what's your favorite hymn?

[Mandolin Mick]

Mandolirius,

Don't worry ... we're clicking. In fact your version of "When They Ring the Golden Bells" inspired me to learn Red Rector's version on the mandolin in Eb; note for note with modulation and frills. I'll play it at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission next month!!!

[mandolirius]

Mick, that's great. Red's version, along with the Country Gentlemen's, is where I first came across the song.

[Nathanael Mays]

Where the Soul Never Dies"

[CES]

Man, so many great hymns listed, no arguments with any of them. One of the Southern Baptist "invitation" songs that sticks in my head is Just As I Am...haven't heard it in years in our most recent churches, but can still sing you every verse. At the moment Softly and Tenderly (another "call" song) is probably my favorite, though What a Friend We Have in Jesus is up there as well. But, they tend to go through a rotation depending on life circumstances, how often I'm hearing or playing them, etc. Kaufman's "Flatpicking the Gospel" book has some pretty nice transcriptions of a lot of these hymns...

My current favorite contemporary/praise songs are My Jesus, by Todd Agnew (though it's a couple of years old now), All I Need by Shawn McDonald, You Are Mine (from Enter the Worship Circle 3, based on the 42nd Psalm), and Lift Up Your Face by 3rd Day. Older favs include How Great is Our God (Tomlin) and Flood (Jars of Clay, and still a blast to play on guitar)...

I'll admit to really digging some of the newer Christian harder rock and rap that are out there, too...

[mrmando]

Having a lot of fun with "(Take Your Burden to the Lord and) Leave It There," courtesy of my pal Blind Willie Johnson.

[Denny Gies]

Truthfully, the one I'm listening to at the moment or the one I'm plaiying at the moment.

[J.Albert]

Far too many from which to choose only one as a favorite.

But...

If you've never heard "In The Village Churchyard" by Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys from the early 1970's (when he had Roy Lee Centers with him), then you haven't heard gospel. If this one don't put the fear into you, nuthin' will!

[Mandolin Mick]

I'm currently learning "Abide With Me" in D, doing 3 verses in 3 different styles. First, I do the melody on the D string in tremolo. I do the 2nd verse one octave higher on the A and E strings in double stops. I finish by crosspicking the 3rd verse. It all came together in about a half hour. Nothing beats the hymns on a mandolin!

[Rodney Riley]

If it's a hymn... It's my favorite!!!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Mine used to be How Great Thou Art until someone pointed out that it was the same tune as the Horst Wessel... now I can't hear it without seeing the scene from The McKenzie Break where the SS were hammering it out in defiance...

So now it's Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing. At our last Contra Dance, Jon (the fiddle player) fired-up his bagpipes and started playing it, I joined in on Octave mandolin and the crowd gathered around us silent at first, and then they began to sing... it was very moving and very happy...

[Jack Roberts]

So many. From the first week or so after I started learning mandolin I was invited to be part of a band that plays at the local rescue mission. More than 10 years have gone by now, and we are still playing, but a lot of our band members have changed. My wife and I still play, and we decided to teach the mission people all the old hymns we can. We produced a spiral bound songbook and we try to lead and old-time sing-a-long. My favorite to play on the mandolin (and fiddle) is "Are You Washed in the Blood"--played fast. My favorite to sing is "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

I'm with Eddie on "Come Thou Font", but we don't sing that. I'll have to add that to the songbook.

[Rodney Riley]

Love Sara Groves version of "Come Thou Fount of every Blessing". Brad Paisley's instrumental version of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is just plain awesome. Would love to have his version in written or tab form.

[mandocrucian]

[ralph johansson]

Mine used to be How Great Thou Art until someone pointed out that it was the same tune as the Horst Wessel... now I can't hear it without seeing the scene from The McKenzie Break where the SS were hammering it out in defiance...

So now it's Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing. At our last Contra Dance, Jon (the fiddle player) fired-up his bagpipes and started playing it, I joined in on Octave mandolin and the crowd gathered around us silent at first, and then they began to sing... it was very moving and very happy...

So it was pointed out to you - why don't you trust your own ears? To my ears all the two tunes have in common is the pickup in the very beginning, not much else.
It's a very stately tune and I enjoy improvising on it, under its original title, of course (O, store Gud). However, if I were to choose a favorite gospel song it would have to be Wayfaring Stranger, because of its exceptional lyrical qualities.

[JeffD]

Mine used to be How Great Thou Art until someone pointed out that it was the same tune as the Horst Wessel... now I can't hear it without seeing the scene from The McKenzie Break where the SS were hammering it out in defiance....

Nope. They are very different.

[daleyboy]

Wicked path of sin by Bill Monroe

[re simmers]

I Must Tell Jesus by The Forbes Family.
Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There by John Cowan.
There is a God by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.
The Dream by IIIrd Tyme Out.

Bob

[Chris Newland]

Ain't No Grave

[TEE]

The Old Cross Roads- Skaggs and Rice

[Tim Pike]

"What a Friend We Have In Jesus"
All-time favorite, hands down (or hands up in the air!)

[Phototurtle]

Just a Closer Walk with Thee is one of my favorites. I have only been playing for 4 months, but here is a clip of me playing it yesterday in church. I still don't know a lot about the mando, but I try and practice every day just because I love the sound.

http://youtu.be/kmTqOxPd3_I

[OKMike]

Wayfaring Stranger
Angel Band
In The Garden

[meveral3]

Some of my favorites are " Come and Dine " , " Jordan's Stormy Banks " and " Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet ".

[stevejay]

In response to the Steve Martin quote, I thought of Plastic Jesus. Great scene in Cool Hand Luke of Paul Neuman playing it... Luke wasn't an athiest though, he just had a lot of questions.

I think athiesm is as extreme as fundamentalism. Can;t really understand either.

In answer to the question, I like Angel Band.

[Raider rider]

I sang this hymn many times in the chapel on the USS Eisenhower during three very difficult deployments in an A-6 Intruder squadron. "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" aka "The Navy Hymn." To this day, I cannot keep a dry eye when I hear it. There are many verses, but my two favorite are:

Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky,
Be with them always in the air,
In dark'ning storms or sunlight fair.
O, Hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air.

I heard this one many times during deployments here and there in Chapel. Im a Navy Vet also, was on P3 and E2s during my time in the Navy. Wish I could do it over again sometimes then I think about it and well most of it I would do again.