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Would you like to master Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein, BWV 641 by J.S. Bach?
I've created this practice score with complete fingering and pedaling so that our students could master this chorale prelude from the Orgelbuchlein efficiently, saving many hours of frustration and achieving ideal articulation - articulate legato. Thanks to Alan Peterson for his meticulous transcription from slow motion video. Basic level. PDF score. 1 page. 50 % discount is valid until April 7. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students. DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.SOPP419: I could never play a triplet with one hand and four 16th notes with the other hand together3/30/2019
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 419, of Secrets Of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by May, and she writes: Hi Vidas, Thank you for sending me the week 6 Harmony material. I have been working hard (and struggling) with the chords, the progressions and the sequences in the past 2 weeks. I find it most difficult to play with hands only using 2 right hand fingers and 2 left hand fingers. It is easier to play with left hand doing the bass only and right hand playing the triad (chords in closed positions). Playing the bass with the pedal is also much manageable than playing with 2 fingers from each hand. It takes a long time to go through the exercises first with hands only and then with pedals together. Shall I practice with hands only, with hands and pedals, or both? What do you suggest? I am working on the sight reading master course at the same time. I struggle with the rhythms in week 3 day 2's triplets. I could never play a triplet with one hand and four 16th notes with the other hand together. If I assign 12 units to each quarter note, each note of a triplet will get 4 units and each 16th note will get 3 units. I am not sure if it will help me to get a better sense of this complicated rhythm by doing this. It will also take a long time to finish the passage. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, May V: So this is sort of two fold question; one is about harmony and another is about playing complex rhythms. A: Yes. And I know what she talks about, how uncomfortable is it to have two voice in one hand and two in another, but that’s the way the voice leading works because you cannot always use only a closed position. And if you need to play in an open position then you really need to play something with your left hand too. If you don’t like to play two voices with your left hand, then play bass with the pedal, tenor with your left hand and two voices with your right hand. V: Mmm-hmm. A: It will not make life easier. Because I think that trouble is the tenor voice. V: Mmm-hmm. Yeah, I… A: It always is the tenor voice. V: Mmm-hmm. I could suggest here two things: one is to sight-read more hymns with or without the pedal, doing the same thing that you are talking about—two and two–left hand takes two voices and right hand takes two voices, or right hand takes voices, left hand takes one voice, and the pedals take one voice. Those versions are very beneficial. So, she practices harmony, but at the same time, sight-reading hymns would really be beneficial to her because it’s the same disposition of voice. A: Well, yes, but by these two questions by May, I see actually the connection. It’s all what she talks about is connected to this coordination problem. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Which is very common in us, all, I think. Because if you cannot manage triplets in one hand and then sixteenths with your other hand it also means coordination, and basically independence of your hands. V: One part of your brain must think in triplets and another in sixteenth notes. A: That’s right. I remember when I first encountered this problem; it was in Franck’s A Major Fantasy. It has a couple [of] spots where you have triplets, and… V: What kind of fantasy? A: In A Major. V: A. Mmm-hmm. A: Yes. A Major. V: And I’ve seen this rhythms in Messiaen’s music, uh… A: Well I saw many times these rhythms. This was just the first time when I encountered it myself. V: For example in Messiaen’s L’Ascension, the second movement. A: What would you suggest? How to practice it? V: First of all, hands separately. Not necessarily the entire piece but maybe a short fragment of 2-4 measures. And each hand has to know this part completely, like inside out. I’ve done this repeatedly, ten, twenty, a hundred times, with each hand. And suddenly, when put those hands together, they click and play separately, like two different people. Because they, your hands basically remember the muscle memory. A: That’s a very good suggestion. And I had that trouble sometimes even playing trills. And I don’t think it was because of poor technical skills or something. I think it was also psychological problem too. Because when I know that spot, tricky spot comes, I would get tense. I would get like muscle spasms and then I would fell. But... V: You mean fall. A: Fall, yes. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And I would fall. And what helped me actually, relaxation and breathing. V: Another method would be to think about sixteenths as just twice as smaller units of duplets. You know, three against two is easier to play than three against four. A: Well, but for beginners, three against two is also a big challenge. V: But you could... A: But of course… V: Mathematically… A: Yes. V: count it... A: Yes. V: Those rhythms. A: You can everything count mathematically. That’s what math is for—that you could calculate anything. V: So, the first and the third note of the sixteen group, would fit nicely with the triplets. But the second and the fourth need to be inserted somewhere in the middle, right? So... A: But you still have to know that spot where it has to be… V: Mmm-mmm. A: Put in. V: But if you make a focus on the first and the third group notes, then two and four maybe take care, by themselves. No? A: (Laughs.) I wish it would be like this. V: Okay. And one last suggestion is about strengthening her left hand a little bit more. I have two courses concerning this. The first is left hand training, which is based on six trio sonatas by Bach, where the player is required to practice any part that organist play from trio sonatas—right hand, left hand, or the pedals—but only with left hand. And in various keys. I transpose them, in multiple keys. It’s just for strengthening the left hand. That would be beneficial for May. And then the second level is two part training where you take, where I take the same trio sonatas, but people need to practice two parts at a time—left hand, for example and pedals. A: Yes, I believe it might be very helpful. V: Mmm-hmm. And that might help her with harmony disposition when she has to play pedals in the feet, tenor in the left hand, and two voices in the right hand. Right hand is easier so left hand and pedal need to be strengthened—this coordination. A: True. V: Okay. So anybody who struggles with this could really benefit from those two courses I think. Alright guys. We hope was useful to you. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember; when you practice... A: Miracles happen! DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Would you like to master Two Part Invention No. 12 in A Major, BWV 783 by J.S. Bach?
