Blog Archives - secrets of organ playing - when you practice, miracles happen

Playing Organ Recitals: What Can Quantity Do To Your Success Level?

6/30/2012

Are you struggling with the quality in your organ recital playing? Or perhaps you are frustrated with the stress level concert playing may bring? My guess is that you haven't played many recitals in the past. You need quite a few recitals under your belt to be an experienced and fearless performer. In this article, I will explain to you what quantity can do to your success level.

Do you remember your very first organ recital? Most people do. The first public appearance is usually very exciting. Yet it may bring a lot of stress and the performer can make quite a few mistakes, if he/she is not properly automated his/her playing.

Then usually the 2nd and the 3rd recitals go worse than the first because now you know what to expect. You get nervous and start making mistakes in places which are ridiculously simple. I have to say that this is perfectly normal. It is just a natural learning progress.

Then starting from your 5th recital, you begin to feel good about your playing. When you reach 10 recitals, you can consider yourself passing to the next level.

Although playing 10 recitals is a good start, you need around 50-60 to gain experience. Try to play as many recitals with the same program in different venues in the same year as possible. Then learn a new program and do the same.

Imagine you learn a concert program and play a concert once a month for a year. That makes 12 concerts per year. If you learn one new program a year, which is easy to do, and keep the same concert schedule for 5 years, you will have 60 recitals under your belt.

That's the initial number you should aim for. Incidentally, notice how your playing becomes very solid after about 10th recital of the same program. You may even memorize the pieces to feel even more secure.

Use these tips in playing organ recitals. In time, they will empower you to become a respected expert who will have no fear in playing concerts. This way your performances will become of high quality level and free from mistakes.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

Organ Practice: 6 Tips For Keeping Correct Rhythms in Long Pieces

6/29/2012

Do you struggle in keeping the steady tempo and correct rhythms in organ pieces that are more than 2 pages in length? Or perhaps you are frustrated because your teacher says your tempo and rhythms are off but you just can't seem to notice it? In this article, I will give you 6 tips which will help you to keep correct rhythms in longer pieces.

1. Feel the constant pulse. The most important thing which helps me in playing in steady tempo and in correct rhythms in short or long compositions is feeling of the pulse. Regardless of the difficulty level of the piece, your rhythms will be fine if you will keep the track of the pulse.

2. Count the beats in the measure. When the complicated rhythms throw your playing off balance, try counting the parts of the measure. Make sure you do not miss a single measure because if you do, very likely this is going to be a place where your rhythms are incorrect.

3. Subdivide the beats. Count not only the quarter notes but also the eight notes. If the meter is 4/4, count "one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and". If the smallest rhythmical unit is a sixteenth note, count "one-eh-and-ah, two-eh-and-ah, three-eh-and-ah, four-eh-and-ah".

4. Count out loud these subdivisions. Very often we imagine that our rhythms were correct when in reality they were not. To make sure you are counting correctly, practice saying the numbers aloud.

5. Do not use metronome when practicing. Use it only to check the starting tempo. Imagine that metronome is something similar to a crutch. You can't learn to walk by using a crutch. The same rule is valid in music when you want to learn to play in correct rhythms. You have to use your ears, not metronome.

6. Record yourself. This is a very powerful tip which I hope you will take advantage of. By recording yourself and attentively listening to the recording you can discover the mistakes you just made which otherwise would be difficult to spot. Unfortunately, far too few people are recording themselves in practice.

Use these tips when practicing to keep correct rhythms in longer pieces today. They will help you to overcome rhythmical problems in your organ playing.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

Organ Practice: How to Learn to Play Triplets Against Duplets Correctly in 5 Minutes?

6/29/2012

Many organists struggle in playing complicated rhythms correctly. One such situation is when you have to play two notes (duplets) against three (triplets) in the same beat. Because it is quite difficult to hear two different rhythms simultaneously, very often organists either speed up the triplets or slow down the duplets which is obviously incorrect. In this article, I will show you how to practice playing two notes against three correctly.

If you want to master correct playing of duplets against triplets (two against three) try this exercise:

1. Imagine that triplets will become a group of 3 eight notes in 3/8, 6/8, 9/8 or similar meter.

2. Then add an extra sixteenth note to the second note of the triplet, e.g. the entire group will look like this: eighth-sixteenth-sixteenth-eighth.

