 Yesterday the theme for Artstorm Daily Drawing Contest where I participate on Steemit was “Bad Art” to be interpreted in any way I wanted. Usually the themes are quite specific. For example, the day before was “Cowboys and Cowgirls” but this time we had a lot of interpretation freedom.
I don’t do well (at least at first) when there is no clear assignment what to create. I mean, yes, I do, but my fear tells me I won’t be able to. So before I started to draw Bad Art, I had no idea what to do with this theme. I actually wrote this as a comment to a fellow Steemian. But then the time came for me to sit down and draw something. And you know what? A vague idea came to me - I want to draw Cornelius the purple cardinal and Dietrich the mouse drawing each other. Usually they fight so it was a new activity for them. At first I didn’t know exactly what would they draw or even what would they say to each other. But I started drawing anyway. I drew the drawing boards first so that the contents would be visible at an angle. Then on the left side I drew Cornelius holding a brush. “Oh, that’s easy”, I thought. Why don’t I draw Dietrich on the right also holding a brush. And a palette! They both need a palette with some colors, right? At this moment the idea came to me of what would they draw - Cornelius would draw a lot of small mice and Dietrich - a lot of small birds. And so I did. And left some white space to show that their drawings aren’t finished yet. Now there was some empty space in the center of my drawing which asked to be filled in. At that moment I thought I don’t want to draw Pinky and Spiky today and Ausra has just finished drawing Victor the spider doing bad art. So Betsy the butterfly seemed quite appropriate. She often tries to stop Cornelius and Dietrich when they fight. As I drew her with her wings spread out she started talking! In my mind I heard how she asked, “What’s this? A crowd of mice and purple cardinals?” So I added this comment in the white space next to her. Obviously now Cornelius on the left started answering this question: “We’re competing for the largest number of Dietrichs and Corneliuses”. Now Dietrich on the right had to give a punchline. He said: “I feel the flow.” Is it funny? I don’t know. Is it surprising? Maybe. Is it perfect? Not at all… But it’s not the point. My point is that I didn’t have to wait for an exact dialog and set of characters and their actions to appear in front of me before I started drawing. Sometimes it does happen though. But more often than not, I grab my notebook, a pen, sit down and start drawing the frame. As I do this, gradually I get the idea what to draw next. I start to draw those characters and when I do, they naturally start talking. Before I know it, I have to stop them because they won’t shut up! The same free flow strategy works for me when I write, compose or improvise music too. In one way it resonates with the idea that William Somerset Maugham was talking about when he wrote: “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.” I’m not as organized as he was, obviously. But this I know: Most often inspiration strikes when I sit down to do the work. It’s also what Steven Pressfield talks about in his book “Do the Work”. Will this idea work for you?
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 In general, I’m an optimistic person. I don’t dwell on negative thoughts too much. But sometimes I have episodes in my day or week or month when these toxic feelings take hold of me for a while.
One exercise that immediately deletes my negative thoughts is to count 10 or more things that I’m grateful for in the last 24 hours. Sometimes I do it in my mind while lying in bed. Sometimes I write them down. Like today. Here are 16 things that I’m grateful for today in the reverse order: 1. That I had a good night’s sleep; 2. That I didn’t check my phone in the middle of the night; 3. That I didn’t check my phone before going to bed; 4. That I said “I love you” to Ausra last night; 5. That we watched a romantic movie “Two Weeks Notice” together; 6. That we ate a juicy and sweet watermelon while watching this movie; 7. That I picked up apples that were fallen under our 5 apple trees; 8. That I drew Pinky and Spiky Underwater comic strip; 9. That I wrote a post “Whom To Ignore”; 10. That I ate tasty blueberry dumplings that Ausra’s mom cooked for lunch; 11. That Ausra and I came up with a funny theme for this week’s Pinky And Spiky Drawing Contest (Spiky Cuts Himself); 12. That I cut myself while shaving; 13. That together we cleaned our house; 14. That together we practiced our organ duet program for the upcoming recital at St Paul’s Cathedral in London next Sunday; 15. That we ate a tasty omelet which Ausra had made for breakfast; 16. That one Total Organist student sign up in the morning; As I wrote this list down for you, the first 6 were kind of easy to remember and the rest were much harder. But I have to keep going until the list of 10 is complete. Sometimes even 15 or 20. Don’t give up when it’s tough. Notice that not all of the things on this list will be positive because I have to be grateful for negative things too because they may lead to some positive outcomes or because they are a good exercise in humility. So there you have it. My 16 things that I’m grateful for today. AS soon as I wrote them down, I feel positive energy and happiness run through me again. I’m ready to create today. Try this exercise today and let me know if it helps.  What do you do when good-willing people criticize your actions? Do you listen to their advice or do you ignore them?