I have created this score with the hope that it will help my students who love early music to recreate articulate legato style automatically, almost without thinking. Thanks to Annabel Brown for her meticulous transcription of fingering from the slow motion video. Basic level. PDF score. 1 page. 50 % discount is valid until April 5. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students. DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Vidas: Hi Guys! This is Vidas…
Ausra: ...and Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 416 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Tim, and he writes: Dear Vidas, The course is working out fine for me, and I’m able to keep up to date with it. Sometimes, I do a few days ahead, depending on work commitments. I usually use a tempo of around crotchet = 16, and I find I am able to get all the articulation correct in all of the parts. Looking forward to the rest of it. Kindest regards, Tim. Ausra, I think Tim is talking about our Organ Sightreading Master Course. A: I see. V: And the requirement, of course, is to sightread the piece rather slowly. For some people, it’s possible at 60, quarter note = 60, but you could do it slower. So in general, this course is a great resource for people who want to perfect their sightreading skills. A: I think it’s crucial thing for every musician to be able to sightread things. V: Mm-hm. A: It makes life much easier. V: You know what I’ve been doing recently? I’ve been opening every day my Orgelbüchlein collection, and putting it on the organ rack at church, and recording myself from above my head so that hands will be visible and I would sightread 1, 2, or 3 pieces every day in a slow tempo, but with ideal articulation, fingering, and pedaling. So, I’ve actually found out that this makes my playing more elegant in general and my skills keep sharp. A: Excellent. So, how is it going? After you will be done with entire Orgelbüchlein, what will you play then? V: I think I might go either in two directions. Either to sightread the 3-part sinfonias by Bach - I haven’t played them for a long time. Or, I might go to something more legato like Brahms or maybe Franck’s L’Organiste. A: Don’t you think Franck’s L’Organiste would be too easy for you to sightread through most of those pieces? V: Sure, but you know, to keep the fingering precise, that’s not too easy. A: And of course, for us, some harder pieces in L’Organiste. V: Mm-hm. A: Some Sorties. V: Right. A: At the end of many cycles there is Sortie, which is probably more complex because it has all the themes from entire cycle. V: Mm-hm. I shared Vater Unser yesterday, from Orgelbüchlein, this recording on Steemit and Whaleshares, and people have been reacting positively about that, even though they are not organists at all, you know, they are not specialized in classical music probably at all, but they appreciate seeing my hands and listening to good music anyway. A: Yes, I think it might be even more interesting for non-musicians sometimes. V: So, do you think Tim could also record himself while he sightreads? A: Well, it depends on what his goal is. But sometimes, it’s good to record yourself and to listen to what you have done, and compare one of your recordings to another one, and see how you are progressing. Because what you hear when you are playing live is not the same as what you will hear after you listen to your recording. V: Mm-hm. A: Because sometimes, during actual performance, you might get quite a wrong idea about what you have done or how have you played. V: Right. Of course, it also depends on how sensitive a person is to the critique or public reaction, right? I’ve been doing this for a number of years now, recording myself, livestreaming, and I am quite OK if somebody criticizes me, I can ignore that criticism or take it, you know, in some constructive manner. I wouldn’t probably take it too personally now. A: Well, and what you’re talking about, you are talking about putting your recording for a live audience, for public in general. What I was talking about was more about educational part of performance. V: That he would… A: He would use this recording for himself, not to check how he’s doing. V: Aha. A: Not to make it public. But of course, it’s up to person to decide. You like to exhibit yourself. Somebody maybe doesn’t so. V: Exactly. A: We are all different. V: Yeah. And we all need different apps and different tools and different approaches to practice. So, guys, keep what’s working for you and discard what is not. And we are sharing our ideas. For example, my ideas probably are a little bit or more different from Ausra’s too, right, in some ways. So you could choose our approaches, pick and choose actually, from both of us, what works for you. And maybe adjust them. Not take it, like as it is, but maybe adjust to your own situation. It’s not like medicine. We are not medical doctors and we don’t prescribe you medicine to take three times a day without any consideration. Here, I probably think that you would benefit from adjusting to your own situation. A: But anyway, sightreading is beneficial for any musician. So, keep doing it! Keep sightreading. V: In your harmony and music theory classes, ear-training classes, do you think a lot of kids sightread? A: Well, all my kids sightread, that’s for sure. V: What about outside those classes? Do they sightread in their own instrument? A: Some of them do. V: Some of them. The best ones. A: Yes. V: The most committed ones. A: Sure. V: Exactly. These kids will go much further than those who do not, probably. Okay, guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: ...Miracles happen! DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Would you like to master Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 633-634 by J.S. Bach?
