Absent Pianist is a software program designed for churches who find themselves occasionally or regularly without a pianist. Choose the hymn you want, the number of verses you want and Absent Pianist plays the piano and/or organ for your congregation.
Also ideal for family gatherings, home worship, or small group meetings
No hymn matches that search. Try a word from the title.
The demo video needs an internet connection.
Choose a Hymn from the list. Type a word from the title to find it quickly.
Pick Your Options: Choose the number of verses to play, the type of the introduction you prefer, how to play the refrain, which instruments and voices you want, your tempo, and key. Many of our old hymn favorites were written in a key that is too high for today's congregations. You might prefer to lower the key 2-4 half steps.
Tap Play. Pause or Stop at any time. The congregation sings along, just as with a live pianist.
Remember Your Choices: tap Save my settings for this hymn, and the hymn opens that way next time on this device.
In Church: Connect your phone, tablet, laptop, or computer to the sound system with a cable or Bluetooth, and turn the volume up. On iPhone, sound plays even with the ringer switch on silent.
Recommended Equipment
If you don't already have a sound system, we recommend one or two Sonos Five speakers for superior sound and ease of connection.
Or for a smaller budget we recommend one or two Sonos Era 100 speakers.
Or for wireless portability consider the Sonos Move speaker.
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To Use Absent Pianist Without Internet: Add it to your home screen. On iPhone or iPad, tap the Share button in Safari, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, open the browser menu and choose Install app. The software requires the internet only for the first visit. Thereafter, every hymn works offline.
Triumphant Final Verse makes the last verse fuller and grander.
Modulate Up plays a bridge chord that lifts the last verse a half step higher.
Used for every hymn, unless you have saved custom settings for that hymn.
Absent Pianist is a software program designed for churches who find themselves occasionally or regularly without a pianist. Choose the hymn you want, the number of verses you want and Absent Pianist plays the piano and/or organ for your congregation. It works on any smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer and connects to your sound system by cable or Bluetooth.
Piano, organ and choir sounds licensed by: GeneralUser GS by S. Christian Collins.
All hymns are in the public domain. Settings come from the Open Hymnal Project, Hymnary.org and historic hymnals, transcribed for Absent Pianist.
Absent Pianist collects only enough information from you to register and maintain your software. None of your information is ever sold, rented, or shared in any way to any other party.
© 2026 Software Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. The Absent Pianist software and its hymn files may not be copied, redistributed, or resold without permission.
Used only to register and maintain your software. Never sold, rented, or shared.
