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In order to achieve success in organ playing, you need to have some guidelines and someone who can help you to reach your goals. This is why having a good mentor, instructor, or a coach is vitally important if you are serious about playing organ. In this article, I will describe the ways how a mentor can help you advance in organ playing.
A good mentor is the one who has sufficient expertise, solid training, education, and experience in teaching others to play the organ. He or she would help you in many ways in becoming a better organist. Typically in an organ lesson, you would just need to bring your clean organ score and a notebook. Your instructor would help you to write in all the fingering, pedaling, registration, articulation - all of these details. In addition, your instructor may even teach you how to mark all these details. He or she would write the step-by-step plan for your daily practice in order to master an organ piece. All you need to do then is to follow your instructor's directions and you will inevitably succeed. A true instructor knows how to master the piece you will be playing because he or she has done so himself or herself many times. In fact, a real expert may have mastered a thousand or more pieces like the one you will be learning. However, personal coaching is valid when you trust your instructor and when he or she is really good, of course. But of course one thing is even more important here - you have to have the inner motivation to succeed. The thing is that your mentor cannot do the work for you. He or she cannot learn and master the piece for you. You have to do the work. Your instructor can show you the way to success but you have to take that road and travel yourself. So you have to trust your instructor and try to do your best. The more precisely you follow your instructors directions, the faster will you progress in organ playing. If your instructor says to practice for 30 minutes every day and you only play your piece for 20 minutes 3 times a week, you know it won't work. If your instructor tells you to practice every fragment of your piece until you get it right 3 times in a row and you only play your piece 3 times from the beginning until the end without correcting your mistakes, you know that your advancement will be much slower. Sometimes there are situations when we feel lost, when we loose our focus and inner motivation to succeed and persevere. That's where our instructor or a mentor comes in. A good mentor will push you a little further each time and will help you to find your motivation. As you can see, overcoming the obstacles in organ playing is not an easy task. However, all the difficulties may be overcome with the right way of practicing and trusting your mentor. The reward for your hard work will be that you can truly enjoy any piece you are learning and progress further in your journey towards perfecting your organ playing. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. When it comes to playing the organ, one thing is always important - your body should feel relaxed. For people with lots of correct playing experience this all comes naturally (but not always). For organists who have just recently started playing, or for those resuming practicing after years of silence relaxation isn't something very easy to achieve. However, to be relaxed while playing is crucial because not only you are using your body the right way but also you are preventing mistakes. In this article, I will share with you 4 tips which will help you to achieve relaxation while playing the organ.
1) Remember Breathing. When it comes to relaxation, breathing is the most important help. When you encounter a difficult spot in your music or feeling tense for whatever reason, just try to take advantage of deep conscious breathing done through your nose. It is a good idea to coordinate your breathing with the meter. Make it constant and breath slowly. 2) Practice in a Slow Tempo. Sometimes when we make mistakes and feel some tension, we are practicing too fast. So check if the tempo is optimal for your practice. Remember that practicing is not the same as performing. While your performance might require a fast tempo, you should spend most of the time practicing slowly. In general, take such tempo in which you can avoid making mistakes. This will also help you to relax. 3) Use Pedal Preparation. This technique is very powerful in achieving playing automation and consequently, relaxation. As you release the pedal with your foot, slide it instantly into the position for the next note and let it rest there. Do not depress the next pedal ahead of time but let it wait for its turn. This can be achieved if you practice your pedal part in small fragments repeatedly over and over. 4) Focus Your Mind. Make use of an ancient saying: your body should be relaxed but your mind should feel like it is on fire. In organ playing, this is not easy to achieve because there is so much to think about. However, if you just focus on the current measure, exclude everything else, and shift your attention to the next measure constantly then you will begin to feel very focused. With the focus comes also a relaxation. Try one or all of the above tips today in your practice which will help you to relax. Remember that it takes time and repetitive effort to train your body and mind, so use it wisely. With each correct practice session you will take one more step towards perfecting your organ playing. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. Although the golden age of organ music could be considered the Baroque period, this type of composition also blossomed in later times. In the 20th century, modern composers wrote pieces which were dissonant in their harmonic language, employing complex rhythms and sophisticated melodic lines. Such music, though being very popular among the advanced organists, generally are too complicated for amateurs, beginner organists, or for organists with limited technical abilities. Therefore, such organists are in constant need to identify the easy collections of modern organ music with a high artistic level. In this article, I will share with you the list of 5 collections of 20th century organ music, which you can use for your practice, service playing or recitals.
