Although much of classical organ music requires the full length of pedal board, not every organist have access to this kind of instrument, either pipe organ or electronic organ. Many people have Spinet electronic organs at home and they have to solve the pedal playing problem because Spinet organ pedal board have only 13 keys (C-c). For organists who practice on various kinds of electronic organs, such as Spinet, adjusting to the short pedal board is a very important question. In this article, I will give you 2 solutions for practicing classical organ music on the Spinet electronic organ with the short pedal board.In general, it depends on what kind of music you are working on. There is plenty of organ music which was written for manuals only. Obviously, to play such music on the Spinet organ is no problem at all. In addition, a significant part of early organ repertoire was composed with a short pedal board in mind.For example, Italian organs for many centuries didn't have a full pedal board so anything Italian would work fine on a Spinet organ. The question remains what to do with the classical organ music, like the music of Bach which often requires 27 note pedal board (sometimes even 30)In general, for music which requires the full compass of pedal board you have only 2 options:1) To arrange the pedal part so that it will fit the short compass of the Spinet. For example, notes in the pedal part above tenor c would have to be played one octave lower. Sometimes an entire excerpt might be played one octave lower.If you have to play notes from c sharp up to f in the treble octave, you can lower them by two octaves. In doing so, you may also have to adjust the pedaling. For example, this could mean that using the right foot on the Spinet organ might be complicated so the majority of notes should be played by the left foot.2) To play as written, imagine the additional pedals, and press the approximate spot on the floor. It is also possible to add a wooden board on the floor of approximate the same height as the Spinet pedals so that you will have the same feeling while playing with your feet. In addition, you can draw the missing pedals on this board so that you will know exactly where to play.If you want to play classical organ music on the Spinet electronic organ, use the above tips for pedal playing. It is also a good idea from time to time to get access to the real pipe organ. Occasional practice on a full length pedal board will allow you to have the correct feeling for your feet.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ
Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
For a long time many of my students have been asking me to prepare a practice score of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", BWV 147/10 by J.S.Bach so that they could learn to play it on the organ.
As you know, it is such a wonderful piece and both organists and listeners love it. It sounds so sweet and is a perfect work to prepare for weddings, communions, and other joyful and/or meditative settings.
If you are interested in learning this composition without an instructor, you will need much knowledge concerning fingering, pedaling, articulation, registration, tempo, ornaments etc.
Most importantly, you will have to know the steps which are necessary to master this work. To help you with your practicing, I have prepared an EXACT step-by-step plan so that your learning process will be smooth, fun, easy, and fast.
Check out my brand new practice score of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", BWV 147/10 by J.S.Bach. This score will teach you how to master this fantastic piece in 10 days or less while working only 30 minutes a day. And of course, like with my other practice scores, you will find complete fingering and pedaling of this piece.
Get the practice score of "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring"
Perhaps you are thinking if this practice score is right for you? Go ahead and get it now, don't worry, if you are not completely satisfied, I will give you 30 days money back guarantee!
Get the practice score of "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring"
Creating a CD recording of your organ music can be a great gift to your friends and family. They will appreciate your playing and treasure your gift for years to come. In order to successfully complete the recording project, you will need to know certain things that are crucial in making a CD recording. In this article, I will give you 21 steps in making a CD recording of your organ music.
Concerning a CD recording, you will need to complete the following steps:
1) Decide on the organ that you will use.
2) Decide on the pieces that you want to include in your recording.
3) Practice them and ideally memorize them.
4) Master them to be able to play them without mistakes.
5) Arrange a local sound engineer to record your playing.
6) Find an assistant or page turner.
7) Arrange the time with the sound engineer, assistant, and the building authority which will be free of distractions for recording.
8) Arrange the tuning of the organ.
9) Record your music (either in whole or in parts) - at least 3 versions of each piece.
10) Have your sound engineer to make a sample CD of all your pieces for you.
11) Analyze this CD, make notes on which version you like the most.