It depends what do they criticize, right? If they criticize my art, personally I tend to pay attention only to those who are in the same shoes as myself, who are creators. And not only creators but people who show their art to the world. People who are just bystanders - they don’t matter. Anonymous comments on YouTube - don’t matter, nasty comments on my blog - they don’t matter. Some people go so far as to turn off commenting option on the blog completely. One-star reviews on Amazon for your book? They don’t matter. Five-star reviews for that matter - they don’t matter either. What about family members? Do you ignore them too? Well, if they are creators like me, I do take their criticism seriously, everyone else - doesn’t matter. Of course, it hurts to read nasty comments from arm-chair quarterback. But you know what - they haven’t done any of the hard work to earn your respect and trust. You, on the other hand - constantly create and ship your art, make yourself vulnerable to criticism and put yourself on the line. This is brave. And rare. When I was just starting to share my organ playing videos on YouTube many years ago, I remember one comment somebody wrote that if I want to teach others how to play pipe organ, I have to learn to play myself without mistakes myself. Apparently he found a few wrong notes in one of my videos. I asked him that I would be honored if he could direct me to some of his videos so that I could learn from him. Guess what? He vanished and never came back to comment. So as soon as you ask them to show their work, they run away, because they probably understand that they have nothing to show for it. Real creators never criticize others with the intention to hurt them. Sure, we may say a word or two about how their art could be improved but this is intentionally optimistic feedback. You might think that it is very arrogant from my part to think this way. Basically to ignore everybody, like Hugh McLeod writes in his book with the same title. And in a sense it is. But this is the only way to keep creating and keep shipping. I know that my writing isn’t perfect, that it isn’t on the level that world-class writers write. But it doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that I did my work today and shared it. I believe that practice will make it better over time. So if you write that this is the worst post you have ever read in the comments, I’m going to ignore it too and I’m not going to beat myself up for that. And if you write that this is the best post you have ever read, I’ll write “thank you” politely also without thinking of myself as genius. Good and bad feedback doesn’t matter. Otherwise we either grow our egos so much that we think we are the best on earth or we humiliate ourselves and hide our art in the closet and eventually stop creating altogether. I think we can do better than that.  Have you ever seen this stupid ad on your phone when you check your mail: “How Can We Take Control Of Our Future?” That’s obviously a lie - they will gladly take your money in exchange of false promises.
But this morning when I saw this message, I thought, maybe there is some deeper meaning in all this. How can I control my future if I could be dead any minute? Or people who love me and whom I love could be dead in the blink of an eye too… That’s not exaggeration. People die every day… That’s a fact of life. Another fact of life is that we don’t control anything. That being said, there are some ways of how I could move to the direction where given the right circumstances my life could be immensely improved. For this to happen, I need to start balancing the four areas of my life: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. My physical self needs at least 3 basic things to start moving in the healthy direction - sleep, food and movement. I need at least 8 hours of quality sleep every night, eat healthy meals with moderation and at least 30 minutes a day of some form of physical exercise. With all 3 basics I need work - I tend to go to sleep too late and therefore don’t feel fully rested in early in the morning when I wake up. Also doing activities on the phone before bed isn’t healthy. We all know that but it’s so addictive, isn’t it? With eating I tend to eat too much. It would be nice to skip dinner but I’m struggling with this. With physical exercise I have been doing better recently - going to the gym or taking a walk or exercising at home. We’ll see if this habit lasts. Maybe later when it’s easy for me to motivate myself to move I could fix my sleep and eating habits as well. The second area is my emotional self. Here I have to stay away from toxic people and avoid stressful situations. It’s not as simple as it might sound because I need to learn to say no. No to people who complain, no to people who suck my energy without giving anything in return and yes to people whom I love and who love me. If I can’t change the people around me, I must change the way I react to toxic people. I think I’m doing better at this over time. Earlier I would get quite frustrated or angry with them but now I simply don’t engage and walk away. I’m not perfect, though. Toxic situations still occur but less often than some years before. I’ve been learning or so it seems. The third area is my mental self. Basically this is my creative side of me. I have to create and share with the world at least something every day or else my creative muscle will atrophy. To me this means writing, drawing, teaching, composing, playing, reading and improvising. I try to do all 7 activities every day so it’s best to start my day creatively because time is short. But sometimes I catch myself procrastinating and eating sunflower seeds. So there is still space for improvement here. Notice I’m not saying there is space for improvement in doing these 7 creative things. To me, all it matters is that quantity and quality will come from there. All it matters is that I do all these things (or just one thing or several) and with time I will get better at them. The last area of my life is my spiritual side. To different people it means different things. For some it means being religious and praying, for some - meditation, for some - being grateful. I choose to be grateful for everything that is happening around me. Yes, for the headache I was feeling yesterday too. Because everything can be understood as practice. So there you have it: if every day we could improve some tiny aspect of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual areas of our lives, we would move to the right direction as human beings. I first heard about this from the book of James Altucher “Choose Yourself” if you want to get to the source. There is no such thing as controlling our futures but we would position ourselves in a way where we could improve ourselves one step at a time. Also I know that thinking too much about future or past doesn’t help. Stress, anxiety, fear, shame and other toxic emotions come from this attachment. It means I have to stay in the present moment as much as possible. To control my future, I have to stay in the now. And this is the most difficult thing for me. What about you? What’s your experience about controlling your future?
