I have played this piece on Velesovo sample set by Sonus Paradisi of Hauptwerk VPO. I dedicated it to Jeremy Owens. Hope you will enjoy it! PDF score. Basic level. 4 pages. Thanks to Diana Danilova for transcribing the music and the fingering from the video! Check it out here This piece is free for Total Organist students.
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I have played this piece on Velesovo sample set by Sonus Paradisi of Hauptwerk VPO. I dedicated it to James Flores. Hope you will enjoy it! PDF score. Basic level. 2 pages. Thanks to Diana Danilova for transcribing the music and the fingering from the video! Check it out here This piece is free for Total Organist students.
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 617 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by David, and he writes, "I didn't see this video when it was posted because I was buried with work at the time. Thank you for posting it and this podcast. This week, I am experiencing the same thing, but with a simple hymn that I should have no trouble with, but one measure is just not coming, and I, too, felt like hitting the (imitation) organ as I was practicing... (but I didn't do it... it already doesn't fully function properly on Sunday mornings). This made me realize that sometimes this is a normal thing to experience." V: Ausra, can you feel what David is talking about? A: Yes. I get, have that feeling, that it’s about my practice of the Litanies by Jean Alain. V: Yes. So David is on the team who transcribes these podcast conversations. And he transcribed the previous video, or the previous conversation, 614, when Ian asks about organists frustrated video. So David also apparently experienced the same thing, but with a simple hymn playing. So I thought of talking about it a little bit more, because people seem to resonate with your frustration these days. A: Yes. I think all of us get frustrated at times - not always, but sometimes. V: I don’t. A: Really? V: I’m very calm and pleased when I’m practicing. A: Maybe you are dead then. V: Maybe. I don’t know. So obviously… A: Or maybe you are a genius and you don’t make bad mistakes and you don’t struggle so much, and everything comes easy to you. V: Maybe that’s because I’m applying my secret 10 step method of practice. A: It is so boring. I couldn’t do them all. V: Just once in your life you could try it. A: I think my life is too short. V: (laughs) Better to hit the keyboard several times. A: Yes. V: Bang the keys. A: It’s like when I was a girl and studied at the art school, I used to put a book or my notes under my pillow for the night before an exam. V: Hoping… A: Or before a test. Hoping that during the night time, all that information will go up to my head, to my brain, and I will learn everything overnight. V: Did it help? A: Well, I haven’t failed any of my exams, so maybe it did help. V: Did you prepare for those tests in some other way besides putting the textbook under your pillow? A: Well yes, actually. I read them and I took them before reading them, so. V: Maybe it’s a combination of both. A: Could be. V: Positive thinking, wishful thinking. A: And actually maybe I need to put that Litanies under my pillow tonight and record them, for example, tomorrow. V: Mm, good idea. A: Because I would never put the music under my pillow, but maybe I need to start doing that. V: Well then, I would put Vierne’s Fugue from the First Symphony under my pillow. A: Wonderful! Let’s try that. V: I already recorded the first part, the Prelude from this symphony, but just can’t get the Fugue up to speed. So I am frustrated, Ausra. A: So you need to apply your 10 Step program. V: I did, but it’s not that fast, not that easy, you know. You have to sit for weeks. A: Maybe you need to add another 10 steps to your program and have not a 10 step program, but 20 step program. V: Well obviously, I emphasize going from step 1 to step 2, and from step 2 to step 3 in a very methodical manner, because don’t rush. If you rush, let’s say, you just play a difficult piece once through and stop it at the beginning of each beat, and then after that you do the step 2, which is stopping at every half note. If you do that, I don’t think you’re ready to proceed to step 2 yet. A: Oh yes. V: I think it’s better to spend some time on step 1 - on each step. Like maybe a day or two or three, play at least 3 times in a row without mistakes each step. A: Well yes, but for that you need patience. V: Yeah, that’s right. And we are very impatient these days. We want quick results. A: Well yes. V: So Ausra, do you have advice for people who have no patience? A: (laughs) Hit the keyboard. It won’t hit you back. I’m just kidding, of course. V: Hit the keyboard and you will feel better. A: Actually yes, you will feel better. But now that so many people have commented about this particular video, I’m sort of feeling happy because it attracted new subscribers of course to my channel. Of course I received all kinds of comments. Thoughtful like this one, but also some crazy. Some people even did not understand that actually I’m playing on the organ. They thought it’s on the piano, and some didn’t like music at all. Well anyway. But you know, it makes me sort of upset because my serious videos, who I think deserves much more of attention actually are unnoticed, or almost unnoticed, and this one received so many feedback. V: So much feedback, you mean. A: Yes, so much feedback. V: It’s because people are vampires. They long for blood. Blood thirsty. If you bleed, they watch. If you fall down, they watch. If you are hurt, they watch. A: Do I need to cut my wrists while practicing? V: No, but you see why this video got more popular than others is because you showed them your emotion, your frustration, which should be embarrassing for professional concert organist, right? To show it in public. People, general audience thinks that difficult