I've created this practice score with complete fingering and pedaling so that our students could master this chorale prelude from the Orgelbuchlein efficiently, saving many hours of frustration and achieving ideal articulation - articulate legato. Thanks to Juan Osorno for his meticulous transcription from slow motion video. Basic level. PDF score. 2 pages. 50 % discount is valid until April 3. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students. DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 415, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jeremy, and he writes: Played for church this morning. Krebs e minor prelude and fugue for prelude, accompanied a handbell piece on the organ and ended with Piece Heroique of Franck. Standard hymns and some piano playing in there as well. I did improvise a bit today during the passing of the piece. Played through a hymn, then tried to improvise a canon between the soprano and tenor over a pedal tone while keeping the alto the same. I thought it worked pretty well. V: So Jeremy is not only transcribing our fingering and pedaling videos, but he’s on the list of Total Organist students. And at the end of each day, I ask them how their day went, and what did they do? So Jeremy wrote this answer to us, Ausra. A: Very nice, I think. I feel sorry but I couldn't listen and to attend the service, because everything sounds very nice, organized. V: If he ended the church service with the Pièce Héroïque by Franck, it should have been like a small recital. A: I know! You could feel yourself like, being embarrassed. V: Mmm-hmm. Remember when we visited organ builder Gene Bedient and his wife, there, a few summers ago? We went to St Sulpice I think, on one Sunday, and at the end of the mass they have, they have a short recital there. A: Yes. It was wonderful. V: And guest recitalists played there. A: And too bad that we could not go upstairs to the organ to congratulate her because now there is a policy in France, and in Paris in particular because of the terrorist attacks. They not allow people to go next to the organ after the recital. V: Mmm. Yeah, at that time, security alert was elevated. A: I think it’s always like that in Paris now. V: Hmm-hmm. A: Nowadays. V: So, anyway, it was really nice hearing, I think one of the Dutch organists played there. A: Yes, I think she was Dutch, yes. V: Mmm-hmm. Playing B minor chorale by Franck. A: Yes, my favorite piece. V: What else did she play—maybe, maybe a slow movement of Bach’s E minor Trio Sonata? A: Franck was what stuck with me, so… V: Uh-huh. A: I don’t recall other pieces. V: Is that the reason why you practiced Franck today? A: Well, no, not because of that. Because I need to repeat this piece. V: Mmm-hmm. Yeah, I need to play more Franck too, and I think I will. So… A: Do you like Pièce Héroïque? V: It’s very compact, very beautifully worked out, well thought, and for people who, for example, haven’t played large scale works like Pièce Symphonic or the Chorales, that might be a good starting point, or one of the easier pieces, I would say. A: Well, yes, but although it’s not as hard to learn this piece, but it sounds like a… V: Heroic. Mmm. A: Truly heroic piece. And while listening to it you could tell that it’s an easier piece. V: No. A: Well, I don’t think that any of Franck pieces of his big organ works are very easy. But of course there is a big difference in between of his level of difficulties of his music. V: Mmm-hmm. A: For example the day when I played B minor Chorale, I just sight-read a little bit from the A minor Chorale, which I also have played many years ago, and it’s at least three times easier comparing to the B minor Chorale. V: Even thought the third choral is the last one. A: Sure. V: Mmm. A: But if you have quite good piano technique then it’s very easy, because it doesn’t have so much thick texture, it’s more playful, very few pedals. V: I think our friend and colleague Paulius Grigonis wants to play some Franck and he was thinking about A minor Chorale. Do you think he would manage it? A: I don’t know how good is his piano technique. Because you need to have piano technique in order to play this chorale well. Otherwise [it] might sound sloppy, or you might not play it up to tempo. Because out of all these chorales, the A minor is the fastest. V: True. And Jeremy played the handbell piece, accompaniment