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Are you fed up with bad church music? It's a group I've found on Facebook. I laugh at some of the posts, but sometimes I want to cry.

When I was a little girl we had these books in the pews of our church. About three times during Sunday morning service, more on Sunday evening at the evening service, we pulled these books out of the wooden pockets at the back of the pews and sang songs from them, reading the music as we sang.

I realize that may seem really archaic to many people these days, but I really miss it.

For one, I am an alto, or was an alto. (That's another story, not for here). I sang the alto line on every hymn because the soprano line was just too high. I could read the notes and the words and how the music was supposed to sound with the accompaniment---piano, organ or both. 

Because I attended church faithfully my entire upbringing, (I think when the church doors were unlocked I was there. My mom was a preacher's kid and an avid helper at any church she ever attended. Because I was her daughter I followed suit.) I learned almost every hymn in the old church hymnal. We switched hymnals when I was in middle school, and I still remember the grave discussion surrounding the big decision on which new version to buy for the entire church. Yes, it was expensive. It WAS a big decision.

I learned hymns. I learned the melodies and the harmonies. I even learned to play the accompaniment on the piano. Sometimes I played obbligato on my flute, even with services, especially at Christmas time.

I sang in the choir when I was able to. I sang in a girls' sextet, "The Daughters of the King," with five of my best friends from high school. Our pianist was a life-long friend of mine too, since kindergarten.

We sang old gospel songs, pretty contemporary melodies, Amy Grant, and HYMNS.

I wonder if this new generation knows what they are missing.

I heard that a church recently picked a music director who doesn't read music. He plays guitar, I think.

It must be by ear or something.

Every church service I've been to in recent memory has had a projector at the back of the church shining words up at the front on a ginormous screen. 

I realize that some people must like that kind of thing.

I don't. At all. I miss the old hymnals and the notes I read during the singing. I miss seeing who wrote it, when I look up at the top of the song. I miss the staffs and the clefs, and the notes corresponding with the words. I miss those old hymnals.

I also miss that my children are not learning to sing parts by singing rich hymns from the hymn book every Sunday.

I really don't mind praise songs. I just miss the hymnbooks.

I have tried to help my kids learn some of those more obscure hymns here at home in our home-school, but it just isn't the same.

Time passes, things change.

But I miss those things.

This is what church sounded like growing up:

Nearer Still Nearer

We did have the piano and organ, but isn't this amazing, how these people sing PARTS?

The other day I was at a service where the words were up on the screen. The song was pretty, but I didn't know it. I think we were supposed to sing it. 

Isn't that what words on the screen mean?

I ventured a few notes once in awhile, but without the music I was pretty lost.

I guess I wasn't supposed to sing.

Worship is for the chosen few at the front of the church. Those with the notes, right?