A Review of “HymnPod – Traditional Hymns Podcast”

HymnPod is the creation of Christopher Tan of Singapore who shares his love of classic and modern hymns by regularly recording and posting mp3 files that one can listen to on his site or download free of charge. According to the site, he first started this project on December 24, 2008 and has posted nearly 350 recordings as of February 23, 2013 when he posted “Abide With Me”. Most of the recordings are solo piano played by Christopher but I also see several recordings with flute added on melody.  Not only does he record and post the audio files, Christopher also posts lyricist/composer info, lyrics, and occasionally some historical background on the hymns.

The recordings are excellent for accompaniment since Christopher provides suitable intros and proper timing between verses.  I have used many of his recordings for our congregational singing and appreciate his generosity and labor in providing these hymns without charge (PayPal account info is very discretely provided for those who wish to help defray the website costs). Based on visitor comments that I have read, many folks around the world are using his piano accompaniment as well.  Here are a few selections from HymnPod:

“Be Thou My Vision”

“Dwelling In Beulah Land”

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

The tempo that Christopher uses on some songs is a little slower than I would prefer but I have found that I can remedy that by editing the audio file in Audacity and increasing the tempo (within reason).  Also, I have noticed that he often broadens and slows the tempo somewhat on the last stanza of many songs. I have been told by a friend who is familiar with Southeast Asian Christian churches that this may be traditional.

Regardless, HymnPod is an excellent resource for recorded piano accompaniment and I definitely recommend spending some time on the site reviewing all that Christopher Tan as to offer.