3. Keeping in mind the rhythm from the previous step, try tapping the triplets with the right hand while tapping duplets with the left hand. Notice how the second note of the duplet in the left hand will be inserted exactly in the middle of the last two notes of the triplet. Practice this group repeatedly (100 times).

4. Repeat the previous step by switching hands. Now the left hand will tap triplets and the right hand - duplets. Practice this version repeatedly (100 times). Shift your focus from duplets to triplets and vice versa and try that each group will sound exactly even.

5. Then take an episode from an actual composition with such rhythms and try to recreate the rhythms you just tapped. If you tried to play duplets against triplets before in this piece, you will notice how much easier the whole business of keeping correct rhythms becomes now.

Use these steps in mastering complicated duplets and triplets in your organ piece today. At first, you may find the task of 100 repetitions daunting but don't worry - since the group of three notes is very short, it will take less than 5 minutes to master.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

How to Achieve Quality in Playing Organ Recitals?

6/28/2012

Do you want to achieve success organ concert playing? One of the vital points here is quality. If your recital is of a high quality level, your listeners will more likely to enjoy it and remember you in the future. In this article, I will give you tips on how to achieve quality in playing organ recitals.

Both in preparation and in performance you should strive for minimum mistakes. Try to be very precise and exact in playing and releasing every single note. Of course, this is very difficult to achieve but keeping a slow tempo in practice will make this task easier.

For example, if the tempo of the piece is allegro or 120 quarter notes per minute, you should not practice it in the concert tempo. Instead, take a tempo, which allows you to play without mistakes, something like 60 quarter notes per minute or even slower.

There is one thing which really helps to minimize mistakes - keep the focus of your mind. Stay focused in every measure and don't allow yourself to relax until your recital is over. Basically this is the practice of your mind. Deep and slow breathing helps to keep your mind focused. Your body should be relaxed but your mind should feel like on fire.

I remember one of my best recitals in terms of focus. I focused my mind on the breathing for about 20 minutes right before the recital. Some people might call it meditation. Towards the end of this time my mind became very clear. Then it was the time for me to start the recital.

I forced myself to keep this feeling and focus of mind every single measure even during breaks between the pieces. Consequently my playing became free of mistakes because I was fully in control of my every movement.

Use these tips in playing and preparing for organ recitals today. In time, they will empower you to become a respected expert who can play recitals without any mistakes.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

What Sports and Organ Practice Have in Common?

6/27/2012

Do you want to achieve success as an organist? In order to do this, you will need to outrank your competitors. One of the ways which helps you to become better than your fellow organists is to look around and see how people perfect their skills in other professions. In this article, I will show you what sports and organ practice have in common.

Try to be unique in your organ practice. Compare your practice to other areas of life and see if you can use similar techniques in your practice.

For example, you could take a look at athletes in various sports and see how they practice their moves. You see, sports and music are similar in that both activities require countless repetitions of similar movements which leads to mastery.

For instance, in basketball a player who wants to improve his/her shots from a certain position must practice them repeatedly hundreds if not thousands of times. In a way, the best basketball player will practice until every single one of his/her shots is successful. In a way, his/her movements have to become automatic.

The same is with organ playing. If you run into the problematic spot in you organ score and want to perfect it, you must practice it repeatedly. You must play it right until literally you just can't make the same mistake again.

In my experience, this process takes around 100 repetitions spread over time. I remember, when I tried to perfect "the Gigue" Fugue in G major, BWV 577 by Bach some years ago.

I mastered this fugue in 10 days by repeating each fragment 10 times every day. First 10 repetitions were just a good start but felt quite shaky. Then with every set of 10 new repetitions, it was exciting to see gradual improvements in the performance of this piece.

Of course, I completely memorized this fugue in the process. My feet movements became automatic thanks to pedal preparation technique I was using. I couldn't miss a note in the pedal line even if I wanted to.

Find and apply similar techniques used in sports in your organ practice today. In time, they will empower you to become a respected expert and a leader whom others will want to follow.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

Organ Practice: What Practice Length Means to You

6/27/2012

Are you struggling in achieving success as an organist? Perhaps you should think about the length of your practice. In this article, I will explain what practice length means for your playing.

