Happy Halloween everyone! Will you be playing scary organ music tonight? I hope you will... I will certainly be playing organ music of Teisutis Makacinas. It will scare off some neighbors who will be trick-or-treating for sure. If nobody will show up at our door, perhaps I can scare Ausra at least... :)

And now let's go to the podcast for today.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 318 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Sjouke and he writes:
 
“Hi Vidas and Ausra,
 
Today I have finished a morning practice session for about 2 and a half hrs, and than after that I was done for, meaning very tired. I get that way, my back is hurting and between my shoulder blades etc. Although I am not very good at it, playing the organ that is, still I try to get to the church at least once a week, because others also want time behind the organ, which is understandable and I do not begrudge them that, and I am working at trying to get a key for the church so I do get more time behind the organ. I do have a organ at home and I enjoy playing of it but of course the sound is different, so that is why I go to church to practice.
 
But it seems that I am a slow learner, being 72 years of age does not help, but that is frustrating me. I usually pick pieces that I know that I can learn, a couple of months ago I heard a friend of mine play, "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" by J.S. Bach and I asked this friend of mine if he thought I could learn this piece, his reply was to try, but to take it slow. I have done that, now this piece has four pages, but it is going very slowly, and I do not mind telling you that I get impatient and frustrating for a piece of music of this kind, I can work on it for a year before I can say I do know it now and I can play it at home with not problem, but in public is another story.

I played for a congregation for fifteen years, and it took me another eight years before I felt comfortable enough that I did not get overly out of control nervousness. One and half years ago that church closed its doors, to bad for I really enjoyed my time there. My question to both of you is how do I get over this out of control nervousness. I done a performance last March I believe and it was not very good, I did know the piece I was playing, which was an improvisation by Dianne Bish " Great God We praise Your Name" I do not know if you know it, but it did take a while for me to learn it. Anyway the nervousness really I need help with, please do not suggest a psychologist, for I did see one for three years and not help. Thank you for answering this question.
 
Sjouke”      
 
V: This is really a common problem people are having about nervous during public performance.  It can make or break an organist in public.
 
A: That’s true and I think it’s a common feeling for anybody who is performing so I think the trouble is that maybe Sjouke is not performing publicly often enough.
 
V: Right.
 
A: Because usually what helps is frequent performances for somebody else because the more you appear in public the more you can learn how to control your nervousness.
 
V: If we look at our Unda Maris studio students we already teach for like eight years I think and some of them are still with us right from the beginning so from the start those people were really weak in their public performance skills but now look they are quite comfortable, not confident enough, but maybe comfortable while playing in public.  In your opinion Ausra, how much time does it take for a person to feel more comfortable and not nervous?
 
A: I think it depends on the person, I think it’s a different number for everybody.  I couldn’t tell you a number but the more often you do it the better it gets, the more comfortable you will feel.
 
V: Probably not eight years as we see with our studio, I think less, maybe a few years if you perform regularly.  Not once a year obviously, but maybe like once a few months.  They don’t have to play an entire program, maybe one or two pieces.  A good place to start is schedule a prelude and postlude or communion with your friend organist at church.
 
A: But Sjouke talked in his letter and I think it’s sort of a general tendency in Europe that more and more services are dismissed and churches are closing and I heard maybe a couple of years ago that the Dutch are selling the organ to South America and Africa and I just think that this is too bad.  Where are we going to.
 
V: I think we have one Dutch organ too in one of the churches installed recently in town, not very bad organ.
 
A: At least I hope that the best historically interesting and valuable organs will remain in the native places because it is so important.  I strongly believe that the organ needs to be built for that particular place and should not be moved someplace else because it is part of that architectural structure.
 
V: Well let’s take Africa or South Americas’ example.  If church closes doors in the Netherlands and they feel the need to sell it or donate it overseas is it better for the organ to keep silent for decades or be played?

A: Well I would rather have it silent because I’m afraid if they go to Africa or South America think about climate in the Netherlands and think about climate in Africa or South America.  It’s completely different and because the metal of organ pipes is soft or soft metal as you know it might flatten and collapse quite easily and another thing, other pipes are wooden pipes and let’s say if you are in Northern Europe, the Netherlands I would consider them part of Northern Europe, you could use even Maple to build an organ and everything would work fine.  If you would take the same pipes to Africa or South America they would be eaten by worms, local worms, because simply that wood would be just too sweet for that climate and worms would be very happy to receive delicious pipes from Europe.
 
V: I know what you are thinking.  Let them ship their organs to Lithuania (laughs.)
 
A: Yes, we would be happy to have historical rich organs in Lithuania.  At the same time we have many spectacular organs here that really need restoration.  I think it’s part of our responsibility of each person who thinks broadly enough that we would preserve our historical heritage.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  This is true, obviously.  And the other Sjouke wrote is that he is thinking about playing Wachet Auf by Bach.  This is a very sweet piece, not very easy though for beginners.
 
A: Well it’s for me for example it’s easy when you have only two voices, pedals and right hand, but when the left hand comes in then it’s harder and cadences are especially hard.  Don’t you think so?  Even for a professional you have to work on those cadences.
 
V: Now that I remember this piece I think I’m going to assign Wachet Auf to one of our Unda Maris students.
 
A: But it’s so beautiful I think it’s worth the trouble of learning it.  Because if you would think it’s taken from collection of Schübler chorales, that Bach himself actually arranged to be played on the organ from his cantatas, so I think Bach himself liked it so it’s really worth learning.
 
V: Right.  The fact that it was published means that it was important for the composer to preserve it for future generations and also arrange it for the organ and maybe it’s a sign that we should not be afraid of arranging other orchestral music to the organ.  It sounds beautiful sometimes too.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: So we could close our conversation with maybe our assurance to Sjouke that yes, this piece could be done by him and that he needs to take frequent brakes when he practices so that his body would not go tired.

A: Another suggestion would be sometimes if you know that you will have to perform in public you can prepare in advance sort of scaring yourself about how you will feel doing that public performance and sometimes you can lift those emotions about having an audience and see how it goes.
 
V: I know what you mean.
 
A: You can imagine that you are already in a real performance.  That might help sometimes too.
 
