Would you like to master Jesus Christus unser Heiland, BWV 626 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 Jeremy Owens for his meticulous transcription from slow motion video. Basic level. PDF score. 1 page. 50 % discount is valid until March 15. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students.
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Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 410, of Secret of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by May, who our Total Organist student. And she writes: Hi Vidas! Thank you for sending the Week 5 material of Harmony for Organists Level 1. My keyboard harmony is weak and I am still struggling with the harmonic progression from week 3, running behind. It takes a long time going through each of the six – tonic to dominant, dominant to tonic, tonic to subdominant, subdominant to tonic – the six closed and open chord forms in only the major and minor scales with one sharp or less, not including the one flat scales. I started practicing these harmonic progressions are Wednesday. I’m playing better than two days ago, but still have to pause and think, for example, which is the common note, and also going up or down. I don’t have time to write down the chords before I practice. It is also much difficult to play all four notes by hands only. My question is, how good should I be with three harmonic progression exercises before I proceed with four? Thanks! ~May V: What do you think, Ausra? This is your expertise. A: Well, it depends on what your final goal is. Well, what I do at school with my kids, I usually spend two weeks on one theme, on one subject. Let’s say the first theme is how to connect two chords with the common note. And we spend maybe not so much as two weeks on this subject, because it is quite easy – this is the easiest way to connect two chords if you have a common note. But, it, you know, it matters what your final goal is. Because what we do at school, we do written exercises first, but we play them on the piano, of course, from your head, not from the score. And then we sing them. V: Mm-hm. A: Which is the hardest way to do. And earlier we had to sing it from our head, now we allow them to write down first and sing from the score. And when we achieve this goal in two weeks, then we move to a new subject. V: I feel that you are such a great teacher in harmony, Ausra! A: (laughs) Well, I don’t think I am so great, but I am doing my best. V: Do your students appreciate you? A: Some of them, yes. But some of them just struggle too hard. V: But probably all of them understand that you are an expert at this. A: Definitely, yes. I don’t think we have any doubt about it. V: But you said earlier that some of them just tried to do tricks with you, right? They ask you why is this so here and here and here, and you have to explain to them even though you see that they don’t understand the basics, right? A: Yes, I have. V: They try to catch you. But not so much now. A: No. Usually, I am the one who catches them – cheating, for example. V: Interesting. A: This is funny, when we are doing exercises in four voices, you have to have, you know, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass from the beginning to the end – there’s no exceptions. And sometimes, I see there are no erasing marks, V: Uh-huh, erasing. A: Erasing marks, yes. And everything is so clean and nice. And suddenly in one spot, there is like, one or two measures of tenor voice missing (laughs). And I see that we cheated and we took this exercise from somebody and rewrote it. It makes me laugh, but also, you know, I laugh in my mind. I don’t show it. I think it’s a very bad way and wrong head to take things from others and place them as your own. V: Do you think there is a market for selling your homework to a student? (laughs) A: I don’t think, not yet. But who knows? In the future, somebody might get rich! V: Yeah, like me! A: Yes, true! V: But I might make mistakes. A: You know, by now, after teaching for fourteen years keyboard harmony, I’m pretty good at determining who can do what. And if somebody will bring me work, I’m pretty good at determining if they made it by themselves or not, V: I will do my work, and you will determine if I did it myself or not. Yesterday, we cleaned the house, and do you think I cleaned it myself, or not? A: Well, yes, but I had to struggle for a long time that you will do your part of the job. V: (laughs) Oh gosh. This is funny. Do you want me to tell the guys, our listeners, what I wrote to May? A: Sure. V: In response to her question, I wrote, Thanks, May! You are certainly on the right track. Ausra’s harmony students at school also generally play very slowly such exercises. I would say, strive for fluency, but at a slow tempo, before going to the next week’s exercises. But, if you mentally understand the structure, even though you still get stuck in executing them, maybe you can go on to the next one if you feel it’s good enough. Something like three mistakes is okay. And she wrote: Thank you for your quick response to this. I tried the Week 4 exercises, transposing sequences, and I actually found them easier than Week 3. In Week 4 exercises, the chords are in closed positions with the right hand playing three notes and the left hand playing one note. I find it much more manageable than playing the progressions with chords in open position. Thanks again. A: Yes, definitely open position is much harder than closed position. V: And especially if you are playing this on the organ, you have to play just tenor with the left hand, and bass with the pedals. A: True. And at school, actually we only play on the piano. But I always require that my students would play two voices with the left hand and two voices with the right hand. Because it’s easier when you have technical exercise, and you have one position throughout the exercise, either closed or open. But generally, when you start to harmonize more complex things, the positions change in the exercise. V: Within the exercise. A: Yes. V: So both positions are very useful to know. A: True. But if you are thinking in the long term about mixing all these positions, then it’s easier, you have two voices in one hand and two in another, because it’s easier to think about voice leading. V: Ausra, do you like harmony? A: Yes, I like it very much. V: I can feel that our listeners will feel that too, that you enjoy teaching harmony actually. Not only harmony as a subject itself, but actually communicating your knowledge with others. A: Yes, it’s quite fun. I like it! V: That is nice. A: Because I believe that knowing harmony puts a ground for a solid musician. V: Mm-hm. You don’t regret that you know so much about harmony? A: No, definitely not. V: Mm-hm. You know much more about music in general then, because of harmony. A: True, true. Because now I can sort of understand any given piece of music. Because I can analyze the harmonies. It tells a lot about the piece. V: Mm-hm. It’s like reading a poem in Japanese. You know what it means, you can translate. A: True. Of course, I don’t know Japanese, so. V: So you’re like a harmony translator for people. A: That’s right. V: Nice. A: And I give my students exercises, you know, of analyzing some excerpts from the music itself. And I like to tease them sometimes, talking about cadences, and keys, and non-chordal notes. We don’t like this kind of exercises, some of them. Because you need to think. And we don’t like to think. V: Can I ask you something? A: Sure. V: Remember, you did those keyboard harmony exercises videos. Sometimes I recorded them for you, you were playing, and sometimes you recorded them by yourself. And I know being on camera is not your, not your best way to spend your free time, right? A: Definitely. I don’t like cameras. V: To put it easily. Do you feel differently about it now than a couple of years ago when you did it? A: Well, I still don’t think I would like to be on camera. V: I mean, not you on camera, just your hands on camera. A: Still. V: (laughs) A: It’s me, it’s my hands and my voice. V: Is your, are your hands so precious and private? A: No, I think I’m just too shy for such kind of exhibition. V: Exhibition? It’s not exhibition! A: Still. You know what I mean. V: Excellent. So, guys, if you want Ausra to change her mind and do more of these videos, because I can’t change her mind for you, ask her! Be very persuasive, more persuasive than I. Okay? And send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen! Would you like to master Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund, BWV 621 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 Jeremy Owens for his meticulous transcription from slow motion video. Basic level. PDF score. 1 page. 50 % discount is valid until March 13. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students.
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 409, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jeremy, who is on the team of transcribing fingering and pedaling for us. So he writes: Finished transcribing fingering for BWV 541. Normal practice routine. Am getting a little frustrated with the Bach Dorian Fugue. The Toccata is in good shape, with two transitions requiring some attention, but the fugue is simply being difficult. Trying to speed it up: working on two pages a day, starting at half speed, and then working it up. There are moments that aren't a problem, but there are an equal number of sections that I am having getting up to speed. Will try again tomorrow. Just venting. V: I’m happy that Jeremy doesn’t give up after a few unsuccessful attempts with the Dorian Fugue, don’t you think? A: Yes. He’s very brave, and I think we all should be. It’s natural to struggle with fugues. They are usually much more difficult and much more complex than preludes. And why do you think it is so, Vidas? V: Thank you, for this thoughtful question. I think fugues are polyphonically much more complex because even though preludes might have polyphonic sections within the prelude, but fugue is contrapuntal throughout, which means that each voice imitates other voices—takes up a theme, and this theme is presented in different shapes and ways, in different voices and keys. And your mind has to notice all of that. All the while other voices are playing something else sometimes—even more complex things. Four part polyphony, like in the Dorian Fugue—I’m not sure, maybe it’s even five part, five parts polyphony. Could be. It’s really complex for your feet and hand, and your mind especially to grasp. And because this is alla breve meter, not 4/4, but 2/2, basically two half notes per measure. It is much faster tempo and you have to adjust to that. A: Well, then what do you think about speeding things up? Do you think it’s worth to push or somehow you need to keep working in a slow tempo, and tempo will speed up by itself? V: Yes, and no. Yes means that if you are not ready to speed up, then working in a faster tempo will just damage the texture, probably. But if you are ready to start pushing it up, upwards, then maybe working in smaller fragments in a really fast tempo—in a concert tempo, and stopping at the end of the fragment, and then continuing in a fast tempo and then stopping again—would be a good way to go. Maybe stopping at each half note first, and then at each measure, at each, every two measures, every four measures, and so on, always doubling the fragment. A: Yes! I think that would be very helpful. V: But if this doesn’t help; sometimes people write me that ‘I tried this, but still, it’s a struggle’. You need to understand that each, let’s say, step, right? When you’re playing this with stops, you have to do repeatedly, not just once. So if you’re only playing a fugue, or any piece of music just once in your practice, and playing another piece, it doesn’t count as complete practice. You need to work several days like that—stopping on the smallest beat. And only when you’re feeling that you’re playing without mistakes like that, then you go to the second step—doubling the fragment. For some people, it’s as long as one week, for one combination. A: True! Do you think that knowing the structure of the fugue will help? Analyzing complete fugue, would help to learn it easier. V: Mmm-hmm. Of course, this fugue which Bach wrote, is a canonic fugue. It has many canons. And various kinds of canons. I mean, sometimes in inversion, sometimes in different intervals too. So when you’re playing slowly first, you write down what you see. You write which voices playing the subject, you write the key of that subject. What else? You write the number of subject appearance, one, two, three, four five, etc. And you could also write, you could write the counterpoint, if it is counterpoint one, two, three sometimes. They are interchangeable in some fugues. You notate everything, and you notice, especially—it’s important to notice when you’re practice—what you have notated, what you have analyzed. Would that help, Ausra? A: Yes, because I think you know what voice does what. You will play differently. Because when subject appears, it’s important to show it off for people, and to hear it yourself, because if you will not hear it, nobody will hear it. And it’s very important. So I think understanding the structure will help you to learn faster, and to know what you are doing, and to play it with more success. V: I would just add, with fugues, because they have constant number of voices, it’s also very beneficial to sing one voice and play the others. Of course it would be too difficult to play three voices and sing one, but maybe start with singing one voice, play and singing solo voice, any voice you choose. And then add one voice of accompaniment—one hand or pedals. And then do all the combinations. And then maybe three voices, meaning you sing one and play two. And after while you will be ready to do voices—sing one and play four. What benefit you see in this practice, Ausra? A: Well, it’s very complex in benefit, because will develop your pitch, and you will develop your coordination, and you will definitely deepen your knowledge of music in general. V: It’s basically the same practice that you do with kids at school in ear training classes. A: True! And I’m trying to convince them that they need to sing when they are practicing piano. I don’t know if they are doing that but this is one of the best ways to make better your pitch. V: Mmm-hmm. Improve. A: Improve, your pitch, yes. V: But always sing what you are not playing—never double the voice and the instrument. A: Well, I don’t think it’s that important. You might want to play all and sing one voice. V: At first. A: At first, yes because otherwise it might be too difficult for the beginner. V: Mmm. A: Plus because of the singing, it might change things too. But that yes, the wise technique is that you won’t play that voice which you are singing. V: Excellent. A: And this is very helpful technique if you are playing on the piano, organ piece. Then you can sing pedal parts. That way you will have entire texture. V: Exactly. Good advice! I hope will be helpful to people. So please keep sending us your wonderful questions. We love helping you grow. And remember; when you practice... V: Miracles happen! Thank you everyone for participating! You all made us very happy with your entries. @laputis and I selected the following winners: 1st Place By @contrabourdon: https://steemit.com/secretsoforganplaying/@contrabourdon/secrets-of-organ-playing-competition-week-9 As always, very impressive performance, James! Can't wait to see what you create next! 2nd Place By @andyradtrad: https://steemit.com/secretsoforganplaying/@andyradtrad/john-g-barr-creator-of-the-stars-of-the-night-prelude Very elegant page turn! When I play a composition like this, I usually want to improvise a piece of my own based on such model. Did you also have this urge? 3rd Place By @drugelis:
https://steemit.com/secretsoforganplaying/@drugelis/jaak-nikolaas-lemmens-short-trio-no-4-in-g-major I liked how you kept going even though it was difficult. Next time fake (improvise) the ending if you need to so that you won't stop. Here are other entries: https://steemit.com/secretsoforganplaying/@alfredmusic/secrets-of-organ-playing-contest-week-9-my-entry-oscars-alfredmusic Click on the links to see their full posts and support them. Congratulations to the winners! I will send them the prizes soon. We hope to see even more entries next week! Here's a link for Week 10: https://steemit.com/@organduo/secrets-of-organ-playing-contest-week-10 And remember, when you practice, miracles happen! 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! Would you like to master O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, BWV 618 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. 2 pages. 50 % discount is valid until March 10. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students. Would you like to participate in our Secrets of Organ Playing Contest? There are less than 24 hours left to submit your videos. We have already 3 entries but we need yours too!
Here are the rules SOPP407: I'm taking two lines from a hymn every day and taking it through the circle of fifths3/2/2019
Ausra: Hello, guys, this is Ausra.
Vidas: And Vidas. A: Let’s start question number 407, sent by Jeremy. And he asks about transposing: I'm taking two lines from a hymn every day and taking it through the circle of fifths. A: So, what do you think, Vidas? Is this a good way to transpose? V: This is actually a very clever way. Maybe for some people, two lines, maybe it’s too short, for some people it’s too long, or for some people it’s just right. What would you do? A: Well, if I would be transposing using the circle of fifths, I probably would choose the shortest segment, because it sounds like a sequence from a piece if it’s made in the circle of fifths. Probably I would in such a case, would pick up only two measures. V: I would sometimes transpose the entire hymn, but that’s advanced knowledge I think. For people who are just starting, one line is plenty, and one line is maybe four measure long. A: Well, and I know that you are an expert of transposition. How many ways do you know how to transpose things? V: Maybe, three, right? A: Well, yes. I’m a superior teacher of those three ways. V: You’re an expert too. A: Well, yes, such is a life. V: So, what are these ways? The first way of course is just to transpose by a given interval, right? A: Yes, that’s probably most common way. But not necessarily easiest the one. V: Mmm-hmm. The second is transposing by changing the clef. A: True. But... V: Which means that on the same line, has to be a different note, in a different clef. You have to figure out the key and which kind of clef you will need. For example; in treble clef, on the first line, is the note E, and if the hymn is in, on the first note is… A: C. V: C, in treble. A: Yes, on the bottom line is the note C. Because all the clefs, all the C clefs… V: Oh. I’m not talking about C clef—about treble clef—G clef. A: Oh. Okay. V: So, on the bottom… A: Does anybody still uses it? Because that’s one of the oldest keys. V: I think we are talking about… A: It’s old French key, yes? It’s old French key. V: We are talking about different terms. How would you call G clef which you use every day, in English? A: Treble clef. V: Treble clef! And that’s what I’m talking about now. So, on the bottom line is the note E. And if you need, for example, E Major, then the first scale degree is on the lowest note. So in a different key, then you would also need to have the first scale degree on the lowest line. A: Well, that’s what I meant. Why would use the soprano clef? V: Depending on the key… A: Because the C would be on the bottom line. V: But what kind of key then you would need? C Major, right? A: Yes. V: So, transposing from E Major to C Major, or major or minor third downward, you will need a, to change the clef into the soprano clef. A: But is it always possible to change the clefs? V: It is, because there are ten clefs altogether. A: But don’t you think it’s very hard for like non-advanced musician to know all of them and to manipulate them so easily? V: It is hard. So then the first method is easier. A: Because in reality nowadays, there are only four clefs that are in actual use—daily use. And also not for all musicians because we use treble clef, we use bass clef and we use two of the C clefs—alto and tenor. V: But you know, what is good about clefs? That you can take it few steps further, once you get comfortable with them. And if you like to improvise a fugue for example, you could just transpose your subject this way by changing the clef. Not only fugue but any type of composition or improvisation which is based on a subject which needs to be transposed throughout. A: True, but it’s quite an advanced technique. V: It is. It is. A: I think that probably the easiest way to transpose, is to change accidentals in the same clef. Of course in that way you can only transpose by half-step, but it’s very easy. V: That’s number three. A: Yes, that’s number three. For example, you have piece written in F Major, then you just imagine that it’s written in F# Major, so you sort of change the accidentals, next to the… V: Mmm-hmm. A: Clefs, and that’s it. V: But if you need to transpose into G Major, then you have to use another method. A: Well, yes and no. You could imagine G# Major key. It will have six… V: G flat you mean? A: No. Not G flat, but G sharp. V: What is that? A: (Laughs). G# Major key—you don’t know it? It has six sharps and one double-sharp. V: Oh. (Laughs). A: If you don’t use the circle of fifths, then you’re making it. You would go after C# Major key, you would have G# Major key. V: Uh-huh. A: And if you would play some compositions by Chopin, you would find keys like this. They’re not used in the real life but they are still exist. V: What about A Major then? How many double sharps would you have. A: Well you would have just to transpose it half-step down—into A flat major. V: Which method would that be? A: Changing accidentals. From A Major to A flat Major. V: No. From F Major to A Major, or A flat Major? A: Well then you will have to choose the given interval. V: The first method. A: Yes. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Because the first method works all the time—all the time. V: Mmm-hmm. You just transpose by intervals, or you transpose by changing the clefs, which is harder. Or you change the accidentals, which is the third method, but only it’s by half-step up or half-step down. A: Yes, and then you want to actually transpose by a third… V: Mmm-hmm. A: It’s easy to switch a key from the bass to the treble or otherwise. V: Mmm-hmm. A: That’s how my students at school cheats on me. V: Oh. A: Because I’m asking them to transpose by a second, and they asking, ‘Oh, could we transpose by a third?’ And then we just change these two keys. V: Nice. A: So guys, I hope this discussion was useful for you. In anyway, transposition is a very useful thing for musician, and very useful thing for your brain. And this was Ausra. V: And Vidas. A: And remember; when you practice... V: Miracles happen! Would you like to master Toccata and Fugue in E Major, BWV 566 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 Alan Peterson for his meticulous transcription of fingering and pedaling from the slow motion video. Advanced level. PDF score. 11 pages. 50 % discount is valid until March 8. Check it out here This score is free for Total Organist students. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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