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Let’s start episode 255 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Heidi and she writes: Since I have imposed upon you again with a lengthy answer to what I’m sure you thought was a question that would have a succinct reply, I will reduce my desires into a few bullet points: (although I’m glad you know a little bit more about who I am) * I wish to expand my grasp of Theory to enable me to learn Improvisation * Most difficult are the physical challenges and the lack of motivation to practice because I get discouraged when I remember how I used to play. I still play well, just not as well as I was able to, and I remember that whenever I play. It is a blessing, and a curse! * My wishlist: Training materials and perhaps video? ? for the Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C-Minor. V: Let’s start from the ending, right? We have this fingering and pedaling prepared for the score of Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right, we have it. V: So Heidi and others who are interested in learning this piece can take advantage of it right away and Heidi is a new Total Organist student, she joined it recently and let’s welcome her and we hope that she can also quadruple her results and motivation. That’s her second challenge, right? The lack of motivation to practice because she remembers in the past how she used to play well. A: And I think she mentions herself those two problems are connected. Between physical challenges and lack of motivation I think that physical challenge comes from the lack of motivation to practice. It means that she practice not enough. V: Umm-hmm. And that’s the reason I thought about this problem for a very, very long time when creating materials for Total Organist and everything seemed right for that program. It’s very comprehensive. Actually too many materials to choose from and now we have organized everything according to the level of difficulty for beginners, basic level, intermediate, advanced level so everyone can choose whatever it is their skill level to learn and practice, whatever they like best. But you feel Ausra what’s the problem, right? That people who start learning a piece and not necessarily finish it. A: That’s right. Actually yes, that’s a problem with many of us in many cases. Even when we studied for our doctoral at UNL. I have learned that there are so many doctoral students who are not able to finish their dissertations and I think after taking all those years of studies, all those travels, getting all those credits done and taking comprehensive exams, I think to write dissertation and to finish it is just like a piece a cake, but it seems that it’s not and so many just quit doing it and will not receive their degree and that’s a pity. V: Maybe they don’t want it badly enough, right? A: But after spending so many years doing extensive studies. V: But I mean the diploma, the degree. Maybe it was important for them in the beginning and less important at the end. Maybe their goals changed. A: I think it’s some sort of procrastination that catches them up at this stage of getting a degree. V: I see. So, talking about Heidi and others who feel the lack of motivation to practice I came up with a solution recently. A: Really, tell us about it. V: I told you about that yesterday. Technology can save us, you know. A: How? V: There is a platform called BaseCamp and now I set up a communication channel for our groups. People who are transcribing fingering and pedaling for us, who are transcribing podcasts, and also for Total Organist students. And right now we have like sixty-seven students on the team and the good thing is you can have instant, automatic accountability. At the end of the day I can send them a question, “What did you work on today?” Every day, unless they decide it’s too much or they quit, right? It’s their choice. But I want to help them quadruple their motivation and if they quadruple motivation they will quadruple their results of their practice too. Because every day they know that I am going to ask this question of them and they will feel responsible to practice a little bit, at least fifteen minutes a day. What do you think about it, Ausra? A: So you will be like a mother for them, yes teaching, “No, no, no, you have to finish your meal, you have to brush your teeth before bed.” V: Sure, yeah. I could be mother or father, I don’t care as long as it gets people results. A: Yeah. V: What’s your question would be at the end of the day? A: That’s a too hard question, maybe I will not answer it. V: Maybe at the beginning of the day you could ask what people are going to practice on today, right? A: Yes, that’s right, I would like it more. V: At the beginning Ausra, and at the end Vidas. A very nice team. So you see guys if we used email coaching, right? Like we did, people would send us questions with their problems and we would answer those questions via email. That is helpful, right Ausra? But people first have to send them to us. That’s a big, big hurdle. And then nobody sees them, nobody notices. But here on this platform, on BaseCamp, everyone on Total Organist team, about sixty-seven people, will get a notification that somebody has written an answer. What did he or she practice on today, right? And then perhaps they will comment on it and perhaps they will share their own answer, too. You see, it’s like a community. A little bit of a community feeling and we could grow together. What do you think, Ausra? A: I think that’s a nice idea. V: I wouldn’t be able to do that on my own writing those questions to sixty-seven students, sixty-seven times but now technology allows me to automatically set up this question at the end of the day and people just get it and write an answer if they wish. So Heidi is Total Organist student and I think she will get so much out of it too. A: So now what about the first question. Heidi wishes to expand her grasp of theory in order to be able to improvise. V: Obviously, you could start improvising without any knowledge of theory by choosing random four pitches as we sometimes like to suggest, right? But Music theory never hurts. So we have a few courses on chords, on harmony, and she could take advantage within Total Organist. A: Yes, as you say theory never hurts. Tell that to my students at school. There will be a different opinion I think, that theory actually hurts. V: You know Heidi says she has lack of motivation to practice but in comparison to your students at school I think she has too much motivation to practice because she sends me questions like that. A: That’s true, that’s true. V: Has anybody asked this question before at school? A: Only “why do we have to do it?” V: So that’s the big difference. And remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
This blog/podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training online. It has hundreds of courses, coaching and practice materials for every area of organ playing, thousands of instructional videos and PDF's. You will NOT find more value anywhere else online...