advanced pieces can be basically sight-read and fluently played during recital. But obviously not the case. A: True. Like my cousin just recently asked me if I still need to practice. So people simply don’t understand, those who don’t practice themselves and don’t play musical instruments, how much real time it takes. V: Yeah. So one way to get attention is to emphasize your mistakes. Which is crazy, right? Your polished videos should attract more attention than these practice videos, but that’s the way people are wired, I guess. If organists are watching this, they are happy to see another organist fail and they’re happy that they’re not in this video themselves, hitting the keyboard. You see the point? Kind of happy for themselves. You make them feel better, you know? A: Yes. But I make myself sort of like a goat out of myself. Like in the Jewish tradition, do you know that story, they took a goat to desert. V: And, what happened to the goat? A: Well, I think it died. V: Oh, right, right, right! I don’t remember the source of this story, but… A: I think it’s in the Bible. V: Sure. But it’s an interesting comparison, yeah. So I guess I also need to play more Vierne Fugue in public failing, hitting the keys and pedals probably, and eventually more people watch. But probably, the point is not to get their attention, though. The point is to master the piece. A: True, true. But I don’t think you would be able to hit the keyboard like I did, because you don’t have so much passion as I do. V: Passion for what? A: Passion for life! V: (laughs) A: Passion in general. V: I see. We’re differently wired, right? A: Yes. V: Yeah, so I guess our listeners are also different. Some of them are calmer, some more passionate like you. A: Yes, and you are simply happy all the time. I don’t know what about. V: I try to think that life is too short to worry about it, about failures. A: And I think that life consists of all these various emotions, and you have to live it through. V: Good. Are you frustrated right now? A: No, I’m not. V: You’re calm. A: Yes. V: Maybe because you had lunch? A: (laughs) That’s one of the reasons. V: Digesting. A: Yes. V: I’m calm too. Maybe I’m digesting. Hm. I know: I eat more than you, that’s why I’m calmer. A: Maybe I need to start to eat more. V: Hm. Not sure where this discussion leads, but okay. So guys, please send us more of your questions if you like to see Ausra fail more. (laughs) And me! We would be happy to show you our frustrations. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: 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... V: 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… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 615 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Graham, and he writes about the video where I introduce my Hauptwerk set-up on YouTube. Hauptwerk set-up and streaming set-up, to be precise. He writes, As others have already commented, Vidas, a really useful and helpful upload explaining how you produce such wonderful recordings - though as amazing as all this technology is, it would mean nothing if it was not for your truly fabulous playing and teaching! As you know, I am a big fan of James. He recently played some Clementi on the organ and I commented with a reference to the contest between Mozart and Clementi in 1781. So I am going to make the same judgement as Emperor Joseph II, who diplomatically declared a draw between those two great composers. I declare a draw between the massive amount of wiring and equipment both you and James have. Just looking at all those 'tripping hazards' gives me palpitations. At least my humble Viscount Chorum just plugs in and plays . . . but of course, does not give me access to some of the greatest organs in the world! Thank you, Vidas. V: That’s a nice comment. A: Yes, it’s a very nice comment. V: Graham is very good with words, and writes very colorful comments on YouTube, and I’m very grateful, because this kind of engagement really is very supportive and makes you feel appreciated. A: Yes. And stops me from throwing the Hauptwerk out of our house. V: (laughs) Did you have some ideas about that, Ausra, earlier? A: Yes, basically every time when we are cleaning our house. Because honestly, how, do you imagine how much time it takes to clean it all? Of course you do some cleaning, too, but I counted that at home, we have seven keyboards that I have to clean. V: (laughs) Seven...seven! A: Yes, it’s one on the regular upright piano, and two on the tracker organ, and four on the Hauptwerk. And imagine dusting all those wires. It really takes some time. V: So we have as many keyboards as the largest pipe organ in the world has, right? A: Yes, we just don’t, haven't put them all together. V: Maybe we should. A: Maybe not. (laughs) V: Hm. Yeah, that would be a good thought, to have seven keyboards in one place. I do the cleaning of pedals, and Ausra does the cleaning of keyboards. A: Yes. V: If any of you are wondering how we divide the work. A: And actually, really I cleaned pedals as well, but I, you know… V: Gave up. A: Yes, I gave up on this. You know, “do something yourself as well!” So now Vidas took over the pedal cleaning. V: But it’s unfair because there are only two pedalboards and seven keyboards. A: Well life is unfair, too. V: (laughs) So actually, we have more keyboards than the greatest organ in the world, because it only has one pedalboard. A: Are you making some kind of record? V: I suspect some people have monsters in their music room that we don’t have to compare to. What stops people from having 7 or 8 or 9 keyboards? Nothing, really. A: Yes, but some people probably have just the normal people surrounding them. And because we are both sort of crazy a little bit, so nobody stops us from doing that. V: Are you calling yourself crazy? A: Yes, after living for so many years with you! V: Is this my good influence