V: This reminds me that I read someplace that ancient samurai from Japan had a saying that you should constantly imagine death coming to you in many ways.  Dying from spear, sword, water, falling stones, fire, you know all those warrior things, and then when the time comes to die they were ready.  So if we as organists could imagine the worst situations ahead of time then the real situation would not be as scary.  We hope this was useful to you guys and please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow.  And remember when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 317 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Barbara, and she writes:
 
My challenge continues to be aware of posture + unrelaxed hands, arms, and shoulders to prevent numbness in my hands (especially my right hand). This came to a crisis 2.5 yrs ago. I've been to doctors, occupational therapist, and Alexander Technique teacher and am determined to control it without surgery. Mild arthritis is also an issue (age 67). I hold chords too tightly, press the keys harder than I need to, and frequently find my shoulders hunched. Releasing all of this helps.

I'm thinking of focusing on 17th-18th c. French organ music this fall (interesting, need to learn ornaments + performance practice better, and not so many chords). Will give my feet exercises and tricky Bach pedal passages (and learn the hands later).
 
V: So, let’s talk, Ausra, first, about how to relax the body when you’re playing organ.
 
A: I think one of the key things is to breathe, because if you will not breathe, then your body will get tension.
 
V: What do you mean, “Breathe,” we all breathe all the time, right?
 
A: Well, yes, but…
 
V: You know, they say you cannot survive more than three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food. Three, three, three. So I think everybody breathes.
 
A: And I think I would survive three minutes without any air, but…
 
V: Maybe you would get unconscious, but you will still be alive…
 
A: Okay
 
V: Until that time, I guess. But, what do you mean to learn how to breathe and….
 
A: That you’re breathing needs to be meaningful.
 
V: Conscious?
 
A: Conscious, yes.
 
V: So, when you’re playing something on the organ, you also have to think about breathing?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: How to do this at once. Think about music and about breathing.
 
A: Well, if you would think about musical structure, how the piece is put together, you would also notice that it’s not through-composed.
 
V: There are some pieces which are through-composed.
 
A: Well, yes, but what I’m meaning is that each piece has its own phrasing. And that even naturally music, after the phrase, takes a break. So if the music breathes, you need to breathe, too!
 
V: Oh, the easiest way to imagine this, would proabably would be if you are playing a wind instrument.
 
A: Yes, that’s right.
 
V: And you have to breathe at the end of the phrase.
 
A: And in some sense, organ is also a wind instrument.
 
V: Why?
 
A: Because it has pipes!
 
V: I see! So everything that has pipes is a wind instrument. Or not?
 
A: Yes!
 
V: Nice. So then, what goes on in our minds when we play, we try to breathe, does it help to relax when we breathe?
 
A: That’s right, and also your posture is very important, when you sit on the organ bench. You need to keep your back straight.
 
V: And, people always forget this. Right?
 
A: Yes, especially you!
 
V: Because they…. Especially me?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Right. You guys shouldn’t see me right now. I’m almost in half line position recording this conversation, reclining on our chair.
 
A: Armchair.
 
V: Yes, Armchair. So, yes, sitting up straight… what else would help? Making small economical efficient movements. Not hitting too much.
 
A: Yes, but sometimes the soft motion with your arms might help you to relax, too. And sometimes, when people try to do very economic motions, let’s just say they get tension, too.
 
V: Oh right.
 
A: At least that’s what I feel.
 
V: So it’s a practice. It takes time to learn this.
 
A: And another important thing is you need to take frequent breaks if you have problems as Barbara has.
 
V: Yesterday, I practiced the church organ….or was it the day before… maybe the day before...with my phone, I have this app which has a timer from the Pomodoro technique. It beeps every 25 minutes and reminds me to take a break. And then, it beeps again after 5 minutes to remind me that it’s time to work. So after four of those sessions, it beeps again, and I can have a longer break, like 20 minutes. And then, it starts all over again, if I need to continue the practice of some sort. So, would you like to try it, Ausra, artificial reminders by phone?
 
A: Well, actually, my body, I think, is the best reminder for me.
 
V: You never forget how you feel when you are just so deeply focus on the music?
 
A: Well, I used to forget, but not anymore. With age, your body becomes more and more fragile.
 
V: Like a glass. You have to take care of the body more.
 
A: Or it will break. Another thing that might help, do some exercises. Do some yoga,
 
V: Stretching.
 
A: or some Pilates.
 
V: Even, probably, swimming is good.
 
A: Well, yes, but you have to know how to do it. Of course, in all these activities that I mentioned before, you have to know how to do it, because otherwise you might hurt yourself even more.
 
V: Taking a walk is very natural and a lot of people can take advantage of that without any training.
 
A: I think this is about the only activity that you will not hurt yourself, probably.
 
V: Unless you have knee problems.
 
A: True.
 
V: So that’s about relaxing your body. What about French organ performance for Barbara? Do you have some tips and pointers to start with?
 
A: Well, I guess you have to know a little bit about French ornamentation, of course, when you play music like this, 17th and 18th century French music, because it’s all based on the ornaments. I would say it’s half written notes, and then half the ornaments, if not even more than half.
 
V: In other words, if you omit all the ornaments and play just the written music, it’s so boring!
 
A: Yes, it is. And, I heard that with French people, they never play the same piece in the same manner. They always change something—add more ornaments or play them differently. It’s hard for us that are raised more like German school to understand.
 
V: Eins, zwei, drei!
 
A: Yes, that’s right.
 
V: And then, probably, if people try historical instruments, then they discover this freedom and beauty of color in French organs. They’re not so good with polyphony, of course, but the harmonies are amazing, and colors, too.
 
A: So the second thing, the most important thing after learning ornamentation, would be to learn about registration—how to register a piece. Because, again, if you will not register them right, they will lose their sense.
 
V: Good thing that French composers tend to notate the registration quite specifically. But then, you need to adapt it to modern instruments if you’re playing one.
 
A: Yes, and I used to think that French classical music is sort of a little bit boring, yes? But then I attended a master class, which was held by Olivier Latry at the Saint Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, USA, and I really enjoyed how he talked about it, how he demonstrated it. And he compared the French classical music to theater. And it really makes sense how, for example, if you have a dialog between two hands on two different manuals with different registrations, and how one voice argues against another one, and it’s really like a theater. You can make an entire story out of it. It’s very interesting?
 
V: What’s your favorite French classical composer right now?
 
A: De Grigny. Nicolas de Grigny!
 
V: Right. He is much more advanced than some of his contemporaries in terms of polyphony.
 
A: What about yourself?
 
V: Well, I would tend to agree with you on those matters. It’s easier to agree than to argue.
 
A: Do you think I couldn’t take an argument well?
 
V: No, not because you couldn’t, but I think de Grigny is a great composer, so there is nothing to argue about.
 
A: Yes, and of course I also love The Noëls by Daquin.
 
V: Will you be playing them for Christmas?
 