12) Get together with sound engineer for editing - keep the versions you decided in the previous step.
13) Pay the sound engineer.
14) Prepare the CD booklet - either by yourself or have others to do this. You will need the following information: your CV, several high quality photos of yourself and the organ, information about the pieces and composers, organ specifications and/or registrations if space is available.
15) Edit and format the CD booklet.
16) Have your sound engineer prepare a master CD for you.
17) Double check the contents of the master CD to make sure it is error free.
18) Find the service which manufactures CD's.
19) Submit your material to this company.
20) Pay the CD manufacturing company.
21) Pick up the CD.
If you are planning recording on your own, you will not need Step 5. Remember only that professional recordings will have a higher sound quality. Also a professional sound engineer will have a possibility to edit your recordings, erase the parts which have mistakes, and put together several different versions of the same piece. Note that your recording project will be time-consuming so plan accordingly.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe
organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ
Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
Perhaps the majority of organists would agree that sight-reading is a must for any organist. It is such a useful tool in organist's profession because we constantly are in need to play music at sight either as solo performers during liturgy or as accompanists for choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists. Having an unfamiliar score in front of you and knowing that it is quite out of reach for you is indeed one of the worst feelings an organist could have. To help you learn this skill, I will give you my personal recommendations on how to practice sight-reading.
First of all, I believe that this skill can be learned like any other skill we have to do. Some people believe that only geniuses can play anything at sight. We all have read stories about Bach's notorious ability to play new music with ease. However, we tend to forget how much Bach and other geniuses had to practice in order to achieve such heights. In fact, Bach himself admitted once that it is not possible to sight-read everything.
Ideally a great musician should be able to sight-read compositions of medium level of difficulty with ease and fluency. To achieve this, we need to practice specifically sight-reading. It is a good idea to devote some 15 minutes of each practice session just for that.
I think many people like playing organ pieces at sight. It gives them pleasure to hear new music every day. However, the success of sight-reading exercise depends on the playing speed, difficulty level of the composition, and organist's attention to detail. In fact, that's where many people fail.
Ideally, we should feel no tension and stress when sight-reading. If we do, this means either our practice tempo is too fast or the difficulty level of the piece is too great or both. It is probably better at the beginning to play easy music at sight in a very slow tempo with no mistakes than to play it up to concert tempo but constantly failing in each measure.
If sight-reading all parts together is too advanced, you can try playing separate parts and voice combinations. By the way, this is exactly the same method I use to learn new clefs. From there we can go into practicing music in open score notation and orchestral reductions.
Find a collection of organ music of your level that you love and start sight-reading one page a day. If you practice according to the above suggestions, keeping in mind slow tempo, difficulty level, attention to detail, solo voices, and voice combinations, you will be surprised how much stronger your skill in playing new music will become. You just need to be very systematic about it and stick with it at least for several months.
If you really want to develop unbeatable sight-reading skills, check out my systematic Organ Sight-Reading Master Course. To complete the practice material of this course will only take 15 minutes a day of practice but you will learn to sight-read any piece of organ music effortlessly.
Organists who have some experience in ear training are at the advantage than those who don't. People with perfect pitch and advanced skill at analyzing musical scores can appreciate the compositions at a much deeper level. If you have never had a formal musical education or your education happened a long time ago, you can start improving your musicality and ear training today. In fact, it is possible to combine both ear training and organ practice. In this article, I will give you tips on how to achieve this.
One of the best ways for organists to integrate ear training exercises into their organ practice is to try to play polyphonic music, such as chorale preludes while singing one part and playing the others. For best results, do not double the voice that you are singing on the instrument.
If you are new to such practice, take a really slow tempo at first. Aim for at least 3 correct repetitions of each version. If you make a mistake, stop and go back a few measures, and correct them 3 times in a row.
Remember that you don't have to play and sing all parts together right away. To make this practice fun and easy, you can first sing each line of the piece without the help of an organ. Then practice 2 voices (one singing and the other playing). Later proceed to 3 parts and finally, learn all 4 parts (singing each line and playing 3 others).
