Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 328, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by David. And he writes:

Hello Vidas and Ausra,
This past Sunday I completed the 40-week course. I really liked the course and thank you for it. As requested here are my comments.
Yes I can sight read better but still need more work. I tried several new pieces I had tried before the course and I was better.
I was away for 2 weeks in the summer and caught up by doing 2 days in 1. Not a good idea so I am repeating from week 29 on.
Some comments:

• I found the first weeks quite easy and we did not start 3 staves until week 29. I think it would be better to introduce the 3 staves earlier or at least LH and Pedal.
• The early weeks were mostly in d minor. I think they would be more useful if transposed in various keys.
• I am also augmenting the material with Dupre's 79 chorales and using baroque pedaling.

These are my comments. Thanks again
Best regards, David
 
V: Oh this is nice that somebody has completed our Organ Sight Reading Master Course.
 
A: Yes. That’s very nice.
 
V: And, this feedback tells me also some things that are working and some things that could be improved. And, obviously, we need more feedback from other people.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: For example, David writes that for a number of weeks he’s trying to do two weeks in a row, in one week, which is probably too much material.
 
A: Yes it is, because you always need time to get through things, to, sort of to grasp them, to observe them.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: And if you will do too much at once, it will not work.
 
V: It’s like with eating fish oil pills in the morning, right? It’s very healthy if you have just one.
 
A: True. Because you cannot skip the next day and take two pills in one.
 
V: You gave me one pill today.
 
A: Yes. I gave you one pill.
 
V: And what would happen if I had two pills?
 
A: Nothing.
 
V: Nothing?
 
A: I think that your body would not absorb all the things from it, if you take too much, at once.
 
V: I see.
 
A: Or you would get poisoned. Maybe not from fish oil but from other pills.
 
V: Will I become more like a fish?
 
A: I don’t know. We will see.
 
V: With quills and things like that.
 
A: Scales?
 
V: Yeah, scales. Can I breathe under water then?
 
A: I don’t know.
 
V: Maybe I can swim faster. So guys the same is with organ related activities. If you skip two days, just I think it’s better to continue in a normal pace, afterwards.
 
A: True. That’s true.
 
V: If you skip more than a week or two, and you feel that your fingers and feet are weaker, and the skill is decreasing, it’s another story Ausra, right?
 
A: True. Because aside practice for example, I see that it’s beneficial early if I’m practicing, let’s say in the morning, and then later in the evening, when I do very big breaks. Then maybe this, my practicing counts for two days. But otherwise, no. If, let’s say I sit Sunday on the organ bench and do all my practice at once, for two days, it doesn’t work.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. You still need to have regular breaks.
 
A: True.
 
V: And if a person skips a few weeks in a row, and then comes back to the organ bench, obviously, the skill is not there anymore. And I think it would be wiser to pick up with a slower pace first, to adjust maybe a week or two, to get used to the new routine and take it easy at first.
 
A: Yes. That’s right.
 
V: It’s like, I was doing those pull-ups in the summer. I was progressing day after day, week after week. And then I got, I think, some sort of stomach flu or something, and I didn’t do my pull-ups for a week or more, even. And it would be stupid for me to try to attempt to do the total number of pull-ups I was able to do before break. Right?
 
A: That’s right, yes.
 
V: Alright. David, Ausra, also writes, that it was probably too easy for him until week 29. So that’s the thing that is so individual for each person, right?
 
A: Yes, it is.
 
V: We have various skill levels students here in our courses. And for somebody is really difficult to play, too difficult to attempt even.
 
A: That’s right. And in general, people are quite poor sight-readers.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: I notice that on my students. And I thought that after we harmonize an exercise, usually it’s eight measures long, like a hymn…
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: And I invite them to play what we harmonized. And it’s very hard for some of them to do it.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: And sometimes we get so sloppy that after a while I simply stop doing this experiment with them and start asking them to play it.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: And it really surprised me because usually when we start harmony we are at the tenth grade, or eleventh or twelfth grade. That’s when we teach them harmony, basically in the high school. And we start to study music at the age of six or seven. Some even at the age of five. So let’s say, at that age, after ten years of studying music, they are still not able to sight read easily what we already harmonized on the paper.
 
V: They don’t have any musical intuition.
 
A: I know.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: That’s just too bad. Not all of them, but actually most, most of them.
 
V: Most of them shouldn’t even study music, I think.
 
A: Could be.
 
V: Do you think, what’s the percentage of them that will become musicians, professional musicians?


A: Well, I think many of them will become professional musicians, but that’s a question if they will be good or not, and what they will achieve.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: I think ten percent of them will achieve what we want and they will be really great. And I think that ten percentage that also will become musicians that will be either mediocre or always will struggle for bread and butter.
 
V: Right. If a person applies to the orchestra, let’s say, spot, and the one who can sight-read better will always win the spot, over the next person who cannot.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: Of course sight-reading on the violin is a different thing than sight-reading on the piano.
 
A: Yes because you have only one line, so. But still I believe that every musician has to read on the keyboard.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: Because they all study keyboards, since very early age.
 
V: And it does give you some perspective about the harmonies, about musical composition, about how the piece is put together. If you know this harmony structure, if you are feeling with both of your hands, the key changes, and even for solo instrument players, is useful.
 
A: True. Otherwise if you will be thinking all about your melodies and nothing will work.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. What happens sometimes most of the semester they would practice alone, and at the end of the semester, accompanist would come in to the practice room and they together start to rehearse. And this new part suddenly makes no sense to the soloist. I think a good soloist will always need to get acquainted with himself or herself with the full musical material.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: So, that’s why we, that’s why I didn’t rush introducing three steps or even two steps, because it was very methodological. I first went through separate lines until the very end, and then came back with two voice combinations, which is of course a challenge sometimes for a lot of people. It’s much harder than one line.
 
A: Oh yes. True.
 
V: And another comment that David has here, that most of the early weeks were in d minor, and only later, the course was transposed into various minor keys. The reason I decided to put off transposition to the later part of the course was that students should familiarize with the texture first. Because Bach’s art of fugue is not a beginners texture at all. It’s completely advanced fugal texture. And first you practice in one voice, then in two parts, and three parts, and if I added to this challenge, transposition on top of that right from the start, I think for a lot of people it would be impossible. Even as it is it is difficult course. So it’s good that David found first weeks too easy. Maybe he could skip some material. Maybe just play faster or something. Still he should find it useful. And his own level will then start to be revealed in the middle.
 
A: True.
 
V: Right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Would you agree, Ausra?
 
A: Yes, I agree.
 
V: Would you start transposition right from the start?
 
A: Probably not. Well, I would do, but if you are beginner, then not.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. And if he needed more keys, of course it’s wise to supplement study material with other pieces. And he’s writing that he’s studying Dupre's 79 chorales, which are in various keys.
 
A: Good.
 
V: But here is the thing; he’s using baroque pedaling. I don’t think Dupre understood anything about baroque pedaling.
 
A: True. I wouldn’t do a baroque pedaling in Dupre’s chorales.
 
V: Dupre always emphasized legato playing, and even in his edition for the Bach organ works, he always used finger substation and glissandos, and heel-toe pedaling, just like he would apply it in his own works, or 20th century works or 19th French organ works. So when somebody is playing 79 chorales by Dupre, please use modern fingering and pedaling.
 
A: Yes, I think it would work better.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. Excellent question I think, and feedback. This is really helpful. Thank you guys for doing that. And please keep sending us your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice...
 
A: Miracles happen!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 329 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Hanna and she writes:
 
“Hi Vidas,
I am having pain in my inside right groin from trying to hold my knees and feet together. It was all I could do to do 10 reps of the Master organ course Week 2 Day 1 this morning. I am only 5' 1" and it is difficult for me to perch on the edge of the organ seat to reach the pedals as you describe. I can only hope that the pain will decrease with time. I was not able to do all of Week One in the Pedal Virtuoso course last week, but am trying to be more faithful daily this week. But things are improving, more accuracy bit by bit. –Hanna”
 
V: So Ausra, what do you imagine is happening?
 
A: Well I think probably Hanna is working too hard.
 
V: If something is hurting then you are not doing it right, right?
 
A: Well, yes.  I would like to talk a little bit about that thing of keeping knees and feet together.  I never did it for myself.  It never worked for me.  I learned about this kind of thing late in my life when I was already completely shaped as an organist.  I never really learned to do that but it doesn’t hurt me for not doing it.  And I’m playing all kind of repertoire from renaissance to modern and I can do it perfectly without keeping my knees and feet together because as Hanna me too, I’m not very high and really I don’t have long legs, I don’t reach things easily on the pedalboard so I have to find my own ways to do things and I think each of us is very unique and what works for one person cannot work for another person.  So always when you have rules you need to take only what really works for your body and not try to hurt yourself.
 