The majority of organists don't spent too much time practicing organ playing. They play a few minutes here and few minutes there. In addition, they find it difficult to practice every day.

Sometimes such organists will complain that practicing organ playing is not for them. However, when I ask them how much time they spend on the organ bench, they respond by saying they play organ one day per week for 30 minutes with a total amount of 2 hours per month.

Of course, this is exactly why they keep on struggling. 30 minutes per week is just simply too little time to see any progress.

The more time you put in your practice the better. Some organists spend as many as 8 hours a day practicing their organ pieces. I don't recommend this approach. You see, if you play without a break for many hours, your practice quality most likely will deteriorate.

Instead, practice until you can keep you mind focused at the present measure. To train your mind, push yourself a bit further so you can extend your focus a few minutes longer.

With time you will find that your focus level improves and you can practice longer. So gradually you can extend your sessions until about 2 hours a day. I believe this is an optimum length. You still can make some rests every 30 minutes or so.

If you want to be the best in what you do, you cannot hope to achieve this level practicing only a few minutes a day. If you consistently practice 2 hours a day you will start noticing some tremendous changes and improvements in your organ playing very soon.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

5 Tips for Achieving Quality in Organ Practice

6/27/2012

Do you want to achieve success as an organist? In order to be successful, your practice has to become of the highest quality. I have 5 tips for your practice in this article.

1. Try to practice better than your competitors do. If you want to become a better organist than many of your fellow organists, you have to apply better and more efficient practice techniques than they are using.

You see, the majority of organists simply play their organ pieces from the beginning until the end without any practice plan. They think such playing will allow them to master the pieces they practice.

However, the reality is that although you can learn some easy pieces that way reasonably well, you will not be able to advance to the new quality level. So you have to have special efficient practice system which allows you to master new difficult pieces faster, easier, and better than your competitors.

2. Focus on giving your best in your practice. Many people tend to practice with a relaxed mind which doesn't compel them to push themselves a bit further than they can do at present.

If you want to give your best in your concerts and recitals, you have to do the same in your practice. Imagine that today's practice dictates results of the tomorrow. Be very strict with yourself and constantly ask if there is anything else that you could improve in your practice.

3. Focus your mind. It will be easier to give your best in practice if you stay focused. Many people tend to have short attention spans but it doesn't mean you couldn't practice making stronger and longer focus.

Keep your attention focused on your present measure and do not allow yourself to relax until the practice is over (or until the previously designated break).

4. Do not allow yourself to make a mistake. Practice at such a tempo which allows your playing be free of mistakes. This is very important if you want to achieve success as an organist.

5. Make correcting your mistakes a habit. Of course, in every practice session you will find yourself making mistakes every now and again. If you make a mistake, go back and correct it repeatedly until you can't make the same mistake again.

Use these tips in your organ practice today. If you consistently apply them when practicing organ playing, in time they will empower you to become a respected expert and a leader whom others will want to follow.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

Programing Organ Recitals: How to Think Outside the Box to Become a Successful Organist?

6/27/2012

Have you ever thought what successful concert organists have in common? They all think outside the box. They try to be different than their competitors which makes them unique. In this article, I will show you how thinking outside the box in programing organ recitals can help you to achieve success as a concert organist.

If you want to become successful in giving organ recitals, try to be different from the majority of organists. Think of what can you do differently than anybody else in the organ world?

Think of your listeners. If there are many organ concerts in your area, you should be thinking of what will propel your audience choose your concert instead of others. In other words, why they would go to your recital?

You should think about the program of your concert very carefully and try to make it unique. You see, the majority of organists play organ recitals which consist of a mixture of pieces from various historical periods and national schools of organ composition.

Although this approach works perfectly fine when programming organ recitals, it will not necessarily make your recital unique. Consequently, the listeners might not be drawn to your recital because they will think of it as one of many others and not something extraordinary which shouldn't be missed.

Possible solutions to this issue might be giving your recital a unique title, programming it around a specific and colorful theme, including informative and/or entertaining verbal presentations and explanations about organ pieces and composers in your program, and even thinking about the involvement of members of the audience.