on you? A: I guess so, yes. V: What kind of influence have you been leaving on me? A: Well, some good influence as well. V: Like what? A: Like for example, yesterday I came back from work and you were taking care of dog, and you were doing things in the garden, acting like a normal man. V: Mowing the lawn? A: Yes. V: Oh that is the pinnacle of my work, mowing the lawn! (laughs) Too bad that lawn mower is too hard to move for you, because… A: Yes. V: You wouldn’t need me. A: Well, good for you - now I need you for something. V: You also need me to set up cameras. A: Yes, that’s right. No, actually I can set up cameras for myself, but I still haven’t figured out the easy way to record on YouTube. V: Yeah. I haven’t talked in detail, actually, what it takes, once you have connected all the cameras, you plugged in all the cameras to the computer, they would serve as webcams. And webcams work for streaming. So maybe I could, given the time that we have here left on the podcast, yeah a few minutes, so I could describe in detail the steps I take that, to create a live stream on YouTube. Would you like that? A: Yes, you could do that. It would be helpful. V: I would think so, too. So first of all, step number 1, I plug in Hauptwerk into the power outlet, entire computer, right? And all the wirings are already connected, so computer plugs in, all the keyboards and pedals are already lit also. So then I turn on the button of the computer, step number 2, and wait until it powers it up. Then step number 3 would be I open Hauptwerk software. Step number 4 would be, I click on the desired organ sample set that I’m going to use, let’s say Velosovo sample set or Cavaille Coll sample set from Caen - we have quite a few to choose from. All right? Are you keep counting? What step? A: Number 5, I believe. V: Number 5, okay. You keep counting. A: But actually, that’s an easy step. I can do that myself so far. V: Okay. What’s next, cameras? A: Well yes, you have to turn on all your cameras. V: Step 6, yeah. Turn on all the cameras. A: You can do that. V: They are also connected to the computer, so you don’t have to unplug them. They are always connected. Step number 7, turn on the lighting. We have additional LED lighting. A: Well, you can play in the dark if you wish. V: Yeah, but nobody will see your beautiful hands and feet. And face. A: Okay, okay. V: Step number 8, I open OBS Studio program on the computer. A: And this is the part where I am already getting lost. Starting from the OBS Studio. V: Yeah, it’s very, you have to download it from the internet, install it on your computer, beforehand. And then if you have done that, so you have to add all the cameras as video sources. Just additional steps. They have plus (+) signs. Add video capture device, or audio capture device for a microphone for example, and configure them how you would like to use them - which camera goes where. Which on the top, which on the bottom, which on the left, which on the right, you know, if you have more than one. You can adjust them, the size of them, with your mouse, actually. It’s very intuitive. A: But I think, that scares me is how you put all those end keys, and what else? V: Stream keys you mean. A: Stream keys, yes. V: So that, yes. A: This is the hardest part for me. I cannot figure it out. V: Okay. It’s step number 9 would be to go to YouTube, to your own YouTube Channel, or to my YouTube channel if I’m streaming to mine, right. And then open this channel, and on the top right corner of the screen, there are a few signs, and one of them is “live,” YouTube Live. You click that basically, this is step number 10 probably. A: Well, and if you click on that, will you be live right away or not? V: No, no no no. A: Okay. V: You just click and a separate window appears, and this window appears where you enter all the information about your stream: the title, the description if you want something, what else, the thumbnail, the picture that would be provided to entice your viewers to watch, you know, you can have your own picture, or keyboard picture, or music picture, or organ picture, whatever. A: Okay. V: You know, what we do sometimes, we take a screenshot of OBS Studio screen, what cameras are filming at the moment. Sometimes we look at the cameras this way, we pose, sometimes we play, that way we can have what we want, you know, what kind of thumbnail. Okay? And you click “done,” I think. You click done. It would go live, but before that, step 11 has to have. Step 11 is on the left side, there are some strings of characters, keys, like hidden numbers and letters. You just have to copy one string. It’s called “stream key.” You copy stream key. And then step number 12 would be go back to OBS Studio, and on the lower right corner, there is a column of various words, and one of them is “settings.” You click on settings and another window appears, and on the top, I think top, second from the top column will be stream settings. You click on “stream” and then you will enter the stream keys, you paste those stream keys from YouTube to that separate field and click “apply” and “Ok” That screen disappears and you are now again back to OBS Studios. And this is step number 13. A: Yes. V: When you are ready to start streaming, go live, you click “start streaming” in that lower right hand corner. A: I know this step. The first time I used to do it. V: But before that, you have to check the microphone if it’s working. A: Sure, if you want to speak. V: If you want to speak. If not, it’s connected to Hauptwerk, you have to play a few notes to see if that microphone is responsive, you see. And also configure the volume level. Play the loudest part of your piece and see if the microphone levels don’t go to the red. Red is too much. Green is very good, yellow is still okay, but red is too much. So then if it’s too much, you lower the handle in the mixer, they have audio mixers so you