V: You’re right Ausra.  The idea of keeping the heels and knees together is simply to move both feet as a unit.  Not two separate legs but one and for some people it’s harder to do than for others because of body type and physique and obviously if your playing in the far reaches of the pedalboard it’s crazy to do this.  I have to emphasize this, never try to hurt yourself because it’s painful and it will lead to injuries eventually.
 
A: Yes and Hanna says maybe in time it will hurt less.  If you won’t change something in your practice, your playing, it will hurt only more because that’s what pain does.  It increases, usually, unless you change something.
 
V: I recommend for Hanna just to play with the inside portion of the feet.  This way her knees will be pointed inward, not outward, and she will be still playing correctly and without pain.
 
A: Probably yes because I never imagined how a person with big hips can put his knees and ankles together.  It’s kind of a weird feeling.
 
V: Right.  And of course this Pedal Virtuoso Master Course that she is talking about obviously is just a set of exercises of scales and arpeggios.  In real music we might find a passage or two in entire composition like this.  It would be completely boring to have pedal line comprised only from scales.  It’s not an etude.
 
A: So if you are working on some technical exercises like Pedal Virtuoso Course you don’t need to do only that and please don’t play entire day only on this course because you might really get injured yourself.
 
V: Right.  This course is probably good for warming up.
 
A: Sure.  Anything that you do you have to have that feeling of moderation.
 
V: Yes.  Never over-exert yourself.
 
A: And mix that practice with some other practice, work on repertoire.
 
V: And whatever you do, always take our advice with a grain of salt, right?  Whatever I say it might work for me but you have to think about yourself too, if it does work for your body.  And you might even misinterpret my words sometimes.  I don’t remember writing “You have to keep knees together and feet together in extreme edges of the pedalboard” unless there is something else that I am missing from Hanna’s writing.  What about Ausra if she doesn’t turn her lower body to the direction of the playing.  Maybe she’s playing upper notes but her knees are facing to the left.  That’s hurtful, that’s incorrect.
 
A: I don’t know how it’s possible even to do, even to try to do.
 
V: If you always face to the center, right, your knees are facing to the center but your feet are trying to go up, up, up, the pedalboard.
 
A: That’s impossible to do.  I can’t even imagine it.
 
V: It’s really hurtful and dangerous. 
A: It hurts you from thinking about it.
 
V: I believe people can sometimes forget to turn their lower bodies to the direction they are playing.  Their knees should always point to the note that you are depressing with the pedals.  Either left or right.  So then maybe even Hanna can reach the high notes with both feet together and knees together.  I don’t know if she tried that or not.  You see how sometimes we could spot a simple solution I think too.  So if Hanna is listening to this or reading our conversation it would be nice for her to try the right way, the way we advise, and report us back if that helps.
 
A: True.  In general the more I listen the more I think that not everybody needs to play everything.  You need to select what you want to play and what works for you.  Don’t you think so?
 
V: I think that you need to explain it a little bit more what you mean.
 
A: I mean that if something really doesn’t work for you, doesn’t fit your body, maybe it’s not worth trying to and hurting yourself.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  What you mean is that you can become a good organist even without playing exercises.
 
A: I was talking also about repertoire as well. 
 
V: As well.
 
A: For example if my hand is very small and I will pick up pieces that needs big reach then I will be doomed to hurt my hands.
 
V: Right.  Always listen to your body.  And maybe sometimes a thick texture is too much for you; maybe you need to play trio sonatas.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Do you like trio sonatas Ausra?
 
A: Yes, I love them.
 
V: For that reason. 
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Because you have small hands.
 
A: Well, I have moderate hands, I wouldn’t call them small.
​
V: Can you reach an octave?
 
A: Yes, I can do that.
 
V: Can you reach an octave and a fifth like Liszt?
 
A: No.  (laughs.)
 
V: I once tried and I think with my left hand I reached an octave and a fourth.  That’s a perfect eleventh, an interval of eleventh but only with the left hand and with the right hand I can only reach a tenth, an octave plus a third.
 
A: So you still have a greater reach than I do.
 
V: Can you reach a ninth?
 
A: Yes, yes, it’s hard but I can do it.
 
V: (laughs.)  It’s very painful for the hands but fun to stretch just to see how far it can go but never try I think some tools to stretch your hands.  Never fasten your hands and fingers to some appliances like in medieval times they would torture humans.  Don’t do this.  This wouldn’t be nice.  Excellent.  We hope this was useful Ausra.  Do you think it was useful?
 
A: I hope so.
 
V: OK
 
A: I’m not sure but I hope so.
 
V: Let us know if you think our suggestions to Hanna were suitable and it could be interesting to get feedback from other people who are not tall too.  Alright.  This was Vidas.
 
A: And Ausra.
 
V: And remember, when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 327 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Timothy and he wrote:
 
“I recently purchased your fingering for BWV 553, and I stopped dead at the transition from the first page to the second.  The last right-hand note on the first page specifies finger 3, and the first note on the second page is also 3.  Is that a misprint?  Am I missing something important?  How can the third finger jump like that in the middle of a fast 16th note passage?

Timothy”
 
V: So Ausra, here we go.  Let me find the score.  You don’t know exactly what he’s talking about but you can imagine.
 
A: I can imagine that we will look at that complete spot but in general usually you use the same finger between measures when you want to articulate.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: And that’s a perfectly normal thing to do in baroque music.
 
V: Even though the tempo fast, even though there is like sixteenth notes.  We’re looking at this measure and it ends on the third finger and the next is also three.
 
A: Show me the next measure.
 
V: I don’t have the next measure but you can imagine there is G.  So there is a leap upward a perfect fourth from D to G.  You know why I wrote this?  Because this figure at the end of the measure, F#, D, C#, and D has to be played by has to be played by 5, 3, 2, 3.  This is really fitting the hand; it’s in one position, right?
And the next position starts with the next measure, G, F#, G, and D.  Also starting with the third finger, it’s also the next position.  What you have to do is just shift the hand a little bit to the right.
 
A: Yes, you know when a question arises like this like in Timothy’s letter I think he is probably not comprehending deeply enough what the baroque articulation is.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: That it’s perfectly normal because between measures you do a slight break actually.  So usually the last note in each measure is a little bit shorter in order to have more space between a strong beat.
 
V: And that’s especially true when you have to emphasize the beginning of the next section and that’s the exact case here at the end of the first page going to the next page it’s like a break between two sections.
 
A: Yes.  And I don’t know what organ Timothy is playing, if it’s mechanical or electronic organ.
 
V: He didn’t say.
 
A: But if he would play on mechanical organ I think he would get a better understanding of what we are talking about.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  And it doesn’t have to be in time with metronome like a robot.
 
A: True, true.
 
V: Because it’s changing the section, you have to even slow down a little bit like going with a car and you suddenly have a turn, what you do is slow down and then after the turn you speed up a little bit.  You do it so naturally of course on the organ, not too much, not over exaggerated, but naturally with breathing, with phrasing, it’s very natural, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: So Timothy needs to understand the basics of baroque articulation and fingering too, right?
 
A: True, and on this C Major Prelude it’s fast but its allegro, it’s not presto so you would have enough time to move your hand.
 
V: It’s not a gigue.
 
A: True.
 
V: Definitely.  You play the same figure with the same finger sometimes, the same intervals with the same fingers; you play with the same fingers before the strong beat sometimes in order to make a rest, right?
 
A: Sure, and if you really don’t trust us and don’t want to play baroque music in historical style you can do your own fingering and play whatever you want even you can play legato.
V: With finger substitutions too.
 
A: Yes, it’s a free world.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: But definitely if you would come to a historical instrument you could not play legato.  The instrument would not allow you to do that.
 
V: There is a counter-argument to this because sometimes in Lithuania people say that “Oh when I play historical organs then I will use historical fingerings.  But now I’m only playing Allen digital organ, why do I need to jump from three to three of the perfect fourth?”  To this question what would you answer Ausra?
 
A: Well you never know when opportunity might appear for you to play on historical instrument plus if you will learn it in stylistically right way right from the beginning it will be easier for you to go from one instrument to another and it will be really hard to re-learn something.  I find it’s easier for me for example to learn a new piece than to correct something that I already have learned and to play differently.
 
V: Because it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
 
A: Yes and I think it’s also because our muscles have their own memory.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  So your muscles are like dogs, old dogs, because they are trained one way and you suddenly say “No, no, no, this was wrong and now you have to learn the other way.”  They’re confused.
 
A: Yes, true, because it’s connected to your brain so it’s very hard to learn.  It’s possible but you just be wasting your time.
 
V: Life is short, right?  We have to learn the pieces the most efficient way so that when opportunity arises you could play with historically informed fingering and articulation too.
 
A: But even on the electronic organ it will sound better if you will articulate.
 
