Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 278 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dineke, and she writes:
 
Dear Vidas,

Glad with the quickly received materials, and the bonus, for the pedal virtuoso course start.  Although most things went automatically, I wish you to say my thanks. Admiring your lots of work and your knowledge in digital ways.
​
Kind regards,
​Dineke

V: Well, Ausra, It’s so nice to receive a message like that.
 
A: Yes, it’s very nice, although I don’t see that it’s a question, so what will we talk about?
 
V: Maybe Dineke, we have to know, is a student of later age in life, and she wants to improve her pedal technique, but not only. But, she is our Pedal Virtuoso Master Course student. So, she started studying this course a while ago, and I guess now, she needs to stick to the schedule of playing those pedal scales regularly. What do you think, Ausra?
 
A: Well, I think it’s sometimes hard to stick to the schedule.
 
V: Do you have your permanent schedule, Ausra, like, for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on?
 
A: Well, I have some things that are permanent, and I have some things that vary time to time.
 
V: Mhm. I have my little notebook where I put the things on my calendar, but they’re not regular. Right? Not like on 10:00 AM everyday, I will do this thing. So, I have to find practice time in each day separately, most of the time. Is that hard, Ausra, for you? Finding practice time?
 
A: Oh yes. It’s very hard.
 
V: Now that the school will start soon, it will be even a bigger challenge, right?
 
A: True.
 
V: I guess for Dineke the challenge is to stick to the schedule not only because of a lack of time, but also because of rigorous material, because people who start this course, do not always finish. And those who don’t finish, don’t see the improvement in their pedal technique. But Dineke, hopefully, is a persevering student, right Ausra?
 
A: Well, I hope so.
 
V: So, in order to play those scales everyday, rather dry and unmusical exercises with your feet, what kind of motivation would you like to have, Ausra, if you were in Dineke’s shoes?
 
A: Well, just to know that if you will be able to learn all those scales you can play a nice repertoire, too, and have no problems with the pedals.
 
V: Sometimes, when you’re in the middle of the challenge like this course, which runs like 3-4 months, it’s hard to see the progress day by day when you practice.
 
A: Well, so, you never have to work on one thing only. For example, if you will be only exercising pedaling for those three or four months, of course it will get boring, and I don’t think many would have the courage to finish it. But, practice something else, too! You don’t necessarily have to play only pedal scales. Work on some repertoire simultaneously.
 
V: It would be like a healthy meal with a variety of foods throughout the day, not one kind of food all the time, right?
 
A: Of course, you don’t have to eat oatmeal only every day three times a day.
 
V: Unless you are on an oatmeal diet!
 
A: Unless you are a horse!
 
V: A horse! Yes! So, do horses complain, Ausra, about this? What’s your idea about this?
 
A: I don’t think so.
 
V: Do they say to their master, “Oh give us some pancakes with blueberry?”
 
A: I don’t think so.
 
V: So, obviously, Dineke is practicing something else, because she also is studying with her own organ professor, and he gives her material to practice. So, I’m sure she has a variety in her repertoire, and exercises. And our course, Pedal Virtuoso Master Course will supplement that material. That’s very nice. Another thing in this course that is challenging is this flexibility of an ankle. At first, when people do this, the ankle is a weak spot for people to play with their heels and toes, and slide from pedal to pedal smoothly. What are your thoughts on that, Ausra?
 
A: I think it’s just a matter of adjusting and getting used to it. It shouldn’t be as hard. If you can walk, it means you can play pedals, too.
 
V: Mhm. Sometimes, your position is not comfortable, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: You have to adjust your bench, sitting position on the bench, and….
 
A: ...shoes of course, which we have talked about many times before.
 
V: Shoes, when playing with heels are tremendously important, because, if you have heels, higher heels, about 2 or 3 inches, then you don’t need to move your ankles so much.
 
A: Yes, it saves time and it saves energy.
 
V: Right. You can be a little more efficient with playing with your feet. Have you seen organists play with socks and heels?
 
A: Yes, I have seen those.
 
V: And I’ve seen them, too, and some of our colleagues do this, and it’s much more energy consuming thing, because you have to constantly bend your ankles in order to play with your heels. Why do you think people stick to socks sometimes?
 
A: I think maybe they cannot get or find comfortable shoes, or maybe they are just so used to it that they cannot learn to play otherwise. Or maybe they just want to save some money, not buy organ shoes. Well, there could be a variety of reasons why you do it, and maybe another reason would be that you don’t want to carry your organ shoes with you, and you are always wearing socks, so you are always ready to play organ pedals.
 
V: Right, you don’t know where you will find this organ, right? Maybe the organ is around that corner, or around that corner, so you carry your socks in your pocket and you are ready whenever you go, right?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: And, washing socks is more comfortable than washing shoes, right?
 
A: Do you wash your shoes?
 
V: Not regularly, no.
 
A: I don’t think you should wash your organ shoes.
 
V: Nice. So, the last thing that is difficult with this course is for people to move their both feet as one unit, basically to keep their heels together, and sometimes the knees if it’s okay with their physique. What do you think, Ausra, with your physique? Do you feel comfortable holding your knees and ankles together?
 
A: No! I have a hard time, because my legs are short. No. It’s very hard.
 
V: Why do they say that it’s the right way of playing modern pedals?
 
A: I have no idea. Maybe you have? You have long legs, so….
 
V: Maybe those who say this have longer legs!
 
A: I guess so.
 
V: I guess maybe this comes from an idea of playing with your feet as the third hand, additional…
 
A: Because you know, if I am playing in the middle of the pedal board then it’s okay; I can hold everything together—my knees and ankles together. But, if I’m playing on the left side or on the right side of the pedal board, my legs are not long enough that I could keep them both together. That way I would just fall down on the pedal board, and that’s it.
 
V: And that’s one of those exceptions you can make, if you are playing in the extreme of the pedal board, you can play with one foot.
 
A: But that’s what happens when you are playing hard repertoire.
 
V: What do you mean?
 
A: Well, let’s see… a Vierne Symphony, or Duruflé, or you are playing something where you use double pedal, and what about that? If you are playing double pedal? Let’s say octaves in double pedal. Can you place your knees and ankles together?
 
V: I think that works only up until perfect fifths. The interval of perfect fifths. Wider than the fifths is breaking your knees, probably.
 
A: I know. So, you always need to look at your own physique and at the concrete piece, concrete situation, concrete organ.
 
V: I guess, we should conclude this conversation with an idea: The technique serves the person and not the other way around.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Not the person serves the technique. If something doesn’t feel right with these exercises, adjust so that it would feel more comfortable to you, right?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Thanks, guys, for listening, and for practicing, and we haven’t practiced yet this morning. Right? And we will do that later in the day at church, right Ausra?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: That will be very nice to practice organ duets for our upcoming Banchetto Musicale Festival performance. So, we wish you a great day, pleasant practice, and remember, when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen.

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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.

V: Let’s start episode 277 of Secrets of Organ Playing podcast. This question was sent by Rob. He writes:

Dear Vidas,

In this mail I’ll provide the answers to you questions: (that is the least I can do for the wonderful work that you and your wife do)

1. What is your dream for your organ playing?

My dream of organ playing is to completely free, sit down at the organ console and play and improvise whatever I want. (my inspiration comes from people like Pierre Cochereau, Jean Langlais, Marcel Dupre, Ben van Oosten, Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin and others).

2. What are 3 most important things that are holding you back from realizing your dream?

1) (Lack of) technique i.e. the idea that I am not “advanced enough” to take on any organ piece
2) the false notion that certain pieces are “too difficult”
3) finding enough time to develop my skills

In a separate email I’d like to share some feedback with you and tell you a little bit about myself if that is OK.

