The Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords from Crossway is the latest version of the Sing! Hymnal from Keith and Kristyn Getty. This edition includes all of the music, poetry, and liturgical readings of the previous edition, but it’s larger, has a larger print, a ring binding, and adds chords, making it a great choice for musicians. It was printed in China.
Cover
The Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords has a hardcover with a spiral binding. The cover seems to be coated with vinyl. It is black with gold stamping and includes a slight grain. The large spiral makes it easy enough to turn pages, but like all spirals, it does take a little more care. The build quality feels rugged. The overall size, including the spiral, is 8.5 x 10.75 x 1.75 inches, and it weighs around 3 lbs, 15.4 oz. The spiral is 2 inches. This is a touch large and heavy when compared to most hymnals, but it does sit well on a piano or music stand. This is my favorite type of cover for songbooks, hymnals, journals, and notebooks. This makes it a lot easier to use when playing an instrument. I’m a guitar player, and I often sing. I’ll take this design over any hardcover-bound hymnal.
Paper
The paper is a 70gsm acid-free custom paper with a creamy color. It’s highly opaque and easy to turn. It doesn’t feel too fragile and works well with the spiral. Even though the description says 8″ x 11″ pages, the final cut measures 7 x 10.5.
Content
The content includes songs, liturgical readings, and Psalms blended on the page. The top of the page shows the topic, but not all topics are in the topical index. For example, the page shows Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, etc., but these are not found in the index. All content is numbered in a large, dark red font and set in the Trinité typeface. The font is around 10-point, which is 1 point larger than the other Sing! Hymnals. There is a lot of space between the lines, making it great for singing and reading.
Songs
The Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords contains 497 classic and contemporary hymns. They cover a wide range of topics, so it’s easy to find a song to sing. They include two-note sheet music above and below the lyrics with chords above the top staff. The spacing is excellent, making this an excellent layout to sing from. Many of the songs are in copyright and require a license to sing them in public, and you’ll have to get the license from each license-holder independently. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what’s in the public domain. Any of the songs can be sung in private at home.
Chords
This edition adds chords above the top staff. They’re large and stand out, making them easy to see when playing. It includes slash chords (such as A/G, or A over G, which is an A chord with a G as the lowest note). This makes the Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords a great choice for lead sheets and for guitar players. It does not include a chord chart, but there are plenty of resources online and in print if you need them.
Liturgical Readings
Throughout the hymnal are 403 liturgical readings, each printed with the author’s name. They include quotations from classical and contemporary writers and theologians, such as Augustine of Hippo, John Bunyan, John Calvin, H. B. Charles Jr, Billy Graham, Francis of Assisi, C. S. Lewis, Martin Luther, J. I. Packer, John Piper, Dane Ortlund, Charles Spurgeon, and Joni Eareckson Tada. They match the theme of the song and verse, and are typeset as poetry. These are interesting, but they add to the size of this hymnal, which isn’t ideal if you just need songs.
Psalms
Psalms and other verses from the ESV and KJV are paired with the hymns. They’re typeset as poetry and do not include verse numbers in the text, but it does give the reference in the title. These also add to the bulk of the hymnal, but I can see them being useful if you want more than just songs.
Stories
In the back are brief stories about each hymn. It includes the hymn number, title, and a brief story about the hymn, the author, date written, the circumstances of its composition, the Scriptures it’s based on, thoughts about the hymn, and more. I am a fan of stories about music and I’m glad these were included.
Notes and Indexes
There are several tools with notes and indexes in the front and back to help you find songs and other information. The indexes help find specific songs, including by author, meter, tune, Scripture, etc.
The Topical Index and headings on the songs are mismatched. For example, Christmas songs include the heading “Christmas”, but “Christmas” is not a topic in the index. I’d like to see these headings included in the topical index.
Indexes include:
- Readings Copyright Index
- Hymn Sources
- Hymn Meters
- Hymn Tunes
- Scripture Index
- Topical Index
- Titles and First Lines
Notes for This Edition
This shows how to use the chords. The information covers multiple rhythm instruments, vocal harmony, using a capo with a guitar, using the online resources for this hymnal, etc. It also encourages us to annotate our own voicings and modifications to fit a specific style. Most of this is easy enough to follow if you’ve played an instrument for a while.
Comparisons
Here’s how the Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords compares to the other two Sing! Hymnal editions.
Hardcover
Goatskin
Video Review
Conclusion
The Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords is the largest of the three editions, but it’s the best version for musicians. It has a larger print than the other editions, and the spiral binding lets it stay open on every page. Unless you get the license, some of the songs can only be sung in private. This makes the Sing! Hymnal Lay-Flat Edition with Chords an excellent hymnal for home or private use with an instrument.
For more information about The Sing! Hymnal, including the full songlist and downloadable sheet music, please visit SingHymnal.com.
Crossway provided this hymnal in exchange for an honest review.