V: Obviously, yes.  Even though the keys are longer and you have to work a little bit harder.  The same goes with pedaling too on the modern pedalboard, it’s not so convenient to play with historical pedaling, but…
 
A: So you know what I wouldn’t do if I want to articulate?
 
V: No.
 
A: And would want just to play legato or whatever?
 
V: Say it.
 
A: I wouldn’t play baroque music then.
 
V: Ahh.
 
A: There is so much music written so play something else.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  And if your person loves baroque music?
 
A: (laughs.)  If person really loves baroque music I suggest that person wouldn’t hurt baroque music by offensive playing legato.
 
V: If a person loves baroque music he wants to know more about it, not only play, but dig deeper and when you dig deeper you find out so many new things.
 
A: Listen to Bach’s cantatas, there are so many wonderful recordings.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: Historically so nice recordings that reconstructed the playing manner of Bach’s time.  Listen to them.
 
V: Just simply observe how violinists are playing, their bowing techniques, they remind of historical articulation too.
 
A: Flute or oboe, they articulate.
 
V: Up and down, up and down the bow or tonguing.
 
A: Tonguing, yes.  That articulation was not just common for organ or harpsichord at that time, it was common for every instrument and everybody articulated.
 
V: So, I guess you know that Timothy is not criticizing the choice of articulation probably here, but doesn’t seem to understand that when you play with historical fingering this articulation comes natural, you don’t have to think about it.
 
A: True, true.  That’s why it’s important how you choose fingering.
 
V: And in that score that he has of C Major Prelude and Fugue, BWV 553, there is no articulation written, so we don’t know if he is playing with articulation or not.  Maybe he is not always articulating before the strong beats, right?
 
A: You have to do that. 
 
V: Right.
 
A: I have two students who are really beginners at the organ and they are adults and what I’m suggesting them to do that if it’s too hard for them to articulate every note as I would like them to do, at least that they would articulate before each measure and emphasize the strong beat.
 
V: Oh, you are so forgiving.
 
A: And then I would insist that we would articulate each figure, each beat of the measure, and then we would try to articulate each note.
 
V: Did you tell them that they could play the passage with one finger.
 
A: Yes, I told them, it works actually very well and they got it.  It’s very helpful.
 
V: Just play the passage with one finger and once you achieve as legato as possible with one finger try to imitate with all the fingers and that would be ideal articulation.
 
A: True.
 
V: And if you use our fingerings this ideal articulation will come naturally without you even thinking about it.
 
A: Well, but you still have to listen to what you are doing.  You have to control yourself while learning.
 
V: Right.  OK, I think Timothy can try an experiment and he will find out for himself what works for him.  Thank you guys, for listening, for sending us your wonderful questions, we love helping you grow.  And remember when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 328, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Steve from organbench.com. And he wrote:

Good morning Vidas,
Hope all is well with you.
Most of my compositions are listed now for sale with Sheet Music Plus Press and Noteflight Marketplace. Under the terms of this arrangement I retain ownership of my compositions and copyrights and can exercise control over listed retail prices and product descriptions. Royalties are at or near half of the retail price, for every copy sold, payable every month or quarterly, by PayPal or written cheque, my choice. Their online catalogs reach 110 countries world wide.

A certain publishing house has also expressed an interest in publishing one of my compositions separately, namely, the E Major Op. 17 Communion song. The standard contract from this firm arrived today in duplicate, and, if I sign it, I will be assigning ownership of this piece to this firm. In return I'm to be paid through PayPal just once a year, the standard 10 per cent of the retail cost, which is set by them, for each copy sold. I'm informed that this music will be listed in a future catalog, but due to the large number of contracts they already have, it may be several catalogs before it is published. As you probably already know, they are a much smaller music publisher with a much narrower, focused market, their catalog does not provide the composer with the control to set the retail price for his work himself, and it has no playback feature to allow customers to hear the music they're thinking of buying. Revenues are about 60 per cent higher when online catalogs have this feature. This firm also provides no means to affiliate with my web site either, to provide it with links or search boxes to allow it to help generate sales for them and thereby generate commissions for me.

This contract, as worded, is one page, a mere three sentences long, between me and the firm, with no stipulation about what happens to my music or any accrued royalties in the event of my death or the closing of the firm. I may yet change my mind, but as of this moment I don't feel that signing this contract is in the best interests of my music, myself, or my legal heirs. It seems that it leaves too much unanswered, and there are other better alternatives available. Just my feeling.

I'd enjoy hearing back from you. Wishing you and Ausra the

Very best,
Steve

V: You know, this is a message that Steve wrote, and I deliberately excluded the name of this company, because Steve didn’t feel that people should really know. Because his feelings are not necessarily objective feelings. Maybe other people would want to be part of this company, catalogue. What do you think, Ausra?
 
A: Well, nowadays, when I have a question or a doubt about something or somebody, I usually try to Google it, and to see what other people have told about the same problem or the same company or the same person. It’s really useful because nowadays it’s really hard to make something bad, or something really hurtful to somebody and don’t be punished.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: Maybe you will not get legal punishment from police or whatever, but people will punish you because opinion will spread out through the internet and if you will make something really bad, people will find out about it.
 
V: Mmm-mmm.
 
A: And your company or something will be just doomed.
 
V: Look how we’re buying things. For example, myself. When I buy books, I most often buy books from recommendations from other people I trust.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: So the same is with trusting companies, and being in relationship with them, in contract, right, like composers. To me, releasing the ownership of the work has to be done with certain consideration, right? You don’t know how successful you will be as a composer, right now if you are just starting, in the future, right? And if you are releasing your rights to them, and they owe you just ten percent per year? Ten percent!
 
A: That seems like nothing.
 
V: Right.
 
A: Really.
 
V: Paid just once per year. Imagine if you’re starting to make a living from your music, right? And you only get your salary once a year, that’s a joke.
 
A: Yes, it is.
 
V: You need to get it once a month, or even faster—twice a month, or even as soon as the sale is done.
 
A: Also, what I trust when I think about making an important decision, I think about certain impression, what I got from reading a letter.
 
V: Gut feedback.
 
A: Yes, because...
 
V: Gut feeling.
 
A: Gut feeling, yes. Because that first impression is most often the rightest one—you need to trust it. And if you feel that something is fishy there, then don’t do it.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. And Steve mentions Sheet Music Plus, at the beginning, and Noteflight Marketplace. Those are two places that he is publishing his compositions now. And it seems to me that the owners of Sheet Music Plus and Noteflight, have understood the importance of playing the fair game—being fair with your customers, with your members. Because Sheet Music Plus, gives you the opportunity to be affiliated with them. You could sell your own music on your own website, while, by having links on your website which would go to Sheet Music Plus, and banner ads and everything else that he needs, special codes, snippets of codes that they count impressions and clicks. And you would get statistics about that, and you would be paid through PayPal once a month. It’s really nice. And Noteflight probably also behaves similar way. Noteflight is a platform which allows you to produce your own sheet music scores. It’s like Sibelius, but it’s online in the cloud. You don’t need the software at all. You create your score in the browser, and if you have a premium account, for certain membership fee, yearly or monthly, you have many more benefits with them. I’m not advertising them or endorsing them, I’m just saying what they have, and Steve produces his entire organ works this way, by working on the browser. And it seems that he enjoys it.
 
A: Yes, I think it might be…
 
V: Suitable solution.
 
A: Suitable, yes.
 
V: Because Sibelius is expensive and you have to install it and if you lose your computer or break your computer, you have to reinstall it. It’s a big mess and a big hassle.
 
A: Yes, and takes a lot of space too.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: It might slow down your computer if it’s not the newest one.
 
V: It has certain features that Noteflight lacks and special benefits, but for people who are just creating simple scores, in the browser, is just painless process I think.
 
A: Because last year, for example, at my work, I asked for computer specially to install Sibelius, and then I had to uninstall it because my computer just slowed down so much that I could not work on it.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. Right. Here is we’re looking at the Noteflight platform, and they Marketplace, where you could sell your own scores through them. So it seems that they found a nice business model and Sheet Music Plus, and also NoteFight completely different business model, but still working business model I think. But, Ausra, do you know what the biggest problem or challenge for Steve still is?
 
A: I don’t know.
 
V: You could feel it already in my question.
 
A: Well, yes, a little bit.
 
V: With all these tools, and all these opportunities, right, and once a month PayPal payments to your account, and everything is fair and wonderful, he even has opportunity to insert MP3 files for listening the scores before buying. Customers could listen to the score as a sample. It’s really nice. But you know, the biggest problem, Ausra, still is, what? Finding your customers! Neither of those platforms will not guarantee you, your customers.
 
A: Well that’s true. Competition is very big nowadays, because there are so many compositions and new compositions are appearing each day.
 