Total Organist helps you to master any piece, perfect your technique, develop your sight-reading skills, and improvise or compose your own music and much much more... Sign up and begin your training today. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. Check it out here Here's what one of our students is saying: My favorite things are: the daily encouragement and the reinforcement of technique which serves me well and helps to keep me focused as a full time church musician. Having some of the scores pre-marked saves me preparation time and can allow me to learn a piece faster. Have a great day, Robert Would you like to receive the same or even better results that Robert is getting? If so, join 80+ other Total Organist students here.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 254 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Gene, from http://generoberson.com and Steve from http://organbench.com. They want to know, “how to find people who are interested in your music.” That’s a difficult question, right, Ausra? A: Yes, that’s a very difficult question. V: Imagine, these organists are also composers, and of course, composers need to find organists who would be interested in their music to play,. So, it’s not enough to keep composing and hoping that people will find you, right Ausra? A: Yes, because I think that will never happen if you just compose and let your music live on her own. I think there are so many compositions written for organ nowadays that my best suggestions would be that if you compose music for your own instrument, you need to perform it yourself, first of all. V: That’s absolutely true. If you’re not playing it yourself, why should anyone else play it, right? A: True. V: You mentioned, Ausra, that new organ music composed today is having a difficult time to get noticed, right? What are some of the competitors for the attention of new compositions? A: Actually, old compositions! V: Classical music… A: Classical music, that’s right! V: So, when you are composing your own music, you’re competing with Bach, right? A: True. V: You are competing with Vierne, Franck, Mendelssohn, Messiaen, Langlais… A: and all other great composers. V: ...right. Of course, not everybody who loves Bach would enjoy playing modern music…. Right? ….composed today. And not everybody who enjoys modern music loves playing early music. But still, there is so much competition, and of course there are many many organists who are still composing today. A: That’s right. V: You’re competing with them, too. I also would add that you need to share more, in comparison to other organists. Look how people are creating. Somebody is creating music and then sharing the composition on social media, for example. I think that’s not necessarily the only way. If you are sharing the complete piece, then you are sharing the result. I think your future organists might be interested to see what your compositional process might be. A: That’s a good point, I think. V: What do you think about it, Ausra? A: Yes, I think that’s a very good point. And I would like to ask you, what would force you to learn a new piece by a living composer. What would be your criteria? V: Well, first of all, the piece has to be interesting—substantially high quality, because life is short, music is endless, so you have to choose wisely what to play and what not to play. And, if somebody is composing music, of course, I have to think about my own goals, not only that person’s goals of being noticed. So, a personal connection, of course, helps. When somebody knows me in person, then if they share this piece with me and share the process with me, for example, perhaps then I would become more interested to play it. A: But would you play it if you don’t like it, only because the music is dedicated to you, for example? V: I might play it once. You know? Just to try it out. Not necessarily in public, but as a sight reading, because I have to respect my listeners, too. If I would play low quality organ music, then it defeats the purpose, right Ausra? A: That’s right. So, I hope that people who start to compose organ music don’t have very high expectations that everybody will be playing their music at their earliest convenience, because I think this is not a good reason to start composing organ music. I think you need to compose it if you have that inner feeling that you must compose it. But the result of somebody playing it should not be your goal. That’s what I think. V: And also, Ausra, you have to think about the other thing. If you can not compose, then you should not compose. If you can live without composing, why bother then. Right? A: True. V: If you feel that it’s your destiny, like a calling, then go ahead compose, and actually, it will not matter to you if anyone notices you at first or not. A: That’s right. That’s what I’m thinking about art in general. V: And look at what painters, at what writers...writers usually start writing their novels and other works well before somebody notices them, and writes five, ten, or even twenty years before anyone sees them and decides to read them on a large scale. They might get published earlier than that. And today, you can self-publish your own organ music, too! You can sell your own organ music on your own website, for example, or on the Sheet Music Plus platform. They take a little bit of cut from your revenue, but they also provide some marketing tools, too, but you still have to find your audience, Ausra. A: That’s right, and think about early ages, too. Right now, we only mention a few names, because they were the best of their time, like J. S. Bach, yes. And I don’t think his compositions were so popular when he was alive. I think all his fame came later on. But look at the other composers that surrounded Bach. Almost nobody knows their names. And the same with all the great composers. V: You’re right Ausra, and look at Bach. If you really take his example, then we could behave in the same way, too. For example, when he was working in Leipzig, he kept composing his cantatas for five years in a row. It wasn’t like a published composition, it wasn’t distributed Europe wide to other musicians to perform, to other churches to perform. No, it was just in his circle. And you don’t need to compose cantatas, of course, but if you work in a church, if you are an organist and you keep composing, you could actually keep performing your own music on a weekly basis. A: That’s right, that would be a very good idea, Vidas. And you could share your music every week, and if people would like it, if you would like it, later on maybe you could publish it because I think there are so many editors that would like to publish church music, service music, in the States especially. V: That’s right, and don’t forget to record your own performances, and practices, too. It’s good to share your process, too—how you are learning piece. You could even talk about it, you can write a blog about your compositional process. You can even live cast or live stream videos of yourself composing on the screen. I’ve don’t that in the past. A: Yes, I think, actually, that composing something is easier than to get your piece popular. V: Yes. At first people don’t care at all. Then, they will start to notice you, but they might laugh at you at first. They don’t recognize the value of your composition. But, if you keep persistently composing and sharing your art, then they start noticing… sooner or later. It’s like an avalanche from the mountain. But that’s the trick. You have to go over that dip and persevere for several years, at least. A: That’s right. V: That’s the difficult part. Composing is more or less doable for everyone. But keep producing on a regular basis without being noticed—that’s the tricky part. Not everyone is capable. But I hope people who are listening to this and considering seriously can decide if this what they are born to do. A: That’s right. V: Thank you guys, this was Vidas, A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: miracles happen!
This blog/podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training online. It has hundreds of courses, coaching and practice materials for every area of organ playing, thousands of instructional videos and PDF's. You will NOT find more value anywhere else online...