Singing separate parts while playing is a strenuous exercise but quite indispensable for a real education of musician. In fact, students sing this way in ear training classes. Of course, at the beginning they only sing one voice but from about 3rd year they start to practice exercises in two voices which are notated on one staff.
They sing one voice and play the other and vice versa. With time the exercises get more advanced, melodies are notated in two staves, and the bass clef is introduced. The musical language gets more chromatic, with tonicizations, modulations, complex rhythms and time signatures.
From about 9th year into ear training students start to sing in various C clefs. From the 10th year 3-part and 4-part writing is introduced. At the end of air training course, people start to sing polyphonic 3-part and 4-part compositions, which are basically excerpts from fugues.
It probably seems like a huge amount of exercise material and it really is. The best way not to get overwhelmed by the complexity of music education is to aim low and set manageable goals. Focus on small achievements but practice regularly. And remember that with each step you master you move closer to your goal one step at a time.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe
organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ
Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
Knowing how to register organ pieces is a very important skill every organist must develop. In applying this skill, we may have to use one approach for live performance, such as concert, recital, or church service. Sometimes a different approach is needed when we make a recording or a video. In this article, I will give you some ideas about organ registration for different occasions.If we play in a live concert, we have to consider how the sound of the organ is perceived by the listneners whereas in making a recording there is an issue with microphone sensibility to pick up certain sounds.To illustrate the difference of these two situations, let's take an example of registering a chorale prelude "Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ", BWV 639 by J.S.Bach from the Orgelbuchlein.Although this piece can be registered in a variety of ways, a good option would be to play the right hand part on Oboe 8' combined with Flute 8' (with or without the tremulant). If you are playing on a swell division, the swell box could be almost closed. Of course, it depends on the actual sound of these two stops and how they balance with the left hand part.The accompanying left hand part could be registered with Flute 8'. If this part sounds somewhat too weak compared with the right hand part, you can strengthen it with another soft stop of 8' such as Salicional 8'.The pedal part sounds best if we use soft 16' and 8' stops, such as Subbas 16' and Flute 8'. These stops are usually sufficient for this kind of texture.While this registration might work for a live concert or church service, we also need to be prepared to adjust it to work for recording. When recording, the balance also depends on the sensibility of the microphone. Some microphones seem to work better for higher pitched sounds.Therefore, sometimes for the recording I strengthen the bass a little with an extra 16' or 8' stop which in live performance might not be needed. The left hand part is also important to be audible though not too prominent.Since every organ is different, there are quite a few registration options with each instrument. The best way for you to go about this is to listen to 10 or more different recordings or videos of the piece, compare different registrations, critically think about them and decide what is your favorite and why.You might find several versions you like really well. Therefore, you can play the same piece with different registration on the same organ quite successfully. Just give it a try. Remember, the more registration options you know, the better.
If you would like to know more about organ registration, I highly recommend The Registration of Baroque Organ Music by Barbara Owen. As Journal of the
American Musical Instrument Society writes, "In this book, Barbara Owen has
created a rich resource of historical information coupled with strategies for
interpreting that information on today's instruments."
Sixteenth Century Journal also adds that "... Barbara Owen has succeeded admirably in distilling three centuries of organ registration practice into a volume less than three hundred pages long.... Anyone with an interest in the history of the organ and its music... will not want to ignore this book." I personally use this book as a guide for most of my organ recitals.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe
organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ
Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
Many beginner organists struggle with reading 3 staves of organ score. They have the obvious question - is it possible to look at all 3 of them simultaneously or is it better to pick one part and focus on it exclusively while playing the others from memory? Or perhaps is there another solution to this intricate problem? In this article, you will find some tips for your organ practice which will help you to read organ scores easier.
First of all, let me explain how people who struggle with sight-reading play from the organ score. Usually they look at the left hand part most of the time and play other parts almost from memory.