V: Right.
 
A: So, it’s really hard to break through.
 
V: It would be interesting to know maybe one year afterwards, if Steve could write us his results, how many scores he sold through Sheet Music Plus or Noteflight Marketplace also. I also have Sheet Music Plus account. I also sell through them a number of my organ music scores, but not all of them. Most of them go directly through our online store on Shopify. And on Shopify you don’t owe them nothing. They just take a certain, very small percentage of the sale, and everything is controlled by you. You are in control and they are just facilitating the sale. Neither Shopify or other platforms guarantee you success in finding customers. That’s the biggest challenge nowadays...
 
A: True.
 
V: ...when selling is so easy.
 
A: So, I guess the best is to compose music that you can perform yourself.
 
V: Right! Your music has to spread. And who else will start spreading your music besides you. Of course yourself.
 
A: Because if you don’t want to play your music, then maybe others won’t play too.
 
V: Right. That’s how I started. Either with improvisations on Youtube or recordings of my scores on Youtube too, so other people could listen to that and then play it if they want. So having a big social profile is really important nowadays and constantly updating, constantly, basically, developing new scores. Maybe having a procedure to produce one score a month, or maybe one score a week. And then a year later you will have large catalog of your works already. And bigger chance of success too, the more you have.
 
A: True.
 
V: Okay guys. These are our thoughts about that. If you have any other feedback, please let us know. And please keep sending us your wonderful questions. We love helping you grow. This was Vidas.
 
A: And Ausra.
 
V: And remember, when you practice...
 
A: Miracles happen!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 326 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Tomás, and he wrote:
 
My dream in organ playing is to play impressive songs with lots of stops. I would like to change them (the stops) during the song playing.
 
V: So, that’s probably a very big sound when lots of stops will be playing. Don’t you think, Ausra? It seems like Tomás likes Tutti.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: What about you? Do you like, Tutti?
 
A: Well, sometimes.
 
V: Not all the time.
 
A: Not always, yes.
 
V: Would you wish if our organ had lots of stops and I would play with all of them at home?
 
A: Oh, no! I don’t! No, that sound would kill us both. I’m glad we have only two stops. That’s plenty in a room.
 
V: Piano and Pianissimo!
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Good. So, Tomás… I don’t know if it’s a problem for him or just a dream. Right? What’s your opinion, Ausra? What’s stopping him from playing impressive songs with “lots of stops” in his words.
 
A: Well, you know, because he talks about songs, so I imagine he is talking about secular music. Yes? And, since most of the organs are located in churches, this might be a problem. Not every church allows you to play secular songs with the Tutti registration.
 
V: I’m not sure if it’s secular things he’s referring to, because sometimes people come to the organ from a different world, and we live in a world with pop music influences all the time: radio, Internet, YouTube, even TV, and what you hear there, of course, are songs, most of the time.
 
A: Do you think they would work well on the organ?
 
V: But, maybe he doesn’t mean songs, per se, but just music. Maybe it could be just compositions for organ solo, but he doesn’t know how to refer to them, because all he knows is songs.
 
A: That way, it seems that he needs a little bit of music history and music theory.
 
V: Right, this foundation education.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: Yes. What’s the best way to start? What’s step number 1 in this? To pick up a book, and read about organ history, or music history in general?
 
A: Well, in order to suggest something, I would need to know more about him, in order to suggest something useful. I don’t get enough information from a letter like this.
 
V: Me, too. It’s hard to guess what’s on his mind and what’s his background.
 
A: Yes, and as he says, he would like to change the stops during song playing. So, he talks about registration changes.
 
V: You know, maybe after hearing our answer, he could write us back and explain a little bit more about himself.
 
A: Sure! Do you think it’s the biggest challenge to change stops during playing?
 
V: If you are such a virtuoso that you could play anything you’d like, and the only thing that is left to learn is changing registration, then yes. But, it seems to me, that there are so many more things that he’s not even aware of, right?
 
A: I know, because stop changes are the least to worry about, I would say.
 
V: When you start playing the organ, you have a preliminary idea, probably. Why have you started? What interests you? Maybe it’s a specific period of music, maybe it’s a specific country, maybe it’s a specific genre. It could be toccatas. And when you start playing them, you sort of suddenly discover there is a completely unknown world to you that little by little starts to reveal itself. Have you ever played computer games, Ausra?
 
A: Yes, I had actually. Once.
 
V: What kind of game was it?
 
A: It was that “The Lord of the Rings.”
 
V: Oh, yeah!
 
A: I have never finished it.
 
V: Neither have I, of course! Maybe we should finish it!
 
A: I don’t think we are gifted enough to play computer games.
 
V: Right. There is an entire subculture of gamers on the Internet, who are playing, and making videos, and making blog posts about that, and sharing. It’s so fascinating! But, the reason I’m mentioning computer games, is I once also played a game where you have to come to a certain enemy territory, like in Medieval times. You have to fight battles with orcs, and dragons, and snakes, and wizards, and you have special skills, special armor, and special weapons, and you have only limited amounts of lives, of course, and the more treasures and points and probably tasks you do correctly on that game, the more resources you can get to prolong your life and become more powerful. But, the reason I’m mentioning this, Ausra, is that it’s similar to an organ world, too. When a person comes to the organ, he knows nothing. So, when you start this game I’m talking about, it’s called “Heroes,” actually. Remember, your brother used to play it during the nights.
 
A: Yes! I remember that. And, when we asked him why he’s doing that, he said it was because he’s a surgeon, so he said, “If I can do surgeries sometimes through the night, then why can’t I play a computer game, too!” So…
 
V: That was a long time ago!
 
A: Yes, and I’m glad he stopped in time, and not get addicted to it.
 
V: Right. So, when you start playing this game, everything on the map is dark. You have a map in the corner of that screen of your territory, and it’s dark when you start. But once you move your mouse and you travel a little bit, it becomes green. You know, this territory is yours. Maybe you encounter an enemy, you defeat that enemy, maybe more territory becomes yours and more discoveries await you, sort of. And more places in that foreign land become green. It reminds me of the organ world, too. You know, the more you play, the more you are curious about it, the more you look it up, the more you read, the more you listen to, actually, also, you discover new things and become immersed, like in any unfamiliar art. What are you thoughts about that, Ausra?
 
A: Yes, I think you’re really very right. I don’t know if I like your comparison so much, but it might work for some.
 
V: You don’t think our listeners are gamers?
 
A: I think not!
 
V: Some of them might be, you know?
 
A: Well, you never know!
 
V: Maybe one or two will write about that after this conversation.
 
A: Well, you know, if you play a lot of computer games, you don’t have time to practice organ.
 
V: That’s why I stopped playing these Lord of the Rings games, because it’s really addictive. But, as you say, it doesn’t lead anywhere. Of course, nowadays, there is some financial aspect to it, too. You could play in competitions and contests, and defeat the more virtual enemies and even earn some money!
 
A: I would rather earn my money in other ways.
 
V: Such as?
 
A: Teaching music theory, harmony, solfege, playing organ, teaching organ…
 
V: Is that it? Or are there any other ways you would like to earn money?
 
A: Well, I earn a little bit by drawing comics.
 
V: Drawing comics. Me, too! Nice. So, times are changing, and Tomás needs to immerse himself more into  the organ world, I think.
 
A: True.
 
V: Starting from the foundations—from the basics. But if he buys a book or pics up a book on organ history from the library, it might become really too complex for him at first.
 
A: Could be. And, you know, my suggestion would be if he takes any song and starts to play it, to learn to play it, I wouldn’t suggest him to play loud at the beginning. You need, really, to learn the music first, and then to play it loudly.
 
V: Right. Remember, we had this student at UNL who only played loudly.
 
A: Yes! We’ve already talked about it, I think, some while ago. And he wanted to play these massive pieces and play loud and fast, but I think finally he…
 
V: He gave up….
 
A: He gave up organ, because our professors were too good for him, because they did not allow him to play….well, let’s say….just somehow. They wanted him to play well, and to work on those details in that piece, and learn about structure and to play it….
 
V: Step by step
 
A: Yes, and with knowledge, not just somehow, loud and fast. And, I don’t think he could take it.
 
V: If you had such a student, how would you teach him so that he wouldn’t quit?
 
A: Well….
 
V: Of course, you had an example of George Ritchie and Quentin Faulkner, right? This was an excellent example. But, after that example, he quit.
 
A: Well, I don’t know. Maybe if somebody cannot comprehend what is really beneficial for him or her, maybe it’s better to stop playing organ, or to find another professional to teach you, if you don’t trust, you know? Because when you teach somebody, you have to be confident with each other. You need to trust each other. If there is not that confidence between you and your pupil, and no trust, I don’t think it’s leading anywhere.
 
V: It’s a waste of time.
 
A: True.
 