A: Maybe I’ll do some. That’s always fun. And again, it’s so nice, you don’t have to use pedals, you just use your two hands.
 
V: But don’t be deceived too fast, because in the middle of the cycle of variations, they’re extremely virtuosic.
 
A: I know! Especially in Daquin’s variations.
 
V: They start slow, but they finish, oh….. like fire!
 
A: That’s true.
 
V: Ok guys, let’s go and practice now, because we think that just talking about those issues won’t help you advance in organ playing. You need to apply those tips in your practice. Because when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 316, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Regina. And she writes:

I enjoy reading your blog and find your responses to be absolutely spot on.

I am a retired music teacher and choral director. Piano was my primary instrument (began lessons at 4). Upon retirement, I decided to pursue a life-long dream (the number one item on my “ bucket list” lol) to learn to play the organ. I have been studying for almost eight years and have tackled some of JS Bach’s most challenging masterworks. As a pianist, I found that the most difficult aspect of learning to play the organ was not the pedals but, rather, the left hand. If I made mistakes, it was usually in my left hand!

I’ve recently gotten the St Anne’s into performance- level shape. I will probably use the Prelude as exit music for my next wedding gig (I work as a substitute organist for two Lutheran Churches here on Long Island, NY) .

Again, I enjoy your blog tremendously and always find some piece of advice I can utilize in my studies.

Sincerely,
Regina

V: So it seems that Regina is struggling with playing left hand parts, more than pedals. Why is that Ausra?

A: Well, I think everybody who hasn’t played organ but is going to do it, fears playing the pedals.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: I remember myself before starting to play pedals, I was afraid of how I will do it. And actually I felt just like Regina; I felt that it’s really not the hardest part to play pedals. And actually left hand was less really a problem at the beginning, until I was able to master it and to coordinate between left and pedals.
 
V: It seems to me that the most difficult combination when you play two parts, is not the hands alone, the right hand and pedals, but rather left hand and pedals, for most people.
 
A: Yes. And even now, for example, when I’m playing hymns, let’s say, I still have to think about tenor voice. Not about alto and soprano and the bass. I need to follow carefully the tenor line, because I’m playing it with my left hand.
 
V: And I’ve heard that people who are playing hymns, and starting to play them with pedals, they easily omit the tenor line and play the right hand and pedals more often. And only later brave enough to add the left hand part. For those same reasons, I think, that you were mentioning before.
 
A: And I wonder, I think these problems are for right-handed people. I’m wondering what, how things work if you have left hand as a main arm, hand.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. If you are left-handed.
 
A: Yes. Maybe then the hard thing is to play the right hand.
 
V: I think then it becomes sort of easy enough to play both of them because the melody is usually in the right hand part, in most pieces. So that’s why this right hand is rather well developed for many people. And if you’re naturally left-handed, then left hand is easy for you too. So it compensates.
 
A: Yes. And another thing when I thought about Regina’s case, that she was a pianist, yes? Piano was her primary instrument. And if you think about most of piano repoirtore, I would say that left hand is accompany hand. But in organ music, especially if you are talking about J.S. Bach music, they have polyphonic music where both hands are equally important and both hands are equally complex and difficult. So that might be a problem too by it’s harder for her to play with left hand.
 
V: I find myself too struggling with left-hand part in advanced modern music. The one which I’m practicing right now for Teisutis Makacinas organ music recital is pedal part could be difficult. But if i’m playing it alone it’s okay. Right hand is okay. Left hand, if I’m playing it alone, is also sort of okay. But when I’m playing everything together, I think left hand is the first one to see mistakes, I think. Yes. So I need to work on left hand. Just like Regina, I think, does. And that’s so natural. I think people could practice etude’s for the left hand, don’t you think?
 
A: But still, at first, you will not get the same texture as you would get, let’s say, in Bach’s fugue. So my suggestion would be when you are picking up a new piece and starting to learn it, learn the left hand first. And then left hand and pedals.
 
V: Or if you’re playing in separate parts, practice them twice as many times.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Let’s say if you are playing ten times, right hand, and ten times the pedals, maybe twenty times for the left hand then.
 
A: True.
 
V: But for other people pedals is also problem so maybe not ten times for the pedal but fifteen times for the pedals. Or as many times as needed until you can play three times in a row without mistakes.
 
A: That’s a good suggestion.
 
V: That might be much more than twenty times.
 
A: True.
 
V: Right.
 
A: But anyway, I think it’s normal that everybody has sort of a weak spot in their playing. For somebody pedals are harder for somebody [with] the left hand. So I think it’s normal.
 
V: I think it’s also sometimes different when you go from organ to organ. Right now for example, I’m playing on two instruments; at home and in our church. In both places we have mechanical action organs. But at home it’s a small practice organ and in the church it’s 64 stop, three manual instrument with really difficult mechanical action. Difficult to depress keys. So, naturally, at home it’s easier, I think to play, to depress keys. But I think at church, it’s more convenient for me, don’t you think?
 
A: Why?
 
V: Because this resistance gives you sort of—foundation. You’re sort of grounded in those keys, when the keys are resistant.
 
A: But you know, with this, I find it harder and harder to play in our church. I don’t know, maybe I’m just getting weaker with age. But sometimes I, even saying all kind of bad words in my mind.
 
V: You’re cursing!
 
A: That’s right!
 
V: What kind of curses?
 
A: Oh! This is the last time that I’m performing on this organ. I won’t do it anymore. I’m just getting really, [really, really] tired of doing all that hard mechanical work. Because, and it’s not that tracker action is so hard. Yes it’s hard, but we have trouble with a few keys that are harder than everybody else. And it’s too hard because you cannot separate when you are playing complex music and in fast tempo, you cannot think, ‘oh, okay, I will depress this F and this E harder’, and put more power. You cannot do that. And after a while you simply starting to play everything with such a heavy touch, that after practicing for an hour, you are feeling like you will just fall and die.
 
V: I think this instrument really needs to have some sort of ‘barker’ machine.
 
A: True. Because I’m sort of used to mechanical instruments and I love them. I like heavy action, but not in this organ, not any more. I’m getting too old to struggle with it.
 
V: The keys the second manual and the first one also, would really benefit from some kind of ‘barker’ system. Maybe with variation that would make playing on those manuals much easier. It really is a pain for virtuoso music, I think, to play this instrument. And maybe that’s the reason why not too many Lithuanian organists love to play there.
 