just mix things up this way. Does it make sense, Ausra? A: Yes. V: When I explain it. A: Yes. V: Now it’s your turn. Today when we will record something, I will supervise you, and you will do all those 13 steps by yourself. A: Oh no, oh no. V: No? A: Oh no. V: Okay. So guys, go ahead and check yourself out if you want to start streaming. It’s not that difficult. You don’t have to have Hauptwerk by the way. You just have to have a webcam. If you have an iPad, for example, that could serve as a webcam as well. A: If I can do it, you can do it, too. V: Yeah, definitely, sure. IPad, you can connect iPad with this lightning cable, and just you have to install additional app, but you can search the internet how to, how to, what are the keyboard, connect iPad as a webcam - how to use iPad as a webcam, for example. Or your phone could be as a webcam as well. Anything could be, anything that has a camera can be a webcam, you see? A: Sure. V: All right, guys. I hope this was useful to you. This was a long episode, but quite informative, right, Ausra? A: Yes, even I learned something new. V: And that happens quite rarely these days. A: Yeah. V: Because you have a doctoral degree. A: (laughs) Because I am smart by birth. V: Yes. So please send us more of your questions and take a look at this video, if haven't seen it already. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: 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... V: 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… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying Thank you everyone for participating! You all made us very happy with your entries. We have selected the following winners. You can congratulate them here. And here are the rules for next week's contest.
In this video, I'm playing Prelude from Symphony No. 1, Op. 14 by Louis Vierne. I'm using Cavaille-Coll Caen sample set by Sonus Paradisi of Hauptwerk VPO.
Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/first-symphony-op-14-1899-sheet-music/19816991?aff_id=454957
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 614 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ian, and he writes: “The organ world needs more videos like this - however experienced and skilled you are, practice is sometimes slow, difficult and/or frustrating. It helps everyone if we're open about it. Thanks for sharing!” V: Ausra, do you have a feeling of what he is writing about? A: Yes, I guess that’s about my video where I tried to practice Alain’s Litanies. V: Yes, this is the correct video. I will include the video in the description of this conversation so that people can see for themselves what happened. So was it normal for you to record such a video? A: No, it really wasn’t. V: Why? A: Well, because I usually just record normal videos—make normal videos—live performance when it’s polished and nicely done. V: Can you tell us what have you done in this video? A: Well, it’s hard to describe. I think it’s better to watch it. V: But you remember something, right? A: Yes, I remember it. Yes. V: You’re not in the trance. A: Actually, at the end of it, I think I was. V: Is it scary for you to watch a rerun of this video? A: Yes, actually I watch this once, only, and I’m not going to do it again. V: So, why do you think Ian is thanking you for sharing this video? A: Well, because I think no one is perfect, basically, and this video, of course, shows it. I’m not claiming that I was perfect at any part of my playing, but I just mean that if you are a professional or non-professional, you still have sort of struggles on each level of your performance. V: For people who haven’t watched this video and are wondering what is happening, Ausra practiced Litanies by Jehan Alain, and I think in the second page, there is this nasty line, three measures or so…. A: No, basically it’s less… there’s one measure that’s... V: One measure, maybe two. Let’s say it’s two. A: Well, no, that one is still okay. V: Uh-huh! So one measure that she couldn’t get it right. Right? And what did you do to get it right? A: Well, I practiced it over and over and over again, and I still could not get it, and in a slow tempo, it’s just fine, but when I want to speed it up and I still cannot do it that well. And, I started to hit the keyboard after I lost my temper. V: Too bad the microphone was muted. People could not really hear what you were saying! At the time she was saying something. A: Well, but I wasn’t cursing actually, so… V: You might have been screaming, too. A: Yes, I was screaming. V: Screaming at the keyboard, or at the music, or at me or what? A: At you all! All together. V: Yeah. As embarrassing as it might seem to share this video with the world, actually, on YouTube, this video resonated with many people. The ratio of likes vs. views is unusually high—well over 10% I think. So, it means that a lot of people felt what you did, also! A: Yes, I think it was the right decision to share a video like this. It doesn’t mean that in the future I will make more videos like this—it would be too embarrassing, but at least once to show what you have to struggle with, I think it’s good. V: If Bach lived in a time where technology were available, would you give something…. What would you give to watch him fail at the keyboard, strive, struggle, fail at the keyboard, strive, struggle, get frustrated, curse, hit the keyboard, etc.? A: I would give a lot! Maybe my all year salary! V: All year salary! Hmm… too bad I cannot have a time machine. But for example, a person whom I very much respect improviser, Sietze De Vries, he posts very professionally done videos on his channel about his organ improvisations, either chorale improvisations or solemn improvisations, so I would give really many many things to see him practice just to get how he is achieving what he is achieving in the end result. You know? A: Well, it wouldn’t be so interesting to watch him now