V: A waste of time of the student, and a waste of time of the teacher, too. And, as you say, maybe that person could find a person that he trusts.
 
A: Sure, because otherwise, I just don’t see how it would work out.
 
V: Maybe there are people who would teach such a person to play loud and fast starting from  Reubke or Widor...
 
A: I highly doubt it!
 
V: ...right from the start
 
A: I highly doubt it!
 
V: Maybe! Maybe, for really good money, you know?
 
A: Well, I don’t think you can buy anything with money. Don’t you think so?
 
V: You could buy cake! We just had cake, Ausra, remember?
 
A: Well, but that’s just a cake.
 
V: Okay, guys, I think I’ll have some more cake after this conversation, won’t you Ausra?
 
A: Probably not.
 
V: Alright. And please remember, keep sending us your questions; we love helping you grow. And Remember, when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 323 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Barbara, and she wrote that she struggles with two related things:
 
1) keeping my mind from wandering when I'm doing repetitions to teach my hands/feet the fingering/pedaling, and 2) resisting the temptation to sightread at tempo (with mistakes).
 
V: I think number 2 is very common, when people sight read too fast.
 
A: That’s right, and I don’t think it’s bad if you do it, let’s say, once—just to get the feeling of that piece. But, to do it more than once, then it’s really bad. It slows down your progress.
 
V: Exactly. So, when you’re taking a new piece you’re about to study and master, sometimes it’s nice to play it through with more mistakes than usual, but just to get the general feeling how the piece should sound.
 
A: Yes, and also, that going through that piece in tempo will give you a good idea how long will it take for you to learn it—to master it.
 
V: Because, if you make, let’s say, 10 mistakes and you’re playing at the concert tempo, it will take about 10 days, in my experience. What about yours, Ausra?
 
A: I never counted my mistakes and the days that I have to practice.
 
V: You know, I’m very scientific!
 
A: I’m not.
 
V: No, I’m not scientific, but I’ve found that this works, actually. Usually, people cannot do 10 mistakes. They will do 100 mistakes, if playing too fast. So 100 days would be more or less appropriate, I think.
 
A: Well, it could be.
 
V: You could say if I’m working fragment by fragment and I could do, let’s say, one page per day if I really concentrate and master those troublesome spots, you could say that I could eliminate more than one mistake a day. But, the next day, you will not be ready to perform that page in public. It’s still fresh. You need to refresh for at least a week or more, so that’s why you need more days, I think.
 
A: True. And, I think for me, it’s hard when I know a piece very well—some recordings from other performers—and I’m starting to work on it, and it sounds in my ears, and I know how it needs to sound, but my fingers are not ready yet. And that’s when I have a temptation of speeding up.
 
V: And Barbara writes about the problem maybe we also have, that her mind is wandering when she repeats the same fragment many times over and over again. Do you have this temptation to wander around through the woods or whatever, in your dreams, when you’re counting “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.”
 
A: Yes, definitely. And, sometimes I remember playing that Reincken’s Fantasy, “An Wasserflüssen Babylon,” which takes forever. And, sometimes I would go through the piece, and will stay in focus—I would always know which line I’m playing, which text, or sounds the text is dealing with in the right spot, and thinking about all those Baroque figurations and things that I had to think about. But, sometimes I would start to play that piece, and suddenly I would be at the end, and I didn’t even imagine how things went through.
 
V: You didn’t notice.
 
A: Yes, I didn’t notice it, so my mind was flying around somewhere. Have you that feeling sometimes?
 
V: Many times, because now, I’m playing this concert in November with organ works of Teisutis Makačinas, a living composer from Lithuania, to honor his 80th anniversary, and his music, sometimes, is really dissonant and hard to understand, and sometimes my mind doesn’t want to understand. So, when I’m working on a fragment, let’s say, line by line, there are three or four measures every line, so it’s a good length of the fragment to work on, and I repeat and count repetitions, let’s say, up to 10 times. I sometimes forget which number it is—is it five or six—because my mind also is distracted and tries not to focus, because the music doesn’t necessarily sound nice. It’s not a sweet music, maybe. Maybe it will sound nice at the concert, but it will not sound sweet, for sure.
 
A: Yes. And, I wonder why when I am playing with an absent mind, I never make mistakes.
 
V: Maybe that’s not the absent mind. Maybe you got carried away in to the Reincken’s land! Reinckenland!
 
A: I don’t know. But it does, somehow...
 
V: Maybe you’re experiencing a sense of flow, which is completely different from what we are talking about. Maybe you are “in the zone,” like deep focused. When kids are playing or drawing, they forget the sense of time around them. They could play with one flower for hours, for example. Maybe that’s what you are doing?
 
A: Well, who knows, you know? The human mind is an endless Abyss!
 
V: Who said that?
 
A: Raymond Haggh!
 
V: And who was Raymond Haggh?
 
A: He was the director of the school of music at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, but actually, he was the head of the music department before we went to study there. But we met him once, and he was a very nice man, and I think that’s what he said after greeting students for half a day, reading the essays.
 
V: “The human mind is an endless abyss!”
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: I see. Nice. I think people don’t have to be too harsh on themselves when they lose focus or they’re making mistakes or playing too fast. I mean, just go back to the original intent gently and keep playing. It’s like in meditation, probably. If anyone tried to meditate, and tried to focus your mind on the breathing, and sit for two minutes or ten minutes, however long you want, anybody could try to do this could probably discover right away that your mind is all over the place—about things that happened in the past, about things that might happen in the future, but never in the present moment. And if we are frustrated with this, if we are angry with ourselves—at our current condition, then we get even more distracted, actually, from the current moment. The same might be with organ playing. We just need to gently remind ourselves what’s our intent with each repetition and go back to the practice.
 
A: I think this kind of work takes all your life!
 
V: To improve yourself, your mental skills?
 
A: That’s right. I think only experienced monks at the Buddhist Monastery have already managed this skill, because it’s really hard to master, to be at the right moment, at the right time.
 
V: I think that everybody should find a joy in the process of practice. Not necessarily looking at ourselves, at our shortcomings, what we cannot do, but rather what we are practicing—what we could do—what we can do better than yesterday, for example, better than last week or last month. Right? And then this is hopeful, I think. Not only helpful, but hopeful. Right Ausra?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Okay, let’s wish Barbara and others to have fun with practice, and please guys, continue sending to us your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 325, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Andrea. And she writes:

Dear Vidas,
Stage fright, shyness, lack of confidence and lack of patience for the last 10% to make the piece perfect. I have a teacher now for 5 years, tough lady, very demanding. So I am not in the organist’s desert.
Kindest, Andrea

V: Okay. How many people, Ausra, have a stage fright?
 
A: Well I think very many.
 
V: Did you have a stage fright when you first started playing organ?
 
A: Of course.
 
V: Or piano. You were little when you started playing piano, right?
 
A: Of course, I had it. I think everybody does. Some has beginner stage fright, some not as big but I think that everybody’s frightened, at least a little bit.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. I’m trying to find one answer by Daniel, I think. And he wrote really great things about stage fright. Let me read what Daniel wrote. To the answer to one organist who also had anxiety issues, he wrote:
 
Daniel: ‘Hi Vidas. You can tell your email sender that the anxiety originates from the mantle unpreparedness. Here are some of the things I do to prepare myself: Analyze pieces, understand what the composer wants, study the musical elements shown on the pieces, dynamics, articulations, etc. Sight read if playing with the score, isolate your mind to the score in brain, etc. Even if there is a memory lapse, I know I will not have a high anxiety. Very important to think, as to whether or not to focus on people or on the music.
 
V: That’s nice.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Very, I think, very on track advice, I think.
 
A: That’s true, but I think when you perform live, adrenaline will come. It doesn’t matter if you know piece well or you don’t know it well. If you have analyzed it or you have not. Of course knowing your piece very well and if you are ready for sure, you will not be as anxious about things. But still, you never know what might happen in actual performance. Maybe organ will break.
 
V: Maybe you will break the organ.
 
A: That’s true.
 
V: Or I will break the organ. As I did in the past.
 
A: Maybe your assistants will do something very stupid—will turn page backwards, as happened to me for example. Not once.
 
V: And the same person did this to you? Twice?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Oh! Will you tell us his name, publicly?
 
A: No, I won’t. I won’t. It’s rude to ask. So, and I would like to see original question.
 
V: Original, okay, let’s go back. Let’s go back to the original question.
 
A: Because we get distracted so easily.
 
V: So, lack of patience also for the last ten percent to make piece perfect.
 
A: Well, maybe that also gives you the fright and shyness, that you know that you are not ready to perform. Because as you say, you still have ten percent to make the piece perfect.
 
V: Imagine if the time comes to perform, let’s say in public, in a situation of liturgical playing or a concert, and you didn’t have this patience, and you didn’t do all the homework in time, right? When the time comes to perform, you will feel actually guilty.
 