on the organ. Do you like handbells? A: Very much! V: Mmm-hmm. A: This was the only time when I encountered it was in the states. Before that I didn’t even know that such thing existed—the handbell choir. And remember once we had even to perform because our church was short on handbell choir, I remember, so they asked us to play and we did. V: That was for Easter, I think. A: Yes. V: And… A: And we had special glass… V: Mmm-hmm. A: And various bells. It was fun. V: Wonderful. And I remember that I also played some percussion instrument, right? A: What an honor. V: Mmm-hmm. A: You can put it on your CV. V: (Laughs). Right. So Jeremy just mentioned that he improvised a hymn, making canon between soprano and tenor over a pedal tone, while keeping the alto the same. What do you understand from this, ‘keeping the alto the same’? The same stationary note or playing the same melody from the hymnal—in the alto part? A: I’m not quite sure. Could be either way, I think. But anyway, it sounds very interesting. V: It sounds difficult. A: Sure! It sounds truly difficult. Because when you start to explore some polyphonic technique, as canon for example, it makes a whole difference. It’s not like just playing plain chords with some variation. V: The easiest canon that beginners could start learning is the one that Franck uses so often. In one hand you play, let’s say, a moving melody, and you stop. And when you stop, you repeat the same thing an octave lower, for example, with the left hand. And then stop again with the left hand, and then start to move at the same time with the right hand. Basically hands move interchangeably, not at the same time. And then you don’t have to think about two things all the time. A: I think he uses this technique in his L’Organiste collection. V: Mmm-hmm. Yeah. That’s the easier one to start with, thinking polyphonically. You don’t have to think about intervals, about what kind of allowed intervals are there, because in Renaissance times, they have these very strict rules—which type of intervals produce, which type of canons. And I’m sure Franck knew that. But for beginner purposes, I don’t think it matters. You can create a canon quite easily while following his model, basically playing movement between the hands interchangeably. A: True. V: And it would sound actually convincing. It wouldn’t sound very easy. A: That’s right. V: So, we hope was useful to you guys. Explore your different techniques that Jeremy uses and others might suggest. We hope this was useful to you and please us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember; when you practice... V: Miracles happen! DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
Have you ever wanted to start to practice on the organ but found yourself sidetracked after a few days? Apparently your inner motivation wasn't enough.
I know how you feel. I also was stuck many times. What helped me was to find some external motivation as well. In order for you to advance your organ playing skills and help you motivate to practice, my wife Ausra - @laputis and I invite you to join in a contest to submit your organ music and win some Steem. Are you an experienced organist? You can participate easily. Are you a beginner? No problem. This contest is open to every organ music loving Steemian. Rules
Rewards Every participating entry will receive our upvotes. Additionally, 3 winners will be rewarded some STEEM in the following manner: 1st Place: 10 STEEM 2nd Place: 6 STEEM 3rd Place: 4 STEEM Judging @laputis and I will serve as judges. We will pick winners based on what sounded the most interesting and best performed to us. Our goal here is to support the community while motivating you to practice, inspiring to create some amazing music and adding more smiles to everyone's day. Questions, comments, ideas? Please let us know your feedback about this contest. Support our fellow contestants - upvote, resteem and comment their entry to let them know specifically what did you appreciate about their music. Also stay tuned for the post about winners from Week 9! If you would like to participate but don't have Steem account, let me know your desired username by contacting me on my blog https://www.organduo.lt/contact.html and I will create an account for you very quickly. We hope to see even more entries next week! And remember, when you practice, miracles happen! DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
Thank you everyone for participating! You all made us very happy with your entries.
@laputis and I selected the following winners: Winners of Secrets of Organ Playing Contest Week 12 DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
Would you like to participate in our Secrets of Organ Playing Contest? There are less than 24 hours left to submit your videos.
Here are the rules DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL. |
 DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
 Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
Authors
Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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