A: I know. I remember when last I was playing that huge chorale fantasia by Johann Adam Reincken, ‘An Wasserflüssen Babylon’ and it’s in the key of F Major. And I played a lot on the first and on the third manual because they are sort of baroque-based manuals, baroque-like based manuals. And imagine I had to hit those two, the heaviest keys on the first manuals, E and F. They were repeating themselves, over and over again, because the key is in F Major, and I had to play so many trills, that would be start on the G, and I would trill this F, then go to E, and to resolve it on the F. I thought I will really die, or break my fingers.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: I was feeling while playing those trills, that I’m sort of chopping a meat, with a hammer or something like this, or with an axe.
 
V: And as always, I have a solution to you, my dear.
 
A: What?
 
V: You could always transpose to F# Major.
 
A: Could you do that? With Reincken?. I doubt it. I highly doubt it.
 
V: Guys, on this optimistic note, I think we’d rather finish this conversation.
 
A: Yes, just before I just would start telling nasty things to Vidas about his solution and transposing Reincken to F# Major.
 
V: Okay. Please go ahead and practice. Because when you practice...
 
A: Miracles happen!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 315 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  This question was sent by Dianne and she writes:
 
“I’m struggling with the pedal exercises that call for playing a fourth with heel and toe of one foot... And doing so legato without playing pedals in between. Some of the 3rds, depending on octave and foot called for, are difficult as well. My feet don't bend and stretch that way!”
 
V: This was a discussion in our Total Organist communication channel on BaseCamp so David jumped in and added a comment…
 
David:  “That really seems an issue for me, too. When I first started, 3rds were nearly impossible... Especially on the organ where I had my lessons because those pedals traveled farther down than the pedals on my practice organs when you press them. Over months, the 3rds got easier and some 4ths are finally easy for me, but not all 4ths. The flexibility does eventually come.

One thing my teacher always cautions me about is making sure to point my knees with the toes so I don't get injured.”

V: And then Jay added a comment to Dianne:
 
Jay: “I have that same problem as well.  I just thought that maybe I need more exercise with the pedals.  I’ve also been trying a bit harder to keep my knees together, as we’ve been instructed.  I really like David’s comment about pointing your knees with the toes.  That’s a great tip.

Thanks, Dianne, for helping me not feel alone with that, and David, for the tip.”
 
V: And then Dianne answered:
 
Dianne:  “Thanks to you both!  I feel better now as well and more hopeful that the flexibility may actually come someday.  I will keep trying!”
 
V: That’s a nice discussion, right?
 
A: Yes, it is.
 
V: I think I added to all of them “Don’t hurt yourself.”

A: True.  And Dianne you are not alone, I have the same problem too because my foot is quite short so when I have an interval to play legato with one foot it’s really not an easy task for me.  But what I do sometimes if let’s say I’m playing in a big acoustics and tempo is fast of a piece I might not be playing such a spot complete legato.  And you wouldn’t notice that if the tempo is fast and you have larger acoustics.  And another thing if the tempo is slower then I just try to substitute with another foot the same note and then jump to that next note with the other foot so I’m sort of cheating a little bit.
 
V: Example would be from the note G if you have jump to C up a fourth, you would play G with the left foot and C with the right foot and substitute right away with the left foot, right?
 
A: That’s right.  You know if the tempo allows me to do that.  And if as I told you before if acoustic is larger and tempo is really fast then I don’t think anybody will notice that I don’t play both those notes completely legato.
 
V: This is true I think.  For me too I don’t particularly enjoy playing with one foot wide intervals.
 
A: But you see your foot is much longer than mine is.
 
V: Part of the solution might rest in playing with higher heels because when you want to play a wider interval without hitting notes in between you need that space between the toe and the heel and that is only possible when you have a higher heel.
 
A: That’s obvious, yes, you need to have a higher heel.  But when you have single melody in the pedal you still can do some tricks.  The hardest thing for me is when I have to play two notes with one foot at the same time like for example now I’m playing the second fantasy by Jean Alain and there are a couple spots like that and I’m having a hard time.
 
V: I think majority of organ repertoire doesn’t require that kind of flexibility.
 
A: No, but if you would take French music then yes it does.
 
V: Then you need to be a virtuoso.
 
A: That’s right, or do a plastic surgery on your foot and make them longer.  (laughs) I’m just joking.
 
V: A good exercise which prepares you for passages like that is to play scales and arpeggios with your pedals.  We have this Pedal Virtuoso Master Course with complete major and minor scales in the 24 keys and arpeggios too over one octave and two octaves.  So people tell us that it’s really strenuous working.  Not too many people finish what they start but those who do always are very happy with their flexibility afterwards.
 
A: Well, yes, maybe I need to work on your course too.
 
V: Or choose easier music.
 
A: That’s right, but I like hard music.
 
V: Where will you be playing this, Alain’s fantasy?
 
A: At Notre Dame in Paris.
 
V: Notre Dame.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: I see, nice.  What else will you be playing at Notre Dame?
 
A: The second chorale by Cesar Franck, the one in B minor and E flat major Prelude and Fugue by J. S. Bach.
 
V: E flat major, BWV 552.  Which of those three pieces is your favorite right now?  Which of those would you take with you to uninhabited island if you didn’t have food or drink?
 
A: Maybe not Alain although I really much like that piece but it would be hard to decide for me because I really like Bach E flat major, that’s one of my favorite organ pieces ever written, but I also love Franck’s B minor chorale, it’s my favorite out of all three of them.
 
V: Imagine if you actually are on this remote island and you have all three pieces with you, Bach, Franck, and Alain and this boat with indigenous people is approaching and you have only one piece to offer them in exchange for water or food.  Which one would you trade?
 
A: (laughs)
 
V: A bunch of organists is coming by in a sightseeing boat for the remote islands of Polynesia, they want to visit their local organs and here is this stranded organist offering one of those pieces, to organists.
 
A: You are asking tricky questions and you have such a fantasy that it scares me.

V: Which one would you betray?
 
A: Probably Alain, because it’s the shortest out of three of them.
 
V: Would you feel guilty about that?
 
A: Sure, yes I would.
 
V: Would you go to confession afterwards?
 
A: To whom?
 
V: To me, when you come back home.  You could tell me and I say you’ve been forgiven.  I won’t tell Alain that.  Nice.  So we are sort of riffing on this theme of playing wide intervals, right?
 
A: Yes, that’s right.  It’s really a hard thing but somehow you can work on it and make it work.
 
V: Umm-hmm.  Thank you guys, we hope this was useful to you.  Please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow.  And remember when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 314 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dianne, and she writes:
​
 I am struggling with keeping the practice slow. I am too goal oriented for my own good. And then of course I am more easily frustrated when I make mistakes. Working on patience and enjoying the process!
 