This is especially true when they play pedals. Since pedals are the most difficult part to master, many have a tendency to look at the pedal board. This is not so great. Unless playing from memory, we should force ourselves to look at the organ score exclusively.
So is it really possible to play the organ while looking at the 3 parts at the same time? In order to understand the complexity of this question, we need to know how our brain works.
I have to say, that it is impossible for a human brain to process several different things simultaneously. We can pay real attention to only one thing at a time. We may think we can watch TV and eat at the same time, or drive a car and talk on the cell phone but in reality, our focus is always shifting from one task to another.
The same rule is valid in organ playing, too. When we play from a 3-stave score, we have to constantly shift our attention from the right hand to the left hand to the pedals. So it's OK for you to play and look at the left hand stave. It is only natural to look at it while playing because normally it is more difficult than the right hand part (at least for right-handed organists).
Perhaps even better is to shift our attention constantly from one part to another. For example, depending on the difficulty level of each part, you can focus on the left hand part in one measure and on the pedal part - in another. If there is a manual change in this piece, perhaps look at the part which has this change and so on.
Remember that you will most likely behave differently when sight-reading and playing a composition which you know very well. The thing is the work you are sight-reading is completely unfamiliar to you and you will need to pay attention to many details and constantly shift your focus from one part to another.
A little different story is with composition you know well. The deeper is your knowledge of this piece, the less you have to look at the score. Obviously, the piece you have already memorized does not require any looking or following the score at all.
Since every person is different, you can discover by yourself where you look while playing by selecting two pieces of your choice. One composition has to be completely new and another - already mastered (memorization is not required). Compare your behavior and eye movements while playing each work. Finally, the more you play from the scores (both new and familiar), the better you will become at reading them.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
When it comes to organ hymn-playing, everyone has their own style and favorite techniques. What is your favorite way to play hymns? Or perhaps you are looking for the ideas to refresh you service playing? Discover the 24 main techniques in hymn-playing by reading this article. This list is arranged from the easiest to the most difficult. Note that some of the techniques listed below are surprisingly seldom used yet they create a powerful impression on the congregation.1. In octaves on manuals only.2. In two parts with the tune in the soprano.3. In two parts with the tune in the bass.4. In three parts (trio) with the tune in the soprano.5. In three parts with the tune in the tenor played by the left hand.6. In three parts with the tune in the tenor played by the pedals with the 8' stop.7. In three parts with the tune in the bass played by the pedals.8. In four parts with the tune in the soprano on one manual without pedals.9. In four parts on one manual with the tune in the soprano using the pedals for the bass part.10. In four parts on two manuals with the tune in the soprano in the right hand with the solo registration.11. In four parts on two manuals with the tune in the tenor in the left hand with the solo registration.12. In four parts with different harmonization with the tune in the bass played by the pedals.13. In four parts with non chordal notes.14. In four parts with the tune in the alto with double pedals.15. In four parts with the tune in the alto played by the pedals with the 4' stop.16. In five parts with the tune in soprano and a pedal point.17. In five parts with the tune in the soprano.18. In five parts with the tune in the tenor played by the left hand.19. In five parts with double pedal with the tune in the tenor played by the right foot and the left hand simultaneously.20. In five parts with the tune in soprano and descant added.21. In five parts with the tune in the bass.22. In six parts with the tune in the soprano I.23. In six parts with the tune in the tenor.24. In six parts with the tune in the bass.Try one or all of the above techniques today in your hymn playing. Explore them to enhance your service playing. For best results, pick one technique of your choice and practice at least 10 hymns this way. Playing this way will ensure that this technique becomes your own. Note that some techniques are more difficult than others to master so have patience and practice accordingly.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe
organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ
Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
Many church organists have a dream in giving their best on Sunday services and learning new pieces to enhance their worship playing. However, sometimes they might lack motivation to practice new music because their might have good sight-reading skills. If you find yourself in this situation, I will give you some ideas which will help you to solve this problem and to advance in organ playing.The goal to learn new music as opposed to sight-read them is wonderful. In fact, the two are strongly connected.You see, if your primary goal is to play in church, then this might well be your motivation behind learning new music for services. You don't need to play everything new every Sunday since this will be a very great burden. You want to enjoy music and not to feel like you have to prepare something new in a short amount of time.Usually there are 4 places for organ music in the worship service of various denominations today (prelude, offertory, communion, and postlude). One possibility for you would be to learn one new short work each week or every two weeks and repeat others from your current repertoire. This piece does not have to be long nor too complicated. In fact, a chorale prelude of 1-2 pages is an optimum duration for liturgical organ playing.If you like sight-reading, this does not necessarily mean you should stop practicing it. In fact, this is a tremendous tool in any organist's arsenal of skills. Many people would like to get better at sight-reading, so if you already have reasonable skills, you have an advantage. An ability to play unfamiliar music at sight makes a process of learning new pieces much easier.If you really want to develop unbeatable sight-reading skills, check out my systematic Organ Sight-Reading Master Course. To complete the practice material of this course will only take 15 minutes a day of practice but you will learn to sight-read any piece of organ music effortlessly.
I often suggest organists two practice both sight-reading and learning new material regularly. This ensures that both skills are being developed at the same time.The ultimate goal would be to be able to play the music that you love at sight fluently, without interruptions, and mistakes. However, you are probably thinking that nobody can achieve this level.There is a story about Bach, who was a great sight-reader and usually could play anything written on the music sheet. But one day during his visit with his friend he made a mistake on the harpsichord by trying to play the same spot three times in a row and said: "No, it is not possible to sight-read everything".So the take-away message for you would be to take a piece of your choice and practice it on a deeper level for church service. For best results work in separate voices and voice combinations. Practice in short fragments to avoid mistakes.
By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe
organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
Hymn playing is essential for every church organist. Although generally we use only one technique, very often you can enrich your service playing by using a variety of ways to play hymns. In this article, you will discover the 6 main methods in playing hymns on the organ.
1. Play hymns in octaves with two hands. This is the most simple version of all, very practical if your technique is not strong enough to play with more voices. It is also very useful in introducing any unfamiliar or complicated hymn to your congregation because the tune will be clearly audible and recognizable.
2. Play hymns in two voices. If you are hesitant to use pedals in your hymn playing, you can always choose the two most important outer voices and play the hymn this way to create a bicinium. The melody will be clear in the right hand and the bass will give the harmonic foundation and support.
3. Play hymns in three voices. If your pedal technique allows, it is always possible to create a trio version of the hymn. This texture makes your playing sound transparent and clear. You can place a tune in any part - the right hand, the left hand, or the pedals for more variety.
4. Play hymns in four voices. This is the most widely used method. You can either play the harmonized version from the hymnal or create your own. It order to do this, you will need to know the basic rules of harmony.
5. Play hymns in five voices. Have you tried to add an extra voice to your four-part harmonization? This may be a descant in the right hand on a solo registration. You can also play a tune in the tenor voice while adding a double pedal line. Another option would be to place the tune in the bass and play an alternate harmonization of the tune.
6. Play hymns in six voices. If you want some real challenge both in your pedal playing and harmonization skills, you can play two voices in the right hand, two - in the left hand, and two - in the pedals. The hymn tune could be placed either in the top or the bottom voice to be most prominent.
Try any of the above methods when you prepare for your next church service. If you execute them well, you will be surprised how pleased your congregation will be with your hymn playing. Remember, that some of these methods might take considerable practice time, so plan accordingly and be patient for best results.
A great resource for playing hymns is Art of Hymn Playing by Charles E.Callahan. It has 250 Introductions, Preludes, Free Accompaniments, and Alternate Harmonizations. The pieces range from 2 part voicing to more complex. It is meant as a graded guide to hymn playing.By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music.
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