Total Organist helps you to master any piece, perfect your technique, develop your sight-reading skills, and improvise or compose your own music and much much more... Sign up and begin your training today. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. Check it out here Here's what one of our students is saying: I have so many favorite things about Secrets of Organ Playing. So I’ll do my best to articulate my thoughts. First of all, I hope you will understand that I have spent most of my time accessing the website as much as possible before my month ran out.? The wealth of available material was like shopping for candy!! I am very excited to have fun working with the courses I have download. So, that’s the first thing - the variety and thoroughness of the material available to organists. I took advantage of the variety of Harmony training available. Even though I’ve formally taken harmony, I am looking forward to reinforcing what I learned in the past. This is in preparation for the Improvisation training you offer! I can’t wait to delve into the improv training, something I’ve always dreamed of doing, but haven’t had the means. Here’s more that intrigues and excites me. As a young eager 17 year old, I studied with an Organist who brought me to the music that touched my soul, and I learned to play well, many of the compositions you offer on Total Organist. What excites me is that I have downloaded a number of these compositions to rework my fingering and pedaling achieving the articulate legato that I enjoy hearing and playing. You know, polish the music to achieve the excellence in execution that I desire. Bottom line, so that I don’t just go on and on…I think above all, it is the interesting variety of all things related to becoming a great organist. Truly this is the Total Organist program. Let’s add one more important aspect…the convenience of accessing this material and practicing at my convenience. Of course, this requires discipline to ensure steady progress. Secrets of Organ Playing truly uncovers essential “secrets” of how to become all you can be as an Organist! Heidi Would you like to receive the same or even better results that Heidi is getting? If so, join 80+ other Total Organist students here.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 253 of Secrets of Organ Playing podcast. This question was sent by Heidi, and she writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I am enjoying very much browsing your Course Materials and making downloads. My situation involves the fact that my children are grown, and my grandchildren are grown, the youngest is 14 years. For so many years having children and grandchildren blessed me with much to look forward to on a daily basis and kept me very busy. I am less busy with them now, and so I think God put Vidas in my life to give me the courage to embrace what I love so much, having the confidence again that someone with a special gift for teaching, and one who is qualified on every level is there to guide me. Thank you doesn’t even come close to expressing my gratitude! When downloading the materials, there is one aspect that I am having trouble with. How can I save/download your YouTube videos? Much of your training materials are presented on video, which is great, but I can’t figure out how to get the video onto my computer. Is there a special way I need to login to YouTube to download your training videos?? Will I learn as quickly as your other students??…perhaps not. But for me that is not the point. I will be doing what I feel I was called to do. Here is my all-time favorite quote. I have it printed and sitting on my Johannus Organ at home. I think of it every Sunday as I sit on the organ bench at church. Here it is: “If you are called upon to play a church service, it is a greater honor than if you were to play a concert on the finest organ in the world -- thank God each time when you are privileged to sit before the organ console and assist in the worship of the Almighty.” Albert Schweitzer I humbly thank you for helping me become all I can be in service. Hope you both are having a great weekend! Your friend, Heidi PS In one of the videos with both of you, I think you are sitting in the living area of your home? Anyway, the room looks so cozy! I too have many treasured pieces from my parents born in Germany. Vidas, it touched me to see what I believe were a few of the wonderful paintings by your Father which are hanging on the wall? We keep those we love alive through these treasures, right? A very warm and love-filled home environment! Wow, Ausra. I don’t know what to say. Heidi is our Total Organist student. A: Well, it’s a lovely letter. So, I loved that citation by Albert Schweitzer. Because in general I love Albert Schweitzer. V: Do you love the tempi of Albert Schweitzer? A: I’m not talking so much about tempi--I know he played Bach quite slowly. V: Mhm. A: But in general, I think he was a great man. But not the greatest man who ever lived. V: Remember we were probably first introduced to him in depth in Lincoln, right? A: Well, I had read his book on Bach even before going to the United States. V: Yes, me too; but I guess what I mean is, we took part in the multimedia presentation involving the life and works of Albert Schweitzer. A: Yes, I remember that was a wonderful evening. We all played music by J. S. Bach, and had these wonderful citations from Albert Schweitzer’s works. So, do you remember what you played? V: It might have been “Nun komm’”...Or did you play “Nun komm’”? A: No, I played “An Wasserflüssen Babylon,” with ornamented LH. V: I think I played 2 versions of “Nun komm’” from the 18 Great Chorales, the Leipzig collection--the one with the...not trio texture, but the one with the ornamented chorale in the soprano. That’s the first one. And then the second was, I think, where the cantus firmus is presented with the long notes in the bass, in the pedals--sort of a fugal texture in the hands, with organo pleno registration. I didn’t play the second version with the trio texture. A: Yes, anyway it was a wonderful, very memorable evening; and going back to Heidi’s letter, I think it’s wonderful that now that she raised her kids and her grandkids, she can enjoy playing organ. I think it’s a wonderful hobby. And I’m glad she finds our material useful. And maybe you could answer her question about the technicality--how to download YouTube, and what to do with it. V: You know, YouTube itself doesn’t allow downloading those videos to your computer, because it wants you to stay on the site and look at the ads and other related videos. That’s how they make profit, you know--when you click on those ads. That’s why you have to stream those videos, basically. But there is a roundabout, in doing this: you can simply Google keywords: “download youtube videos,” for example, or “download videos to your computer,” or “youtube to pc converter,” or “youtube to mp3,” if you want to just have the audio version. And I’m 100% sure you will find more than enough services to do that. I’ve used that also. You can do that on your phone, too, if you want to listen and watch on your phone, but not online, but directly on your device. There are versions for Android and iphone, too. Now I think we can talk a little bit about Albert Schweitzer’s quote, right? That the privilege to play in church services is greater than playing a concert on the finest organ in the world. First of all, remember that Schweitzer was a missionary in Africa. A: True, true. V: Not only a missionary, but together with Widor, he edited the complete works of Bach, right? Prepared an excellent edition which is still used by many organists today, although we have some other performance practice understandings today. But he also had, in Africa, a pedal piano, I think--in the jungle! A: Yes. V: And practiced organ works by Bach! A: I think he edited it, you know...the pedal... V: Added it. A: Yes, to the piano, that it would be a kind of, sort of organ. A modified organ. V: Do you think he had an extra set of strings, or just the trackers to play those bass strings on a regular piano? A: I think he might have had an addition of strings. V: Like with 16’? A: And I think it sounded very bizarre. And imagine like in the middle of Africa--people had never heard, at that time, such music. And can you imagine him playing, and what an impression he would make! V: But I’m not sure if he was in that part of Africa where people sing in harmonies, in 3- or 4-part chords. That in itself is a very fine singing tradition. Sometimes in Lithuania we have those polyphonic folk songs, but this is something different--it’s completely, I think, in major keys, and not modal versions like they have in different countries of the world, in different folk traditions. And remember in Lincoln, we had seen this documentary where people really sing on those hills, where Albert Schweitzer probably worked. That was spectacular. A: Yes, I remember that. V: Spectacular view. But as you say, if Schweitzer played Bach in the jungle, so then we can imagine what other people (and animals!) thought about that, too. A: Yes, very spectacular things happened. And about that citation, I think that’s what is so great about the organ--that it can also be played at worship. And I think it gives to the organ such a specific, spiritual feeling that probably no other instrument has. Don’t you think so? V: Absolutely, because a lot of organ works are spiritual in nature...Not necessarily spiritual, but sacred-- A: True, true. V: Based on chorale works, or Gregorian chant. A: And I think even if the piece doesn’t have particular chorale or hymn tune, or you know, Gregorian chant tune, I think even a prelude and fugue by Bach can be very sacred in itself, don’t you think so? V: You’re right, because the style of prelude and fugue by Bach is not different at all from the chorale prelude, or chorale fantasia. A: True, true. V: He uses the same technique. Fugal techniques. Ritornello techniques, like in prelude and concerti. And so, whatever Bach writes, I think it’s elevated in spirit, and might sound like a prayer or meditation for some people, too. So I understand completely what Schweitzer wrote about playing in church service. I just sometimes would regret, of course, that in today’s day and age, you would not be able to play classical, sacred repertoire of solo organ composers--the same Bach, like in many Catholic churches, because they prefer synthesizer and guitar, and sort of light, pop Christian rock music. I don’t know what Albert Schweitzer would have thought about that. A: Yes. Maybe he’s lucky that he didn’t survive until now! V: But if you have the privilege to play in church service, and be able to play classical masterpieces, or just simply solo organ music; if you’re improvising, too, then of course this is one of the ideal environments. A: Or even just accompanying hymns, in full harmony, for example for Christmas. I think it’s also very spiritual and uplifting. V: When the entire congregation can lift up the roof of the building! A: Yes, true, that’s true. I remember once accompanying for a Christmas Eve service, and people were singing so loudly that although I was playing full organ, I could still not hear my playing, because people were singing just so loudly. And I think it was just an amazing feeling. V: And of course, Heidi finishes her message with this allusion to the living area of our home, where we recorded those videos where we talk about some of the organ practice issues, pedal playing and memorization, too, I think. Yes, even now, when we are recording this particular podcast, we are sitting in those two chairs, and looking at our paintings on the wall, which are indeed by my dad--and that’s basically our studio, right Ausra? A: That’s true, yes. And I love looking at those paintings. Each time they tell me a different story. V: Do you think, Ausra, that people would enjoy seeing the photo of that environment, what we are looking at? A: I don’t know. V: We might ask. If you guys are interested, let us know. So, thank you so much, Heidi; thank you, other students who are sending us your questions and feedback. It’s really valuable to us, and basically allows us to continue to teach you and to help you grow. And please send us more of your questions. This was Vidas! A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Before we go, we'd like to remind you that this week we're running Total Organist Summer Special with 50% discount. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. This offer ends today.
Check it out here Here's what one of our students is saying: I keep discovering new ideas. Eg. working for first time with improvisation course. It is very challenging. But practicing those short figures made me pick up Bach piece I had never looked at. I wanted to see if I could learn faster analyzing each chord. And boy does that work. I have learned two measures in ten minutes up to tempi. Because of figuring out chord structure etc. I am so excited not only about learning improvisation and from that learning how to listen to what I am playing. Instead of sitting here at organ telling myself how bad I am. Really working hard at it. You guys give me inspiration. After all these years I am finally enjoying practicing. Also all materials are very well organized. I have now finally able to use more than legato articulation. Never could get before going on your sight. I still have to take it slow as you always preach! Thank you guys for putting new life into my organ playing. William Would you like to receive the same or even better results that William is getting? If so, join 80 other Total Organist students here.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 252 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. Today’s question was sent by Steve. He writes: Good morning Vidas, Another very fine podcast topic, very helpful, and thank you for posting. A couple of additional thoughts came to my mind as I listened to the podcast ... When I pedal this piece, I keep in mind the type of organ for which it was written. On French organs there's a stiffness in the pedals, because of linkage, that makes it a little more difficult to use the heels in rapid passages. Using the toes allows you to lean into the pedal more. So, with the opening theme, I keep the pedal legato with the right toe on D, stepping over it with the left toe taking C and Eb. Same with the F and Gb, I use the toes only ... right toe on F and left toe on Gb. The left heel could be used on the first note C, but if we use the right heel on D and F it's more difficult to get those 16th notes short enough, especially when the tempo is faster. I don't play this Toccata extremely fast ... for many reasons, but one reason is so I can get those 16th notes in the theme just right. It's hard to take in the countryside at 500 mph. It's the same with music. I've heard many organists using the heel on D with phrasing that isn't written into the score, who detach the C's and Eb's and hold those 16th notes on D too long. This changes the character of the theme completely. I also nuance the music at important places by inserting pull-outs (stretch-outs), with a slight slowing of the tempo when something else starts, like with the return of the theme in the pedal toward the end. Those big pedal octaves have to come out clear and even, and can't be taken too fast to give those big pipes time to get on speech. The ankles have to move very quickly here with both heels on D and be synchronized with each other, which automatically sets certain technical bounds to speed. A slight slowing of the tempo also helps to get those arpeggios in the hands to come out clean and clear. Speed is a wonderful gift to have, but speed is an illusion. The instrument in its own acoustical setting will suggest its own tempo by the way it breathes and responds to the organist's touch. Racing through this Toccata at tornado speed is something I avoid like the plague. That's virtuosity, but not serving the music. I'm a clarity guy, and it's just what sounds best to me. Steve V: So Ausra it seems that Steve is taking the suggestions about playing at a tempo that is clear for the listener not only for you and not for the sake of racing, right? Very seriously. A: I think that’s a very healthy attitude towards music in general, not only just this toccata but you need to hear what you are playing, you need to control what you are doing otherwise it will be just a mess. Don’t you think so? V: I agree with you Ausra and what was the last piece you played extremely fast. A: (laughs) Well I think back in the year 2000 when I was working on Louis Vierne’s Toccata No. 3 and was playing it St. John’s Church, all five movements. At that time I think I played those pieces extremely fast and probably couldn't control everything so well as I could now. V: So I gather you would slow down the tempo a little bit today. A: Yes, yes. V: Why? A: Well because now I already have that ability, being capable while being upstairs to hear what is happening downstairs. Because what you hear on the organ and what you hear downstairs is completely different. V: And when you hear the echo does it slow down your tempo or not? A: Well not necessarily, it depends on what you are playing but if you think about that Vierne Symphony, especially about the 1st and the last movements, and especially about the 1st movement when you start to play everything in unison. V: That’s the Third Symphony. A: Yes, the Third Symphony. Well, if you play that extremely fast on huge mechanical organ at St. John’s Church you will get a mess. Now I don’t think I would play probably entire symphony on that organ because I think the second movement and the first movement works extremely well for that organ. The beautiful first movement and the beautiful Unda Maris stop at St. John’s is just perfect. Not the first movement and probably not the third movement, Scherzo or Intermezzo as Vierne calls it because I think it needs lighter action. V: Right and usually french organs have barker machine. A: True. So on the french organ I think it would work fine and such a tempo as well but not at St. John’s church. V: What about me? A: So you tell it. So what have you played very fast lately when you remember it. V: Good question. Thank you. I remember practicing and performing Durufle Toccata back in Michigan I think. That was the time when I played it extremely fast I think. This way my audition piece for Doctoral studies in Rochester. Remember we went to Rochester, New York, Eastman School of Music to play there and also to Nebraska, to UNL so I remember playing also this piece in Detroit, St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral and this was part of the student recital we both played. A: We both played, I don’t think it was part of the student recital. We both I think did solo recitals, short ones, I think half an hour. I remember that I played Liszt’s Prelude and Fugue in BACH and you did Durufle. I think a couple of the movements from the Suite, Op. 5. V: And I think I played the suite too fast there and in general because I was worried about the speed in general because it was a toccata and toccata is supposed to be played virtuosically and really fast. A: And to be honest I think this is one of the hardest toccatas that have ever been written for the organ, don’t you think so? V: Yes, it is one of the most difficult pieces I have ever played probably. Not necessarily the most, but one of the five maybe. Technically very challenging. So I think the tempo might have been a little bit too fast there, especially on a large instrument. A: Because as Steve mentioned so nicely about how the pipes respond and how the organ responds to your touch. I think he is so right and I’m just very glad that he thinks about these things because they are very, very important. V: And when we go hopefully to play at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in a week and a half I think the acoustics, the echo there will be enormous, gigantic, right? A: Yes, probably the largest we have encountered yet. V: So I guess the tempi also will have to be adjusted a little bit too. A: True, true. And articulation too. V: It’s not like if you are playing at St. John’s church here in Vilnius where the echo is maybe five seconds. A: Well, it’s larger if it’s in the church at night, it’s seven. V: But we never play concerts at night. I played actually once for a group of friends. But in general it’s like more or less, five seconds and if you go to London, St. Paul’s Cathedral how long is the echo there? A: Twelve. V: So more than twice as long echo. Does that mean we have to slow down twice or more? A: No, but we need to keep that in mind and to slow down a little bit. V: To emphasize a little bit the texture, the harmony. A: Because in order to show the structure you need to be able to hear it yourself so it means you need to take bigger breaks after phrases. V: Let the instrument breathe more. A: True. V: Well, we hope to record this recital too and maybe when we come back we can share it too. A: Yes, that would be nice. V: OK, and please guys, send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow. And remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Before we go, we'd like to remind you that this week we're running Total Organist Summer Special with 50% discount. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. This offer is valid until tomorrow, July 25.
Check it out here Here's what one of our students is saying: Dear Vidas At the moment I’m focusing at sight reading improvement… Also I’m interested on registration but not yet started. I’m curious and interested on fingering of Bach’s pieces because according the opinion of my teacher at conservatory I play Bach too much legato …possible because I’m coming from piano… In general I review the list of argument present on the total organist and all the pieces and think that is a very interesting work but I do not want to waste opportunity piking too quickly arguments …I like to profite in deep of each opportunity and I need time of coarse to do that. I spoke about your site with an organist my friend that is teaching at the government music school in Italy and he told me that this kind of material is not too useful and that is not so easy to profited and have good results from internet learning. I think different, I think that your work is very useful to organists because a loto of arguments are developed and is not so easy to find this kind of information even the teachers in the 40 minutes of lesson weekly cannot t give the information in deep all is very very fast, hurry, and the student will practise frequently in the wrong direction loosing time. That is my starting opinion …we will see in a couple of months what will happens. Best Regards Ferruccio Would you like to receive the same or even better results that Ferruccio is getting? If so, join 80 other Total Organist students here. Would you like to feel such a strong urge to practice every day that if you skip just one day, you will feel strange, kind of like something important is missing in your day.
And when you do practice, how about seeing amazing results from your efforts, be it pedal playing, sight-reading, transposition, repertoire, hymn playing, improvisation, music theory or harmony? If so, you will love our daily accountability feature in our Total Organist communication channel at Basecamp. You will not only know exactly what your goals are for each day, week or month, but you will also see what other Total Organist students are learning. This feature alone will quadruple your motivation and results of your practice because you will feel accountable and supported by our little community. Bellow are some things that some of our students last weekend: (July 21) Jur: I worked on BWV 639, Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ. As recommended by Vidas I split the piece in 7 segments. I can now play the first segment in the right tempo and the second segment is coming together as well. I am not an advanced player and getting this far has taken me 5 days. It is hard to resist the temptation to rush ahead and try to play the entire piece! Barbara So far (EDT, still morning), I've researched music for small organ and french horn for an upcoming church service. Not much luck. Keyboard, pedal exercises, and sight reading this afternoon. David: In Dir ist Freude, BWV 615 and More Palatino by Sweelinck Andrew: Revisiting “Jesu, Meine Freude” by Krebs - that last line is still a challenge. There’s so much going on note by note across the voices, and it all has to happen with precision and clarity. (July 22) Andrew: Jesu, meine Freude (Krebs) - now going smoothly. [Notice the improvement from the day before] John: I'm working on Day 3 of "10 Day Pedal Playing Challenge". Some of the thirds with one foot are difficult for me. For example E-G in the left foot, toe - heel (bar 3). I can do that if I start in the lowest octave of the pedalboard, but find it much more difficult if I begin an octave higher. If I do start at the lowest octave, then the E-C with right foot, toe-heel (also in bar 3) becomes a problem. I'll keep at it. Here's what one of our students is saying about Total Organist: "I am taking a lot away from it. Pedal virtuoso program has helped a lot with my pedal work, as has the transposition course. I began the prelude improvisation formula, but put it by the wayside for a little while. Will try to return to it in the fall. Thank you mostly for the fingering recommendations! " Jeremy Would you like to receive the same or even better results that Jeremy and other students are getting? If so, join 74 other Total Organist students here. By the way, this week we're running Total Organist Summer Special with 50% discount. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. This offer is valid until July 25. Check it out here
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 251, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Michael. He writes: I'm really glad I have encountered such an opportunity from you, I want to be able to sight read most of the complex classical pieces by heart, as at now my current level is just playing hymns and not so difficult anthems for my church....please I want to just pick any complex Handel piece and sight read it easily… Please help me. V: Ausra, this is the second time when somebody asks us for advice of playing Handel pieces, right? A: True. V: I remember in the past, there was a gentlemen wanting to sight-read Handel’s pieces too. So this is an interesting question and interesting situation. A lot of people want to sight-read Bach, and maybe other more ‘organistic’ music, but Handel is not particularly known for creating complex organ music. A: No, but he wrote so many compositions, that no wonder why people want to play his music because it’s really beautiful. V: So Michael writes, that now he can only play hymns, which is a good starting point, right? A: Yes. V: Other people cannot play hymns, but he can. So if he can play hymns, I would recommend treating them as little short organ pieces, and start playing them voice by voice, and in combinations of two parts and three parts, and then expanding to sight-reading classical pieces, but easy ones first. A: True, I think there is no way to become a good sight-reader unless you practice repertoire on a daily basis, and sight-read on a daily basis. There is no magic pill, magic trick that you could take and to be able to sight-read anything you want. Well, and since Michael loves Handel, so pick up some of his music and start working with it. V: Umm, Handel’s fuguettes are easy enough, right? And even I would say, variations cycles, such as Chaconnes and Passacaglias are great for that. They have one tonal structure, but with each variation you get a different texture on the same harmony. So it’s a good way to learn different textures, techniques, arpeggio configurations, things like that. But also keeping just one set of harmony progressions, usually four or eight measures long. A: True. V: So each variation could be like a separate exercise. That’s a really great suggestion, Ausra. A: Yes, it is, I think. I know the more time you spend every day with your music, the easier it will become for you to sight-read. Because you have to build up some sort of repertoire. And the more pieces you have in the repertoire the easier it will get for you to sight-read, any piece of music. V: A question, for you Ausra: Do you think that Michael has to play both hands right away when he sightreads, or it could be possible to do just one hand at a time? A: You could do it only one hand at a time, if it’s too hard to sight-read everything together. V: Without major mistakes, right? A: True. True. V: And it’s even better. You can dissect the piece, right? And see how it’s put together and reverse then the hands. At first you practice one variation with the right hand, and then do the same variation with the left hand. And then maybe that’s it, all you need. Maybe you are playing very slowly and then the next day you do variation number two, same thing. A: True, and maybe after learning first ten pieces with separate hands, maybe after that you can do and sight-read with both hands together. V: But it will take a while. A: Yes, sure. V: Mmm-hmm. A: These things take time. V: But it’s definitely possible to do this on your own, because it’s just practice, and well, not only just practice, but deliberate practice. You have to know what you are trying to achieve with each run of your playing. Not just sight-reading for the sake of sight-reading but internalizing the structure, getting to know the chords and progressions, maybe key tonalities, modulations. But for that you have to know a little bit of harmony and music theory. A: True. These things are (all) connected. V: So do you recommend for Michael to start learning music theory and harmony at the same time, as practicing the organ? A: Well if he wants to become a learned musician, then yes. I would suggest him doing it. V: Mmm-hmm. It will help him. And sight-reading will also help him to discover music theory things too. A: True. Because the easier you orient yourself in the music theory things, the easier it will get for you to sight-read things. Because the easier you will understand them. V: I wonder, how much time does it take to develop a level when he could sight-read, let’s say, simple variations by Handel. A: I think it all is very individual. It’s hard to tell how much time it will take. V: What’s the minimum amount of time? Three, four years? A: Well, maybe less than that. It depends how much you will spend each day on it. V: Mmm-hmm. What about the maximum time? A: You’re asking me if I would be a magician; I would know everything. I don’t know. V: Sometimes people practice without improving, right. Have you seen those people? A: Yes, I have seen such people. And sometimes it’s hard to tell why they are not improving, but I guess not everybody can improve. Although I believe that if a person does not improve, it means that he or she makes something not right. V: Practices without head, without connecting the fingers with the mind. A: That’s right. V: So we hope Michael will do the opposite, of course; will practice mindfully and regularly. And that will help him improve. A: Let’s hope for it. V: Thanks guys, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice,,, A: Miracles happen!
Before we go, we'd like to remind you that this week we're running Total Organist Summer Special with 50% discount. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. This offer is valid until July 25.
Check it out here Here's what one of our students is saying: I appreciate your detailed videos along with your supportive approach. I also see that your site is one of the few that offer scores with fingering. Btw, reading that you enjoy composing then editing on Sibelius, I also am tinkering around with Sibelius. I started exploring using it to study counterpoint and harmony. About me, I’m a semi-retired software engineer. My main focus now retired, apart from painting the deck & etc., has been writing fiction and poetry, but I so love Bach organ music that I wish to be able to learn how to play Bach myself. Regards, Eric Would you like to receive the same or even better results that Eric is getting? If so, join 63 other Total Organist students here. |
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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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