V: So, Dianne seems to have partly answered her questions, too.
 
A: Yes, that’s true.
 
V: Because she needs patience, and to enjoy the process. Why do you think, Ausra, people sometimes lack this patience and want to practice too fast?
 
A: Well, I think it gratifies one more when you are playing fast, and sometimes it’s so hard to work on a slow tempo and to practice slowly. But you know, if you won’t do it, you will be sloppy and make mistakes. And actually, you know, sometimes, I think about that story, do you know it, about how a hedgehog was competing with the rabbit?
 
V: A hedgehog or a turtle?
 
A: I know one version there was a hedgehog, and one version there was a turtle.
 
V: Okay.
 
A: That they were competing in a race competition, and the bunny was just running back and forth very fast and he thought he will win, but actually, the hedgehog asked his wife to help him, and one was placed at the beginning of the race, and another at the finish of the race, and actually hedgehog won! Of course, he cheated, but he won, in a way.
 
V: I know a different version of the story.
 
A: Okay, tell your story.
 
V: That the rabbit was competing with a turtle, and that the rabbit, of course, was really fast, and almost finished the race, but before he finished, he looked back, and since the turtle was so far back that he couldn’t even see him, then he thought maybe he should take a nap. And, he did. And actually, this nap turned out to be a deep sleep for a few hours, maybe longer, and when the rabbit awoke, then he saw that turtle little by little, step by step, he approached the finish and actually won the race.
 
A: So, I guess in my story, you can learn that the smarter people win. Think about the strategy, and not necessarily doing what we want to do without thinking about it. And in your story, of course, you know, it’s a good story about slow practicing, I think. It shows that if you practice slowly, you will finish the race first, and you will win it.
 
V: That’s right. You know why I like your story, also? Because I think there is another hidden meaning here, that you should always strive to work on things that matter or are important. Like, in the race, the beginning is important and the finish is important. The middle of the race is not that important. Nobody sees the hedgehog, with his running around, the ending is important. So that’s how he won by placing his wife at the finish line. In organ practice, of course, we could think of things that make up the 80% of the practice with 20% of effort, maybe, and that could maybe be slow practice. But even, probably, not necessarily the entire piece, but maybe if you take a prelude and fugue, or chorale prelude, or fantasia, or any other type of piece, you would probably discover that not every line is extremely difficult. Even in the most difficult pieces, there are easy lines. And maybe, we should practice more the difficult ones!
 
A: True! We need to start from practicing the hardest part.
 
V: Mhm! So, for example, right now I’m practicing for my upcoming recital, where I’ll be playing three pieces by Teisutis Makačinas. He is a composer who celebrates 80 years this year, and he was our teacher, professor, at the Lithuanian Academy of Music. What did he teach, do you remember?
 
A: Harmony and Polyphony.
 
V: And improvisation, too!
 
A: It was part of those courses.
 
V: Ah! Not a separate one!
 
A: No, it wasn’t a separate one.
 
V: Interesting. So, he wrote a bunch of popular songs, actually, which are widely broadcast on the radio, but he wrote a few of the organ sonatas and other pieces that are rarely performed, so he asked me to play for this concert, and his music is really advanced, in many places, but not always, right? There are easy spots, easy pages, and even easy movements! So, at first, I was sort of practicing everything equally, but now, I understand that maybe, those easy movements only need to be played once, and I need to focus on the difficult parts.
 
A: Actually, I don’t remember you practicing so diligently for a long time as you are practicing now these pieces by Makačinas, and I’m so glad I told you, “No, I will not take part in this concert,” and, that I don’t have to learn this music.
 
V: Why?
 
A: Well, it’s so complicated, and, well, just not in my taste.
 
V: It’s not in my taste, either, you know….
 
A: And with years, somehow I want just to spend time on playing what I really, really like, because I just realized that life is so short.
 
V: But, it’s very difficult to say, “no,” because he was our professor. And, I think he deserves that kind of concert at least for his anniversary. And, since he asked me, then I said, “yes.”
 
A: I remember how you tried to convince me to play that recital, too, and after I spent a couple of hours sitting on the organ bench and sight reading his music, actually, I think I got seriously sick.
 
V: Right.
 
A: And I took it as a sign that probably I shouldn’t do it.
 
V: A sign from Heaven!
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Nice. So, when I’m practicing, I usually practice without sound at home, so that you wouldn’t hear it.
 
A: Well, actually, I like how you’re practicing them, because you know what to emphasize and what to hide. And really, in music like this, I think, the more you play it and the more you listen to it, and the more acquainted you get with it, the better it sounds. And it’s just too bad that during the concert, the listeners will hear it only once. So, I don’t know how well impressed they will be, what impression they will get.
 
V: Maybe that’s part of my assignment, too. If I’m used to the piece and I know the good side of the piece, maybe I can transmit this knowledge to them—to the audience—as well! It’s easier than if I were just sight reading it, right? Of course, you couldn’t sight read it, nobody could sight read this kind of music in a satisfactory manner. So, I have a hope, that people will kind of enjoy this performance, because I will deeply know how the pieces are put together.
 
A: Yes, and I will be turning pages for you and changing stops!
 
V: And I just also hope that the composer himself will be happy.
 
A: I know, it’s always scary to play music by a living composer, knowing that he or she will attend your performance. It sort of puts pressure on you.
 
V: If you wrote music, Ausra, and somebody else performed it, would you go easy on that performer, or would you be very meticulous
 
A: Actually, I would be easier, because nowadays, there is so much music that is created, that you really need to be happy and really to appreciate somebody who is performing your music.
 
V: Mhm, that’s what I’m thinking, too. If anybody would play my music in a different way from what I would imagine, I still would be very grateful, I think.
 
A: True.
 
V: And when you release the music into the world, I think you sort of let it go, and let it live its own life without controlling it too much.
 
A: That’s right, and now, as we go back to the question about patience, I think if you will be patient in your practice, it will help to be patient in other ways in life, too. Because, if you will strengthen this good side of yourself, of being patient, I think you’ll benefit in other things as well.
 
V: That’s right. And, I think it’s a good exercise for me to force myself to play this kind of music that I don’t enjoy right away—it has to grow on me—because I, too, have to be patient! Thanks, guys, this was Vidas,
 
A: And Ausra,
 
V: We hope this was useful to you. Please keep sending us more of your questions, we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen!