Kind regards,
Rob
​
So, of course it is okay--please write us more detailed feedback, right Ausra?

A: Yes.

V: What did you notice about his dream, Ausra, first of all?

A: Well, he mentioned so many wonderful French composers and organists, and I suddenly remembered that funny test that we did a few years ago, remember?

V: Uh-huh.

A: We took a test just for fun, to find out which French organist we resemble.

V: On Facebook.

A: On Facebook, yes. And it was funny because both of what Rob mentions here are on this list, on his list. And Vidas was--guess who!

V: Uhhh...Pierre Cochereau, maybe?

A: That’s right. And do you remember what I was?

V: Marcel Dupre?

A: Yes, that’s right.

V: You were Marcel Dupre.

A: Haha!

V: I don’t know why, but it was funny! Yeah, these people were great improvisers--and some of them still are. And they are like the sun behind the horizon--the goal or the dream can never be reached, right? Who can successfully say that “I’m like Pierre Cochereau” or “I’m like Marcel Dupre” today, right?

A: Nobody.

V: Right, because there was already one Pierre Cochereau and Marcel Dupre too. There is actually no point in being the second Marcel Dupre.

A: But each of us is unique.

V: Exactly.

A: And we need to be proud of it.

V: So Robert should be proud of being himself. Of course, he could take inspiration from these people…

A: That’s right.

V: In general ideas--general ideas like freedom of expression, of creativity that these masters did. But Rob’s path is different, and our path with Ausra is different, too--my path from Ausra’s is different, and Ausra’s is different, too. And we have to own it, own our differences. And actually, some of these differences can become our guiding points, right, like uniqueness, and we can differentiate ourselves in the world.

A: That’s right. And now, talking about his 3 things that he writes, that he needs to improve his technique--

V: Mhm.

A: And he wants to play whatever on the organ that he sits down easily, or improvise; and he needs to have more time. So I guess I would reverse all these problems in the other order; because I think the first thing is you need to find time to practice. Because only if you will practice on a regular basis, you can improve your technique; and only if you can improve your technique, you will be able to play whatever you want, and improvise.

V: Difficult pieces as well. Let me disagree politely with you, Ausra--

A: Okay!

V: --when you say finding enough time. And Rob writes “finding enough time,” in these words, finding enough time. I would say making time--not finding but making. When you say I need to find more time, you say that it’s not in our control--like, you’re looking somewhere, and maybe you will find, maybe you will not find.

A: But when you are talking about making time, it seems like you know...each day and night lasts for 24 hours, and let’s make 2 more hours, yes? Per day? What do you mean by making time?

V: I mean that, let’s say...This is a serious dream. If Rob is serious about this dream, making time for that dream to gradually happen would be on the top of his--maybe not top-top-top on the very top, but top 5 things that he does in the day. Would you agree?

A: Yes, I would agree.

V: So everyone can do 5 things in a day, at least for 15min in a day. If we agree on that, then finding those 15min--it’s not an necessary word, actually. Making those 15min would be more appropriate.

A: But are you sure it would be enough to play--to practice 15min a day in order to be able to play any organ composition?

V: Let’s say you tell yourself, “I will sit down today on the organ bench for 15 minutes.” And you do: you sit down, and you can continue if you feel like playing for an hour, or for 45 minutes or whatever. You can. But the trick that our mind sometimes plays on us is: if we cannot find or make 60 minutes of quality time for organ playing, then we don’t bother to sit down at all, you know? And say our day is wasted. But if we sit down for 15 minutes, there is a chance we will continue for more.

A: So it’s like cheating yourself!

V: Obviously, yes. We have to cheat our tricky mind! Right? Because that’s what we do. We seek our dream. That’s what we try to do here. We take steps--baby steps. Anything else, Ausra?

A: Well...Well I would say, you know, if you really want to achieve something, you have to do it; and you have to find time, or to make time, as you say. Because if you are not doing it, maybe it’s not as important for you as you think it is.

V: I think it is important for him, because he wrote it to us.

A: Yes, that’s the first step, I think.

V: Mhm, to admit that it is important to you and write it down.

A: But you know, I think if you will practice, let’s say, for 60 days straight thorugh, you will develop a habit of practicing

V: Exactly, 66 days.

A: And then you will not be able to stop practicing.

V: You will feel not right--something will be missing from your creative day, if you don’t do that activity. At least for a bit, right? For 15 minutes. Would you agree, Ausra?

A: Yes, I agree with it.

V: Do you feel that you cannot function well if you don’t play every day?

A: Sure, sure.

V: What is it that you feel, if you skip practicing?

A: That something is missing.

V: And how do you react to it? Do you feel like a different person--

A: Well, I sort of start feeling guilty.

V: Guilt?

A: Yes.

V: Why?

A: And this is not good, maybe--I don’t know, but that’s what I feel.

V: Very Catholic!

A: I know, it is!

V: Good. But you know, I feel that guilt, too. Haha! Yes, if I skip! So therefore, I try to do this first thing in the morning. Not necessarily organ playing, in the morning, because maybe you will be sleeping, right? If I rise earlier. But some creative activity I do first thing in the morning. Then, if something goes wrong with that day, if there is an emergency or something, or the electricity disappears, like it happened a couple of days ago--at least I know I did something creative in the morning. The day wasn’t wasted.

A: But still, you know, most of the time, I cannot practice in the morning. Only in summertime, for a couple months, in summertime I can practice in the morning. So I have to do it after making all other my works...

V: Yeah.

A: And it’s really hard. Like last school year, I allowed my only one day a week not practicing, and it was Tuesday--because I was working straight from 8 till 6.

V: Did you feel that something has to change--that either you are playing too much, or you’re working too much?

A: Definitely I’m working too much.

V: Did you have this feeling?

A: Yes.

V: Mhm. What would you rather sacrifice? Playing or working?

A: Hahahaha!

V: A little bit--not necessarily you have to quit your job, I’m not communicating that, but--

A: Of course working--of course working.

V: --But instead of working 100% like you do now, maybe 90%.

A: Yes, that’s a good idea, but you are not always able to do what you want.

V: Right. And on days that you practice, Ausra, are you happier?

A: Sure, of course I’m happier.

V: Happier. Did you practice today?

A: Yes, I practiced today.

V: So you are happy now?

A: That’s right.

V: And I only played organ duets with you, so I’m not as happy as you are, so I better go now and practice. Okay.

A: Sure. Of course, when you practice...

V: Miracles happen!

This blog/podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program 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.

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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 276 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And before we started recording this conversation, we listened to five videos that Carsten sent to us. These were his improvisations put on his  YouTube channel. 
 
V: So basically, Carsten wrote that: “If I may be so keen to ask for an amount of your valuable time, I would be very interested in your professional listeners perspective, feedback, and honest criticism on these five specific pieces which I consider to be some sort of personal milestones in my improvisation”:

V: So we listened to these pieces, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: And Carsten finishes, “Vidas and Ausra; thank you so much for patient reading. I guess I could go on for hours of writing but I think I should leave the rest for further emails. Have a great time and God Bless.
Carsten”.
 
 V: So this podcast episode is basically a continuation of the previous one.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Which we discussed in detail, Carsten’s challenges, especially that he’s feeling stuck and not able to play on the organ every day. So today, we listened to these improvisations, and Ausra, what’s your first impression?
 
A: Actually, I’m very much impressed. I would say I really enjoyed listening to them.
 