practicing, but I would wish to see how he practiced ten or twenty years ago. V: Yeah, maybe twenty. Year, I think, one is the famous improvisation contest in Harlem in 2002, so around that time, it would have been very interesting to see, although the requirements of the Harlem contest isn’t what he is doing now. They’re mostly contemporary improvisations, and he is focused on historically informed way of improvising on the organ. So, but yeah, it would be very very interesting to see how he got where he is today. A: Yes, it would be really well worth looking. V: What advice, Ausra, would you have for people who are frustrated at the organ and embarrassed that they cannot get one measure right? A: Be patient! Of course, that’s the easy thing to say, but it’s a hard thing to do. And please don’t hit the keyboard! It’s not the right way. I’m ashamed of myself. So don’t hurt your instrument, and basically I hit it because it’s a virtual organ. If that would be my other tracker organ, I wouldn’t do that, because I know that if I will break this keyboard, I can order another one and replace that one. V: Yeah, it costs only around 100€, so we keep extras! A: Yes! So we have four of them, so we almost don’t use the fourth one, that’s just a fancy of Vidas! So we could easily put that fourth on the bottom and replace the broken one. V: And still have four! The lowest broken one would go to the top! A: Sure! V: I see. Yes, it would be… it’s hard to reach that top manual, right? A: It is, and it’s hard to see music because it’s so far away. V: Okay, so please guys, keep your patience up, practice slowly as Ausra did, but if you don’t get it right, don’t feel ashamed of yourself. You know that after a day or two, you will get it right eventually. A: Yes. V: Ausra, have you already mastered this Litanies yet? A: Well, yes, but let’s face it, I will never be playing it as fast as Marie Claire Alain, and already somebody commented in the Facebook on my other practice on Litanies, well… anyway… me is me, and she is she, so… Be yourself! V: Good advice! So guys, please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: 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... V: 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… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 613 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Robert, and he is a student of Pedal Virtuoso Master Course. And he has a question which sounds like this, Dear Vidas, I just finished the tenth week of your Pedal Virtuoso Master Class. Unlike previous weeks when I come to the last day, I still have issues maintaining a proper sense of balance while seated on the organ bench. This affects my accuracy (I either hit an extra pedal in one foot, miss a pedal, or slide off the correct pedal and into a non chord tone), playing legato (sometimes a major third in one foot is not possible to connect), and playing the pedals silently (as opposed to making a too much noise). Regarding balance, I found in all the previous weeks that I could sit quietly on the bench and avoid having to pull myself back to my normal seated position by shifting my weight from one hip and buttocks to the other. This week, perhaps due to the fact that an octave arpeggio in octaves covers too much space on the pedals in such a short amount of time as well as the fact that two feet moving at the same time reduces the body’s range of motion, playing an arpeggio this week with confidence was not possible. My appearance on the bench was too active as I had to keep adjusting myself when my body would move closer and closer to the console as a result of twisting my body in order to reach pedals. For some of the arpeggios, like B Minor, E Major, and D Minor, not moving on the bench put too much of a strain on my legs and feet that in the end did not enable me to reach the desired pedal in one foot (and occasionally pedals in both feet) with confidence. My remedy this week has been to shift my weight a little bit, however, a precise note to shift on (unlike scales and all previous arpeggios) or even which direction to shift into (left or right side) has not been possible for me to determine. These problems occur when I am playing very slowly in rhythm. Faster tempos are not possible this week. Feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and thank you very much for designing a wonderful course as well as sharing your knowledge with me and every other organist. Sincerely, Robert V: And does it make sense, Ausra, what he’s talking about? Playing arpeggios in double octaves, very difficult to maintain balance. A: Yes, it is very difficult. And I think when you have such a difficult exercise or a spot in a real organ piece, I think you might not be following rules so strictly and you might move a little bit more to help yourself to make it possible. Because other way, I’m afraid you might injure your back or your legs. What do you think about it, Vidas? V: Sure. I think at first I wrote him a message that he doesn't have to worry too much about playing in perfect legato fashion or in a faster tempo these difficult exercises, because scales and arpeggios are not the end in itself, right? We rarely find a piece of music which has all the scales and arpeggios in it. It would be artificial and unmusical. A: Sure. Plus I think when we are talking about arpeggios and fast passages, I think usually pieces with extremely difficult pedal part are written in a fast tempo, too. And often when you play in a really fast tempo, even if you won’t connect completely one note to another, it will still sound legato. And believe me, I know it. For example, now I’m thinking about Fugue in B Major, written by Marcel Dupre. You know that famous Three Preludes and Fugues, in B Major, in G Minor… V: The middle one is in F Minor. A: Yes, in F Minor. So I was playing the B Major Prelude and Fugue, and that Fugue really has a fast and complicated subject. And when it comes to the pedal and you still need to play it legato, it gives you a lot of trouble. But because the tempo is really fast, so even if sometimes you won’t play complete legato, as the final version it will still sound as legato. V: So, he wrote back to me that it still doesn’t help, this kind of explanation. And he would like to have my own video demonstration of, let’s say E Major double arpeggio over the tonic chord, and the diminished seventh chord double arpeggio. A: And you made a video, yes for him? V: I made two videos, yeah, for him but also for other people who are struggling with this. So I put it on YouTube, and I will share of course the link in this podcast as well for people to see. Of course, it’s an exception. It’s not a video course, yet. And it’s a PDF-based course, and video exercises don’t belong to this course. They are just extra. I have two other videos - how to play C Major scale, for example, or D Major scale. But they’re extra, bonuses basically, not a part of the material. So I demonstrated, but you have to understand that it’s not the goal in itself to play those exercises perfectly without any glitch, without any hesitation. The goal is to go through these exercises, repeat them let’s say 10 times in a slow tempo, each of them, and then after 3 months, go back to the difficult pedal passages that you were not able to play like 3 months before and check, check your progress to see if you have advanced further. And I can almost guarantee that you will if you are diligently practice every day those exercises for 3 months. It’s like Marcel Dupre was a teenager I think, and he cut one of his wrists badly in a glass, and for 3 months he couldn’t practice with his hands on the piano, so he practiced pedals on the organ, pedal scales and arpeggios. And he wrote in his memoirs that he practiced them with vengeance. And that’s how he became basically invincible in his pedal… A: Pedal virtuoso. V: Pedal virtuoso, yeah. And the secret to pedal technique, perfect pedal technique he wrote is the flexibility of an ankle. Now we might have various different opinions about Dupre and his methods and his let’s say accuracy of historical performance practice, or lack of accuracy, right when he fingers and pedals everything in legato with pedal and finger substitutions for the music of Bach, let’s say - this was his time. But we cannot deny that for his time, playing legato technique, he was a champion of it. And we can learn a thing or two from his method as well. So in this course, the Pedal Virtuoso Master Course, we have a series of exercises over 3 months, with pedal scales and arpeggios of various positions, and people could really benefit from that. But never forget that this is not the end. It’s just the means to the end, right? It’s just an exercise to help you develop this ankle flexibility which will help you perfect your pedal technique and play real organ music. A: So this is just a tool. V: Tool, yes, tool. And I would even, like Ausra said, don’t worry too much about obsessing about perfecting those exercises. You better spend like 15 minutes or half an hour at the most with them per day, and then do something else with your organ playing that day if you have time. Like playing real organ music, mastering harmony, maybe improvising. Things like that. Hymn playing also. And watch for not straining your legs, your ankles. It’s very important to warm up before playing scales and arpeggios. These are strenuous exercises. We have to emphasize that. A: That’s right. Especially if you are practicing early in the morning. V: Right. So, go ahead and watch those videos. These will be very helpful for people to see how I play them myself. And please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: 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... V: 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… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying SOPP612: “I don’t really understand the difference between open and closed position chords”9/5/2020
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 612 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Diana, and she writes: “I don’t really understand the difference between open and closed position chords.” V: The context for this question was that I think I talked about harmonization in one of my recent videos on YouTube when I was trying to harmonize some chorale tune in either 22 ways or 28 ways, either in two, three, four, five, or even six parts. Do you remember those videos, Ausra? A: Yes, I remember you doing them. I haven’t watched them very closely, so I don’t know what you have been talking about. V: So one of the versions is to play soprano in the right hand and the bass in the left hand. That’s a two part version. A: Oh, okay. V: And then the voices can switch, and then gradually we come to the three part version, soprano in the right hand, alto in the left hand, the bass in the pedals, or soprano in the pedals, alto in the left hand, and the base in the left hand again. It could be this way, various dispositions, but again, it’s possible to do this in four parts, and the first exercise is to harmonize in closed position; one voice would be in the left hand part in the bass, and three upper voices would be in the right hand. Does it make sense? A: Sure, of course! I’ve been teaching harmony for many many years, so it makes sense. V: What is easier for you? Open or closed position? A: Well, it doesn’t matter, actually. V: Anymore. A: Well, if I want, of course, to make things easier, then I think closed position is more comfortable. V: That’s because you only worry about one voice in the bass. A: Especially if you are playing organ. You could play that bass with the pedal, and play the other three voices with your right hand, and you can just rest your left hand, which is so nice. V: Turning the pages. A: Sure. But anyway, if, you know, such question rises that you don’t know what the open or closed position is, then what can I say. It looks like she doesn’t have any formal musical training, because even in the music theory courses, people find out what closed and open position is. And for my students in the harmony course, I teach this thing during the first lesson, because basically the closed position is when the intervals between alto and tenor and alto and soprano voices don’t exceed the 4th. V: Interval of the 4th. A: Yes, the interval of the 4th, of course. V: For example, from C to F. Right? A: Well, yes. V: Or from D to G. A: Yes. Well, if they exceed the 4th, it means it’s an open position, that the space between the bass and tenor might be really wide or might be really narrow. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make any difference for the closed or open position. So basically, I’ll give you and example of a closed position C Major Tonic chord. It’s C-E-G-C. So you have, let’s say, a third between bass and tenor (C-E), then you have a third between tenor and alto (E-G), yes, and you have a fourth between alto and soprano (G-C). Now I will make the same chord and make it an open position. So you would have, let’s say C-G (bass tenor), and then you would have E in the alto, so between G and E, you would have an interval of a sixth. Then E would go to C. E-C would go from alto and soprano, it’s the interval of the sixth. So it’s open position. V: So in other words, an open position is C-G-E- and C. A: Yes, but this is only one example of closed and open position, because if you would take any root position chord, you could have like six basic general positions. Three would be closed and three would be open. But if you would have the first inversion of a root position chord, then you would have even more options, because you could also have positioned this which is neither closed nor open. It would be like a mixture of both. V: Mixed position! A: Yes, mixed position! And basically, every six chord has 10 positions, how you can place it. So it’s an entire science. V: I mean… you mean that the distance between three upper parts in the six chord can be either a third and a fourth? A: Well, it can be unison, too! V: Unison, yeah. Or it could be a fifth and a unison, which is also a mixed position. So many many versions. But I think for now, Diana doesn’t have to worry about first inversion chords. The six chord root positions are quite enough trouble already. A: Well, it depends on what your goal is. I cannot comment on that. V: I know she has ordered a harmonization book by Sietze de Vries, which starts with those simple root position chords and teaches people to harmonize easily various melodies. And, this is the first step for people who want to improvise. So, of course, we need to talk about other things, which this book doesn’t cover, and we have harmonization of the bass in the “Harmony for Organists” course level 1, and obviously other courses connected with Hymn Playing, or Harmonization, or Improvisation as well, so you can check it out. But yes, harmony starts with the first thing, and you have to understand open and closed positions. A: That’s right. V: Thank you guys! This was Vidas, A: And Ausra! V: Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: 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... V: 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… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying SOPP610: “Can finger substitutions be used in slow baroque music, such as Kyrie by Cabezon?"9/4/2020
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 610 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Joanna, and she writes: “Dear Vidas, can finger substitutions be used in slow baroque music, such as Kyrie by Cabezon? Or is it best to stick to articulated fingering even in relatively slow passages?” V: What do you think, Ausra? A: I don’t think you need finger substitutions when playing the music mentioned before. You know, either it’s slow or it’s fast, it doesn’t matter. Baroque is Baroque. V: Well, sometimes Baroque music is really advanced, right, and very thick texture. And then you might end up needing finger substitutions in advanced keys with more than three sharps or flats. Right? A: But still, as I understand finger substitution is mostly used for laying legato, which is needed to play Romantic and Modern music. And because in Baroque music you very rarely play legato, in exceptional cases, therefore there is no need for finger substitutions. That’s my opinion. V: I agree. The composer has to explicitly state that the piece has to be performed, or parts of the piece have to be performed, legato, and not the editor, but the composer. Right, Ausra? A: Yes, because if you would look at 19th century or beginning of 20th century editions of Baroque music, you would find legato everywhere. But it doesn’t mean that you need to use those editions. V: Yes. So Joanna mentions a piece by Cabezón, Antonio Cabezón, a Renaissance Spanish composer, and his music is quite polyphonic in nature, a little bit similar to Sweelinck’s, I believe. Right? A: Yes, but still, I don’t believe his music should be played legato. V: Yeah, definitely, because he doesn’t use... any advanced piece in those days, the temperament was obviously mean tone, and mean tone temperament accommodated only simple keys with no more than two accidentals, probably. Three would be a stretch. But two sharps and flats might be appropriate. Two flats are more commonly seen than two sharps. Right, Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: So, yeah. I would also avoid finger substitution here as well. If this Kyrie, for example, has four parts, right, for example, what’s the best way, Ausra, to discover the ideal articulation? How do you know that you are articulating correctly? A: Well, first of all I look at the meter, because, well, in order to understand early music, you need to look at the meter and then to decide how many strong beats per measure there are, and then that also helps me to articulate. V: And obviously this articulation helps you in choosing fingering as well! A: Yes, that’s right! Because usually, you try to use good fingers on the strong beats and not-good fingers on the weak beats. V: What do you mean “good fingers?” Are there any bad fingers? Can you cut them off then if they are bad? A: No, but look at all those angels playing Portatives, or Saint Cicilia playing the organ. Have you noticed how unnatural their fingers look? Because they use paired fingering very often. V: Meaning that they played with the longest fingers only. Right? 2 and 3 and 4 but not 1 and 5. A: Yes, that’s right. V: That’s absolutely correct, Ausra. I’m glad that Joanna mentioned this, because we can now take a look a little bit deeply at the issue of fingering, because it’s related to finger substitutions, and it’s related to articulation. Right? You said that this legato touch requires sometimes finger substitutions if the texture is very thick. Right? A: Yes, very often, actually, it requires finger substitutions, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to do that. And you even have to slide with one finger to play legato. V: Exactly. From a white key to another white key, or from a black key to another white key. A: Yes, that’s right. V: Finger glissandos, it’s called. A: Yes, finger glissandos. V: But this is for later music. And for earlier music, we use detached articulation, which doesn’t require finger substitution, even in thick passages. A: That’s right! You know, people often forget that they are playing early music, and they still paint the shape with the wrists, which is also not the correct way, probably, while doing that. They forget to shift the entire hand! V: To move one hand from one position to another. A: Yes! Yes, that’s right. V: It’s the same with pedaling, too! We don’t use that feet crossing. We shift both feet together. A: Yes, if we can, we do. If not, then not! V: Ausra is not so convinced about this principle, I see from her expression. A: Well, I don’t know where you have found that holding feet together. I think holding feet together works for later music; for modern music. In Baroque music, you don’t pedal like that, keeping both feet together and ankles together as you like, because when you are pedaling the Baroque music, this is very important to feel the weight of your leg and to put the weight actually on your hip. V: I’m not referring to Baroque music in general. I’m probably thinking about specific passages where the pedal line forms a scale like passage step-wise motion, and you inevitably have to play with alternate toe pedaling: left-right-left-right or right-left-right-left. And what you see happens, I see people sometimes cross one foot behind another. That’s what I’m trying to avoid in these passages. Not in general, but if you then shift both feet together, then you don’t cross them. Does it make sense, Ausra? A: Well, I’m not thinking about that, but I have never crossed my legs while playing Bach’s music. V: I will have to look at the pedal camera when you record videos on YouTube! A: Okay, do that! V: Shall we look together with you on the big screen? A: Maybe not! V: Good! A: You are not my teacher, you know? V: No, I am not? A: No! V: Then who’s your teacher? A: I don’t have any right now! I am teaching myself. V: Autodidactic! A: Yes, that’s right! V: Me, too! Can you be my teacher then? A: No. V: Why not? A: I think you’re already clever enough to manage on your own. V: It’s good to have a teacher and listen to your teacher, and your teacher tells you what to do. You just follow directions and you continue progressing. Right? A: Yes, but sometime you still finish your studies and you have to move on your own. V: I don’t want to finish my studies. I want to be a student all… A: Forever! V: Forever! A: It would cost you a lot. Tuitions are expensive! V: Tuition. Yeah. I will take a second mortgage. A: Okay! V: So yeah. Joanna, it’s the first question that someone asked about Cabezón. Somehow, people don’t play Cabezón’s that often. A: Yes, that’s right. He’s not so popular comparing to, let’s say, Bach. But I think his music is worth playing because it’s so polyphonic and so complex. V: And Cabezón was one of the first Spanish composers that came to prominence. The first really well known organ composers, probably the earliest one. And nowadays, his edition is readily available online, and people could start playing his variations. It’s called “Diferencias.” A: Yes, that’s right. Although I don’t think I would play Cabezón on a modern instrument. Don’t you think so, too? V: Yes, it doesn’t make sense, because if the tuning is modern, like equal temperament, it doesn’t make sense. The colors are not there. But we have a Hauptwerk sample from Spain, I think a “de Palma” model, which we might download sometime and start using it. Would you like to try Cabezón on that? A: Yes, I think it would be interesting to try it. V: And later Spanish music, 17th century as well. Francisco Correa de Arauxo, Aguilera de Heredia (I don’t think I’m pronouncing their names correctly, but…) Pablo Bruno was my favorite. They created Tientos, Versets, things like that. And there are a lot of little gems to be found in those relatively little-played masterworks. A: That’s right. V: Okay guys, thank you Joanna for this question. Thank you everyone who is submitting questions, please do that more often. We like helping you grow! And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: 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... V: 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… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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