Use the above tips and think outside the box in your preparation for your organ recital today. With time, this approach will put you in a situation when you can become a leader in your field and you will be considered as an expert by others. Consequently, being an expert will give you success you deserve as a concert organist.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

How to Become a Successful Organist?

6/27/2012

Do you want to achieve success as an organist? I have 8 tips for your practice, recital playing and marketing in this article.

1. Quality in practice. Try to practice better than your competitors do. Do not allow yourself to make a mistake. If you make a mistake, go back and correct it until you can't make the same mistake again.

2. Quantity in practice. The more time you put in your practice the better. If you want to be the best in what you do, you cannot hope to achieve this level practicing only a few minutes a day.

3. Unique practicing approach. Try to be unique in your organ practice. Compare your practice to other areas of life and see if you can use similar techniques in your practice.

4. Unique recital programming. When you choose the program for your organ recital, always think of your listeners first. Ask yourself, what makes my program different from many others and worth listening?

5. Quality in playing recitals. Both in preparation and in performance you should strive for minimum mistakes. Stay focused in every measure and don't allow yourself to relax until your recital is over.

6. Quantity in playing recitals. Although playing 10 recitals is a good start, you need many more to gain experience and become an expert. Try to play as many recitals with the same program in different venues in the same year as possible. Then learn a new program and do the same.

7. Unique marketing approach. Use social media marketing and content marketing to achieve a wider web present.

8. Consistency in marketing. Think of marketing as growing a plant. You wouldn't water your tree just once and forget it, would you? Instead you would give your tree all your attention regularly and consistently. The same applies in marketing yourself as an organist.

Use the above tips in your organ practice, in playing recitals and marketing yourself as an organist today. In time, they will empower you to become a respected expert and a leader whom others will want to follow.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

Organ Playing: 8 Steps in Analyzing Contrapunctus No. 1 From the Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 by Bach

6/22/2012

Are you trying to analyze the structure of the Contrapunctus No. 1 from Bach's the Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 but don't know where to start? It is important that you know how the piece is put together before you are attempting to practice it. This way you will be able to fully appreciate the composer's intentions. Read my 8 steps in this article to find out.

1. Subject. Take a look at the theme at the beginning of the piece. It is 4 measures long. Notice how it consists both of the chordal tones of the d minor key and the notes in stepwise motion.

2. Answer. The answer is the second subject entrance after the theme. Usually it is in the key of the dominant. Look at it and discover if the answer is a perfect transposition of the subject (real answer) or it has some melodic modifications (tonal answer) so that it would stay in the same mode.

3. Countersubject. A countersubject is a contrasting melody which goes together with the answer. The countersubject is written in a voice which previously had a subject. Check if the countersubject stays the same throughout the piece or if it changes every time there is a subject.

4. Exposition. Exposition consists of the subject and answer series until every voice has entered. Since this fugue is in 4 parts, the exposition also lasts until all voices have finished their entrances, usually in alternation of the key of the tonic and dominant.

5. Counter-exposition. After the exposition, several other entrances form the counter-exposition. The tonal design for it might vary a little but the generally the order of entrances are inverted - answer comes before the subject.

6. Episodes. The episodes are parts of the fugue that connect different subject entries. Usually they are formed of sequences based on the material from the subject or countersubject. Look for episodes between the exposition and counter-exposition. Additionally, there are episodes after the counter-exposition.

7. Other subject entrances. Most of the time other subject entrances move to closely related keys. However, since it is a simple fugue, the subjects continue to be in the tonic and in the dominant.

8. Pedal points. Towards the end of the fugue, there are 2 episodes which are built around two sustained notes in the bass part. The first is in the key of the dominant and the second is built around the tonic note. The dominant pedal point increases tension and features constant fluctuation between the key of the dominant and the tonic. The tonic pedal point is like a resolution of this tension - there is a constant alternation between the key of the tonic and subdominant.

Many fugues also have canonic subject or answer entrances towards the end of the composition. This part is called a stretto. However, since this is only the first in the series of complex fugues in the cycle of the Art of the Fugue, there are no canonic subject entrances in this fugue.

Use the above steps in analyzing the Contrapunctus No. 1 from the Art of the Fugue by Bach today. After you know how the piece is put together, you can write in fingering and pedaling and start practicing it.

By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. It is based on Bach's the Art of the Fugue.