V: Do you think it’s a concert level performance?
 
A: Yes, it could be in a concert.
 
V: Yes. People like this should not hide their art. And I guess Carsten is not hiding. He’s publicly recording and sharing his work on Youtube. That’s very nice. A lot of organists are afraid of criticism, especially when they improvise. And most often then not, the people can play from repertoire much better than improvise because they have been playing from the sheet of music much longer. They’re afraid of criticism because they’re feeling like beginners in improvisation.
 
A: That’s right. But in improvisation there are no mistakes. Because all the music comes down spontaneously, or at least it should be played spontaneously.
 
V: But you see mistakes might be apparent if you try to imitate some sort of style, right? If, let’s say Carsten is improvising in the baroque style. For example, ‘loben denn herren’, I think it was, one of the versions here. And he for example started then, copying French style in the middle of that piece. That would be too apparent, right, to change, too sudden. Or you could do that but then you will have to change much more frequently to other styles as well, to do it eclectically.
 
A: Well, but if you are improvising in a free style then everything is possible.
 
V: Right. Do you think that, for example, some of his improvisations might be done even more interestingly?
 
A: Yes. I think it might. I think, let’s talk a little bit about toccata, because,,,
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: This is the piece that grabbed my attention mostly.
 
V: Toccata on ‘A Might Fortress’.
 
A: Yes. This is a wonderful tune to improvise on. One of my favorite[s]. I would suggest, especially for a concert maybe, to do shorter introduction. Because it’s toccata and you need to grab attention immediately.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: Right at the beginning.
 
V: Start maybe louder?
 
A: Yes. Because it would be like a meditation maybe. Then yes that a voice played in unison and then again another voice played in unison would be good, I think. That’s a good idea for some kind, for some improvisation. But maybe not toccata. What do you think about it?
 
V: I would probably put chorale tune in the pedals quite soon after introduction so that people should really understand the tune well enough and would be interested in hearing what’s next. And this interest level is rising gradually, right? He starts quite softly, not with mixtures, not with principle chorus, but softer and gradually builds up to principle chorus and probably reeds as well. But I think too gradually. We have to wait too long, for too long.
 
A: Yes. I think so.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. Did you notice any other aspects that could be improved, Ausra?
 
A: In general, I think, in my opinion, improvisations could be a little bit shorter-all of them. And to concentrate your ideas more. Because if you will make them too long, they might become a little boring. It’s the same with playing a concert with composers repertoire. If you will choose too many pieces, people will start leaving your recital.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. You know how I look at improvisations in terms of length? I look at improvisation in terms of movie episodes, like scene[s] in a move. Have you ever counted the time, how long each scene in a move should be, for example?
 
A: No, I haven’t counted but I don’t think they are very long.
 
V: In a book each scene might be somewhere around 1500 words. Like optimum length could be shorter, could be longer. But when you watch it on T.V. or in a movie, then of course shorter, and not longer than one minute, usually. And because music is also an art in time, just like move film is, I guess I’m not suggesting that Carsten should only improvise for one minute.
 
A: No, no. Definitely not.
 
V: But, it would be interesting to change episodes, scenes, themes, character, tempi, rhythm, harmonies, registration, everything, within that minute. So I guess when you’re improvising, your sense of time is kind of tricky to feel, right? You feel ‘oh, it’s interesting and I have to play it longer’. But downstairs people perceive time differently than the performer upstairs. So what I do is, I change something while it’s still at the height of interest, not afterwards. Not when the idea comes to my mind, such as ‘what should I play next’? That’s too late.
 
A: I guess you’re not admirer of minimalistic style?
 
V: I could admire that style. If it’s that particular style, I have to know that little by little you change something. That’s okay. But that’s entire different story. What Carsten did and what normally people do also, this is normal development, right? And I think more effective way to develop things is to change up themes and make more contrast, more frequently. What do you think?
 
A: Yes. I think it would be a good thing to explore more.
 
V: For example, Carsten improvised a few pieces, not in the baroque style, right? And that could be looked upon like a modern style, like French style, one of the best probably styles to try to imitate before you encounter your own style. So if you look at pieces of modern composers, rarely music is in a similar motion longer than two pages. More often than not, you change something within that page, right? And especially if it’s slower tempo you change even more frequently than one page. If it’s fast tempo, so then a couple of pages is okay. And in a fast tempo [a] couple of pages consist of about one minute, right?
 
A: Do you think it’s somehow related to all this modern kind of knowledges?
 
V: Such as?
 
A: Cell phones, smart phones,,,
 
V: That we can’t,,,
 
A: Concentrate and listen for something for longer time? And always need new ideas and new titles coming up. New sensation.
 
V: That’s has to be it, right? Because if you look at baroque pieces, right, baroque fugues, baroque preludes, chorale preludes, fantasias, they are longer in one style, one character, basically, one episode. They change less frequently. Although if it’s a fantasia, then maybe a couple of minutes of one color could be done without changing, in older style. But if it’s modern style, then change more frequently. Because we modern humans have shorter and shorter attention spans, just like squirrels, or chipmunk.
 
A: That’s a nice comparison. Although I don’t know if everybody will like it.
 
V: Yes. Chipmunks won’t like it. Although it would be an honor for the chipmunk to be similar to a human, don’t you think?
 
A: I think so, yes. So anyway, congratulations on wonderful improvisations. Just keep going and keep exploring.
 
V: Yes. Keep sharing your art with the world, and schedule some public performances as well. Don’t hide it behind the screen of computer. That’s too safe. You have to take more risk at this level. 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 program 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.

Join 80+ other Total Organist students here

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 275 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  And this question was sent by Carsten.
​
 Dear Vidas and Ausra,

I'm glad to hear from you and I'm happy as well that my donation is so highly appreciated.
​
Please take it as my personal way to say "Thank you!" to both of you for all of your great inspiring and continuous advice, newsletters and videos, which always helped me out when I got stuck on my way to further dive into playing the organ.

Apropos getting stuck: My current job of being a software developer was very demanding over the past months -- and still is, with still no time to relax within visible reach. This had a big impact on my schedule, so my hobby of organ playing suffered a lot since I did not feel like sitting down on the bench every day. Of course, I had a bad conscience about this because I remembered all of your articles about time management, being consistent in practice, taking the daily 15 minutes and so on...

But in the end, to my very surprise, I was even able to improvise on some symphonic pieces for about 2.5 hours on a big IV+P cathedral organ during public opening hours -- without having played a single note for about four or five weeks before. Sometimes it seems like energy cells have to recharge for a while and it also seems that a bit of distance isn't a always a bad idea. Of course, I do not feel to have reached "concert level" yet -- but to be honest, this is nothing that I personally NEED to achieve (yeah, I take the relaxed way and do that for my personal fun and the joy of others). Also, "concert level" could mean a wide variety of things and may not mean anything to the listeners who do or even do not enjoy the music at a certain moment.

What mattered in my opinion was that (a) I was present there on that wonderful organ, (b) had no fear or performance anxiety, as you called it, even with numerous visitors walking through the huge building, (c) seized the moment despite of people talking, making their phone calls (what the ?!?!?) and children screaming, (d) let a number of friends, relatives and random visitors have a good time with my music and finally (d) was able to conduct the first surround recording of my impros.

If I made you curious about the result, I'd happily invite you to watch my "Dom Momente Live" playlist, which you can find on my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/WoodyofmC .
In case you'd like to keep an eye on my progress: During the past years, I recorded a number of pieces and performances for my family and friends (CDs are a great gift for any occasion...) and I'm currently in the process of creating a discography page in case one of them would like to order additional copies as a gift for his or her own friends. At http://en.wpoa.de , you may keep track of how my hobby is evolving -- last but not least, thanks to your highly appreciated mentoring! :-)
 
V: So what do you think about this long and fascinating feedback Ausra?
 
A: Truly fascinating.
 
V: What?
 
A: So, you know I think that the main idea of this letter is that you could have sort of a break from the organ and then go back to it and it might do you good.
 
V: Exactly and Carsten gives us 5 YouTube links here of his improvisations and he is interested in knowing our feedback.  But I don’t think were able to do that in detail in this episode but maybe in the next one we can listen to them beforehand and say a few things about those improvisations.  We’ll be glad to do that.  So my comment about this performance in cathedral is that yes, he was honest about those four things he noticed and even though it was not perfect, performance was not perfect, but he didn’t beat himself up for this.  That’s a good, I think, character trait.  Positive outlook.
 
A: Yes, it’s excellent and I think he chose very wisely to improvise because he hadn’t played the organ for a while before that.  So I think in such a case improvisation is always a better idea than to play repertoire that you haven’t practiced for a month or more.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: Don’t you think so?
 
V: Right.  Here I would like to add a comment about something that was written in the beginning.  Carsten wrote that “his current job of being a software developer was very demanding and this had a big impact on his schedule and so his hobby of organ playing suffered a lot since he did not feel like sitting down on the bench every day.”  I’d like to add a comment here.  Feeling is less important, I’m talking about my own perspective of course, if I have a goal and I don’t have time, or tired, or even sometimes sick, which might happen and I feel the pressure to keep on track of my schedule I would do, no matter what my practice look like, maybe fifteen minutes would be enough, not maybe an hour but fifteen minutes I could do no matter what even if I did not feel like sitting down on the bench.  What do you think Ausra about that attitude?  Strict attitude.
 
A: Well, I don’t agree actually with you.
 
V: See guys, we are so different and that’s so wonderful because you get both perspectives in one Podcast.
 
A: Well, in July I spent a week in the hospital and then was sick for a few weeks and I haven’t practiced at all because I didn’t have any possibility to do it.
 
V: No, I understand that.
 
A: And I still went to London and gave that recital together with you.
 
V: Did they come to your hospital and say “Ausra you need to practice” while lying in bed?
 
A: I’m just giving you this example that you would understand that there are periods in life when you really cannot practice.
 
V: No, of course when you are sick, like really sick, cannot really move or work.
 
A: Maybe I had to ask you to bring me organ to the hospital.
 
V: Or have temperature, high fever then it’s even dangerous to do that, but still you know what I would do?  I would practice in my head while lying in bed.
 
A: With a fever of forty degrees, yes?
 
V: No, forty degrees no, but thirty-nine degrees, yes.  (Laughs)
 
A: Well let’s wait until you get sick and then we will see how much you will practice in your head.
 
V: And then we will record another Podcast episode about that.
 
A: Yeah.  You know, when you have fever I can see it from my experience now that such a high fever you don’t understand what is real and what is not real.  And then yes maybe in your head somewhere you can practice while hallucinating.
 
V: What I was meaning of course Ausra is that Carsten was not having a fever, you know.
 
A: Well but you know his job is his job it’s his priority because it pays his bills so you have to do that thing.
 
V: Listen to this.  He had the bad conscience about skipping practice because he remembered our article saying about importance of being consistent and taking at least fifteen minutes a day.  So he knows that it’s important, right, but he didn’t feel like sitting down.  It’s basically saying that he knows the right way but his will is not strong enough to do it sometimes.
 
A: But look, even you know things happen and you cannot practice for some time no matter what the reason is, don’t feel guilty because that feeling of inner guilt is bad for you.
 
V: Yes.  Guys please don’t think that I’m practicing like a saint every day for seven hours straight.  No.  I also skip practice from time to time and I don’t recommend doing this but sometimes life gets in the way.  But don’t beat yourself up if you do this.  Be always positive and love yourself.
 
A: For example right now we spent two days on the seacoast and we haven’t practiced for those two days and this morning I practiced again and actually I felt even better because given those two days without practicing helped me to look to my repertoire with new eyes.  I got some new ideas.  I heard and saw some things that I haven’t noticed before and I think it’s good to give yourself sometimes without practicing.  But of course don’t do it too often.
 
V: We won’t try to give you a recipe how many days you can skip, right?  It’s dangerous.
 
A: Sure, because I think it’s individual for everybody.
 
V: If the reason is really important then of course go ahead and skip and don’t beat yourself up for that but then maybe try to make it up the next day, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: OK guys this was Vidas.
 
A: And Ausra.
 
V: We have different opinions, right Ausra?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: But that’s the beauty of it, right, our conversations.  Sometimes people can choose whichever opinions they like and which advice they can take to heart.
A: True.
 
V: So please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow even though we don’t always agree with each other, but we always support each other.
 
A: True.
 
V: That’s another thing.  So remember when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

This blog/podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program 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.

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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 274 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Henry, and he writes:
 
Thank you so much for the first video you have just sent me Sir... My question is, what are the techniques for playing scales perfectly, how to play without looking the hands, how to look ahead and lastly how to prepare an organ practice schedule?
 
V: So, Ausra, that’s quite a few questions, right?
 
A: True!
 
V: I’m not sure if we are able to answer them in detail, but let’s try.
 
A: Okay.
 
V: The first question was, of course, about playing scales perfectly. Remember the first time you tried to play scales, Ausra, in your life?
 
A: Yes. I remember it.
 
V: I don’t, so enlighten me.
 
A: Well, I loved playing scales, actually, that was the easiest thing for me. And, I loved the scales exam, because you don’t have to memorize them, so it’s very easy. You just let your fingers run. But of course, I think the success of playing scales well is to play them with the right fingering, and the secret of it is to know when to put the thumb under. And if you know that, then it’s easy. Of course, it takes time. It takes, you know, a lot of practicing hours, but definitely, playing scales is not the hardest technique.
 
V: And people who are interested in scales can pick up a volume of “Virtuoso Pianist” by Charles-Louis Hanon, and of course, in the second part of that collection, there are exercises in scales and arpeggios and chords, so that’s a good place to start.
 
A: And of course, when you are playing scales, you need to know when to add accents, because, you know, if you are playing a scale in C major, it means that you have to accent each C note. Because otherwise, if you will not accent correctly, or if you won’t use accents, then probably you might lose the tempo and coordination between hands.
 
V: Your hands will play not in time…. Not together, basically.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: For me, the difficult part in playing scales was playing in opposite direction with a few sharps and flats. I remember that. Especially minor scales. When melodic minor right hand goes upward with the 6th and 7th scale degree raised, at the same time, you have 6th and 7th scale degree normal, without sharps in the left hand in descending motion. And then they switch when the left hand goes up then the right hand goes down with those…
 
A: Well, wonderful, I have never thought about it.
 
V: It’s difficult.
 
A: Somehow I played it automatically and never thought that it might be hard, but now when you’re saying this, yes.
 
V: For me it was hard.
 
A: It might be confusing in some cases.
 
V: Right. So the next question by Henry is how to play without looking at the hands. Well, it takes, simply, practice, and obviously, knowing the patterns.
 
A: Sure. I think it will come with time. For example, let’s say when I’m playing solo, I don’t have to look at my hands or at my feet. Well, occasionally, of course, I look, but rarely. For example, when I have to organ duets with you, then it’s more complicated, because sometimes you play the first part, sometimes I play the first part, and then we switch, and then you know, you have to sit a different position, a little bit higher or lower on the organ bench, on the left or the right side. And then, I think I need to look a little bit more, because the keyboard is shifted.
 
V: Exactly. For me, I can play without looking, but then it’s confusing when you go from manual to manual. You have to check, sometimes. Or if you jump from octave to octave.
 
A: True, so, occasionally, you have to look.  But in general your goal is to learn to play in such a manner that you wouldn’t be looking at the keyboard all the time.
 
V:  And the best medicine is, of course, to look at the score in front of you.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: The next question is how to look ahead, right? Imagine a situation where you’re playing a piece of music, and where do you look exactly in the score? Which note, Ausra?
 
A: Well, that’s a complicated question, because I remember since very early in my childhood, my piano teacher always telling me, “Look ahead! Look ahead! Think ahead!” And, I always thought, “How would you do that?” But, I would say that now, I’m looking sort of  a half a measure ahead, or maybe a measure ahead.
 
V: A measure ahead is a lot.
 
A: That’s a lot. I would say half a measure, probably. But also, not on all occasions.
 
V: If the tempo is fast, then a half a measure, maybe. Maybe it’s possible to look ahead, but if it’s a slow tempo, then maybe a quarter note ahead is okay.
 
A: But you know, now, when I think about what my teacher probably kept in mind about looking ahead was not looking right ahead, but probably, knowing what is coming in the piece in its structure. For example, that you are getting to the end, let’s say, if you are playing a sonata, at the end of it’s position, or now you finish the first theme and the second theme will come, and knowing things like this.
 
V: You mean, probably, knowing the structure and feeling the phrasing a little bit, which helps for the listener to also feel the structure of the piece.
 
A: True.
 
V: If you know the structure, then the listener feels the same.
 
A: Yes, and I think that looking ahead  comes easier when you know a piece well enough.
 
V: Not when you sight read.
 
A: Sure. The better you know your piece, the easier for you it will be to look a head.
 
V: And the last question is how to prepare a schedule on organ practice. Basically, what he means, probably, is how to know what pieces to practice each session. Right?
 
A: Well, it depends what you are working on.
 
V: So let’s say you have 30 minutes of repertoire to prepare.
 
A: Sure, and of course, I would suggest if you don’t have very strong technique yet, that you would do some exercise first—some technical exercise: scales, arpeggios, chords. Something. Not necessarily a lot, if you are practicing only for a half an hour, maybe spend on five minutes on those exercises, and then start to learn the repertoire. And it depends upon how many pieces. If you have only a half an hour, I would study only one piece. Practice only one piece.  And it depends on if you’re just beginning to learn that piece, then you need of course to play right hand alone, and then left hand a lone, then pedals alone, and then work on all the things in combinations.
 
V: I would just add, Ausra, that Henry needs to look at what pieces are the most difficult for him and work on them first.
 
A: Sure, and you know if you have a longer interval to practice, let’s say an hour or two hours, then try to do technical exercises first for a little bit longer, and then work on the piece is the hardest on your repertoire list. And then, things that you have already learned and maybe just need to refresh or re-polish, or to repeat, then practice them later on.
 
V: And it’s okay sometimes, not to play the entire repertoire in one session.
 
A: Sure! Don’t try to put everything in that session, especially if that session isn’t long.
 
V: So if you’re playing 30 minutes of repertoire and you are only practicing for 30 minutes, obviously you are not able to play even once, the entire collection of your repertoire, because you are playing slower than in concert.
 
A: So, and you know, I would say if you are planning your next practice session, you have to know what your main goal will be—what you will want to achieve.
 
V: This is called deliberate practice, and we all know that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in any advanced field, and especially in such an advanced field as organ playing. But you have to practice deliberately. Not just playing for the sake of playing, but knowing your goal and trying to improve with each repetition.
 
A: Sure, you know your piece and know the hardest parts, and maybe on your next session, you will know that, let’s say you have 5 hard spots in the piece, then you will tell yourself, “Next time I will do the first two hard spots of that piece.” And then practice them diligently.
 
V: So guys, we hope this was helpful to you. Please send of 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 program 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.

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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.

V: Let’s start Episode #273 of #Secrets of Organ Playing podcast. This question was sent by Paul. He writes:

Would you please rate the top 10 most popular organ toccatas in difficulty?  Which is easiest? I'm sure everyone would love to know! Thank you for your blog.

My top 8 organ toccatas that I like are: 1. By Pachelbel D Major (from Toccata and Fugue)  2. BWV 912 3. By Thedore Dubois G Major 4. By Boellmann Suite Gothique 5. BWV 538 D minor Dorian  6. By Gigout in B Minor 7. By Widor 6th symphony 8. Bach's D minor BWV 565. Nine and ten I will leave to you as I'm sure there are many organ toccatas I don't know exist.

Would you please put these in order of difficulty?

Thank you for all you and your wife do.

Sincerely,

Paul

So Ausra, these are all very famous pieces, right?

A: True. And we could expand this list--probably not to 10, but to a little bit more toccatas, because if we are talking about Bach, we definitely have to add the C Major Toccata, and the F Major Toccata, and E Major Toccata.

V: And then, he writes, d minor Dorian and d minor…

A: Yes, both d minors, yes. And then of course, we need to look at the other toccatas, such as Duruflé toccatas from the Suite.

V: Mhm.

A: What else would you like to add to this list?

V: He says that are toccata-like, but are not necessarily entitled like toccata. For example, Dieu Parmi Nous, by Messiaen, from La Nativité du Seigneur. What about Henri Mulet--Tu es Petrus?

A: Yes, this also...could be considered a toccata.

V: Of course, they’re really advanced, and probably belong to the ending of this list, too. But from the list that Paul wrote, probably Pachelbel would be suitable for starters.

A: Yes.

V: Mhm.

A: What about Dubois, could be…?

V: Dubois is one of these ones from the French school. Dubois probably is easier even than the Böellmann, I think.

A: I think so, yes. I think so too, I agree.

V: But to me, Gigout is easier than Dorian Toccata.

A: I would say so.

V: Mhm. So maybe I would put Gigout as number 5, and then Dorian as number 6. Would you agree…?

A: Yes, I agree.

V: Of course Bach’s d minor Toccata shouldn’t come after Widor’s Toccata.

A: Sure.

V: So maybe...maybe Bach’s d minor Toccata (BWV) 565 would go...Oh, this is with the Fugue, right? So it could go probably…

A: Well, if it’s with a fugue, then it’s much harder. But maybe we just talk about toccatas now, and not necessarily fugues.

V: Before Dorian, here, right? What do you mean?

A: Yes, probably d minor Toccata--the famous d minor Toccata by J. S. Bach--I think is a little bit easier than Dorian Toccata.

V: Mhm.

A: Because that Dorian Toccata has that motoric drive throughout the entire piece, and it might be difficult especially for a beginner to play.

V: This is an advanced-level piece.

A: True.

V: Dieu Parmi Nous, by Messiaen, could go maybe...to number 9? Right, and Duruflé’s Toccata could go afterwards.

A: Oh, definitely. I think it’s probably the hardest toccata, or one of the hardest toccatas for organ.

V: Or one of the most. Depending on who’s playing.

A: True, true.

V: Henri Mulet’s “Tu es Petrus” maybe is on the same level, too--on a similar difficulty level. Of course there are toccatas written by Italian masters from Renaissance and early Baroque, but we don’t necessarily need to include them here.

A: True.

V: And Muffat wrote a lot of Toccatas.

A: That’s right.

V: Mhm.

A: --That are organized for a church organist, because they are all sectional pieces, so you can finish them whenever you want. So they are very practical for a church service.

V: Although early music toccatas have virtuosic elements, they’re different from French style toccatas, right?

A: That’s right. Very different, very different. 

V: In which way?

A: They are actually shorter--have not so many fast passages; and you could have also pieces like “Toccata per l’elevazione,” that are in a completely different character.

V: Very slow.

A: Very slow and meditative.

V: Why is it called Toccata then, if it’s nothing like Widor’s Toccata?

A: I think it’s because “toccata” in general means “to touch”--to touch the keyboard. So there are different ways how you can touch that keyboard.

V: Oh, Italians have 3 terms, right--like toccata, sonata, and cantata. So cantata comes from the word cantare--

A: “Sing.”

V: Right, “sing.” So it’s a singing composition--vocal composition. And sonata comes from the word sonare, which means to sound. And to sound means to play an instrument, in general, right, as opposed to vocal music. But toccata simply means keyboard music composition.

A: Yes, because it comes from the Italian word tocare, which means to touch, and it applies to the keyboard compositions.

V: And in early music up until probably Romantic period, composers created toccatas in sectional ways, right? Free, strict, free, strict, free. By free I mean improvisatory passages where you would improvise on the keyboard instrument, trying out different keys and diminutions and scaler passages in both hands in alternate motion. I think then comes strict section after that. What is “strict”?

A: It usually uses some fugal elements, some imitations.

V: Right.

A: So that’s polyphonic technique.

V: It comes from ricercar.

A: That’s right, or canzona.

V: Mhm.

A: And if you would think about Buxtehude’s Praeludium, I think you could I think safely call them toccatas, too, because they have all those features that early toccatas have. Strict and free episodes alternating between themselves.

V: Right. And you could have 5 or even 7 episodes like that in stilus fantasticus: free, strict, free, strict, free--that would be 5; and if you add 2 more, you could have a 7-sectional praeludium or toccata, like Buxtehude did with 3 fugues.

A: That’s right. Then don’t you think that most of the final movements let’s say of Vierne’s symphonies could be called Toccatas, too?

V: Obviously, yes. Probably one of the more famous is Finale from the First Symphony; this is also an advanced composition, it should go to the end of the list.

A: But easier than Durufle’s toccata, yes?

V: Easier, yeah, yes. Umm, what about the Third Symphony?

A: That’s right, this also could be called Toccata. Although it’s called Finale, but...but you know, the character is toccata-like; it’s a fast, virtuosic, very effective piece.

V: In my mind, I think the main difference between toccata and finale is the number of themes the composer sometimes uses. In Finale, they use sonata-allegro form, and they need at least 2 themes for that.

A: But Vierne uses it; Widor not necessarily.

V: Right.

A: I think Widor’s forms are written a little bit different forms than Vierne’s. Vierne’s pieces are very classical, in terms of form.

V: Mhm.

A: And Widor is sort of a little bit more free.

V: Yeah, he experimented more with form, and his forms are less predictable. So it’s no surprise Widor titled his toccata as Toccata, but not as Finale, right, because it’s not in sonata-allegro form. Excellent. Anything else you want to add?

A: Well...We could discuss about toccatas, I think, till the night would come! It’s a very broad topic!

V: “Till the cows come home”!

A: True!

V: Right? Thank you guys for listening, and enjoy playing those wonderful toccatas, we have some of the scores with fingering and pedaling for you to save a lot of hours and frustrations. And you can pick and choose from that; and as time goes by, we will be creating more scores for you, too. So stay tuned. This was Vidas.

A: And Ausra.

V: And remember, when you practice…

A: Miracles happen.

This blog/podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program 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.

Join 80+ other Total Organist students here

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 272, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jur. And he writes:
 
My biggest challenge is still to be patient and not rush ahead in a piece before I have mastered it bit by bit. I know this is a very bad habit and this is the reason why I never can play without making mistakes. I am trying to find the discipline!

Practising just one piece does get a bit boring so in addition to BWV 639 I have now also started working on BWV 731. I have practised this in the past but with different fingering, I am now relearning it with yours.

Best regards,
Jur
 
V: So Ausra, Jur is our Total Organist student.
 
A: Yes, he is.
 
V: And it’s very nice that people can take those pieces that we are fingering and pedaling them, and make them their own, right? They can apply to their own situation, and choose according to their level of mastery.
 
A: That’s true. It’s nice when you can have a variety of things to choose from.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. It seems that Jur likes Bach’s music a lot, right?
 
A: True. Because all he talks about is Bach’s music. And I think his chorales is a good start for organists.
 
V: ‘Ich ruf’ zu dir’ only has three parts: soprano part, the middle part played with the left hand and the pedals. They’re really relatively easy. I think it’s probably the most convenient way to start learning Bach’s chorales, or Bach’s music in general.
 
A: Probably yes, because the tempo is slow.
 
V: This was my first practice guide that I created when I started Secrets of Organ Playing back in 2011. So I intentionally first created the Vidor (???), how to master any organ composition, and I taught bit by bit how to master this particular piece. And then three months later I released this practice guide for people. But not only with fingering and pedaling, but I like to do step by step approach, with basically practice schedule. And the fragments that students could master for each day. So in the course of maybe two weeks, someone could learn this piece from our guidebook.
 
A: Yes. So know you talk about BWV 639, and he says that he learned it earlier with his own fingering, and now he is relearning it. So what do you think about relearning pieces? Is it a good way or not a good way, relearning a different fingering?
 
V: It’s been a while since I used somebody else’s fingering. I always create my own fingering, but I can imagine being in Jur’s shoes, or anybody else’s position that use a, let’s say, are used to playing with heels, or with finger substitution. And then he discovers something like my practice guide with a different system. Then, obviously, it takes a while to get used to the new method, right, Ausra? But I think it doesn’t hurt do to this. What do you think, Ausra?
 
A: Well, yes. I remember when before going to study in United States, I played toccata by J.S. Bach, C Major Toccata, Adagio and Fugue. And I played it actually using not only toes, but heels on the pedal. And it think I might [have] used some finger substitutions, especially in the adagio part. But when I played it again in the states with a different fingering and pedaling, using only toes and no finger substitutions, and I think it worked better.
 
V: How did your fingers react at first? Of course you know you have this muscle memory. And when you learn a piece one way, after a while, you come back to this piece, start learning it the new way, the old way sort of is still there.
 
A: It’s was hard. I think it’s harder to relearn piece in a different manner, with a different fingering and pedaling, than to learn a new piece. But I managed it because it’s such a nice piece that you cannot just don’t play it.
 
V: Yeah. You have to always look at your own goals. And if this piece suits your dreams, then you can learn it the right way, even if the old fingering and pedaling was ingrained in your own muscles and body for so long. But it takes open mind, yes? Sometimes, I get comments like, that ‘it’s not possible to play virtuosically, in using toes only’, for example with pedals. And I think we have discussed this earlier, right, on some podcast episode.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: I think it takes open mind. What do you think, Ausra?
 
A: Yes, I think so. You need to be eager to learn all your life.
 
V: And people will say that it’s not possible, from their experiences it’s not possible, right? That’s where they come from. It’s not necessarily true. So his challenge, Jur’s frustrated with practicing a piece, I think too fast, right, before he fully masters is bit by bit. This is a habit that we sometimes all get.
 
A: It’s actually a very common thing. Everybody wants to play faster, very soon. But when you think about the final result, I think it should keep you slowing down and practice slower.
 
V: But people still do it not often enough, right? What’s the main reason for this, Ausra?
 
A: I think everybody wants to get immediate gratification.
 
V: And that’s nothing bad about that, right?
 
A: Yes, it’s nothing bad about that, yes.
 
V: We seek pleasure and try to avoid pain. That’s all we do actually.
 
A: That’s human nature.
 
V: Yeah. Not only human, all living things. Even plants, right, they strive to get to the light because it’s good for them.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: And they try avoid dark places. But I don’t know how they avoid dark places, (laughs) if people plant them in a dark room. But maybe they can move, you know, when we’re not looking, right Ausra?
 
A: Yes, but I think this practicing slowly, I think we need to keep in mind that bigger, larger picture. That eagle vision, so called. If you would look at the final result from above, then you will find out that slow practice will lead you to that nice final result.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. And this vision is appropriate for big things, for your big goal, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: And, what’s the opposite of that, of eagle vision?
 
A: Chicken vision.
 
V: (Laughs). A chicken vision, right? When we seek immediate gratification.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: I see. So, yeah. Probably Jur, and anybody else in his shoes, needs to find a bigger motivation for practicing the right way. Maybe a challenge of some sort. Maybe some public accountability, right Ausra?
 
A: True.
 
V: Maybe, to take it to the next level. If Jur is practicing for his own pleasure or not, but sometimes people get comfortable, or too comfortable in their own practice rooms, right, and only family members can see them, or hear them. Do you think that’s enough?
 
A: Well, it depends on what kind of life you lead.
 
V: Let’s say that a person only does this for a hobby, right, as a hobby. And doesn’t have any dream to play it in public. And the reason I’m advocating for playing in public now is that their playing will improve immensely, right? I understand amateurs and hobbyists. That’s really good. That’s what our organ fans are for. But sometimes you want to improve even more, right?
 
A: True. And then the public performance is [a] very good way to do it, to achieve something.
 
V: Right! And he knows that the reason that he can’t play without mistakes, is probably because he plays the piece too fast right away, and not master it in small fragments, right? So I hope he perseveres, and finds this inner strength to do this right.
 
A: True.
 
V: Let’s wish him well. 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 program 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...

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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 271 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Becca and Becca writes:
 
My dream is to become proficient at playing hymns on the organ, after years of not playing. Piano was my concentration of study. Besides serious practice, the following three things are holding me back:  

1. Finding the best approach to reacquainting myself with playing the organ, in general. 2. Need to refresh the technique of playing the foot pedals. 3. A better understanding of the use of registration in hymn playing.
 
V: So Becca wants to become better at playing hymns on the organ which is really nice for liturgy, right Ausra?
 
A: True.  And that’s why she needs a good pedal technique because it’s so important to play hymns with the pedal because it gives nice support for congregational singing.
 
V: How did you understand this part of the question “Besides serious practice the following three things are holding me back.”  What does she mean besides serious practice?
 
A: That she does not practice seriously yet.  That’s how I understand it.
 
V: Hmm.  Interesting, so she needs to find more motivation to sit down on the organ bench then.
 
A: Yes, I think so.
 
V: First of all I would suggest picking up a challenge.  Either internal challenge or external challenge.  What do you think?
 
A: That might help.
 
V: With internal challenge I could say she could pick a goal to practice for let’s say thirty days non-stop for every day for starters.  Right?  That would be her challenge.  And probably on the calendar she would mark each day when she sits down on the bench and that would help her keep track of her practice and don’t break this pattern.
 
A: Yes that might be very helpful and interesting.  Now I think about that first thing that she writes, finding the best approach to reacquainting myself with playing the organ in general and then she talks about playing the foot-pedals.  I would not separate these two points, the first one and the second one because if you are playing the organ then pedals are a part of playing the organ.
V: Pedals are like a third hand.
 
A: I know so you would not need to separate these two points.  That’s my opinion.
 
V: That’s understandable because piano was her concentration years ago and when she starts to practice the organ now her piano background comes up and she still thinks about organ playing in terms of keyboard playing, not pedal playing so much.
 
A: But you know in that case she just needs to do more exercises with pedal.
 
V: Would hymn playing help her improve pedal playing too?
 
A: Sure, of course.
 
V: Like maybe play any voice on the pedals.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: But then she would need to do the pedal marking on the hymns correctly so she would know exactly which foot to use.
 
A: That’s right.  So the more she will work with pedals the better she will get.
 
V: Right.  Then probably registration in hymn playing needs to be approached from the angle of text-painting, right?
 
A: Yes, of text-painting but first of all she needs to see for whom she will accompany and she will play these hymns because how large the building is, how large the congregation is, and do they sing loudly or not.  So all these things need to be kept in consideration.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: Because if like ten people attending church and you play pleno the hymn it will not be good.  And also if hundreds of people attend church and you will play softly on the flutes only, this will not also be good.  So you need keep correct balance.  People need to hear organ but you don’t need to be overwhelmed by it.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  So generally speaking a few principal stops would normally be suited to accompany any type of hymn, right? 
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: 1, 2, 3, like 8’, 4’, and 2’.
A: That’s right and then as you mentioned first you need to look at the text.  What the hymn text is talking about because you also will not keep the same registration throughout the hymn.  Let’s say the hymn has like five verses so you need to change registration for them.
 
V: Most of the organs have a couple of manuals at least so she could jump from manual to manual.
 
A: If you have pistons on the organ you could use them to set up the program in advance and then look at the text what the hymn is talking about.
 
V: Right.  Is it appropriate to use mixtures when playing the hymns.
 
A: Well, I would use mixtures only very occasionally on very solemn occasions for example for maybe Christmas Eve service when there are more people than usually at the church.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: And you need them to support congregational singing.  You always need to check because it might be too much adding mixtures, don’t you think so?
 
V: Right.  Maybe for the last stanza.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: What about the reeds, would reeds work?  Trumpet, Bombarde?
 
A: Also the same as mixtures, you only use them very little.  Maybe for Easter.
 
V: Right.  What about 16’ in the manuals?
 
A: Again it depends on how acoustically the church works and how many people there are.
 
V: If it’s a live church and a lot of people and your mixtures are not as bright and pitched lower?
 
A: Then yes, you could use the 16’ in the manuals.
 
V: To add more gravity.
 
A: That’s right.  Because I remember once I played Christmas services at Christ Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.  There were so many people that I played with full organ and I could still not hear it, so you need to look at the particular registration.
V: Have you ever played the hymns with flutes?
 
A: Yes, actually I had.  When we had small service like evening services for Vespers in the chapel and the organ was small and the room was small and there were few people, then yes, of course, why not?
 
V: What about the strings?
 
A: Yes, I would use them too.
 
V: During Lent?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: For hymns with a softer character.  For example if the hymn talks about gentle Mary, definitely would not use mixtures, and no reeds, and maybe fewer principals.
 
V: You know what would be suitable for strings I think, some of the Gregorian chant.
 
A: Yes, because there are even in the Protestant hymnals there are hymns based on Gregorian chant.
 
V: Umm-hmm.
 
A: So definitely they need to be played softer because the character is gentle and soft.
 
V: Right.
 
A: And usually when we have these special seasons like Advent and Lent we play more subtle repertoire and softer hymns.  Because the text talks about awaiting Jesus birth or about suffering, especially during Holy Week before Easter.  So you need to use softer stops and you need to save the louder stops for Easter morning.
 
V: Good.  I hope this was helpful to people, right?
 
A: Well I hope so.
 
V: So guys 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 program 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.

Join 80+ other Total Organist students here

Before we go to the podcast episode for today, we'd like to thank Andrew, Jur, David, Dianne, John, Heidi, Hanna, Terrell, Joseph, Denise, Kimberly, Peter, Monty, Simone and others who decided to go beyond the free month with Total Organist so far. I'm sure you will learn a lot and reach your dreams much faster than on your own. We'll do our best to get you there.
 
V: Let’s start episode 270 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Juan. He writes:
 
Hello Mr. Pinkevicius:

​Thanks a lot for your enormous work propagating the practice of organ. I followed your daily e-mails with special attention dissecting every sentence you wrote in the process of improving organ techniques. My case is a little different because I am man who plays piano for personal entertainment and now when I am retired from public work as software engineer I decided to explore the intricacies of organ playing and state of the art of this wonderful instrument. My knowledge of software, electronics and music had let me to begin the process of "midifying" my Rodgers electric organ aside of the adventure of playing it.

And now, to answer your questions, (1) my dream is to continue improving my organ playing musically and technically, and (2) really the only thing that is holding me to get my dream is simply TIME but I think with patience and good tips I can get my proposal.

Going back, the reason I got your web link was because I was looking for a student score of Toccata & fugue in D minor (BWV 565) with fingering, pedaling and tips for practical study of it. So I think with the guides you sketched in your e-mails and having the work done for fingering and pedaling I can embark in such work.

Again, thanks for your help and additional idea I can assimilate.

​Juan
 
A: I think it’s very nice, you know, that he wants to improve in his playing. I think it’s a common wish for all organists, and all musicians in general. Don’t you think so?
 
V: I hope that everyone who plays the instrument wants to get better at it. If somebody is just playing for the sake of playing, then it’s not that interesting. Right?
 
A: True.
 
V: So, Juan now is retired. Do you think that people can improve faster when they retire?
 
A: Of course, because they should have more time when they retire, and can be able to plan their time better.
 
V: But Juan still writes that the problem is time, so what’s behind this question, would you think, Ausra?
 
A: I think everybody would want to have more time. But, if you want to achieve something, you need to learn to plan your time.
 
V: And planning probably means, first of all, prioritizing, right? Doing things that matter to you first.
 
A: True, because you cannot do everything. Sometimes, our planning is unrealistic. So, when you plan your schedule, just be reasonable. Make it as realistic as possible.
 
V: Are you one of those people, Ausra, who plans too much and does too much?
 
A: Yes, I do too much.
 
V: Is it because you want to do too much, or do you feel you need to do too much?
 
A: I don’t know. I’m sort of that kind of person that, you know, I don’t know how to say, “no,” and always take too many jobs, too many responsibilities.
 
V: In my case, I have too many passions. Not, perhaps, too many, but a lot. Right? And to do them properly takes a lot of time. That’s also time consuming, and takes a lot of planning and prioritizing what’s really important, and what to do first, and second, and third.
 
A: But I’m thinking that if you have, let’s say, if you can manage your time as much as you want, and to do what you want when you are retired… if you don’t have to go to a job every day, then try to do things that matter the most in the morning and at the beginning of the day.
 
V: If he is a morning person.
 
A: True. Morning time, relatively. If he gets up at, let’s say, 11:00 AM, then it’s morning for him.  For me, morning is 7:00 AM  or 6:00 AM. But it doesn’t matter. Do things that matter the most earlier in your day.
 
V: So you think that the reason that he cannot find enough time for organ practice is that he’s not doing organ practice first thing in the morning, probably, right?
 
A: I think so, yes. For me, at least, that works best. To do the most important things first. Do not procrastinate.
V: And, of course, learn to say, “no,” to the things that don’t really matter.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: What could be some examples of that? Because, people sometimes get confused, right, what is important and what is not.
 
A: I think, you know, to every person, it’s different things that are important and that are less important.
 
V: Are there any general ideas you could think of?
 
A: I don’t think so, because you know you can say things and offend people.
 
V: Ok, let’s offend people.
 
A: You can do that, I don’t want to do it.
 
V: Because, we’re doing this now for educations purposes, of course.  And, well let’s say, cleaning your house; Should it be on the top list of your priorities or not?
 
A: Well, it should be, but you don’t do it every day, so… we have very different opinions, I think, about this, because for me, to live in a clean house is important. For you, it’s not, so, you know…
 
V: I can live in a cave.
 
A: True.
 
V: With worms. Good. But it’s of course important, then to have an organ at home for us both. And Juan also has this instrument at home, and he doesn’t need to go to church to beg to anybody to let him play. He always has this opportunity.
 
A: But look, organ playing for him is sort of hobby, yes? And I guess he has many other hobbies, too. I don’t know, I’m just guessing. Maybe reading, watching TV, fishing, swimming, or it could be many things. But, you know, then you need to think that playing the organ is such an activity that requires both mental and physical preparation, so you cannot play the organ when you are tired, for example, or exhausted. So that’s why it’s good to do it first thing in the morning. And then maybe do an activity that doesn’t require so much physical and mental power.
 
V: Focus.
 
A: Or focus.
 
V: You’re right, Ausra, and you mentioned a very important thing here a moment ago. I want to focus on it for a second. You said that perhaps Juan might have other hobbies besides organ, right? And when people have a lot of hobbies, it’s difficult to do them all well, and sometimes, they all take too much time, and doing those activities, although it’s a pleasure for a person, might be selfish in terms of other family members. Imagine, Ausra, if I had 50 different hobbies every day and I would take up swimming, running, drawing, writing, reading, playing the organ, and whatever comes up to my plate, I would do it with passion: “this is my hobby,” right? My entire day would be filled with my hobbies. Would that be ok?
 
A: Of course not. I think you already have too many hobbies.
 
V: Right.
 
A: And that’s why, you know, other family members suffer from that.
 
V: Right. So, the way I look at it is you have to help other people with your own hobby, too. If it’s helping other people, then I guess this hobby can be practiced. For example, drawing—we both draw—and I think other people enjoy it when we share those things, so that’s why we continue to do it.
 
A: So then, what about exercising? Does it help anybody else when you, for example, exercise?
 
V: No, but what I hope with this is I hope to share my own experiences in a book afterwards, too. When you exercise, you have to exercise, physically, to be physically healthy and in a good state, right? And what I’m doing is I’m also documenting my exercising, which will later become part of the book. And other people can read about it.
 
A: You know, I would disagree with you about making good things for other people. You are saying that you are doing everything for everybody, and I don’t think so. I think the most important thing for any person is to be happy him- or herself.
 
V: Of course.
 
A: Because, I think only a happy person can make others happy, too. So when you are saying you are only thinking about then others, I think that you are a little bit dishonest about it, because I think, first of all, you are making yourself happy.
 
V: I didn’t say that I wasn’t thinking about myself first, here. Of course, I was thinking my hobby like this, let’s say exercising, I’m doing it for my own improvement, but not only for my own improvement. I am documenting the process and making it a part of the book, which might be helpful to other people later on.
 
A: Yes, and now I think we need to switch and go back to the organ.
 
V: So, organ playing for Juan, let’s say, is also a hobby, right? And I think he has every reason to practice it, right? Because, as you say, it has to make him happy. And if it does, he has to spend more time at this, right?
 
A: True.
 
V: And when you are retired, you can find more time doing it, and if you are a morning person, try to do this thing first thing in the morning. That would be helpful. Thanks guys, this was Vidas!
 
A: And Ausra!
 
V: Please remember to 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 program 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.

Join 80+ other Total Organist students here