A: True.
 
V: I would feel guilty. And because of this guilt, I would feel afraid also.
 
A: Yes, like school kids, especially younger, in elementary school, we often get the tummy ache. ‘Oh my tummy hurts. I cannot do things.’ And that’s the question arises that tummy hurts, during for example tests. Because actually he or she wasn’t ready for it. And then the body sends all these signals in various pains.
 
V: I got tummy aches many times before vacuuming the carpet.
 
A: Truly?
 
V: Mmm-hmm. In my childhood.
 
A: That’s because you were lazy.
 
V: And my mom then said ‘maybe I should rub your tummy, clockwise.’ And that helped. And my cousin, she saw me through very truly and she discovered that I was actually pretending.
 
A: Well, actually, you were a very spoiled child. My mother would never massage my tummy.
 
V: Clockwise.
 
A: Clockwise. She would notice right away if I’m lying or not.
 
V: But that didn’t hurt me in the long run. Or did it?
 
A: I think it did, in some ways, yes.
 
V: And can you be more specific, please?
 
A: I think you haven’t formed your character.
 
V: Character! What do you mean?
 
A: Well I think it’s still hard for you to do some homework. Some domestic works.
 
V: You know what helps, Ausra? And I’m now really being really honest, in front of thousands of people? I’m inserting an earplug in my ear, and when I have to do some homework chores, church or work outside, or just do some manual work, right? I listen to inspirational podcasts, and that helps me to,,,
 
A: Survive?
 
V: To survive, yes.
 
A: That’s nice. At least you found a way to help you, so I’m glad for it.
 
V: And, by the way, what helps you to do all those works? Do you have special secrets, or special secret ear plugs too?
 
A: No, but I’m trying to do every, every job that I do with love, and care, and it helps.
 
V: Oh. That’s deep. I don’t know. I need an hour to think about it. Okay, let’s go back to Andrea.
 
A: Yes, and now she says that she has teacher for five years now, a tough lady. And she writes that she is not in an organ desert. So, five years, I think that’s a long time, and if I would be Andrea, I would definitely want to study with somebody else, after taking five years of lessons with one person. Because that lady might be the most fabulous organist and organ teacher. I think in five years, you will, you already learned from that lady what she could give to you. And maybe you need to look for somebody else.
 
V: Advanced.
 
A: Yes. Don’t you agree, that five years, that is sufficient?
 
V: Well, look, we had for a few years, different organ teachers at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, right? I studied for four years with Leopoldas Digrys and then for two years with Gediminas Kviklys, right? So that was, I think, four years it was for me quite enough to know all about the secrets, secret methodology of Leopoldas Digrys. And then of course, two years with Gediminas Kviklys also gave me ample time to transmit his knowledge. And then what else? In Michigan, with Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra for two years, in Nebraska, two years with Quentin Faulkner, and, I think two and a half years with Quentin Faulkner and one semester with George Ritchie, right?
 
A: You are asking me. I don’t know, it’s your studies.
 
V: But I forgot. I’m getting old.
 
A: Well, you need to do more mental work.
 
V: I’m older than you, remember.
 
A: Yes, by four months. That’s a big difference.
 
V: When I was four months old, you were not born, you see. It’s a big difference.
 
A: Yes, it is. So for Andrea, my advice would be, maybe you need to look for another teacher.
 
V: Teacher, okay. Hopefully she’s living in an area where more teachers are on the market. Okay guys. Thank you so much for sending these questions to us. We hope our answers educate you, entertain you, and inspire you in some way. And remember, when you practice...
 
A: Miracles happen!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 324 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Dieter and he writes:
 
Good evening Ausra and Vidas.

Just recently something electrical malfunctioned on our Churches organ. As a result we lost the 32' and 16' ranks in the pedals. Only 8' and 4' left.

I have heard it is possible to create the illusion of say a 32' by playing two notes on a 16' in the pedals. I am not averse to playing a two note chord in the pedals, as long as it is not too complicated for hymn accompaniment, a bit like a drone.

Question is which two notes?

Dieter 
 
V: Which two notes, right Ausra? 
 
A: Yes, that’s right.
 
V: Have you heard about that anywhere?
 
A: I have heard with my one ear.
 
V: And what did that ear tell you?
 
A: I think from what I know I think it might be a similar effect as we have in our church at St. Johns’.  That we have that historical timpani stop.  There are two wooden pipes, one is slightly higher than the other and then you pull out that timpani and they both sound at the same time and reverberate with each other and this gives that effect of a drone.
 
V: But not very low drone.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: What about trying to play an interval of the fifth?
 
A: With these kind of things you need to experiment and see what really happens because I think it might differ from one church to another depending on the organ, depending on the acoustics.  But you know he wrote that actually he doesn’t have 16’ anymore in the pedal too so how would he achieve?
 
V: You’re right, only 8’ and 4’ are left. 
 
A: So I think the best solution would be to call a technician.  That’s why I don’t like these electrical things because you never know what might happen and you cannot be able to fix them for yourself.  Because when you have mechanical instrument somehow you will find out what is wrong with your organ.
 
V: Even pneumatical organ you can figure out.
 
A: Yes, but not an electrical.
 
V: Unless you are good with electricity.
 
A: Which we are obviously not.
 
V: You should be really experienced with electricity just to try to fix it because if you’re not good and inexperienced you might die, right?
 
A: So don’t do it yourself.
 
V: Unless you really know what you are doing.  Unless you take all the precautions.
 
A: Actually I know even some professionals who actually died doing their job.
 
V: Right.  And if you don’t know what you are doing with mechanical organ the worst that could happen is that you might break things, right?
 
A: True.
 
V: Of course this is also nasty and maybe you could break things and nobody could repair them, right, especially if it’s a historical instrument.  So you need also to know what you are doing with mechanical organs.  And to tell you the truth real organ builders don’t like organists looking and figuring out in the organ themselves.  They would rather you call professionals to do this and I understand them.  But, sometimes technicians and organ repairmen and organ builders are so far away, and maybe you just have one tiny cipher you just need to screw one small thing and it will be fixed if you know what you are doing, right Ausra?
 
A: Yes, that’s right.
 
V: Maybe you don’t need the entire cavalry of organ builders working on your little cipher.
 
A: Now, let’s go back to the question.  Do you think it’s possible to make that illusion of 32’ sound with only 16’ stop?
 
V: On Monday when I go to our church in the morning I will definitely try to play an interval of the fifth with the stop of 16’, not with 8’ obviously because if you play with 8’ that would probably be illusion of 16’ (one octave lower) or not?
 
A: Well, I’m not quite sure if this would work.
 
V: You know what would happen probably a very rich foundation.
 
A: I think you would rather create illusion of 32’ with 16’ but not illusion of 16’ with 8’.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  Maybe this will only sound muddy.
 
A: Could be.
 
V: Uhh-huh.  When you don’t have 16’ in the pedals what about 16’ in the manuals?  Maybe he should have 16’ in the manuals because originally this organ had 32’ in the pedals.
 
A: Well then the possibility would be to put the 16’ in the manual and couple it to the pedal.  That way you would have 16’ in the pedal until your organ would get fixed.
 
V: Oh, that’s right.  That’s possible.
 
A: That’s what I would do if I was in his shoes.
 
V: But if he is only playing hymns, right, so why don’t he even to play with hands only.
 
A: Yes, that’s a possibility too but then everything would be with 16’, soprano and alto and tenor and bass.  And if you want to diversify more then actually it would be probably better to put 16’ in the pedals and to play your hands on another manual if you have at least two keyboards.
 
V: And definitely he should have more that one keyboard with that kind of disposition.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Nice.  Nice solution Ausra, I haven’t thought about that. 
 
A: Thank you.
 
V: I hope Dieter will get help from this and other people who are struggling with this question today or in the future.
 
A: So, and which two notes he also asks.  Which two notes would you try to play in the pedal to get that illusion?  You said you would do a fifth.
 
V: Open fifth, yeah.  Like C and G, D and A, E and B, F and C, G and D.
 
A: Don’t you think another interval would fit better?
 
V: If you’re playing C and you’re suggesting a third for example, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Or which one, a fourth?
 
A: C and D. (laughs.) Or C and C#.
 
V: That would be like a drum, like a timpani.
 
A: I know, that would be like a timpani.  Well I guess you just need to experiment.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  I might be able to tell you more on Monday when I go to church.
 
A: We will see.
 
V: Thank you guys for sending those thoughtful questions.  Sometimes we don’t always know the answers, right?  But maybe your questions raise even more questions to us.
 
A: That’s very good.  We like that.
 
V: It’s an exercise for our brain too.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: To improve our memory.  I keep forgetting things, Ausra.  Are you forgetting things too?
 
