In this gentle and optimistic arrangement for solo organ of Walk with Me, Op. 108 for organ duet by Vidas Pinkevicius beautiful solo melody in the soprano can be heard among lush sounds of string stops. This piece is dedicated to composer's wife Ausra on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary. The title Walk With Me comes from their second most favourite activity (after playing organ duets) which is taking walks in the forrest together. It is also an allusion to walking together through life. This piece will work very well for both liturgy and recital setting when meditative music is needed. Thanks to James Flores who suggested I would create this organ solo arrangement!

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/walk-with-me-op-108a-organ-solo-by-vidas-pinkevicius-2022-digital-sheet-music/22281066

Score: www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/se/ID_No/1123079/Product.aspx

Score: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/walk-with-me-op-108a-organ-solo-by-vidas-pinkevicius-2022

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In this meditation on the famous hymn tune Abide with Me (Eventide) the hymn melody alternates with a gentle refrain. This piece will work very well for liturgy or recitals whenever contemplative music is required. Dedicated to Paulius Grigonis. I'm playing it on the Hauptwerk Buckeburg sample set.

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/meditation-on-abide-with-me-op-111-organ-solo-by-vidas-pinkevicius-digital-sheet-music/22280771

Score: secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/meditation-on-abide-with-me-op-111-organ-solo-by-vidas-pinkevicius-2022

Score: www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/se/ID_No/1117513/Product.aspx

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I went to the Vilnius University St John's church the other day and recorded a video where I showed some ways to improvise using only 3 simple chords. The result was simple but effective Chaconne. Hope you will enjoy it!

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In this optimistic Tuba Tune by Ausra the famous Gregorian chant Veni Creator Spiritus alternates with colourful refrain. This piece will be effective as a processional in the Pentecost or wedding liturgy. It can also work very well as a recital piece. Dedicated to Carson Cooman.

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/tuba-tune-on-veni-creator-spiritus-op-5-by-ausra-motuzaite-pinkeviciene-digital-sheet-music/22282979

Score: www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/se/ID_No/1131049/Product.aspx

Score: secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/tuba-tune-on-veni-creator-spiritus-op-5-organ-solo-by-ausra-motuzaite-pinkeviciene-2022

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Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg

This is a gentle piece by James Michael Stevens in B minor written in Romantic style. Hope you will enjoy the sounds of Vilnius University St John's church!

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/solemn-reflections-organ-solo-digital-sheet-music/22271954?narrow_by=solemn+reflections?aff_id=454957

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Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt

Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg

A few days ago a young organist from Latvia Klavs Berks visited Vilnius University St John's church. He is helping my friend Janis Kalnins build the organ at Vilnius Franciscan church. Before I let him try out the organ I played this charming Contemplation Divine by James Michael Stevens for him. Hope you will enjoy it!

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/contemplation-divine-organ-solo-digital-sheet-music/22272751?aff_id=454957

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Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg

I was delighted when our friend Alejandro D. Consolacion II dedicated his recent piece chorale prelude on Fairest Lord Jesus to me and Vidas. Today I'd like to share with you my rendition of this sweet composition. Hope you will enjoy the sounds of Hauptwerk Nancy sample set!

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The last trio of the set of 4, Trio in E Major, Op. 39 No. 4 by Gustav Merkel is a chorale prelude with the tune "Ach bleib mit deiner Gnade" in soprano. I played it during my joint recital with Ausra on April 30, 2022 at Vilnius University St John's church. Hope you will enjoy it!

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/gustav-merkel-four-trios-op-39-sheet-music/18916842?aff_id=454957

We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

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Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg

This amazing trio in F# Major, Op. 39 No. 3 by Gustav Merkel technically is not a trio, but a canon in four parts. To me it's the most beautiful piece of entire set. I played it during my joint recital with Ausra on April 30, 2022 at Vilnius University St John's church. Hope you will enjoy it!

Score: www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/gustav-merkel-four-trios-op-39-sheet-music/18916842?aff_id=454957

We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en

If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo

PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius

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Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist

Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt

​Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg

Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!

Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist.

Vidas: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius...

Ausra: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene.

Vidas: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ

Ausra: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011.

Vidas: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today.

Ausra: We hope you’ll enjoy it!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas,

Ausra: And Ausra,

Vidas: Let’s start episode 681 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dimi, and he writes about his dreams and the challenges that he is facing. So:

“1. I dream to play at my future organ romantic and baroque pieces, but not only that.
2. I plan to buy a used electronic organ (Ahlborn DS series, 2 manual+pedal) and I haven't found the owner manual and the service manual online, I looked on some forums and sent emails to Ahlborn website, but so far no answer.
The price is €250.
I can (barely) afford it, it is about 39% of my total net income, despite that I am optimistic.
I will use my Edirol FA-66 interface and GrandOrgue to test it.”

Vidas: Do you know what Dimi is talking about, Ausra?

Ausra: About which part?

Vidas: About the organ that he is planning to buy, the electronic..

Ausra: No, I have no idea. Maybe you have?

Vidas: Ahlborn is a manufacturer of electronic organs which I have heard before, but I don’t know the specific series that he is talking about.

Ausra: I just know one thing; that I would never ever buy an instrument if I did not have directions of how it works.

Vidas: Right

Ausra: And if he can’t find it, so then why buy such an instrument?

Vidas: Yeah, because finding a used organ is cheaper. Right? But then if you buy a cheaper organ, you might not have directions, owner’s manual, right?

Ausra: Well, you know, in Lithuania, we use such a saying that cheap meat is for dogs, only. Or that sort of the greedy pays twice, and usually that’s the truth. Sometimes it’s better to save your money and to get a better thing that to get a cheap and bad one. I’m not saying that  this particular one would be a bad thing, but it’s sort of makes me suspicious why he cannot find the directions.

Vidas: Yes, and why the price is 250€ only for a two-manuals and pedals instrument.

Ausra: There might be something really wrong with it.

Vidas: Uh huh! 250€ is like only… you could buy cheap plastic keyboards, two of them, for that price, but no more. And if this organ should be good with pedals, and of course the biggest expense would be pedals, then the price is kind of strange.

Ausra: Well, my advice would be just make sure if you are getting it that you could be refunded if something would be very wrong with that instrument.

Vidas: Yeah, and maybe, he doesn’t say, but maybe the owner of that instrument will sell it with the manual, with the owner’s manual and service manual, but he cannot see it before buying it. You know? That’s maybe the case. Could be. I don’t think it’s a stolen instrument, like, most people…

Ausra: Maybe not! It’s not a car you know! Not a fancy car.

Vidas: Yes. It would be strange to steal a two-manual and pedal organ and sell it.

Ausra: I never thought about it. It’s really funny.

Vidas: So yeah, probably Dimi is looking for that manual to familiarize himself with this instrument ahead of time. Right?

Ausra: Yes, with the possibilities of it.

Vidas: Maybe the Website that is selling this used organ is not complete in the description and specification of that instrument and he wants to know more. Right? Could be.

Ausra: Could be.

Vidas: That’s the tricky thing with used organs.

Ausra: But as I said before, I would rather save more money and buy a better thing if he’s not sure. But maybe it will work just fine. Who knows?

Vidas: He writes he can barely afford it because it’s 39% of his total net income. So that’s the sign that this purchase is a little bit too much for him either way.

Ausra: Yes, could be.

Vidas: What I would do in his situation, I would buy one keyboard only; plastic keyboard for starters, up to 100€ and then gradually, when I have more money—save more money—I’d add the second manual, and then later I’d add the pedalboard, too. Sort of a custom built organ, not a complete solution like he’s talking about, because the price is important in this case for him. If it were not important, if I had a lot of money to spare, then it would be a different question. Right?

Ausra: Yes, because the price of 250€ for a two-manual and pedals instrument is sort of very unrealistic even for the used one.

Vidas: Yes, which means that you might end up with a complete instrument that is not good. Right?

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: In reality, it would seem like a great deal, 250€, but who can sell it for 250€ if it’s good. Right? 

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: If it’s a used organ…

Ausra: Unless the owner is dead, and the relatives do not have a use for it, then I could understand such a price.

Vidas: Ah yeah.

Ausra: That it’s just a big thing that you want to get rid of—that it takes your space and you want to get rid of it. That would be a possibility.

Vidas: Mhmm, lots of moving parts here in this question I don’t know how to answer. But the dream is very realistic. In the future, he wants to play Romantic and Baroque pieces. Yeah.

Ausra: Nice!

Vidas: Nice. But not only that, he wants to expand his repertoire as well. Cool!

Ausra: Yes, I think that having an instrument of his own will help him to achieve his dream.

Vidas: Yeah. So the thing that is important to figure out right now is if this electronic organ will be a good fit for him…

Ausra: Sure.

Vidas: ...if it’s a good instrument.

Ausra: Actually, the most, I think, reasonable thing would be… I don’t know how far he lives from that instrument from where he’s buying it… would be actually to go and to play it—to try it out and then to see if it works and then to buy it. But if it’s very far away, maybe it’s too expensive to travel and to try it out.

Vidas: A lot of times, people buy used instruments from eBay, you know? And the eBay seller could be in another country or even on another continent. That’s the tricky part.

Ausra: Yes. But in that case, maybe the shipping would be more expensive than the instrument itself.

Vidas: Exactly. A two-manual and pedal instrument, if the price is 250€, but it’s a heavy instrument, definitely. Right? A full size instrument. So probably… let me check… Ahlborn… if it’s full size… Ahlborn DS. Okay, let me s… Oh yeah, looks like a complete instrument with pedals, yeah, two manuals, it’s definitely a heavy instrument, so the shipping would be very expensive, and he would pay probably that much for shipping alone.

Ausra: And he needs to find out, too, what about the shipping price...delivery price.

Vidas: Depending on the location, of course.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: Okay guys, I don’t know if it’s useful, but you see how many questions you have to figure out for yourself before buying this thing. My personal recommendation would be to start small, not with an instrument that you would be stuck with for life, like a complete two-manual and pedal instrument which you can barely afford. That’s the tricky part. If the price is important for you, my solution would be to customize it and build it for yourself one manual at a time. Right? Like we did at the beginning of our Hauptwerk journey.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: Did you like what you saw arriving at our home?

Ausra: No, I did not.

Vidas: Boxes and boxes and boxes…

Ausra: I wouldn’t want to experience it again. Such a mess.

Vidas: Yeah. If you guys are curious about our Hauptwerk setup, you can go to our Website and there is a page called “Tools” (https://organduo.lt/tools) and you will find the Hauptwerk setup that we use and the many modifications of it we changed over the years, too, from a simple solution to a more advanced solution, then we decided to have a portable Hauptwerk setup, then ultra portable which would fit in a backpack. You will see everything there. Okay guys, this was Vidas,

Ausra: And Ausra!

Vidas: Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember; when you practice,

Ausra: Miracles happen!
​
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