player

For those violinist regularly performing in church, it’s nice to have a large selection of hymns in case you are asked to play a special on Sunday—on short notice! I’ve been there and having a large collection of classic hymn arrangements has helped me out. This book offers 100 songs so you have lots of options to choose from. Most selections have a key change so one hymn selection doesn’t sound the exact same for each verse.

It’s rare that you love every single song in a book, but I absolutely love every song in this fantastic book. In addition to some of the most treasured hymns like Be Thou My Vision, and There is a Fountain, there are also some exciting arrangements of Holy Mana, and Shall We Gather at the River. There also a Spiritual with some fun syncopations!

These arrangements offer a lot of unique elements you don’t hear in many other violin hymn arrangements. There’s double stops, pizzicato sections, along with some interesting counter melodies. Many passages go up into the higher positions, but beginners can always play the first verse of each arrangement which often stay down in first position.

Old English Hymns for Violin Solo by Linda M. Ellis Cummings

Level: Intermediate Player

This was one of the first violin hymn books my mother purchased for me when I first started playing violin, and it’s continued to be a favorite throughout the years. This edition features some of the most beautiful traditional hymns including Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken, and This is My Father’s World.

Many of the hymns have passages that go up into third position and sometimes higher for a few measures, making this book a good challenge for intermediate players who want hymn arrangements that showcase the violin’s beauty.

The book comes with a solo booklet and a piano accompaniment.






And my favorite…Hymn Tunes for Unaccompanied Violin by Marilyn Carlson

Level: Advanced Beginner-Advanced Player

You don’t always have a pianist to accompany you when playing violin in church, and playing arrangements that have piano accompaniment without a piano, well, you can obviously tell something is missing.

For years, I’d been on the prowl searching for good unaccompanied violin hymn arrangements and I finally found the jewel I was looking for. Out of all my favorite violin hymn arrangements, this one is my absolute favorite. I often pull it out to play through the songs just for my own enjoyment.

There’s a beautiful version of Come Thou Fount, a breathtaking arrangement of Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy, a version of Jesus Paid it All chocked full of delicious double stops, and probably the most interesting, most delightful arrangement of Amazing Grace I’ve ever found.

There are quadruple stops, grace notes, lovely runs, and lots of what I call “noodling.” You know, when you go back and forth between two strings really quickly. There are double stops galore, but don’t worry if you aren’t great at intentionally playing two strings at once. These double stops are generally pretty easy (playing one open string while you place fingers on another string). If you are beginning, you can leave out the double stops and just play the top note. It’s great for advanced players who want something different when it comes to hymn arrangements for violin, but beginner violinists will also be able to find many playable passages.

Enjoy these great hymn arrangements for violin and when you’re ready to add some fiddling to your repertoire, I have the perfect recommendations!