A: Not as much as you do.
 
V: Are you forgetting my name, Ausra?
A: No.
 
V: Are you forgetting your name?
 
A: No.
 
V: Not yet.
 
A: Not yet.
 
V: Wait and see.  If you are eating that much cheese you might forget your name too.
 
A: I’m not eating much cheese.
 
V: So who has eaten all that cheese from our table?
 
A: What cheese?
 
V: OK, that was me.  Sorry guys, family investigation about the nonexistent cheese is developing but remember when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode episode 322, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Rob. He writes:

Hello Ausra and Vidas,

Today, I have a few things to share with you that relate to subjects that both of you discussed in recent SOPPs. Please feel free to use it as “ammo” to elaborate on as you see fit.

1) Accompanying the congregation in singing

This is something that I’ve been doing for almost 45 years now. When I accompany a choir, I’ll have to “obey” the SATB setting of the songs. When I accompany the people, I can basically make up my own harmonies. What I do is this: one of my ears listens to the organ, the other ear listens to the singing of the congregation. Now, in the middle of my head, I bring the two together: I always make sure, that I am just a fraction of a beat “ahead” so I can give them the next note, the next tone that they need to sing. This way, you can also control the pace of the song, because congregations are inclined to slow down in singing and it is best not to allow this. So, “split-listening” and being just ahead of the people is key in accompanying. And, of course, make sure that the melody of the song can be heard clearly.

2) On improvisation

I discovered, that there is a part in my brain that always creates music. All I need to do, is tune into it and listen to what’s “playing” in my head at that moment. Can be a melody, can be a harmonized piece of music. When I listen to it, I can get my right hand to immediately produce the melody that I hear. I am not yet good enough to immediately produce the harmonics that I hear with both hands. So, I must take it “slow”. That is, play the melody (and often harmonizing it as well) bringing it out in the right hand and find supporting harmony (chords etc.) in the left hand and pedal. I change between playing on 2 manuals and playing on 1 manual where I get to bring the two hands together while developing on the keyboard what I hear in my head. This works wonderfully well. And I do make it a habit of improvising 10-15 minutes every time I play the organ. Also before service, I make time to improvise for about 5 minutes. Makes sense to you guys?

Enjoy the weekend.
Kind regards,

Rob

V: So, Ausra, these two questions, one is about accompanying congregation and about improvisation. I think it’s really on track what he’s suggesting about accompanying the congregation.

A: I think it’s very much on track. Actually that’s what I would do if I was accompanying congregation. But of course, one part of this part of question, reminded me, or actually, we were kicked off the church. Because you didn’t want to play slower for congregational accompaniment.
 
V: I was split second ahead, or more than split second ahead.
 
A: True, and we received so many complaints, especially Vidas. And people would ask me to play service more often because I played slower and listened to them more. But Vidas just didn’t want to give up and wanted to keep his own tempo. And well, at that time we were very young, and probably not as wise as we are now, yes?
 
V: Yes. Today we would play in lento tempo.
 
A: So, this was, I guess, probably twenty or even more years ago.
 
V: Yes. Today we would play everything like Albert Schweitzer did.
 
A: Well, now I guess, if this would be in nowadays, I probably even wouldn’t take such a job.
 
V: Wow. That’s even better.
 
A: True. But actually, yes, the congregation tries to slow things down.
 
V: But, Ausra, if it’s not a job, if somebody just asks you to fill in, you know, like a friend, substitute, just once, and would you slow down, or would you lead ahead?
 
A; Well, that’s a good question. I would probably lead ahead. What would you do?
 
V: I would lead ahead, yes. You see, at that time, we didn’t have our doctorate degrees. Now we have doctorate degrees. And to anybody who is complaining, we can,,,
 
A: Show our diploma, yes.
 
V: Yes. Yes. Complain to the director of University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: (Laughs)
 
A: That’s funny. That’s really funny. But actually, you just need to be reasonable. If you’re tempo and congregation tempo is very different, you need to think about it—why this happens. Because maybe you choose too fast tempo for that particular hymn. And you need to think if this happens all the time, and maybe you need to listen yourself from a side, make a recording of it, because that tempo might defer slightly bu it cannot be very different.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: And when you’re accompanying congregation, always try to sing too. That way you will get the right feeling of the tempo.
 
V: And sing energetically, because some congregations, like the one we were talking about, were singing like at the funeral, always.
 
A: I know. We were dragging each note. If you, let’s say the hymn is written in quarter note values, yes? And we would make a whole note from a quarter note, and it was just impossible to survive.
 
V: They would breathe with every word.
 
A: True. With every note.
 
V: Or every note. Maybe that’s original historically correct way of singing.
 
A: I don’t know but it was just a nightmare.
 
V: Because remember what Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra told us, a little bit about her research with, I think, singing psalms, in the, back in the day, that they were singing them really, really, extremely slow.
 
A: Well, but that was what, a few hundred years ago.
 
V: Right.
 
A: But we are in the 21st Century now.
 
V: We drive fast cars.
 
A: Well, we cannot take service that is longer than one hour.
 
V: We eat fast food.
 
A: True.
 
V: Everything is fast.
 
A: Well, and fast death awaits us, yes?
 
V: And the mass is no longer three hours long, like it was before Tridentine time.
 
A: True. So I don’t know, for me, seems that everything needs to be balanced. So, and everybody needs to be reasonable. So, and I’m talking about tempo too. It cannot be too fast and it cannot be too slow. And I think you need to take a breath after each phrase, but not after each note (laughs).
 
V: Mmm-hmm. If you can sing a phrase in one breath, then,,,
 
A: Then I think your tempo is fine.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. Excellent. Let’s go to the second part of the question about improvisation. Rob seems to have constant creative flow in his head, right, and whenever he wants to tune in to it and catch those melodies. This reminds me of a saying, or a quote by David Lynch. Remember the director of the movie, or the T.V. series, called...
 
A: Twin Peaks.
 
V: Twin Peaks, yes. He says that ‘we don’t create ideas, we catch ideas’. They are out there someplace floating in the ether, or someplace, I don’t know where. But when we are in the right state of mind, we can tune in and those ideas will come to us.
 
A: But do you think those ideas will help you to make a good harmonic accompaniment to the melody that just came to your mind? Or you need specific knowledge and skills?
 
V: Oh, that’s your harmony part, theory part, saying, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: I know what you’re leaning to, but I believe some people can play intuitively, with both hands, and even pedals, but it takes completely different state of mind constantly observing in everyday life, I think. If you, for example, would observe people who meditate, that could be like playing or sounding meditation. If people could to that, then they could play with both hands also, without real understanding what they play, but intuitively. But that’s a different mentality, Ausra. We are talking about the logical procedures, right?
 
A: True. And I’m just wondering, because you are improvising so much. Do you think that all that history, your history, personal history, of learning, learning harmony, learning theory, is it helping you or harming you, when you improvising?
 
V: You see, I also taught at the Čiurlionis National School of Art for twelve years, until this year, and all those years I taught, either solfege, which is ear training, or music theory. So basically those terms and procedures, modes, chords, were part of my daily routine with kids. And therefore they were ingrained in my memory too. When I first started teaching, I had to think consciously—what is this mode, how it’s constructed, what is this inversion of the chord—I was not that fluent. But now, I don’t have to think any more of course, and it’s part of my, part of my nature, probably. And when I’m playing intuitively on the organ, like improvising spontaneously, this former background or training comes in, into the forefront too, without even me noticing. So for other people probably, they do need to study theory and harmony for many years, until this is spontaneous for them enough.
 
A: What would you tell for people who don’t want to learn theory?
 
V: Maybe they’re not committed enough. Maybe organ playing or improvising on the organ is not important, that important to them. Maybe they don’t want to improve that much.
 
A: Because, in my daily life, as teaching these harmony, theory and solfege for various instrumentalists and choir conductors, and piano performers and now teaching in that organ school, I always get this big, big confrontation. So basically I’m in a war, in a constant war, and it’s getting tiresome.
 
V: I know how you feel. It’s difficult when you’re the only soldier on the battlefield, right?
 
A: I know.
 
V: And nobody’s really supporting you. Even your colleagues, they support you, on certain conditions, because, yes they need to teach theory and think that theory is important, harmony is important, but they’re not performers, they’re not creators, and they don’t apply them, these concepts in practice. And they really can’t really make a good argument to the kids—why do they need this?
 
A: Well, yes, but I’m a performer too, but...
 
V: You can because you use it every day.
 
A: But still nobody listens so it seems like a hopeless business.
 
V: I think people always listen to the authority, right? Whoever is authority to you, Olivier Latry or George Ritchie, if they tell you something important, you listen, right? But if your colleague says to you something which you disagree with, then you kind of are critical and this is understandable—everybody does this. So your kids would probably need to find authority from their circle, maybe their friends.
 
A: But, actually it didn’t happen last year or a year before, but right from this school year when they come to school earlier, like a half an hour before first class, 7:30 am, I hear that kids are listen from their smart phones to music, and dancing and making fun, and it’s usually pop music. So I guess I’m not the right authority because I think their authorities [are] maybe Lady Gaga or whatever else.
 
V: Then, we should invite Lady Gaga to visit our schools, right?
 
A: (Laughs). Yes. Do you think she would tell that we need to study harmony and solfege?
 
V: No, but she would tell them that they need to create songs. Remember we just watched a movie, ‘A Star is Born’, and we were really moved.
 
A: True. But actually these songs that she composed for this movie, were not in the style that she created on her daily basis for her pop performances.
 
V: Uh-huh. But this was still the same person, you see.
 
A: True.
 
V: So, I dunno. But sure, it’s, maybe we will not be able to invite Lady Gaga to the school tonight, just yet, but how about this; are you keeping in touch with your former students, on Facebook, let’s say?
 
A: Yes, for some, I am.
 
V: Some. Some students who were good at school, good in theory and harmony.
 
A: Do you think they believe that the harmony helped them in somebody else? I’m even afraid of asking that, because I might get depressed.
 
V: But that would be the truth, and the truth liberates you, right? Always.
 
A: And then I would have to quit school as well, as you did, yes?
 
V: I quit...
 
A: And I would find out that nobody actually needs harmony.
 
V: No, no, no. What I really think, those few students who graduated, and now are continuing their education or are already professional musicians, I think some of them really understands now, what you did for them, in early years. And if you invited them to come back to talk to their former peers, and like give a speech, like motivational speech, they would probably inspire current students even better than you could. Because our young people of today, would suddenly understand that these graduates were in sitting in their pews.
 
A: True. I’ll think about it.
 
V: Think about it and just ask on Facebook a few people and see what they come up with. Alright, guys, lots of ideas for the future. Not only for us but hopefully for you too, because we love helping you grow. So please keep sending us your lovely questions and feedback. And remember, when you practice...
 
A: Miracles happen!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 320 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Hanna, and she writes:
 
Hi Vidas,
This is what I studied and practiced last month, just recently adding the 2 Minuets and this new one.  I don't speak German so can't pronounce it.
10-Day Pedal Exercise    
Ich Ruf zu Dir    
Praise to the Lord    
Doxology    
If you Could Hie to Kolob- piano/organ duet I am working on to play in sacrament meeting at Church.    
Our Prayer to Thee - Hymn out of the hymnal for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Minuet in G Major    
#132 God is in His Holy Temple    
Organ Technique- listen (I have listed to one 30-min presentation).   I am only 5'1" and can't block the church organ up. So it is difficult to skim the pedals like I want to.  But I'm trying for better range of motion in my ankles so my heel can reach as I stretch the achilles tendon more.   It is a thrill to sense even minor improvement, so your teaching must be working. Thank you. -Hanna
 
V: 5’1”. It’s sometimes tricky for people of that height to sit on the organ bench and reach the pedals in the way they want, freely and without limitation. Right, Ausra?
 
A: Well, I don’t know what 5’1” is, because it’s in another system, because we use meters and centimeters, so…. it’s hard for me to understand. I have to convert it.
 
V: Okay, let’s look up 5’1”….to centimeters… oh… 154 cm.
 
A: Well, I’m only 7 cm higher, so…
 
V: But 7, so it’s a noticeable distance, I guess. Right? It depends on the length of the legs, too, not only of the entire body...
 
A: True.
 
V: ...when you sit on the organ bench.
 
A: I guess I have quite long legs compared to my height.
 
V: Is it true that the longer you play the organ, the longer your legs become?
 
A: I don’t think so, but that’s, I guess, the more experience you get, the easier it gets to play.
 
V: It would be nice, right, to adjust the length of your legs. If the bench is not movable, maybe your legs could be expandable, like a telescope.
 
A: Yes. Or you get the pedal extensions that Wayne Leupold suggests for kids!
 
V: But then, you only use a couple of pedals at a time. One for the left foot, one for the right foot. And, for some people it’s enough, probably, tonic and dominant—dominant and tonic.
 
A: Well, but some people feel that they are too short, some feel that they are too high. So, you never know what works better. Everybody has to adjust.
 
V: You know, I think the beauty of playing the organ is that you never know what kind of instruments you will find in a certain situation: what kind of bench, what kind of keyboards, too. And, this adjustment process is part of the fun.
 
A: Yes, it adds adrenaline to your life.
 
V: If you like adrenaline, that is.
 
A: True.
 
V: Do you like adrenaline, Ausra?
 
A: Sometimes, yes.
 
V: Like right now. Would you be willing to jump off the bridge with a parachute?
 
A: Oh, no thank you. I would never want to do it.
 
V: I see. Neither would I, actually. It’s easy to sit here in our living room and talk about these things, but when the time comes to jump off the bridge or jump out of the airplane with a parachute is really above my pay grade, I think.
 
A: Me, too.
 
V: Nice. What else could you suggest to Hanna? She’s working on two minuets, right?
 
A: Yes, and “Ich Ruf’ zu Dir,” I guess it’s from the Orgelbuchlein, yes?
 
V: Right.
 
A: It’s a good chorale to start.
 
V: Yes, minuets will prepare, probably, for the hand passages, and then when the pedal part comes in, in “Ich Ruf zu Dir,” it’s not that difficult.
 
A: Yes, that’s right, because the tempo is slower.
 
V: Right now, actually, in Unda Maris studio, we have two people playing those two minuets, one in G major and one in G minor. So, a lady is around the beginner level, so she is struggling, but she is making progress, I think, on a weekly basis, but not a very noticeable progress. But an older gentleman, he is in his late 50s, I think, approaching 60s, I think, he is a medical doctor. He mastered his minuet in a few weeks, and now he’s working on BWV 731, “Liebster Jesu, Wir sind Hier.” This was last Monday. I heard him play the right hand, it was rather ornamented, you know that line, and it seemed to me he could manage it. But the left hand was tricky, because two voices need to be played in one hand, and he was not used to that, so I said to him—his name was “Deividas,” I said “Deividas, I will send you another piece in preparation for, “Liebster Jesu Wir sind Hier,” that will be “Ich Ruf zu Dir” from Orgelbuchlein. And, once I sent him that piece, he was really happy, because he listened to the video, probably, or played it through. It’s easier to start with three-voice texture than with four-voice part.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: So, I guess Hanna chose the pieces from her level, I think. Right?
 
A: Yes, I think it’s good not to jump right away to hard pieces.
 
V: Even if she practices, let’s say, Doxology, or a few other hymns, then you see those four part hymns, they’re not very melodically developed—they’re more chordal texture, and with much practice, I think, people can learn it.
 
A: Yes, I love that Doxology hymn. don’t you?
 
V: Yes, it only has four lines! Nice and short. Excellent. And then, she needs to adjust to the pedals and sitting on the organ bench. Flexibility of an ankle, of course, plays a good part in here, and maybe organ shoes… would you suggest to Hanna to acquire shoes with higher heels?
 
A: Sure! It’s always a good idea.
 
V: Why?
 
A: It works like a extension of your foot.
 
V: Like a pedal extension.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: But, you don’t extend the pedals, but you extend your leg, exactly.
 
A: But, you know, last week, my student from the organ school, after me showing her how the organ shoes look, and asking her to find something similar, she came with the heel which was… I don’t know how many inches, but…
 
V: 5 inches?
 
A: Well, I would say at least 5 inches… it was extremely high heel, and so thin, and you know, it just made me mad. I just told her, “I think this time you need to take your shoes off and just play with your socks. What else could I tell her?
 
V: Or, you could let her try for herself, and receive the result, and she would say “Oh, I need to take my shoes off today.”
 
A: I’m afraid she would have broken that heel, and that she would have to walk home barefoot.
 
V: Oh, it was street shoes?
 
A: Yes!
 
V: Oh, that’s not nice. So, anyway, if Hanna or anybody else needs to extend their legs, maybe they could go to the...what’s the person who fixes shoes….
 
A: Don’t know, “shoemaker.”
 
V: Shoemaker! Ok, Schumacher. Ok, Shoemaker, and maybe give him your playing shoes, right? But asking him to extend the heel...add another layer to the heel, or two more if you need a really long one. But this will be specifically designed for your feet, and I think it would be better.
 
A: True.
 
V: Nice. Better than to add pedal extensions on two keys, I guess. Maybe, we should recommend this version to Wayne Leupold, too, so his kids would make their heels longer and could play all the keys on the pedals.
 
A: I don’t think it would work.
 
V: Alright, guys, please keep sending us more of the questions, we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen!