Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 290 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Danielle. She writes:
 
Dear Vidas and Ausra,
I was an organ major as an undergraduate but had no background in harmony or scales. So even though I could learn organ literature, play for church services, and accompany choirs on organ, I could never improvise. Because I had no mental shortcuts (ie knowing what key the piece had modulated to, etc) the learning process was extremely arduous, and I stopped playing as soon as I could and switched to choral conducting. The stress of preparing for weekly church services was just too great.

Fast forward 25 years, and now I am subbing on organ for Catholic masses, and sometimes cantoring simultaneously! Thanks to some Dalcroze training, I can now entertain the possibility of improvising. But I’m finding it to be more challenging to improvise on organ vs improvising on piano for children’s music classes.

So my dreams are to be able to improvise postludes and to be able to
re-harmonize the final verse of congregational hymns to add a few juicy twists. I see these goals as interrelated.

The three things most holding me back are a lack of understanding of
harmony, a lack of handy chord progressions to lean upon, and a lack of an organized approach to tackle these tasks.

Thank you so much for your daily emails! They are very encouraging.
Danielle in New York
 
V: That’s a lofty goal, right Ausra?
 
A: Yes, it is.
 
V: But well worth pursuing, I would say.
 
A: Yes, especially if you want to learn to improvise, you have to know something about music theory and harmony, of course.
 
V: And I can imagine that if you are limited to just a few chords that you know, and basically playing from sheet music, you get quite frustrated if you can’t really prepare in advance those hymns and preludes on time for church services. And if you’re not good for sight reading, then it’s so challenging that people might quit, and she did, I think, many years ago.
 
A: But it’s that Danielle came back to the organ after so many years.
 
V: Mhm! Maybe she had this inner desire regardless of her limitations, which is nice. So, this desire, this inner motivation will keep her moving forward, even though the practice might not be as pleasant as it seems.
 
A: Yes, and sometimes I think how much my students at school are ungrateful for what they are getting there. Because, they don’t have that understanding of what other people around the world are missing. That is so important for a musician to receive early training in music theory—harmony.
 
V: The reason your kids are not grateful, I think, some of them shouldn’t even be there, right? They’re not planning to be musicians, I think, some of them. Or, they just want to play their instrument and they don’t even realize what kind of life is ahead of them.
 
A: True, but some who later become professional musicians, they feel, I think, grateful for what they learned.
 
V: Mhm
 
A: It’s just too bad that sometimes in our school that theory is so much unrelated to the practice.
 
V: Yeah, those 8 measure exercises are very good, and they’re limited in scope. Each exercise has their own chords and limitations, and the students will know what to put inside of those 8 measures or 2 sentences where the cadence is, right, at the end of four measures and at the end of the 8 measures, too. Sometimes you have an extension, right, maybe 10 or 12 measures, but that’s about it.
 
A: Yes. And now when thinking about Danielle, I think she should learn or take a look at our course of harmony for beginners.
 
V: Mhm, basically to look at the variety of courses we offer under the category of harmony and music theory, as well, because before attempting to learn harmony, you should know chords—basic chords…
 
A: Yes, and of course keys, as Danielle wrote “scales,” I think she probably meant keys…
 
V: Circle of Fifths
 
A: Circle of Fifths
 
V: With all accidentals.
 
A: It’s sort of a cornerstone for music theory.
 
V: So that’s why we created this Basic Chord Workshop, which tackles the main three note or four note chords, and even five note 9th chord as well, at the end, but in closed position. So, if it’s a tonic chord in C major, it would be C-E-G, in three notes, not in soprano, alto, tenor and bass layout, as harmony would be. But that’s another step. After this first course, then, Danielle would be ready to go to “Harmony for Organists Level 1”, I think.
 
A: Yes, and then after that, I think it will be time for her to play some sequences and some cadences and some modulations from my YouTube videos.
 
V: But before that, she would play the same sequences, but in closed position with one hand. Not with two hands, but basically internalize the chords “Basic Chord Workshop,” and that would help her to really get to know those chords, and get to know all the keys through those chords.
 
A: Yes, and of course, in addition to this, then she would master those courses, she would have to analyze some pieces of music that she is playing, or that she has played in the past. And then, she would get a notion how a piece is put together.
 
V: Right! So, basically, pick a favorite piece that you are playing, either right now, or in the past, or maybe in the future you are planning to do, and then look for those chords that you know. At first, maybe, simple chords—Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant—and their inversions—first inversion, second inversion—and once in a while, you will notice them. Not always, but sometimes the keys will be simple enough that you will start noticing those things.
 
A: Yes, and analyze the hymns that you are playing for church.
 
V: Oh, that would be even better.
 
A: And then you could start by doing simple improvisation on a hymn tune, on those chords that are given to you.
 
V: Right.
 
A: Add some figurations.
 
V: So, you don’t need to master an entire course about harmony before starting to improvise, right?
 
A: True! I think it should come together, side by side.
 
V: Yes. If we just think about it for a second, playing sequences is already sort of limited improvisation, right? Because you only have one chord with maybe a resolution, and then you have some rules, how to go about in ascending motion or descending motion, and then you improvise the rest of the sequence, too. This is basically the easiest way, and sort of applying those chords in practice.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: And then, you can expand a little bit, right? Try to harmonize your hymns, but that’s a little bit later, probably.
 
A: Yes, I think so.
 
V: Or, if you want to do it earlier, you could play with two voices, not with four voices, adding the bass to the soprano line. Would that work?
 
A: Yes, I think so. It should work.
 
V: Okay, so I think we have laid out a plan for you for the next about three months or so, could be longer, but if you practice everyday diligently, after a few weeks, you will start noticing real decent progress, and that will keep you moving!
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Thank you guys for listening, for sending those thoughtful questions. Please continue to do so, we love helping you grow. 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 289 of Secrets of Organ Playing podcast. This question was sent by Osei. And he wants to become a great organist and a composer, but he struggles with fingering. That’s sort of a short question that he sent.

A: But I find it very controversial, don’t you?

V: Yes. If you want to become a great composer and organist, I think your challenges should be bigger than fingering.

A: I think so, too. Because if you are still struggling with fingering, it means that you are at the very beginning level--don’t you think so?

V: Uh-huh, yes. I read it like, if he solved the fingering problem, then he would become a great organist and a composer. Which is obviously...not enough.

A: Yes, because I think fingering is only one small part of performance.

V: Mhm. What about pedaling, right?

A: True. True, and all other things, you know; and if you want to become a composer, you need to know theory very well, too. To be able to analyze pieces.

V: Let’s talk a little bit about fingering, right?

A: Mhm, mhm.

V: How to solve this fingering problem, if he doesn’t use our fingering and pedaling scores.

A: Well, when making your own fingering, you need to know what piece you are working on, and the style it is written in--if it’s a Baroque piece, or if it’s a Romantic piece, or if it’s a modern piece. And you finger it accordingly. And we have talked about those basic principles of fingering many times already.

V: Mhm. And since Osei wasn’t listening, we can repeat that again, right? So, let’s say, for Baroque fingering, what you must avoid is playing with finger substitutions, glissandos, things like that. Avoid using thumb whenever possible, right? If it’s maybe…

A: On the black keys--on the upper keys.

V: Yes. If it’s a chromatic music, especially from the 18th century, then avoiding the thumb is not really possible most of the time. I guess using those 3 main fingers--2, 3, and 4--are very important in early music, right? In both hands. What about, let’s say, modern music, or legato style music?

A: Well, you can use finger substitution, and glissandos…

V: But not always, right?

A: Not always. It depends on what the articulation needs. If you have to play legato, then yes--you will use all those techniques.

V: If you play frequently scales and arpeggios, you can figure out most of the modern fingering, too, without any glissandos and substitutions.

A: True, true.

V: But substitutions and glissandos come in handy when you are playing more than one voice in one hand.

A: And that very often happens in the 19th century and later music.

V: Right. Is it ok to use the same finger in some of the middle voices, when it’s not possible to play legato?

A: Well, yes--you have to do that quite often.

V: Mhm. Basically you lift up a little bit; and since the audience will still hear the upper voice and the bottom voice, it’s not a big deal.

A: Well, actually, sometimes it’s even possible to connect--to play legato--2 notes with your thumb.

V: Ah yes. Thumb glissandos, yes.

A: That’s right.

V: So that’s basically the main principles of playing with the modern music with efficient fingering, right? What about his dream of becoming a great organist and a composer? Can we help him a little bit? What would be the first step?

A: Well, of course to practice a lot.

V: Sit down on the organ bench as often as he can, maybe every day, right?

A: Sure. If you want to become a great organist, you have to practice every day.

V: How long--for how long?

A: Well, at least 2, or even 3 or 4 hours.

V: Let’s say 4 hours. For a great organist, you have to practice for 4 hours. 2 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon. With breaks, of course; don’t hurt yourself. Don’t hurt your back. And you have to walk around, drink a glass of water, and stretch every 30 min or so. But since Osei has a lofty goal to become a great organist and a composer, I think pushing yourself a little bit more and playing 4 hours a day is doable.

A: Yes; and about becoming a composer, too, I think it’s important to understand that composition is probably the highest level of all musical creativity. I would say that improvisation might be a little bit higher…

V: Higher, yes, I was going for that. Why higher, Ausra?

A: Because then you are composing right on the spot.

V: Oh, thank you. You’re sort of developing further the great idea…

A: But so, you know, to become a composer, you need to understand music theory, music harmony, musical analysis very well, too; you need to have...to know different musical styles; you have to know a little bit of musical history, too. And then, after studying other composers’ styles, other musical styles, you need to develop your own style.

V: Mhm. Does it come naturally or do you have to force yourself?

A: Well...I think both ways. For some it might come naturally, but for some I think…

V: Do you think Bach...Let’s talk about Bach. Do you think when he was creating music in the 18th century, would he think, “Oh, how can I become original?”

A: Well, I think each great composer started by studying other composers’ works.

V: Copying them!

A: Yes, copying them. Like Bach, for example, when he lived with his brother, at night in secret he would write pieces by Johann Pachelbel.

V: Right. And at first his compositions were similar to Pachelbel’s.

A: Sure. And then, remember that story when he went on foot throughout Germany to Lübeck listen to Buxtehude and to Reincken in Hamburg. So obviously he was learning from them as well.

V: Mhm. And when he was living in those parts, he learned from them, in Nuremberg.

A: True. And since you can find all those Italian and French influences in his music (and obviously German influence--various German influences, because Pachelbel lived in once part of Germany where music was so much different from, let’s say, Northern Germany), so he studied all those influences, and you can find all of them in his music. Of course, he sort of remade them: reworked them, recycled them, and used them in his own unique way. And of course, you also need to mention that he knew stile antico very well.

V: Which is Renaissance style.

A: Which is Renaissance, so obviously he knew works, probably, by such great masters as Palestrina.

V: Mhm.

A: And di Lasso.

V: And let’s say, Frescobaldi.

A: True, true.

V: Mhm. Yes. You know, you mentioned a great idea, that he combined several ideas into one style--German, Italian, French--and made it his own, this combination that we know as a mature Bach style. As a mature Baroque style, even, right? So, a person like Osei could first copy some music of his favorite composers, study them, get curious about them, analyze them, and maybe create something really similar that these composers did at first. But once he gets better at that--once it becomes boring--he could combine a few elements into one piece, a few stylistic elements into one composition. That’s how we become original, right? Not copying one, but stealing from many composers.

A: That’s right. And since Bach lived in the 18th century, and we live in the 21st century, we have much more things to study from, because the music history is already much richer and longer compared to the 18th century.

V: Uh-huh, so we have so much material that the old masters didn’t have before.

A: That’s right.

V: That’s great. And this is such a lofty goal, right? To become a great composer and organist? Do you think that Osei could start composing right away, even if he doesn’t know so much about organ history or music theory, harmony, other composers’ stylistic elements? Could he do that today?

A: Well, I wouldn’t do that, if I would be him.

V: Why?

A: Well...Would you?

V: It’s not forbidden to start composing, right? It wouldn’t be great; and he has to, so to say, fail a lot at first, right? And a little bit later, he will find out a few breakthroughs. And that’s okay, right? You have to start small. That’s what I would do.

A: Well, you know, the scary thing for me is that there are many many young people nowadays who imagine that they are great composers already.

V: Mhm.

A: But they cannot themselves either play nor understand music. And I don’t know how they compose. Probably they are just using digital software.

V: Mhm.

A: To help them to do it. And I wouldn’t want to play a piece written by such a composer.

V: Mhm.

A: Because in order for me to take a composition of somebody and to play it, I need to respect that composer.

V: Mhm. That’s a great idea, because we can compare composing to writing. And there are so many writers who create novels, and a lot of novels are not good. Simply bad writing. So the first rule in writing, probably, is “Write a book you want to read yourself.” Right? If you are not reading that book yourself, if you wouldn’t recommend it to anybody else, that kind of style, then it’s not a good book. So with composition, probably, it’s the same. You have to compose music you want to play yourself.

A: True. And in order to do that, you need to be able to play the instrument.

V: Mhm.

A: And if you are writing for organ, you need to know about it.

V: Mhm. So, becoming a great organist and composer--actually, it’s connected, right? It’s two sides of one coin. You cannot become a great organist if you’re not actually creating; and you can’t create well if you’re not playing the instrument, if you’re not, basically, familiar with the vast variety of organ repertoire which came before. Right? So tell, Ausra, your final advice to Osei?

A: Well, so just you know, keep going, and keep motivating yourself.

V: Mhm.

A: And have a little goal for every day…

V: Mhm.

A: ...Knowing that it will finally lead you to becoming a great organist and composer.

V: And my advice would be, probably, start small and have the goal of becoming a bad composer first. Right? Create bad music first, but lots of it; and then little by little, if you create lots, maybe a thousand compositions that are bad, maybe one or two will be good, you know? And then in 20 years, you’ll become a great composer.

A: Well, yes, for some composers it was enough to make one excellent piece that they would be remembered for forever.

V: Right. So it’s a long life, and hopefully you can create something new every day. And it doesn’t have to be perfect, right? Because perfection is the killer of creativity. 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.

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By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)​​​

Here is an exercise from Guiem, my student from Palma de Mallorca (Spain) in Prelude Improvisation Formula course. I wanted to share them because they are too good.

This week's exercise was taken from E minor prelude by J.S.Bach. This is an early version from the Clavierbuchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach which was later incorporated into Well-Tempered Clavier Part I.

In the later version, Bach adds an upper ornamented solo voice to the right hand part but here, the texture is strictly limited to the chords in the right hand and the running sixteenths in the left hand, making our improvisation less complicated but nevertheless very beautiful.

​In the picture above you can see the figure that this prelude is based upon.

​​And here's what Guiem wrote to me:

Hello Vidas

Two small questions;

In relation to the material supplied so far basic is intended an improvisation as for example the one written by me and photographed that I attach to this e-mail ?.

And without pretending a correction of the errors, which has them, it would be interesting to comment on the length of the sequences or, in any case, to have a model already made for their contrast.

I like your course, it is a pleasure to practice the exercises.

Guiem Ferrà from Palma de Mallorca (Spain)
​
Below are the 3 pages that Guiem sent to me. You can actually see how beautiful this prelude is when you play it. In Prelude Improvisation Formula course the students would improvise something like this on the keyboard.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 288, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Neil. He writes:
 
Wow—it is so kind of you and Ausra to reply! I'm honored. My biggest challenges over the last six months have been pedal playing (which I basically have not done, except for harmonic pedal-point use) and registration. My wife and I keep looking for suitable organ shoes, but my feet are wide and I don't know what to buy.  So far I play in my left sock for pedal-points. Or I'll play Bach's "Jesu, Joy..." with a G pedal point, and then reach down for a low C and D for the cadence back to G (may J.S. not strike me down with a lightning bolt!). But my church only seats about 200, so the pedals don't seem to be necessary.

As far as registration, I have a 2 manual Allen electronic organ, and I'm getting pretty good at finding the colors that I want, but I am not able to change colors between verses of hymns, which I would like very much to do. I think you can use the piston-buttons for that, perhaps, but I haven't figured them out yet.

You see, I don't have much time at all to practice on the church's organ. I work many different jobs to support my wife and children, mainly as a librarian, and I wish I had a small practice pedal with organ to play at home. I love your phrase "the miracle of practicing"—it's so true!

By the way, my grandfather, who's mother was Lithuanian, lived to 103 years old. He loved America, but he used to say "America is a business country, but Poland and Lithuania were religious countries". He was a very devout and forgiving man, and when a Polish priest told him, after the war, that his brother Peter, back in Poland, was shot on the firing squad by the Nazis for being a spy, he just said "You have to forgive them". Makes me weep just to tell that story. Grandpa's name was Hendryk Kapowicz. Great guy.

Thanks Vidas!

Neil
 
V: Ausra, what are your thoughts about the ending of this question about his grandfather who was Lithuanian, who has Lithuanian heritage?
 
A: Well, that’s really amazing and that the end of his story makes me cry, want to cry.
 
V: Right, because the history is so alive in our country. We still can remember through the ancestors those terrible days.
 
A: And also in Poland too. And our two countries are very closely related historically. So, and Kapowicz, that could be Polish last name, but if you would add ending Kapovicius, it would be Lithuanian, just like yours—Pinkevicius.
 
V: Right. I guess we could start discussing Neil’s situation about pedal playing, right? He’s hesitant to start playing the pedals except for pedal points. Maybe because of lack of shoes?
 
A: Well but, you know since Neil is a man, I don’t think it’s that hard for a man to adjust shoes for the organ. For women usually it’s harder.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: But, if you take any classical mans shoes, you could almost play organ with them.
 
V: Or dance shoes.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Classical dance shoes. So, of course we buy our shoes from OrganMaster shoes, but you could buy them from basically almost any other shoe store that has similar variety of shoes.
 
A: And OrganMaster shoes, they have a variety of wideness of shoes. Not only sizes but you can buy little wide shoes.
 
V: Narrow and wide, you can choose whatever fits your feet.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Right. It’s interesting that he plays Bach’s "Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring" with three notes in the pedal: G, C & D.
 
A: Do you think Bach is happy about that?
 
V: Certainly not very angry because Neil is still alive, and Bach is dead.
 
A: (Laughs). That’s right.
 
V: I don’t think he can punish Neil very much for that.
 
A: Yes. Now, let’s talk a little bit about changing registration between verse of hymns. Do you think it’s very hard if you have pistons?
 
V: Not necessarily very hard, you just have to practice a little bit, maybe five to ten times, changing the desired piston after each verse, and do it sort of rhythmically, right? Basically counting. You hold the last chord, and you mentally figure out where that next button is, and still keep counting. If you need to slow down because it was the end of the verse, and in the same rhythm, when you release, you press the next button, and you’re ready to go to the next verse.
 
A: And Neil said that he has trouble setting the pistons.
 
V: Aha.
 
A: Is it hard to do? To set those combinations?
 
V: On Allen electronic organ, and I guess on most modern electronic organs, and basically even pipe organs, if they have solid state system, it’s kind of just one system to get used to, right? On the lower left side of the first keyboard there is this Set button, and then in the middle of that keyboard there are many combination pistons, right? One, two, three, four, five or more, right? So all you have to do, is to do what, Ausra?
 
A: To press Set, then to press the right piston number.
 
V: While holding that,,,
 
A: While holding that Set button too.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. But you first have to select the desired stops.
 
A: Of course. You select the desired stops, and then you are sure that this is a combination that you needed, you just press Set, and then the right piston number.
 
V: Uh-huh. In the far right hand side of the lower keyboard, there is a Cancel button. If you press the Cancel button, what happens?

A: All the stops will disappear.
 
V: Right.
 
A: They will get off. And if you will press the next combination, the next piston, well, you get the next combination. And in that case you will not have to press Cancel button.
 
V: You mean like sequencer?
 
A: Not necessarily. Let’s say your organ has six stops, six pistons buttons, yes? Six combinations. It means that if you will press a second button, yes, that’s all button combination set of the first button will disappear, and it will change to the second combination.
 
V: When you’re playing too.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: But when you’re setting the second combination, do you need to cancel before that or not?
 
A: Yes, of course. Unless you want just to add some stops to the first combination.
 
V: Uh-huh.
 
A: Or do something new, yes.
 
V: Uh-huh. So general idea is if the next combination is rather similar to the previous one, you don’t need to cancel the first one. And if it’s contrasting, rather different, then you cancel and select the stops from scratch. That’s how it’s done on most modern solid state system organs.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. Good. Then Neil writes that he doesn’t have much time to practice on the church’s organ because he has to support his wife and children working as a librarian, right? Do you think, Ausra, if there any moments in librarian’s work, where he could incorporate, at least mental practice, while looking at the score? When the readers are not asking for new books, right?
 
A: Sure, that possible I think, but I don’t know if many people would want to mix their job with something else.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: That might not be good. For example, when I teach at school I cannot think about anything else. What about you?
 
V: Uh-huh. I don’t think it would be a big problem for me, because I would bring some, at least one score into work. And if nobody is looking, right, if nobody is looking for me, I am sort of just sitting. And what do I do when I sit? Either I scroll my phone, or search for information online, right, which is also not related to the actual job. What can I do next? I could write, right, a blog post, I could draw a comic strip, whatever, right? Because I’m must waiting. So maybe Neil could incorporate those breaks that he sits. I don’t know if he sits but if he does maybe that would be something to consider. Just mental practice, on the table, while looking at the score.
 
A: Yes, that’s one of the possibilities.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: But you know, life is so busy for everybody. That’s usually the practice is the first thing to suffer, because of course you have to do so many other things first.
 
V: And then of course, as a librarian, maybe his job is not only sitting at the desk, waiting for books, but maybe he has to take those books manually. Maybe he as to walk around.
 
A: Plus many librarians, we have to do catalogs all the time, and refresh them, and all other things too.
 
V: Right. So just, I guess maybe, he has to find some other time after work, maybe early in the morning or late at night, when everybody is asleep.
 
A: True.
 
V: Wonderful. So we hope this was useful to you. Please continue sending us those wonderful, thoughtful questions. And we love helping you grow, right Ausra?

A: Yes, that’s right.
 
V: Answering your questions is one of our favorite activities in the day, right?
 
A: True.
 
V: So, 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 287 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Laurie and also Dianne and they both are our Total Organist students and I’ve asked the question at the end of the week “What are they struggling with recently?”  And Laurie answered by writing:
 
My biggest struggle has always been, just do it. If I can get myself to the organ bench - oh, and by the way I have a practice instrument in my home, I can have a good time practicing. But for some reason, it is very difficult to get myself to the bench.
 
And then Dianne added:
 
I often have the same issue. I have a practice organ at home as well, but I am not actively playing organ in any church right now... Our church only has a keyboard (and unfortunately they are happy with that). So I always feel like there are more pressing things for me to do than practice, but there are few things I enjoy more.
 
That’s a nice comment Ausra, right?
 
A: Yes, it is.  And really common for I think many people.
 
V: Sitting down on the organ bench is half of the job, right?
 
A: Yes, it is because if you sit down you definitely will play something.
 
V: If you said to yourself “OK, I don’t have an hour, I don’t have half a day to practice, and I even don’t have 30 minutes, maybe 15 minutes I don’t have.”  What about just sight-reading one page.  What about 2 minutes.  Can I sit down on the bench and play for 2 minutes without stopping.  And guess what happens.  You continue to play more, right?
 
A: True. But for me for example if I want to relax when I’m playing, I usually play music that I know well.
 
V: What would that be? Songs by ABBA?
 
A: (laughs) No, it would be like E flat Major Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach.  Or, if I don’t have time it would be a chorale by J.S. Bach.
 
V: Performed by ABBA?
 
A: No, performed by me.  And if I play piano it would probably be a piece by Johann Brahms or a couple of suites by J. S. Bach. 
 
V: You have a few favorites, right?
A: Yes, I have a few favorites that make me happy.
 
V: And you would take those favorites to an uninhabited island.
 
A: Or the middle movement of Beethoven’s Pathetic Sonata.  I love it. In E Flat Major.
 
V: Well, who wouldn’t.  Beethoven is so sweet sometimes, especially his slow movements.
 
A: Well sometimes I play Mozart’s variations in A Major for piano.  That’s fun too.
 
V: It seems like you are a fan of gentle and sweet music, right Ausra?
 
A: Well for relaxation, yes.
 
V: Would you recommend to Laurie and Dianne to pick some favorite pieces to play?
 
A: Sure, and maybe after playing that favorite piece you would continue playing something else.  Something that you need or want to learn.
 
V: Oh, it’s like giving yourself a reward just for sitting down.  Give yourself a musical candy.  And then once you have your candy you can eat soup and vegetables and healthy stuff.
 
A: Maybe not such a good idea to eat candy before soup but…
 
V: But you do it.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Nice.
 
A: Well for example what for me is the most motivating thing to play, to practice even when I’m tired and I don’t have time, and then I just want to lie down and don’t do anything.  Like yesterday for example.  I had a very stressful and long day…
 
V: Doing what?
 
A: Well I was teaching at school and then in the middle of that I had to go the hospital to get my medicine.
 
V: And what did I do during that time.
 
A: Well you drove me to that hospital.  But then later on I had to come back at school with all my medicine and I still had to teach classes and Vidas was waiting for me in the car that time.  And then I had to come back home to do all the homely stuff and then I felt so exhausted so I decided to take a walk.  So Vidas and I walked in the woods for maybe an hour or an hour and a half and I still felt really exhausted and Vidas told me “Oh don’t practice today.”  But I thought I have to practice today because it was Friday and upcoming Tuesday I have a recital.
 
V: How was your blood pressure yesterday?
 
A: It was good.  It was low.
 
V: Low. So low is good, for you.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: The reason I suggested you skip practice was that I was worried about your blood pressure jumping up to the sky.
 
A: Well you better worry about your blood pressure.
 
V: Why?
 
A: I don’t know.
 
V: OK.  I guess walking in the woods really helped you to relax and get some energy from growing things.
 
A: Yes, but you know to make a long story short what I meant is that if you have an upcoming performance, any kind of performance, church service, recital, hymn festival, it will push you to practice regularly.  So you always need to have a goal and to set a date by which you have to learn something and to do something.
 
V: I’m just thinking if people can always get this kind of public accountability like we do.  We schedule public performances all the time and we have the motivation to practice this way.
 
A: Both Laurie and Dianne thought that we have home organ so we can make recitals, home recitals for family or friends.
 
V: Right, invite…
 
A: Neighbors. 
 
V: Pets.  If they have pets their pets could sit around.
 
A: Well home music, home concerts.  It’s a good idea.  Maybe ask the neighbors.  Maybe they have never heard organ playing and maybe they don’t know that you are playing organ.
 
V: What if their level is too low for performing in public.  If they feel they are just beginners, what to do then?
 
A: Well anyway if you practice then you will improve.
 
V: And you could perform at your level.  You don’t necessarily have to play Beethoven or Vierne but you could play 2-part inventions.  You could play hymns.  Even if you can’t play 4-part hymns you could play soprano and bass with the hands only and that would sound actually very nice.
 
A: And Dianne wrote that her church has only a keyboard and doesn’t care or getting organ maybe she could look for another church.
 
V: Right.  Don’t feel like you have to work there or play there all your life.  I you do your art and your art is not appreciated there why bother, right?
 
A: True.
 
V: If the church maybe feels that they have other priorities.  Of course they should have other priorities besides organ but organ is also very important integral part of the service.  Besides Pastor or Priest, organist is sort of communicator and collaborator on the same level and probably most highly trained professional in the congregation.
 
A: True.
 
V: So yes, go where you would be more appreciated.  I’m not sure that she is feeling that way but if that would be the case I would probably slowly start looking elsewhere.
 
A: And when you have organ at home think how lucky you are because there are so many organists that would do anything to have an organ at home and they don’t so you are privileged so take advantage of it.
 
V: And when you don’t have an organ at home, when you have to go out and play someplace else you feel more motivated actually.  Like if we go to the gym and we want to work out in the gym we feel more motivated than working out at home, right?  Because what, we’re paying for the membership at the gym, right?  It’s an investment and other people will be practicing in there in that group too so it is supporting each other.  So going out to the church to practice is actually good, healthy.  A lot of artists don’t like to work and create at home because of family situations, right?  So they kind of set up their studio on the other side of the town maybe.
 
A: Well with many artists in Lithuania I think it’s another reason why we don’t want to work at home.  Because at least some of the time artists drank a lot of alcohol and if you have a family you definitely don’t want to do that in front of your kids and your wife.  So I think it was their way to escape and be a little bit bohemian.  That’s my opinion.
 
V:  You are definitely right about that.  There’s another side of creating art.  Escaping reality.
 
A: But I don’t think many organists have the same problem as artists used to have in those days.
 