1) 79 Organ Chorales, Op. 28 by Marcel Dupre. One of the most famous organists of the 20th century, the French composer Marcel Dupre intended this collection to be an introduction to the organ chorale preludes of Bach. They are fully edited by the composer, with complete fingering, pedaling, registration, articulation, and phrasing. Dupre also provides a very systematic way of learning and memorizing these short pieces. The harmonic language of these works is not dissonant but in the style of common practice period. 2) 24 Pieces for Organ or Harmonium (1933-39) by Jean Langlais. One of the most prolific French composers, the blind organist Jean Langlais wrote this collection with the intend to be performed on the organ or harmonium. Therefore, these pieces will sound equally well on the organ with or without pedals. Langlais musical style is highly modal and very colorful. In this collection you will find preludes, fugues, chorales, scherzos, and other character pieces and as well as a very easy toccata. 3) Organ Book (1956) by Jean Langlais. This collection contains 10 pieces: Prlude, Pastoral song, Choral in E minor, Flutes, Musette, Choral in F major, Scherzando, Andantino, Epithalamium, and Pasticcio. In every piece you will find the notorious sign of Langlais musical style - the use of modal system. 4) 12 Small Pieces for Organ or Harmonium (1962) by Jean Langlais. The 10 short pieces in this collection are composed in 8 church modes and 2 are written in a medieval style. They can be performed on organs with or without pedals equally well. The music shows how modern can sound a piece even if it has no key signatures at all. Perfect for creative service playing. 5) Organ Book (Parts I-III) by Ned Rorem. Ned Rorem is a famous American contemporary composer and Pulitzer Prize winner (in 1976 for his orchestral suite "Air Music"). He has been called by Time magazine "the world's best composer of art songs." He has championed tonality throughout his career in his lyrical yet forthright music. Rorem's Organ Book contains 16 pieces which are all accessible to organists with limited technical capabilities. Part I: Fantasy, Episode, Song, Serenade, and Reveill. Part II: Rex Tremendae, Magnificat, Pie Jesu, Stabat Mataer, "Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?", and In nominae Domine. Part III: Fanfare, Fugue, Impromptu, Passacaglia, and Rondo. If you like modal and tonal writing and mild dissonances, you will likely enjoy these collections. Each of them is easy enough to learn if you have only modest organ skills. In fact, they will serve as a great introduction to the larger pieces of the above composers and to the 20th century musical style in general. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. The organ music of 19th century France and Germany forms a foundation of the entire Romantic organ repertoire. Every organist loves dramatic symphonic style of Franck, Widor, and Guilmant. Many are also fascinated by the chromatic expression of Reubke, Liszt, and Reger. The problem is that unless organists have very solid piano technique in addition to their organ training, the majority of the works are simply out of reach for them. So naturally many people wonder if there are some 19th century pieces which could be played easily, perhaps as a preparation for longer works. If you are wondering what music is appropriate for your level from the Romantic period, this article will show you 5 collections which you can choose to practice, play, perform, and enjoy.
1) 11 Chorale Preludes, Op 122 by Johannes Brahms. One of the most influential German late Romantic composers, J.Brahms did not write much for the organ. However, his Preludes and Fugues, and 11 Chorale Preludes on the most popular chorale tunes are included in the Romantic repertoire of every serious organist. These short chorale preludes are fairly easy to play and wonderful to listen to. Favorites among audiences of various generations, they can be successfully used in service playing and recitals alike. 2) Liturgical Organist, Op. 65 by Alexander Guilmant. The French composer A.Guilmant was largely responsible for making the organ widely known and popular among the general American audiences. This could be achieved because of his frequent concert tours across the Atlantic. Although his popular Organ Sonatas are much more advanced technically, this liturgical collection of short pieces might be used by the amateur organists. His musical style is conservatively Romantic, his forms are always clear, and his melodies are always vocal and beautiful. 3) Pieces in Different Styles by Alexander Guilmant. This collection, which consists of Books 1-6 of his "Pieces in Different Styles," contains 24 pieces, many for which Guilmant was well-known, written primarily for church services. This volume is copied directly from the 3rd Edition of 1892, and contains a wealth of historical information, making it an essential part of the organist's library. Includes pieces for meditative music, communion music, marches, scherzo etc. Perfect for any lover of Romantic organ music. 4) Pieces from the Organ School by Jacques Lemmens. The Belgian organist J.Lemmens is best remembered for having created the first modern and very influential method of legato organ playing. This book was highly regarded by all important French organ composers of the time, including Franck, Widor, Vierne, and many others. Besides numerous systematic exercises, in his method book Lemmens provides many wonderful short compositions that are highly practical for organists with modest technical abilities. 5) 30 Short Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a by Max Reger. The late German Romantic composer M.Reger, the creator of forbiddingly difficult organ music, could also take a different tack. His Thirty Little Chorale Preludes are intended for semi-professional organists always on the lookout for good organ chorales for use in Sunday church services. Reger selected the best-known tunes of his day from the Lutheran hymnal. Most of them are still in use today and form excellent additions to modern services. Choose a few pieces from the above collections and start practicing them today. Do not forget to write in fingering and pedaling, take a slow tempo, work in fragments and correct your mistakes. After some time of such practice you will start to notice tremendous changes in your technique which will take your organ playing to the next level. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. Many famous organ pieces from the Romantic period are inaccessible for organists whose technical skills are not yet fully developed. Such works usually have the advanced pedal part, thick chromatic texture requiring constant use of finger substitution which is necessary to achieve the perfect legato touch. Yet many organists are in need to identify the compositions which could easily be played after a little practice. In this article, I will provide a list of 5 collections from the Romantic period which are easy to learn and wonderful to listen to.
1) "Practical Organist" by Alexander Guilmant. A superior collection by the "Alexander the Great" of the organ which can be played either on the organ with or without the pedal division, as well as on the harmonium. Here organists will find fine short compositions suitable for liturgical organ playing, such as communions, versets, offertories, marches, postludes etc. Every piece is skillfully composed and could also be used for recitals. Perfect as a preparation for more advanced organ sonatas by Guilmant. 2) "L'Organiste" by Cesar Franck. This collection contains 7 suites of 7 pieces each intended to play on the organ or harmonium. Every suite uses different major and minor keys. Shorter works are wonderful for liturgical service playing while the larger concluding pieces at the end of each suite might sound very well during recitals as well. Perfect as a preparation for longer works of the founder of the French symphonic organ school. 3) "Heures Mystiques" by Leon Boellmann. In this collection you will find a wealth of easy and delightful short versets which you can use at various places in liturgical setting. If you like the "Suite Gothique" of this French composer, these versets will serve perfectly as a preparation. 4) "12 Morceaux" by Jacques Lemmens. This Belgian composer is responsible for creating the first modern highly influential organ method "Ecole d"Orgue" or "Organ School". He methodically presents his system of playing legato on the organ which was successfully used by the later French composers, such as Franck, Widor, Vierne, and others. Similarly to other collections, Lemmens' pieces can be played on the organ or harmonium. 5) "Favorite Organ Music" by Louis-James-Alfred Lefebure-Wely. The music of the favorite organ demonstrator of the most significant French organ builder of the period, Aristide Cavaille-Coll is very charming. The composer employs the popular harmonic language of the time which is similar to the operatic style. For today's audiences, his music is very delightful to hear. At the same time, these pieces are easy enough to be playable by organists who have a small amount of piano background. Pedal part is easy as well. If you regularly practice the pieces from the above collections, you will improve your legato technique and prepare for more advanced compositions from the Romantic period. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. Do you have modest organ skills and only the basics of pedal playing? Would you like to know what pieces are most suitable for your level? It is important to choose compositions that are neither too hard nor too easy for best results. The problem is that many works that are easy to play, artistically and musically are uninteresting to perform and boring to listen to. In this article, I will give you the list of 5 collections of easy and quality Baroque organ music which you can use for your organ practice today.
1) 8 Short Preludes and Fugues, BWV 553-560. These little gems are long time favorites for many organists. They were formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach but currently it is believed they might have been written by one of the best students of Bach, Johann Ludwig Krebs. Each of these pieces display a variety of compositional techniques and meters. In this collection, the composer used the most common keys of the time: C major, d minor, e minor, F major, G major, g minor, a minor, and B flat major. They are perfect as a preparation for longer preludes and fugues. 2) The Neumeister Chorales by J.S.Bach. This collection was only recently discovered and it represents some of Bach's earliest musical achievements. Bach the teenager wrote them after the models of other important German composers of the time, such as Johann Pachelbel, among several others. Each manualiter chorale is unique and features different writing style. These pieces are perfect examples of how Bach developed his skills in composition. 3) 12 Easy Chorale Preludes by Georg Philipp Telemann. These are 3 voice manualiter works by a famous German Baroque composer. As the title suggest they require only the basic technical skills from an organist and do not require pedal part. Most of the time the chorale melody is placed in the soprano voice while to lower parts imitate each other creating dialogues and duets in various melodic and rhythmic figurations. 4) Chorale preludes by Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow. An excellent collection by the German composer who is best remembered as the first music teacher of George Friedrich Handel. Some pieces resemble imitative Pachelbel's technique in 4 voices while others are similar to Telemann's patterns in 3 voices. 5) Chorale partitas by Georg Bohm. Bohm was a champion of chorale variations which were also called partitas. These compositions are a little more advanced than more popular partitas by Johann Pachelbel because of a wealth of ornaments used and less uniform in terms of rhythmic and melodic figuration. Most of them could be played on manuals only. Perfect for showing many different stops of the organ. Use the above collections to create your own organ practice routine. Note that although these pieces are basic enough to be accessible to organists with only modest technical skills, in order to master them, regular and wise practice is a must. They can also be used as perfect exercises to improve your sight-reading. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. What Are the Top 5 Most Suitable and Playable Collections for Organ From the Baroque Period?4/4/2012 Every organist who has modest technical abilities has to face a question of what to play and practice. Many famous compositions are technically out of reach for them and some that are easy and short might be musically uninteresting. If you are looking for a list of manageable quality Baroque organ compositions, you have come to the right place. In this article, I will provide 5 organ collections which you can choose from for your practice.
1) Orgelbuchlein, BWV 599-644 by Johann Sebastian Bach. This is a wonderful collection by many respects. It is not easy, because most of the 46 chorale preludes have 4 independent voices, including a pedal line. However, the technical challenges are compensated by the very short length of each piece - most of them are only 1 page long in the autograph. They are perfect as a preparation for longer chorale preludes. 2) 44 organ chorales by Johann Christoph Bach. This is very practical and playable collection of the composer from the Bach family. The chorales are written in the fughetta form with points of imitation. Most of the pieces contain very easy pedal part. which also could be played on the manual. Highly recommended for organists with modest technical abilities. 3) Chorale preludes by Johann Pachelbel. Excellent works by the significant south German Baroque composer. Compositions are written using variety of compositional techniques, most notably vorimitation and cantus firmus with long note values in the soprano voice. Most of the works employ 4 voices and many of these pieces can also be played on manuals only. 4) Chorales from the Clavierubung by Johann Ludwig Krebs. This is a superb collection by one of the most famous student of J.S.Bach and contains 13 chorales each written in the following system: a prelude (praeambulum), manualiter chorale with chorale melody in one of the voices and chorale harmonization with the soprano and bass part in continuo notation. The last part could be played with or without pedals. 5) Chorale partitas by Johann Pachelbel. These are wonderful sets of manualiter variations in 2, 3, and 4 voices. Each variation employs one melodic and rhythmic figuration throughout. They are highly practical and playable by organists with modest technical abilities. In addition, they are perfect for demonstration of variety of organ stops and their combinations. Note that this list is not written in a graded order. Although these pieces don't require an advanced organ technique, they might not be sight-readable. Some organists will have to put in some practice time in order to master them but they are artistically very pleasing and well worth the effort. They will be perfect works for service playing and recitals. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. Some organists live in an area where finding a decent practice organ is difficult. They may even have to drive for many miles to play the organ. However, the solution might be quite simple, without the constant need of commuting. In this article, I will give you 4 powerful techniques for practicing organ playing without an organ.
1) Practice on the piano. Practicing organ pieces on the piano also helps to build up your technique. For this practice to work you would only need to use the special organ touch on the piano (mp) without using too much force. And of course, replicate the necessary organ articulation. If your organ piece has a pedal line, you can imagine it and play it on the floor. Yes, you don't see the pedals this way, but what is more important, you are making the necessary movements with your feet. You can sing the pedal part while playing the rest on the piano. This will help to listen to the pedal line (and will develop your ear training). See my article about piano practice for more details. 2) Practice on the table. You can take your organ practice one step further. Play your manual part on the table, and the pedal on the floor. I have written about this technique in detail in this article. By the way, I use the piano practice to prepare for recitals whenever I stay at my summer cottage where I have the piano. The table practice works fine for me when I'm traveling. Just last Friday, I had a concert in the famous Riga Cathedral where I stayed at the hotel and practiced on the table. It worked great. 3) Practice with your organ score only. This is a very effective way of practicing but not too many people use it. For this practice to work, you don't need any instrument at all, just your organ score. In fact, you don't even need a table for your finger work. All you need is to imagine your music and your playing while looking at the score. As you practice this way, try to follow the music with your eyes and focus on each measure. The more details you can imagine and notice, the better your practice will be. You can notice the fingering, pedaling, articulation and other elements. Very often when we play an instrument, our minds will wonder around and we loose focus which is not a very effective way of practicing. You will be surprised, how much your focus will improve when you practice using your organ score only. 4) Memorize the piece and don‘t use any instrument. This technique is a continuation of the previous tip. We all know the power of practicing from memory even though we perform the music from the score. By memorizing the piece you will know it on a much deeper level. You will internalize the piece – that is why they call it „playing by hearth“. However, this tip takes memorization even one step further. Here you don‘t need an organ, piano, or table. Just imagine that you are playing the piece the way described in the third tip. Your fingers and feet should not move. In fact, you can practice this way while lying in bed – just before you fall asleep for the night. Again, the more detail you can imagine, the better. This will be a tremendous help for improving your focus also. If you are not used to it, at first you will find hard to even imagine one line because your focus might be not as strong. However, with time you will be able to complete the entire piece without losing focus. Note that these tips are not a real substitute for organ practice, but if you can combine organ, piano, table, organ score, and your memory regularly - you will have a powerful practice routine. Try any or all of the above techniques today. You will save a lot of gas money this way needed for commuting. You can also download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. One of the most important reasons which stop people from playing the organ is the lack of practice instruments. Without having a regular access to the organ it is very hard to make a constant progress and advance in organ playing. However, finding a suitable organ near you is not as difficult as you might think. In this article, I will give you 4 tips which will help you to get access to practice on the organ.
1) Look for colleges and universities in your area. Go online and search for some school of higher education near the place were you live. Very often music departments of these universities offer classes and degrees in organ performance. Consequently, they also must have some organs at their disposal. While the large organs in concert halls might be difficult to get access to, the small practice organs are perfect in your case. Introduce yourself to the local organ professors and ask for possibility to use their instruments for practice. 2) Look for churches in your area. Because most of the organs are built for churches, see if you can find some which are close to where you live. Don't be afraid to approach local clergy and ask them for possibility to practice on their organs. Many churches are empty in between of services and you should be in nobody's way. Of course, it is wise to ask for a constant practice time which will be available for you. 3) Offer volunteering once a week in exchange for organ practice. Sometimes clergy might want something in return, so if you are just starting to play the organ, a little of volunteering can be a good idea. You see, very often churches have organist shortage these days and if you are competent enough to play a service by yourself, this can be a great practical training opportunity to get more experience. Who knows, maybe part-time organist position might become handy with some extra income when you retire. Note that I am not suggesting you should always volunteer to play for services, this advice is only for people who are at the beginning of their organist career and want to get more experience along with some practice opportunities. 4) Get to know local organists. Usually organists are very supportive for people who are interested in learning to play their instrument. Introduce yourself to the local organ community, attend their recitals and talk to them afterwards. Use the power of social media to find organists from your area and interact with them. Don't forget to congratulate them on the success of their recital and ask questions like how long did it take them to learn a particular piece or how did they become interested in organ playing. Once the conversation is active, tell them that you are also interested in learning to play the organ, the only problem being getting access to an instrument for practice. After such introduction, your organists might offer some ideas or even their instruments. You can even ask for paid lessons, if the person seems good to you. Use one or all of the above tips today and perhaps tomorrow you can practice on the real organ. You can also download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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