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 313, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. We had a discussion in our communication channel on Basecamp recently. And Jay wrote that ‘he’s feeling a bit frustrated with seemingly little progress’. And then he wrote some details:

“For one thing, I have a similar problem that Dianne posted about slow practice. I'm trying slow down things that are more difficult and go through many repetitions.  Maybe I'm not going through enough repetitions.

And, I know we shouldn't compare ourselves with others–it's easy to do though. I see others posting about getting perfect on things that I can't even play.  

I am enjoying practice though. I just would really like to improve faster.  And like someone else who is 71 recently said, that at this age, it just takes longer to get things.  Perhaps that's where part of the frustration is”.

V: Diane answered:
 
“I agree with everything you said. I tend to compare myself now to when I was younger, and I get frustrated that I can't play things perfectly the first time through the way I used to! It's bad enough to compare myself with others without also comparing myself with a younger version of me”.

V: Mmmh. That’s a lot to take in, Ausra, right?
 
A: Yes. It is.
 
V: Well, first of all, let me say this: I’m so delighted that people are doing those discussions, having those discussions in our Basecamp channel for Total Organist students. You see, if people just study on their own, practicing from our practice course with fingering and pedaling, or studying from our courses, video or audio, that’s one thing, and that’s wonderful, right? This gives results. But not nearly as much results, or as better results, as if, when they share their feedback with others in the same circle. Maybe they’re studying the same things. Maybe they’re going through the same problems. Like for example, Diane and Jay are talking about slow practice and repeating many times the same episode. This is really helpful, Ausra, don’t you think?
 
A: Yes, I think it’s very helpful to be able to communicate with each other. Because, let’s say, when I teach at school, let’s say I teach harmony, and for example we are having new theme that day, new subject to discuss. And I explain, I give examples, I play some examples, and then I give some time and I can still see that somebody can’t understand what I explained. And then somebody from the classroom tried to explain for her or his friend, what I just told them. And sometimes it works better.
 
V: Because they can do this in their own words.
 
A: True. True. Because they are going through the same problems. And sometimes when you are advanced in something, you might not see the problem from the bottom actually.
 
V: You don’t have beginners mind.
 
A: True. True. And sometimes you try to imagine that you have beginners mind but it’s not always possible.
 
V: Plus you can imagine beginners mind, but you don’t remember how it was for you when you were little.
 
A: True. True. And I think the same is with practicing organ.
 
V: You might remember because you have better brain, but I don’t remember.
 
A: You mean, better memory.
 
V: Memory, brain, yeah, sure.
 
A: Not better brain. Actually my brain is much damaged, so...
 
V: But I mean, yes, memory, yeah, memory. Because I don’t remember many things what I did at school.
 
A: Well, but that’s not a brain thing; that’s a memory thing.
 
V: I see. So, yes. Being in the same circle of friends who are studying right now, currently, similar things and going through the same problems is extremely helpful. So guys, if you are in our Total Organist community but are not active in Basecamp, consider at least following discussions. Maybe you don’t want to engage. I can totally feel that. I can totally relate to that because some people are introverts and better keep their problems to themselves. And others are more easy going and share everything with others. So at least be observer, and that will be helpful too.
 
A: Yes. I think everybody could benefit in something by reading these things.
 
V: If you, Ausra, were a student of some study group, would you prefer posting your feedback, or not?
 
A: Maybe I wouldn’t post my feedback, but I would be glad to read others feedback.
 
V: Because then you would be more motivated to go and practice that thing, obviously.
 
A: Sure.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. That’s absolutely true. This is instant feedback. Sometimes people get notifications on the phone and if you write your struggles in the chatroom, then somebody will answer you right away, in a few minutes, perhaps, if the time zones are aligned. Because of course our community is global. When one is writing, another might be sleeping and vice-versa.
 
A: True.
 
V: But you could do this on your computer. Not necessarily on the phone. And if you are frustrated with too many notifications, you can actually go ahead and update your settings, adjust your settings so that you won’t get notified unless you want to. Unless you go in and check yourself. That’s good too, because our community now is more than eighty students so there is always some kind of notification going on and some kind of feedback. And sometimes it’s tiring too.
 
A: Yes, it is.
 
V: Okay, guys. What else we could suggest you with trying to be okay with slow progress. I think people get frustrated with their slow practice because they want to see a shortcut. Don’t you agree, Ausra?
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Do you like shortcuts?
 
A: Yes, of course I like them but usually we don’t mean anything good. We don’t give anything good. We don’t do good. Because usually after taking a shortcut you still have to back and then that way becomes even longer.
 
V: There is no magic pill. If you eat that pill and suddenly you can play anything in the world, on the organ. There is no such invention yet. Do you think scientist will discover that later?
 
A: I think in the future.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. You know what will happen? I think if they can manipulate the brain a little bit, or let’s say, take a virtuoso, right, a scan of their bran, and their brain activities, and put it into a server someplace in the cloud. And then, if they could connect that server to another brain of beginner organist, like a microchip or something, like, plug in and upload that information or data to beginner’s mind. Then suddenly, like in science fiction movie, the person would have fantastic skills and superhero ability.
 
A: That sounds scary. I hope this will never come true.
 
V: Superman playing pedals. Nice! Thanks guys. This was Vidas.
 
A: And Ausra.
 
V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice...
 
A: Miracles happen!

I have created this score with the hope that it will help my students who love early music to recreate articulate legato style automatically, almost without thinking.

Thanks to Jan Pennell for her meticulous transcription of fingering and pedaling from the slow motion video.

Advanced level. PDF score. 6 pages. 50% discount is valid until November 1. 

​Check it out here
​
This score is free for Total Organist students.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 311 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by David, and he writes that he is dreaming to play organs for fundraising concerts and for worship accompaniment, but obstacles in the way of his dream is a busy life, and that means that he cannot practice as often as he’d like. Ausra, have you ever played at fundraising concerts?
 
A: I don’t remember, now, actually. I might have played some in the United States, but that was a long way back.
 
V: I remember playing for Casparini organ in the Holy Ghost Church in Vilnius for members of a local Rotary club, and they tried to gather funds for the restoration of this instrument, but that was, I think, a small sum of money, in comparison to what was needed at that time.
 
A: Do you think such a concert is a sufficient way to raise funds?
 
V: It seems that everybody is doing them, right, like it’s a socially appropriate way of gathering funds involving community, congregation, perhaps. Why not? It’s one of the ways. David has a good idea for that. Of course, it depends how much a congregation is involved in general in the cultural life of the parish, of the church, and how much they feel ownership of the project, right?
 
A: True.
 
V: If, for example, they are alienated by some politics going on inside of the congregation, people won’t bother joining in those fundraising efforts so much. I think the important thing is for them to feel welcomed and appreciated.
 
A: Yes, for example, in Lithuania, I don’t think you could raise money by playing an organ recital. Somehow, I doubt it.
 
V: In general, I think, in Lithuania, culturally acceptable ways to gather funds are somewhat different, right?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: We always see on TV…
 
A: Usually it’s through pop music.
 
V: Pop music concerts, which are broadcast on TV.
 
A: Yes, and advertised all over.
 
V: Yes, and then people can call in, and a fraction of their….
 
A: Call would go to…
 
V: ...amount of the money that they would make on that call would go to that project, but I think it’s a very tiny fraction.
 
A: I’m not sure about that.
 
V: I’ve read it, that in general, some of those telephone companies are taking the big chunk. What else can people do to gather funds involving organs? How can we maybe think creatively in today’s environment with technology going across the board globally even, right? When you play a fundraising concert, this is just a local event. How many people will come? That many people will hear, and even a smaller portion of them will react and engage and give donations. But, what if people went globally with this, like.. platforms like Patreon, or Kickstarter, or Indiegogo.
 
A: Well, I don’t know. That might work, and may not.
 
V: It works for many other projects, right, for technology oriented projects. Let’s say you are a startup, you have some nice invention in your mind, and you want to gather funds to complete this idea, so you first create a prototype, and then show the people like a demo version, and then people get excited about that, and what happens later, they start to donate because the demo version is incomplete, and that way it could be done. But with organs, I’ve seen people do it for organ restorations, for example, and I’m not sure if David is planning to do fundraising for organ restorations, or just to play organ in fund raising concerts, which is different.
 
A: Yes, it is! Because, for example, I don’t think you would fund-raise in Lithuania for building an organ or restoring an organ, because in our country, it’s more common to raise funds for poor, for sick people. For example, we have this huge food gathering thing. I think at least 5 each year. There are more than, I think, 100 grocery stores that are involved, and there are two or three days that you can buy long lasting products and donate them.
 
V: Why do you think this campaign is so successful?
 
A: Well, I think it’s because it’s so widely spread, and nobody wants to be hungry, so I guess that everybody thinks that, “today I have food but maybe tomorrow I will not have it, and I will need support.”
 
V: Like, they have compassion.
 
A: Sure, because truly, we have too many poor people, especially elderly and of course lonely mothers with children.
 
V: Right. You know what I think, also? Social media might be a good catalyst for inspiring people to donate, but now, social media is no longer that effective as it was before, because Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, they all changed their algorithms in favor of paid advertisement, or communication between friends. So, what you see in your Facebook feed or what I see in my Facebook feed basically reflects my friends to whom I’m connected more strongly, right? I’m not seeing all those pictures and posts from all my network, just a fraction of it. So, if a person has a fund raising event, they might not involve their entire network, just a small portion of it, unless they decide to go the paid advertising way, and pay to Facebook to show the ads. But, somehow it contradicts the idea of raising funds, right, because they don’t have funds first of all to begin with?
 
A: Sure.
 
V: What about those new platforms based on Blockchain? We’ve been using Steemit for a while now, and just recently, I think since October, we started posting on ONO network. O-n-o it is spelled, and the idea is that with every post, with every like, with every share and comment, you get back cryptocurrency called ONOT.
 
A: But it is worth nothing yet.
 
V: Yet… it’s worth nothing
 
A: So I think it’s like play for adults.
 
V: But wait until they allow people to trade on exchanges!
 
A: Well, let’s see. And I think you are judging false hopes.
 
V: Maybe. Could be. But imagine if I’m right, right? If people can really transfer those funds and convert them into real currencies somehow later on. That would change, a little bit, the landscape of fund-raising, too, because let’s say David wants to raise funds playing organs. All he has to do is just document his life, post in pictures and articles, and then people will like and share and engage, it could be with organ playing, of course, for organists, and he will start gathering cryptocurrency.
 
A: I don’t think he will get a sufficient amount.
 
V: We’ll see in the future, but that’s the idea, you see! The worth, of course, of that token “Onot” depends on the market itself—on demand—how many people will buy it.
 
A: So you see, this is optimistic, and I am pessimistic, or realistic.
 
V: So maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle, right?
 
A: I just believe that the world is full of social injustice in general, and some are very poor and the others are very rich—bloody rich.
 
V: The rich get richer with any system.
 
A: Yes. And I think we have more poor people with each year.
 
V: Right, but maybe that’s the reason they created such social Blockchain based networks, that people from poor countries could join in and become more financially independent.
 
A: Well, let’s talk about it maybe in two years.
 
V: In a few years. Yeah, we’ll see. Right. Every system has its own flaws, of course, it’s not perfect, and of course people, once they find out that it’s money involved, that you can gather money for your posts and likes, then they try to cheat the system, right, with spam comments, spam content, bots like software, posting instead of humans, and if the system itself cannot get rid of those fake accounts and abusers, then everybody suffers, you see?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: We’ll see in a few years, how it develops. But, I think it doesn’t hurt to try, right? What if I’m right in a few years, and people will wait for a few years to see the results. Of course, the early adopters like we are will benefit more than late comers.
 
A: But, you know, if you have needs today, you cannot wait for a few years. So, that’s the problem. If you are rich enough to be able to live well today, you can do experiments and wait for a few years.
 
V: I read that people in Venezuela, for example, a very corrupt government, and it’s politically unstable, and financially basically very struggling country. People get a monthly salary of about $10 per month. Not per day, but per month! So, with this scenario, earning cryptocurrency, like $10 per month, is pretty easy actually. And I’ve seen people do that from poor countries as well. We’re not talking about hundreds of dollars, but just tens of dollars. So, that could really change the game for those people. And they are changing the game! Maybe there is hope, you see!
 
A: Well, let’s hope for it.
 
V: Thanks, guys, for listening. We hope this discussion raised a few more questions, right? Maybe more questions than answers, right now, which is nice, because with this, the more we think about this, the more we can take action and not be a passive observers, but take initiative and maybe take advantage of those new tools. Whatever happens in the future, we don’t know, of course. The value of those cryptocurrencies can go to zero, right? Or they can go to the moon! We don’t know. But, that’s the world. Nobody can predict the future. But, of course, if we sit on the couch, the real result will be nothing. Right? Those who never try, they never lose, of course. And as a disclaimer we have to add we are not financial advisers so you have to do your own due diligence.
 
A: And now, let's go and practice.
 
V: Yes, because when you practice,
 
A: Miracles happen.

Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra.
 
V: Let’s start episode 312 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast.  Today I’d like to share with you the discussion that was going on our communication channel on BaseCamp between Total Organist students.  Annabelle wrote the answer to the question “What is she currently working on?” and “What is she struggling with?”  So she is playing Wedding March by Wagner and she writes:
 
Annabel: I'm playing for a wedding in October and have some issues with performance anxiety. So I thought it would help to learn it by heart.

David:  Great idea I have the anxiety issues, too. 2 bananas 30 minutes before performance has been helping me keep my hands and ankles from shaking so badly and slows down my racing heart.

Recently my doctor suggested trying a medication called Propranolol, so this Sunday will be the first run with it. I don't always need that kind of help, but when my performance anxiety gets out of control, I need just a little help.

Annabel:  I’ll try bananas, that's very interesting. Is it the potassium? I'm fine accompanying hymns, I just don't like being a soloist!

David:  Potassium for the heart rate, but allegedly they have a natural beta blocker in them to help with shaking hands and ankles. It's folk lore, but there seem to be a while lot of even professional musicians who swear by it. I opted for Propranolol because I can't have too much potassium.

Annabel:  Fascinating, thanks David. I've started reading quite an old book called "Tensions in the Performance of Music" edited by Carola Grindea. It was recommended to me by a professional harpist.

David:  Thank you! I will look for that

Vidas:  I once ate bananas and drank mineral water entire concert day. When my turn came up to play, I felt as light as an angel.
 
V: Do you remember Ausra that time when I experimented with bananas?
 
A: Yes, I think bananas are good.
 
V: Have you had experiences with bananas before concerts?


A: Yes, but not like eating them all day long but if I have performance that day I try to eat two bananas.
 
V: Do you have performance anxiety which goes out of control for example?
 
A: Well, not now, but yes I have performance anxiety.  I think anybody who tells that they have no performance anxiety at all they are lying.
 
V: Or tried to convince themselves.
 
A: I think it would be wrong if you wouldn’t get any performance anxiety.
 
V: Robots don’t have performance anxiety.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: What did you feel when you ate bananas before concert?  Was it a small reaction to them or a very significant one?
 
A: It’s hard to measure that help of bananas but at least I felt better myself for doing something good for myself, for my anxiety.  So I think anyway it will not hurt to eat bananas.
 
V: For people who are not allergic to potassium or bananas in general.
 
A: And of course now you have to be especially careful when eating bananas because I’m sure you guys read in the news that there is a new mania spreading throughout the world.
 
V: Tell us more.
 
A:  Putting needles into your foods.  I think it all began in Australia where some supermarket people bought strawberries and tried to eat them at home and they were filled with needles.  And now we have had already a few cases in Lithuania where people found needles in bananas.  So be careful before eating them.  Maybe just slice them down in small pieces.
 
V: When you slice them then the needles would appear?  Wow, crazy people.
 
A: I know.
 
V: Instead of hurting others and making fun of them obviously they should do some other creative work.
 
A: I think you really need to be mentally ill in order to do such a thing.
 
V: Right, the world is a dark place sometimes.  But yes, if you have a nice pack of bananas, you peel them and you check for needles, and you have performance anxiety you could drink mineral water and that day, concert day or public performance day, you will start feeling really light just because of that healthy food of course, and lots of water.  And that helps to clear your mind as well, don’t you think Ausra?
 
A: Well, yes, but think about it if you have performance late at night and all that long day you will just have bananas.
 
V: No, that was me with my crazy experiments on myself being like a human guinea pig, but take moderation of course with those things.  Eat one or two bananas and see what happens.
 
A: Yes and the other thing if you have really, really bad performance anxiety, if you really cannot play because of that I think you might need to consult your physician.  Maybe they will have some medications for you.
 
V: Don’t choose the medications for yourself, right?  Because…
 
A: I don’t think you could get medications without prescription for that purpose.
 
V: Umm-hmm. Right.  But even if you have some at home you better consult the real physician because for your purpose, for your situation, maybe you bought it for another condition, right?  And if you want to reduce anxiety for organ playing maybe you need to tell the doctor.
 
A: Because usually what performance needs we need to know that our hands and feet wouldn’t shake but some of those medications just simply suppress your brain function and you might not be able to play at all.
 
V: Right.  I guess breathing helps.  I found out sometimes 10 or 15 minutes before the concert if you are alone backstage or next to the organ bench and nobody can see you.  You go into the corner if there are people around.  Try to be alone for a while.  Sit there and take deep breaths while closing your eyes and I think that helps to calm down a little bit, stay in the moment, right?
 
A: But you know if you take breaths that are too deep you might be in trouble as well.
 
V: Yes, you can faint.
 
A: (laughs)  Can you imagine during your performance you start breathing deeply and slowly and suddenly you just faint.
​
V: But if it’s during your performance that you start to panic then actually reminding yourself to breathe helps to get out of this situation and control your music.  Ausra, before we end why do think people are afraid to perform in public, it’s like public speaking also, people are very frightened?
 
A: You told me statistics that some people are not so much afraid of dying.
 
V: Yes, peoples number one fear is public speaking, dying is number two.
 
A: Work as a teacher for a while and then after a year or two you wouldn’t get that fear.
 
V: The more you practice, the more you appear in public, the less risk it appears because personally I believe people are afraid because of high stakes, what would happen if you make mistakes, what happens in your head.  You think people will start to make fun of you, maybe your career will be over.  If your career will be over then you won’t any more invitations to play organ concerts.  If you won’t get any more concerts then you won’t have any money.  If you won’t have any money you won’t have anything to eat, no money, no food, no shelter, then you will die.  You see because just making a mistake or two playing sharp instead of flat there is a sudden thought process going subconsciously basically into dying.  Fear of death basically what it is.  But it’s all in your brain, you can control it I think mentally while staying in the moment, or trying to stay in the moment as much as possible.  Ausra, what do you think?
 
A: Yes I agree, but it’s not as easy you know.
 
V: It’s constant struggle, right?  With each practice you get a little bit better I think but you have to remind yourself to remember to stay in the moment and keep your eyes fixed on the music if you are playing from the sheet music, on the current measure.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: OK guys, we hope this was useful to you.  Please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow.  And remember when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen.

I have created this score with the hope that it will help my students who love early music to recreate articulate legato style automatically, almost without thinking.

Thanks to Jeremy Owens for his meticulous transcription of fingering and pedaling from the slow motion video.

Advanced level. PDF score. 3 pages. 50% discount is valid until October 29. 

​Check it out here

​This score is free for Total Organist students.