V: Right.  And because organists are always creating alone and performing alone we’re used to being alone.  And artists they get together in groups sometimes, right?  They discuss art and not only art.  In groups it’s a different feeling.  OK, so closing probably advice would be to get some public accountability.  Definitely.
 
A: Yes I think this would be the best motivation.
 
V: And even consider modern tools.  Technology.  What about you can perform at home and you can record yourself at home and publish it online.  That would be your motivation.  You can even set up a social media channel where your followers would start waiting for your new videos or recordings to come up regularly.  You would feel responsible for showing up and practicing, right?
 
A: And if your family and other relations live in another town you could perform for them on Skype.
 
V: Oh, nice, right.
 
A: That’s a possibility.
 
V: That’s a nice way to interact with family.  Keep connected.  Thank you guys for listening, for sending us your thoughtful questions and feedback.  We love helping you grow 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 286 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by David, and he writes:
 
When I'm playing Sine Nomine once through or twice through, I do well... but the 4th or 5th time through, I start to make mistakes; particularly at the very beginning and very end of the piece.

Also, I picked a prelude that is too long, and at the end of the piece, the organ just does not want to play all the notes that are written in the music... the top notes drop out--not enough polyphony with a large registration, so I lose the melody and part of the harmony of the final cadence of the piece. Ugh.. so here I am the day before the service, and I am cutting the piece in half (there is a fair stopping point half way through the arrangement) and re-writing the end of the first half so it sounds more like it's finished at that point in the music.

Unfortunately, the church is reluctant to purchase a newer organ (more capable electronic or even small pipe organ) because they are convinced that it is impossible to find new organists to play them, and there are other priorities for the money. So I am stuck with the instrument that is there and often have to modify pieces. Also on this organ, the pedals are quite noisy.... not when I press them, but when they are RELEASED. So in a piece that moves at a fair pace, like Sine Nomine, or when I'm doing a moderately fast arpeggio, like in Lyons, as the pedal is released, it hits the top of its travel and make a considerable thump, which is annoying. I don't seem to have this same issue on other organs that I play. I try to be so gentle when I play these pedals, that even if I don't want to play legato, they end up legato just so I don't hear that thump.
 
V: So Ausra, I think this question has two sides, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: About the sounds of the pedal board, and about starting making mistakes with additional repetitions. Not right away, David is not making mistakes when he plays once or twice, but on the fourth or the fifth time, he starts to make mistakes. Why is that?
 
A: I think he just loses his concentration, because if he would start doing mistakes right away, I would guess that he hasn’t learned the piece to play very well yet. But, because he can play twice through without making any mistakes, it means after that he probably loses his concentration.
 
V: A simple solution would be to probably stand up, walk around, drink a glass of water, and regain your focus. What about this idea, Ausra?
 
A: Well, what if you are in the middle of service or a concert, can you do that?
 
V: No, but if during the concert or service, you play just once.
 
A: Well, yes, that’s true.
 
V: What would you do in this situation, if you lose focus?
 
A: Well, you can do that, but you know, sometimes you need to stay on the organ and try to stay focused.
 
V: So, push yourself.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Don’t relax, right, your mind.
 
A: Yes, that’s right. But, it’s very hard to do. I think it’s the hardest part of being a performer. Don’t you think so?
 
V: Right, because, when you play the piece, and some parts are difficult, some parts are not, when you conquer the difficult parts you feel sort of proud. You feel sort of good. And, at that particular moment, you tend to relax after conquering that one part.
 
A: Yes, I had that feeling so many times.
 
V: And, when you relax, you…
 
A: ...you make mistakes.
 
V: You trip.
 
A: Yes. In an easy spot.
 
V: Mhm. There are, of course, solutions, two solutions for that. Maybe David could stay focused until the very end. That’s the hard solution. And the easy solution would be to relax yourself right from the beginning.
 
A: True.
 
V: Like, imagine that he is just playing for himself for fun, not in order to avoid mistakes, but just to please himself. Sort of, to lower the stakes. To lower the risk. And then, the fear of making mistakes would be lower. What do you think about that?
 
A: I think, in general, you don’t need to focus making or not making mistakes, you need to focus on your music that you are playing.
 
V: Mistakes will happen, anyway.
 
A: Yes, anyway, because if you would record a CD, then you might do some editing. But if it’s a live performance, you never know what might happen. The organ might break in the middle of your piece.
 
V: Or one particular key might stick. And what would you do then?
 
A: Or the day might be very hot, and your fingers might just get slippery.
 
V: Or, if you’re playing on the upper manual, you start to slip from the bench!
 
A: Or, a baby will start to scream, and you will lose your concentration.
 
V: So we scare people for thirty minutes?
 
A: Well, I just want say that you never know what might happen during your performance.
 
V: That’s the beauty of it, right Ausra?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: If you knew what will happen, then it wouldn’t be that interesting.
 
A: That’s right, and I don’t think I remember playing in Lithuania even once that it would be completely silent during a recital. Do you remember, or not?
 
V: Yes, I did, when I played just for myself.
 
A: Well, that’s another story.
 
V: No one showed up. But I didn’t play that entire recital, I think. Just one piece.
 
A: But especially at the cathedral where tourists come in and come out, you never know how much noise you will get during your recital. And sometimes I just felt like I’m, I don’t know, like I’m sitting in the middle of a farmer’s market and trying to play a recital. And that’s the feeling of playing in the cathedral in Vilnius.
 
V: That’s why we don’t, play there that often.
 
A: I know. Not a very nice feeling.
 
V: Mhm. So, wonderful. You know where is this silence if you play your recital?
 
A: Where?
 
V: At the cemetery! There will be complete silence!
 
A: But then you need to install an organ there!
 
V: Too bad that all the listeners are dead!
 
A: Maybe that’s a good thing! Well, but that’s a nasty humor. We don’t have to joke like this.
 
V: It wasn’t a joke, actually, it’s a reality…
 
A: Well, there are some cemeteries where there are chapels built, so you could put an organ there and enjoy playing in complete silence.
 
V: So, David then struggles with pedal releases, squeaky noises… not only squeaky noises, but some sort of thumps when he releases. Is there a way, Ausra, to diminish that noise? We have some pedals in our home organ which squeak. Do they annoy you?
 
A: Well, actually, not too much. Because, when you are playing a purely mechanical organ, such sounds make me to relax, actually.
 
V: Like a lullaby.
 
A: True. And I like them. But if this is an electronic organ that squeaks, then yes, that’s very annoying. And I don’t think that there could be much done. If you are gentle with what you are doing with your feet on the pedals, if you are wearing quiet shoes, then there is not much you could do.
 
V: I remember, I tried to fix that once in St. John’s church. I unscrewed the pedal board, and then removed the spring underneath one pedal, and then what I did, maybe I put some oil on it.
 
A: Yes, oiling things might help a little bit, at least to reduce that squeaky noise.
 
V: Still it’s a mechanical thing, even if David’s organ is not mechanical. The noise is mechanical, so you can get to the bottom of the problem and fix it mechanically, I think.
 
A: Yes, or you know, if the pedal is worn out, you might think about changing the pedal board.
 
V: Only the pedal board.
 
A: Yes, that should be possible, too.
 
V: Yes, that’s one of the ideas, too. What about Sine Nomine. What is this piece? Do you know Ausra?
 
A: Well I think you want to tell about it.
 
V: Sine Nomine in Latin means, “Without a Name,” but Sine Nomine, I think, is the name of the hymn? Could be. You know, the hymn tune. I’m just looking it up. Oh there is corporation Sine Nomine, Sine Nomine publishing…. Yes! In the Hymnal, there is also a “Sine Nomine” hymn, right? By Ralph Vaughan Williams. So, maybe he is playing a Ralph Vaughan Williams hymn. Could be.
 
A: Could be.
 
V: That’s quite likely.
 
A: I enjoy his music. Great composer.
 
V: Especially his pedal lines are so fast moving.
 
A: True. So maybe he plays too much of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and that’s why his pedal just broke!
 
V: Mmmm..
 
A: I’m just joking.
 
V: Maybe! We’ll see.
 
A: I was not so sure about that middle section of his question, because I didn’t understand if the problem is with his technique, or if again it’s a problem with the organ. What do you think?
 
V: When he picked a prelude that is too long, and he has to drop out top notes, right?
 
A: Yes, that’s right.
 
V: So that in a large registration, polyphony would be easy to listen to. It’s difficult to understand what he means here.
 
A: Because on the one hand it seems like if it’s a mechanical organ, maybe the bellows don’t give enough air to the pipes, to the wind chest. But if it’s an electronic organ, then I don’t know. Maybe it’s his technique that the texture is too thick and he cannot play it all.
 
V: Yes, maybe the texture was too thick for that registration, and he had to reduce the texture by dropping some notes in the harmony. That’s what happened, I think.
 
A: Could be. But I would suggest that he not pick music then that he cannot perform on a particular organ for any reason. I think it’s better than to reconstruct a piece, although it’s possible, but probably not the best solution.
 
V: And he had to rewrite the ending of the first half so that it would sound like a finished piece,  because he cut the piece in half and had to stop in the middle.
 
A: Seems like very much work to do for one piece. Then it’s better to select something more appropriate. Don’t you think so?
 
V: Right. Or simply improvise the final cadence, not necessarily right it out.
 
A: True, true. If you have to manually rewrite it, it takes a lot of time.
 
V: So that’s what our suggestions are to David and to anyone who is sort of in David’s position, maybe, when they have to deal with squeaky noises in the pedal, when they lose concentration on repeated runs of the piece, and when they have to cut the pieces—shorten the pieces for the service to adjust. Thanks guys for listening, for practicing, and for sending us your questions. We love helping you grow. So, please continue writing to us, and we will try to help you in the future episodes of this podcast. This was Vidas,
 
A: And Ausra,
 
V: And remember, when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen.