Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 326 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Tomás, and he wrote: My dream in organ playing is to play impressive songs with lots of stops. I would like to change them (the stops) during the song playing. V: So, that’s probably a very big sound when lots of stops will be playing. Don’t you think, Ausra? It seems like Tomás likes Tutti. A: Yes. V: What about you? Do you like, Tutti? A: Well, sometimes. V: Not all the time. A: Not always, yes. V: Would you wish if our organ had lots of stops and I would play with all of them at home? A: Oh, no! I don’t! No, that sound would kill us both. I’m glad we have only two stops. That’s plenty in a room. V: Piano and Pianissimo! A: Yes. V: Good. So, Tomás… I don’t know if it’s a problem for him or just a dream. Right? What’s your opinion, Ausra? What’s stopping him from playing impressive songs with “lots of stops” in his words. A: Well, you know, because he talks about songs, so I imagine he is talking about secular music. Yes? And, since most of the organs are located in churches, this might be a problem. Not every church allows you to play secular songs with the Tutti registration. V: I’m not sure if it’s secular things he’s referring to, because sometimes people come to the organ from a different world, and we live in a world with pop music influences all the time: radio, Internet, YouTube, even TV, and what you hear there, of course, are songs, most of the time. A: Do you think they would work well on the organ? V: But, maybe he doesn’t mean songs, per se, but just music. Maybe it could be just compositions for organ solo, but he doesn’t know how to refer to them, because all he knows is songs. A: That way, it seems that he needs a little bit of music history and music theory. V: Right, this foundation education. A: Sure. V: Yes. What’s the best way to start? What’s step number 1 in this? To pick up a book, and read about organ history, or music history in general? A: Well, in order to suggest something, I would need to know more about him, in order to suggest something useful. I don’t get enough information from a letter like this. V: Me, too. It’s hard to guess what’s on his mind and what’s his background. A: Yes, and as he says, he would like to change the stops during song playing. So, he talks about registration changes. V: You know, maybe after hearing our answer, he could write us back and explain a little bit more about himself. A: Sure! Do you think it’s the biggest challenge to change stops during playing? V: If you are such a virtuoso that you could play anything you’d like, and the only thing that is left to learn is changing registration, then yes. But, it seems to me, that there are so many more things that he’s not even aware of, right? A: I know, because stop changes are the least to worry about, I would say. V: When you start playing the organ, you have a preliminary idea, probably. Why have you started? What interests you? Maybe it’s a specific period of music, maybe it’s a specific country, maybe it’s a specific genre. It could be toccatas. And when you start playing them, you sort of suddenly discover there is a completely unknown world to you that little by little starts to reveal itself. Have you ever played computer games, Ausra? A: Yes, I had actually. Once. V: What kind of game was it? A: It was that “The Lord of the Rings.” V: Oh, yeah! A: I have never finished it. V: Neither have I, of course! Maybe we should finish it! A: I don’t think we are gifted enough to play computer games. V: Right. There is an entire subculture of gamers on the Internet, who are playing, and making videos, and making blog posts about that, and sharing. It’s so fascinating! But, the reason I’m mentioning computer games, is I once also played a game where you have to come to a certain enemy territory, like in Medieval times. You have to fight battles with orcs, and dragons, and snakes, and wizards, and you have special skills, special armor, and special weapons, and you have only limited amounts of lives, of course, and the more treasures and points and probably tasks you do correctly on that game, the more resources you can get to prolong your life and become more powerful. But, the reason I’m mentioning this, Ausra, is that it’s similar to an organ world, too. When a person comes to the organ, he knows nothing. So, when you start this game I’m talking about, it’s called “Heroes,” actually. Remember, your brother used to play it during the nights. A: Yes! I remember that. And, when we asked him why he’s doing that, he said it was because he’s a surgeon, so he said, “If I can do surgeries sometimes through the night, then why can’t I play a computer game, too!” So… V: That was a long time ago! A: Yes, and I’m glad he stopped in time, and not get addicted to it. V: Right. So, when you start playing this game, everything on the map is dark. You have a map in the corner of that screen of your territory, and it’s dark when you start. But once you move your mouse and you travel a little bit, it becomes green. You know, this territory is yours. Maybe you encounter an enemy, you defeat that enemy, maybe more territory becomes yours and more discoveries await you, sort of. And more places in that foreign land become green. It reminds me of the organ world, too. You know, the more you play, the more you are curious about it, the more you look it up, the more you read, the more you listen to, actually, also, you discover new things and become immersed, like in any unfamiliar art. What are you thoughts about that, Ausra? A: Yes, I think you’re really very right. I don’t know if I like your comparison so much, but it might work for some. V: You don’t think our listeners are gamers? A: I think not! V: Some of them might be, you know? A: Well, you never know! V: Maybe one or two will write about that after this conversation. A: Well, you know, if you play a lot of computer games, you don’t have time to practice organ. V: That’s why I stopped playing these Lord of the Rings games, because it’s really addictive. But, as you say, it doesn’t lead anywhere. Of course, nowadays, there is some financial aspect to it, too. You could play in competitions and contests, and defeat the more virtual enemies and even earn some money! A: I would rather earn my money in other ways. V: Such as? A: Teaching music theory, harmony, solfege, playing organ, teaching organ… V: Is that it? Or are there any other ways you would like to earn money? A: Well, I earn a little bit by drawing comics. V: Drawing comics. Me, too! Nice. So, times are changing, and Tomás needs to immerse himself more into the organ world, I think. A: True. V: Starting from the foundations—from the basics. But if he buys a book or pics up a book on organ history from the library, it might become really too complex for him at first. A: Could be. And, you know, my suggestion would be if he takes any song and starts to play it, to learn to play it, I wouldn’t suggest him to play loud at the beginning. You need, really, to learn the music first, and then to play it loudly. V: Right. Remember, we had this student at UNL who only played loudly. A: Yes! We’ve already talked about it, I think, some while ago. And he wanted to play these massive pieces and play loud and fast, but I think finally he… V: He gave up…. A: He gave up organ, because our professors were too good for him, because they did not allow him to play….well, let’s say….just somehow. They wanted him to play well, and to work on those details in that piece, and learn about structure and to play it…. V: Step by step A: Yes, and with knowledge, not just somehow, loud and fast. And, I don’t think he could take it. V: If you had such a student, how would you teach him so that he wouldn’t quit? A: Well…. V: Of course, you had an example of George Ritchie and Quentin Faulkner, right? This was an excellent example. But, after that example, he quit. A: Well, I don’t know. Maybe if somebody cannot comprehend what is really beneficial for him or her, maybe it’s better to stop playing organ, or to find another professional to teach you, if you don’t trust, you know? Because when you teach somebody, you have to be confident with each other. You need to trust each other. If there is not that confidence between you and your pupil, and no trust, I don’t think it’s leading anywhere. V: It’s a waste of time. A: True. V: A waste of time of the student, and a waste of time of the teacher, too. And, as you say, maybe that person could find a person that he trusts. A: Sure, because otherwise, I just don’t see how it would work out. V: Maybe there are people who would teach such a person to play loud and fast starting from Reubke or Widor... A: I highly doubt it! V: ...right from the start A: I highly doubt it! V: Maybe! Maybe, for really good money, you know? A: Well, I don’t think you can buy anything with money. Don’t you think so? V: You could buy cake! We just had cake, Ausra, remember? A: Well, but that’s just a cake. V: Okay, guys, I think I’ll have some more cake after this conversation, won’t you Ausra? A: Probably not. V: Alright. And please remember, keep sending us your questions; we love helping you grow. And Remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 323 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Barbara, and she wrote that she struggles with two related things: 1) keeping my mind from wandering when I'm doing repetitions to teach my hands/feet the fingering/pedaling, and 2) resisting the temptation to sightread at tempo (with mistakes). V: I think number 2 is very common, when people sight read too fast. A: That’s right, and I don’t think it’s bad if you do it, let’s say, once—just to get the feeling of that piece. But, to do it more than once, then it’s really bad. It slows down your progress. V: Exactly. So, when you’re taking a new piece you’re about to study and master, sometimes it’s nice to play it through with more mistakes than usual, but just to get the general feeling how the piece should sound. A: Yes, and also, that going through that piece in tempo will give you a good idea how long will it take for you to learn it—to master it. V: Because, if you make, let’s say, 10 mistakes and you’re playing at the concert tempo, it will take about 10 days, in my experience. What about yours, Ausra? A: I never counted my mistakes and the days that I have to practice. V: You know, I’m very scientific! A: I’m not. V: No, I’m not scientific, but I’ve found that this works, actually. Usually, people cannot do 10 mistakes. They will do 100 mistakes, if playing too fast. So 100 days would be more or less appropriate, I think. A: Well, it could be. V: You could say if I’m working fragment by fragment and I could do, let’s say, one page per day if I really concentrate and master those troublesome spots, you could say that I could eliminate more than one mistake a day. But, the next day, you will not be ready to perform that page in public. It’s still fresh. You need to refresh for at least a week or more, so that’s why you need more days, I think. A: True. And, I think for me, it’s hard when I know a piece very well—some recordings from other performers—and I’m starting to work on it, and it sounds in my ears, and I know how it needs to sound, but my fingers are not ready yet. And that’s when I have a temptation of speeding up. V: And Barbara writes about the problem maybe we also have, that her mind is wandering when she repeats the same fragment many times over and over again. Do you have this temptation to wander around through the woods or whatever, in your dreams, when you’re counting “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.” A: Yes, definitely. And, sometimes I remember playing that Reincken’s Fantasy, “An Wasserflüssen Babylon,” which takes forever. And, sometimes I would go through the piece, and will stay in focus—I would always know which line I’m playing, which text, or sounds the text is dealing with in the right spot, and thinking about all those Baroque figurations and things that I had to think about. But, sometimes I would start to play that piece, and suddenly I would be at the end, and I didn’t even imagine how things went through. V: You didn’t notice. A: Yes, I didn’t notice it, so my mind was flying around somewhere. Have you that feeling sometimes? V: Many times, because now, I’m playing this concert in November with organ works of Teisutis Makačinas, a living composer from Lithuania, to honor his 80th anniversary, and his music, sometimes, is really dissonant and hard to understand, and sometimes my mind doesn’t want to understand. So, when I’m working on a fragment, let’s say, line by line, there are three or four measures every line, so it’s a good length of the fragment to work on, and I repeat and count repetitions, let’s say, up to 10 times. I sometimes forget which number it is—is it five or six—because my mind also is distracted and tries not to focus, because the music doesn’t necessarily sound nice. It’s not a sweet music, maybe. Maybe it will sound nice at the concert, but it will not sound sweet, for sure. A: Yes. And, I wonder why when I am playing with an absent mind, I never make mistakes. V: Maybe that’s not the absent mind. Maybe you got carried away in to the Reincken’s land! Reinckenland! A: I don’t know. But it does, somehow... V: Maybe you’re experiencing a sense of flow, which is completely different from what we are talking about. Maybe you are “in the zone,” like deep focused. When kids are playing or drawing, they forget the sense of time around them. They could play with one flower for hours, for example. Maybe that’s what you are doing? A: Well, who knows, you know? The human mind is an endless Abyss! V: Who said that? A: Raymond Haggh! V: And who was Raymond Haggh? A: He was the director of the school of music at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, but actually, he was the head of the music department before we went to study there. But we met him once, and he was a very nice man, and I think that’s what he said after greeting students for half a day, reading the essays. V: “The human mind is an endless abyss!” A: That’s right. V: I see. Nice. I think people don’t have to be too harsh on themselves when they lose focus or they’re making mistakes or playing too fast. I mean, just go back to the original intent gently and keep playing. It’s like in meditation, probably. If anyone tried to meditate, and tried to focus your mind on the breathing, and sit for two minutes or ten minutes, however long you want, anybody could try to do this could probably discover right away that your mind is all over the place—about things that happened in the past, about things that might happen in the future, but never in the present moment. And if we are frustrated with this, if we are angry with ourselves—at our current condition, then we get even more distracted, actually, from the current moment. The same might be with organ playing. We just need to gently remind ourselves what’s our intent with each repetition and go back to the practice. A: I think this kind of work takes all your life! V: To improve yourself, your mental skills? A: That’s right. I think only experienced monks at the Buddhist Monastery have already managed this skill, because it’s really hard to master, to be at the right moment, at the right time. V: I think that everybody should find a joy in the process of practice. Not necessarily looking at ourselves, at our shortcomings, what we cannot do, but rather what we are practicing—what we could do—what we can do better than yesterday, for example, better than last week or last month. Right? And then this is hopeful, I think. Not only helpful, but hopeful. Right Ausra? A: That’s right. V: Okay, let’s wish Barbara and others to have fun with practice, and please guys, continue sending to us 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 325, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Andrea. And she writes: Dear Vidas, Stage fright, shyness, lack of confidence and lack of patience for the last 10% to make the piece perfect. I have a teacher now for 5 years, tough lady, very demanding. So I am not in the organist’s desert. Kindest, Andrea V: Okay. How many people, Ausra, have a stage fright? A: Well I think very many. V: Did you have a stage fright when you first started playing organ? A: Of course. V: Or piano. You were little when you started playing piano, right? A: Of course, I had it. I think everybody does. Some has beginner stage fright, some not as big but I think that everybody’s frightened, at least a little bit. V: Mmm-hmm. I’m trying to find one answer by Daniel, I think. And he wrote really great things about stage fright. Let me read what Daniel wrote. To the answer to one organist who also had anxiety issues, he wrote: Daniel: ‘Hi Vidas. You can tell your email sender that the anxiety originates from the mantle unpreparedness. Here are some of the things I do to prepare myself: Analyze pieces, understand what the composer wants, study the musical elements shown on the pieces, dynamics, articulations, etc. Sight read if playing with the score, isolate your mind to the score in brain, etc. Even if there is a memory lapse, I know I will not have a high anxiety. Very important to think, as to whether or not to focus on people or on the music. V: That’s nice. A: Yes. V: Very, I think, very on track advice, I think. A: That’s true, but I think when you perform live, adrenaline will come. It doesn’t matter if you know piece well or you don’t know it well. If you have analyzed it or you have not. Of course knowing your piece very well and if you are ready for sure, you will not be as anxious about things. But still, you never know what might happen in actual performance. Maybe organ will break. V: Maybe you will break the organ. A: That’s true. V: Or I will break the organ. As I did in the past. A: Maybe your assistants will do something very stupid—will turn page backwards, as happened to me for example. Not once. V: And the same person did this to you? Twice? A: Yes. V: Oh! Will you tell us his name, publicly? A: No, I won’t. I won’t. It’s rude to ask. So, and I would like to see original question. V: Original, okay, let’s go back. Let’s go back to the original question. A: Because we get distracted so easily. V: So, lack of patience also for the last ten percent to make piece perfect. A: Well, maybe that also gives you the fright and shyness, that you know that you are not ready to perform. Because as you say, you still have ten percent to make the piece perfect. V: Imagine if the time comes to perform, let’s say in public, in a situation of liturgical playing or a concert, and you didn’t have this patience, and you didn’t do all the homework in time, right? When the time comes to perform, you will feel actually guilty. A: True. V: I would feel guilty. And because of this guilt, I would feel afraid also. A: Yes, like school kids, especially younger, in elementary school, we often get the tummy ache. ‘Oh my tummy hurts. I cannot do things.’ And that’s the question arises that tummy hurts, during for example tests. Because actually he or she wasn’t ready for it. And then the body sends all these signals in various pains. V: I got tummy aches many times before vacuuming the carpet. A: Truly? V: Mmm-hmm. In my childhood. A: That’s because you were lazy. V: And my mom then said ‘maybe I should rub your tummy, clockwise.’ And that helped. And my cousin, she saw me through very truly and she discovered that I was actually pretending. A: Well, actually, you were a very spoiled child. My mother would never massage my tummy. V: Clockwise. A: Clockwise. She would notice right away if I’m lying or not. V: But that didn’t hurt me in the long run. Or did it? A: I think it did, in some ways, yes. V: And can you be more specific, please? A: I think you haven’t formed your character. V: Character! What do you mean? A: Well I think it’s still hard for you to do some homework. Some domestic works. V: You know what helps, Ausra? And I’m now really being really honest, in front of thousands of people? I’m inserting an earplug in my ear, and when I have to do some homework chores, church or work outside, or just do some manual work, right? I listen to inspirational podcasts, and that helps me to,,, A: Survive? V: To survive, yes. A: That’s nice. At least you found a way to help you, so I’m glad for it. V: And, by the way, what helps you to do all those works? Do you have special secrets, or special secret ear plugs too? A: No, but I’m trying to do every, every job that I do with love, and care, and it helps. V: Oh. That’s deep. I don’t know. I need an hour to think about it. Okay, let’s go back to Andrea. A: Yes, and now she says that she has teacher for five years now, a tough lady. And she writes that she is not in an organ desert. So, five years, I think that’s a long time, and if I would be Andrea, I would definitely want to study with somebody else, after taking five years of lessons with one person. Because that lady might be the most fabulous organist and organ teacher. I think in five years, you will, you already learned from that lady what she could give to you. And maybe you need to look for somebody else. V: Advanced. A: Yes. Don’t you agree, that five years, that is sufficient? V: Well, look, we had for a few years, different organ teachers at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, right? I studied for four years with Leopoldas Digrys and then for two years with Gediminas Kviklys, right? So that was, I think, four years it was for me quite enough to know all about the secrets, secret methodology of Leopoldas Digrys. And then of course, two years with Gediminas Kviklys also gave me ample time to transmit his knowledge. And then what else? In Michigan, with Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra for two years, in Nebraska, two years with Quentin Faulkner, and, I think two and a half years with Quentin Faulkner and one semester with George Ritchie, right? A: You are asking me. I don’t know, it’s your studies. V: But I forgot. I’m getting old. A: Well, you need to do more mental work. V: I’m older than you, remember. A: Yes, by four months. That’s a big difference. V: When I was four months old, you were not born, you see. It’s a big difference. A: Yes, it is. So for Andrea, my advice would be, maybe you need to look for another teacher. V: Teacher, okay. Hopefully she’s living in an area where more teachers are on the market. Okay guys. Thank you so much for sending these questions to us. We hope our answers educate you, entertain you, and inspire you in some way. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 324 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dieter and he writes: Good evening Ausra and Vidas. Just recently something electrical malfunctioned on our Churches organ. As a result we lost the 32' and 16' ranks in the pedals. Only 8' and 4' left. I have heard it is possible to create the illusion of say a 32' by playing two notes on a 16' in the pedals. I am not averse to playing a two note chord in the pedals, as long as it is not too complicated for hymn accompaniment, a bit like a drone. Question is which two notes? Dieter V: Which two notes, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Have you heard about that anywhere? A: I have heard with my one ear. V: And what did that ear tell you? A: I think from what I know I think it might be a similar effect as we have in our church at St. Johns’. That we have that historical timpani stop. There are two wooden pipes, one is slightly higher than the other and then you pull out that timpani and they both sound at the same time and reverberate with each other and this gives that effect of a drone. V: But not very low drone. A: Yes. V: What about trying to play an interval of the fifth? A: With these kind of things you need to experiment and see what really happens because I think it might differ from one church to another depending on the organ, depending on the acoustics. But you know he wrote that actually he doesn’t have 16’ anymore in the pedal too so how would he achieve? V: You’re right, only 8’ and 4’ are left. A: So I think the best solution would be to call a technician. That’s why I don’t like these electrical things because you never know what might happen and you cannot be able to fix them for yourself. Because when you have mechanical instrument somehow you will find out what is wrong with your organ. V: Even pneumatical organ you can figure out. A: Yes, but not an electrical. V: Unless you are good with electricity. A: Which we are obviously not. V: You should be really experienced with electricity just to try to fix it because if you’re not good and inexperienced you might die, right? A: So don’t do it yourself. V: Unless you really know what you are doing. Unless you take all the precautions. A: Actually I know even some professionals who actually died doing their job. V: Right. And if you don’t know what you are doing with mechanical organ the worst that could happen is that you might break things, right? A: True. V: Of course this is also nasty and maybe you could break things and nobody could repair them, right, especially if it’s a historical instrument. So you need also to know what you are doing with mechanical organs. And to tell you the truth real organ builders don’t like organists looking and figuring out in the organ themselves. They would rather you call professionals to do this and I understand them. But, sometimes technicians and organ repairmen and organ builders are so far away, and maybe you just have one tiny cipher you just need to screw one small thing and it will be fixed if you know what you are doing, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Maybe you don’t need the entire cavalry of organ builders working on your little cipher. A: Now, let’s go back to the question. Do you think it’s possible to make that illusion of 32’ sound with only 16’ stop? V: On Monday when I go to our church in the morning I will definitely try to play an interval of the fifth with the stop of 16’, not with 8’ obviously because if you play with 8’ that would probably be illusion of 16’ (one octave lower) or not? A: Well, I’m not quite sure if this would work. V: You know what would happen probably a very rich foundation. A: I think you would rather create illusion of 32’ with 16’ but not illusion of 16’ with 8’. V: Umm-hmm. Maybe this will only sound muddy. A: Could be. V: Uhh-huh. When you don’t have 16’ in the pedals what about 16’ in the manuals? Maybe he should have 16’ in the manuals because originally this organ had 32’ in the pedals. A: Well then the possibility would be to put the 16’ in the manual and couple it to the pedal. That way you would have 16’ in the pedal until your organ would get fixed. V: Oh, that’s right. That’s possible. A: That’s what I would do if I was in his shoes. V: But if he is only playing hymns, right, so why don’t he even to play with hands only. A: Yes, that’s a possibility too but then everything would be with 16’, soprano and alto and tenor and bass. And if you want to diversify more then actually it would be probably better to put 16’ in the pedals and to play your hands on another manual if you have at least two keyboards. V: And definitely he should have more that one keyboard with that kind of disposition. A: That’s right. V: Nice. Nice solution Ausra, I haven’t thought about that. A: Thank you. V: I hope Dieter will get help from this and other people who are struggling with this question today or in the future. A: So, and which two notes he also asks. Which two notes would you try to play in the pedal to get that illusion? You said you would do a fifth. V: Open fifth, yeah. Like C and G, D and A, E and B, F and C, G and D. A: Don’t you think another interval would fit better? V: If you’re playing C and you’re suggesting a third for example, right? A: Yes. V: Or which one, a fourth? A: C and D. (laughs.) Or C and C#. V: That would be like a drum, like a timpani. A: I know, that would be like a timpani. Well I guess you just need to experiment. V: Umm-hmm. I might be able to tell you more on Monday when I go to church. A: We will see. V: Thank you guys for sending those thoughtful questions. Sometimes we don’t always know the answers, right? But maybe your questions raise even more questions to us. A: That’s very good. We like that. V: It’s an exercise for our brain too. A: That’s right. V: To improve our memory. I keep forgetting things, Ausra. Are you forgetting things too? A: Not as much as you do. V: Are you forgetting my name, Ausra? A: No. V: Are you forgetting your name? A: No. V: Not yet. A: Not yet. V: Wait and see. If you are eating that much cheese you might forget your name too. A: I’m not eating much cheese. V: So who has eaten all that cheese from our table? A: What cheese? V: OK, that was me. Sorry guys, family investigation about the nonexistent cheese is developing but remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode episode 322, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Rob. He writes: Hello Ausra and Vidas, Today, I have a few things to share with you that relate to subjects that both of you discussed in recent SOPPs. Please feel free to use it as “ammo” to elaborate on as you see fit. 1) Accompanying the congregation in singing This is something that I’ve been doing for almost 45 years now. When I accompany a choir, I’ll have to “obey” the SATB setting of the songs. When I accompany the people, I can basically make up my own harmonies. What I do is this: one of my ears listens to the organ, the other ear listens to the singing of the congregation. Now, in the middle of my head, I bring the two together: I always make sure, that I am just a fraction of a beat “ahead” so I can give them the next note, the next tone that they need to sing. This way, you can also control the pace of the song, because congregations are inclined to slow down in singing and it is best not to allow this. So, “split-listening” and being just ahead of the people is key in accompanying. And, of course, make sure that the melody of the song can be heard clearly. 2) On improvisation I discovered, that there is a part in my brain that always creates music. All I need to do, is tune into it and listen to what’s “playing” in my head at that moment. Can be a melody, can be a harmonized piece of music. When I listen to it, I can get my right hand to immediately produce the melody that I hear. I am not yet good enough to immediately produce the harmonics that I hear with both hands. So, I must take it “slow”. That is, play the melody (and often harmonizing it as well) bringing it out in the right hand and find supporting harmony (chords etc.) in the left hand and pedal. I change between playing on 2 manuals and playing on 1 manual where I get to bring the two hands together while developing on the keyboard what I hear in my head. This works wonderfully well. And I do make it a habit of improvising 10-15 minutes every time I play the organ. Also before service, I make time to improvise for about 5 minutes. Makes sense to you guys? Enjoy the weekend. Kind regards, Rob V: So, Ausra, these two questions, one is about accompanying congregation and about improvisation. I think it’s really on track what he’s suggesting about accompanying the congregation. A: I think it’s very much on track. Actually that’s what I would do if I was accompanying congregation. But of course, one part of this part of question, reminded me, or actually, we were kicked off the church. Because you didn’t want to play slower for congregational accompaniment. V: I was split second ahead, or more than split second ahead. A: True, and we received so many complaints, especially Vidas. And people would ask me to play service more often because I played slower and listened to them more. But Vidas just didn’t want to give up and wanted to keep his own tempo. And well, at that time we were very young, and probably not as wise as we are now, yes? V: Yes. Today we would play in lento tempo. A: So, this was, I guess, probably twenty or even more years ago. V: Yes. Today we would play everything like Albert Schweitzer did. A: Well, now I guess, if this would be in nowadays, I probably even wouldn’t take such a job. V: Wow. That’s even better. A: True. But actually, yes, the congregation tries to slow things down. V: But, Ausra, if it’s not a job, if somebody just asks you to fill in, you know, like a friend, substitute, just once, and would you slow down, or would you lead ahead? A; Well, that’s a good question. I would probably lead ahead. What would you do? V: I would lead ahead, yes. You see, at that time, we didn’t have our doctorate degrees. Now we have doctorate degrees. And to anybody who is complaining, we can,,, A: Show our diploma, yes. V: Yes. Yes. Complain to the director of University of Nebraska, Lincoln. A: Yes. V: (Laughs) A: That’s funny. That’s really funny. But actually, you just need to be reasonable. If you’re tempo and congregation tempo is very different, you need to think about it—why this happens. Because maybe you choose too fast tempo for that particular hymn. And you need to think if this happens all the time, and maybe you need to listen yourself from a side, make a recording of it, because that tempo might defer slightly bu it cannot be very different. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And when you’re accompanying congregation, always try to sing too. That way you will get the right feeling of the tempo. V: And sing energetically, because some congregations, like the one we were talking about, were singing like at the funeral, always. A: I know. We were dragging each note. If you, let’s say the hymn is written in quarter note values, yes? And we would make a whole note from a quarter note, and it was just impossible to survive. V: They would breathe with every word. A: True. With every note. V: Or every note. Maybe that’s original historically correct way of singing. A: I don’t know but it was just a nightmare. V: Because remember what Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra told us, a little bit about her research with, I think, singing psalms, in the, back in the day, that they were singing them really, really, extremely slow. A: Well, but that was what, a few hundred years ago. V: Right. A: But we are in the 21st Century now. V: We drive fast cars. A: Well, we cannot take service that is longer than one hour. V: We eat fast food. A: True. V: Everything is fast. A: Well, and fast death awaits us, yes? V: And the mass is no longer three hours long, like it was before Tridentine time. A: True. So I don’t know, for me, seems that everything needs to be balanced. So, and everybody needs to be reasonable. So, and I’m talking about tempo too. It cannot be too fast and it cannot be too slow. And I think you need to take a breath after each phrase, but not after each note (laughs). V: Mmm-hmm. If you can sing a phrase in one breath, then,,, A: Then I think your tempo is fine. V: Mmm-hmm. Excellent. Let’s go to the second part of the question about improvisation. Rob seems to have constant creative flow in his head, right, and whenever he wants to tune in to it and catch those melodies. This reminds me of a saying, or a quote by David Lynch. Remember the director of the movie, or the T.V. series, called... A: Twin Peaks. V: Twin Peaks, yes. He says that ‘we don’t create ideas, we catch ideas’. They are out there someplace floating in the ether, or someplace, I don’t know where. But when we are in the right state of mind, we can tune in and those ideas will come to us. A: But do you think those ideas will help you to make a good harmonic accompaniment to the melody that just came to your mind? Or you need specific knowledge and skills? V: Oh, that’s your harmony part, theory part, saying, right? A: Yes. V: I know what you’re leaning to, but I believe some people can play intuitively, with both hands, and even pedals, but it takes completely different state of mind constantly observing in everyday life, I think. If you, for example, would observe people who meditate, that could be like playing or sounding meditation. If people could to that, then they could play with both hands also, without real understanding what they play, but intuitively. But that’s a different mentality, Ausra. We are talking about the logical procedures, right? A: True. And I’m just wondering, because you are improvising so much. Do you think that all that history, your history, personal history, of learning, learning harmony, learning theory, is it helping you or harming you, when you improvising? V: You see, I also taught at the Čiurlionis National School of Art for twelve years, until this year, and all those years I taught, either solfege, which is ear training, or music theory. So basically those terms and procedures, modes, chords, were part of my daily routine with kids. And therefore they were ingrained in my memory too. When I first started teaching, I had to think consciously—what is this mode, how it’s constructed, what is this inversion of the chord—I was not that fluent. But now, I don’t have to think any more of course, and it’s part of my, part of my nature, probably. And when I’m playing intuitively on the organ, like improvising spontaneously, this former background or training comes in, into the forefront too, without even me noticing. So for other people probably, they do need to study theory and harmony for many years, until this is spontaneous for them enough. A: What would you tell for people who don’t want to learn theory? V: Maybe they’re not committed enough. Maybe organ playing or improvising on the organ is not important, that important to them. Maybe they don’t want to improve that much. A: Because, in my daily life, as teaching these harmony, theory and solfege for various instrumentalists and choir conductors, and piano performers and now teaching in that organ school, I always get this big, big confrontation. So basically I’m in a war, in a constant war, and it’s getting tiresome. V: I know how you feel. It’s difficult when you’re the only soldier on the battlefield, right? A: I know. V: And nobody’s really supporting you. Even your colleagues, they support you, on certain conditions, because, yes they need to teach theory and think that theory is important, harmony is important, but they’re not performers, they’re not creators, and they don’t apply them, these concepts in practice. And they really can’t really make a good argument to the kids—why do they need this? A: Well, yes, but I’m a performer too, but... V: You can because you use it every day. A: But still nobody listens so it seems like a hopeless business. V: I think people always listen to the authority, right? Whoever is authority to you, Olivier Latry or George Ritchie, if they tell you something important, you listen, right? But if your colleague says to you something which you disagree with, then you kind of are critical and this is understandable—everybody does this. So your kids would probably need to find authority from their circle, maybe their friends. A: But, actually it didn’t happen last year or a year before, but right from this school year when they come to school earlier, like a half an hour before first class, 7:30 am, I hear that kids are listen from their smart phones to music, and dancing and making fun, and it’s usually pop music. So I guess I’m not the right authority because I think their authorities [are] maybe Lady Gaga or whatever else. V: Then, we should invite Lady Gaga to visit our schools, right? A: (Laughs). Yes. Do you think she would tell that we need to study harmony and solfege? V: No, but she would tell them that they need to create songs. Remember we just watched a movie, ‘A Star is Born’, and we were really moved. A: True. But actually these songs that she composed for this movie, were not in the style that she created on her daily basis for her pop performances. V: Uh-huh. But this was still the same person, you see. A: True. V: So, I dunno. But sure, it’s, maybe we will not be able to invite Lady Gaga to the school tonight, just yet, but how about this; are you keeping in touch with your former students, on Facebook, let’s say? A: Yes, for some, I am. V: Some. Some students who were good at school, good in theory and harmony. A: Do you think they believe that the harmony helped them in somebody else? I’m even afraid of asking that, because I might get depressed. V: But that would be the truth, and the truth liberates you, right? Always. A: And then I would have to quit school as well, as you did, yes? V: I quit... A: And I would find out that nobody actually needs harmony. V: No, no, no. What I really think, those few students who graduated, and now are continuing their education or are already professional musicians, I think some of them really understands now, what you did for them, in early years. And if you invited them to come back to talk to their former peers, and like give a speech, like motivational speech, they would probably inspire current students even better than you could. Because our young people of today, would suddenly understand that these graduates were in sitting in their pews. A: True. I’ll think about it. V: Think about it and just ask on Facebook a few people and see what they come up with. Alright, guys, lots of ideas for the future. Not only for us but hopefully for you too, because we love helping you grow. So please keep sending us your lovely questions and feedback. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 320 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Hanna, and she writes: Hi Vidas, This is what I studied and practiced last month, just recently adding the 2 Minuets and this new one. I don't speak German so can't pronounce it. 10-Day Pedal Exercise Ich Ruf zu Dir Praise to the Lord Doxology If you Could Hie to Kolob- piano/organ duet I am working on to play in sacrament meeting at Church. Our Prayer to Thee - Hymn out of the hymnal for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Minuet in G Major #132 God is in His Holy Temple Organ Technique- listen (I have listed to one 30-min presentation). I am only 5'1" and can't block the church organ up. So it is difficult to skim the pedals like I want to. But I'm trying for better range of motion in my ankles so my heel can reach as I stretch the achilles tendon more. It is a thrill to sense even minor improvement, so your teaching must be working. Thank you. -Hanna V: 5’1”. It’s sometimes tricky for people of that height to sit on the organ bench and reach the pedals in the way they want, freely and without limitation. Right, Ausra? A: Well, I don’t know what 5’1” is, because it’s in another system, because we use meters and centimeters, so…. it’s hard for me to understand. I have to convert it. V: Okay, let’s look up 5’1”….to centimeters… oh… 154 cm. A: Well, I’m only 7 cm higher, so… V: But 7, so it’s a noticeable distance, I guess. Right? It depends on the length of the legs, too, not only of the entire body... A: True. V: ...when you sit on the organ bench. A: I guess I have quite long legs compared to my height. V: Is it true that the longer you play the organ, the longer your legs become? A: I don’t think so, but that’s, I guess, the more experience you get, the easier it gets to play. V: It would be nice, right, to adjust the length of your legs. If the bench is not movable, maybe your legs could be expandable, like a telescope. A: Yes. Or you get the pedal extensions that Wayne Leupold suggests for kids! V: But then, you only use a couple of pedals at a time. One for the left foot, one for the right foot. And, for some people it’s enough, probably, tonic and dominant—dominant and tonic. A: Well, but some people feel that they are too short, some feel that they are too high. So, you never know what works better. Everybody has to adjust. V: You know, I think the beauty of playing the organ is that you never know what kind of instruments you will find in a certain situation: what kind of bench, what kind of keyboards, too. And, this adjustment process is part of the fun. A: Yes, it adds adrenaline to your life. V: If you like adrenaline, that is. A: True. V: Do you like adrenaline, Ausra? A: Sometimes, yes. V: Like right now. Would you be willing to jump off the bridge with a parachute? A: Oh, no thank you. I would never want to do it. V: I see. Neither would I, actually. It’s easy to sit here in our living room and talk about these things, but when the time comes to jump off the bridge or jump out of the airplane with a parachute is really above my pay grade, I think. A: Me, too. V: Nice. What else could you suggest to Hanna? She’s working on two minuets, right? A: Yes, and “Ich Ruf’ zu Dir,” I guess it’s from the Orgelbuchlein, yes? V: Right. A: It’s a good chorale to start. V: Yes, minuets will prepare, probably, for the hand passages, and then when the pedal part comes in, in “Ich Ruf zu Dir,” it’s not that difficult. A: Yes, that’s right, because the tempo is slower. V: Right now, actually, in Unda Maris studio, we have two people playing those two minuets, one in G major and one in G minor. So, a lady is around the beginner level, so she is struggling, but she is making progress, I think, on a weekly basis, but not a very noticeable progress. But an older gentleman, he is in his late 50s, I think, approaching 60s, I think, he is a medical doctor. He mastered his minuet in a few weeks, and now he’s working on BWV 731, “Liebster Jesu, Wir sind Hier.” This was last Monday. I heard him play the right hand, it was rather ornamented, you know that line, and it seemed to me he could manage it. But the left hand was tricky, because two voices need to be played in one hand, and he was not used to that, so I said to him—his name was “Deividas,” I said “Deividas, I will send you another piece in preparation for, “Liebster Jesu Wir sind Hier,” that will be “Ich Ruf zu Dir” from Orgelbuchlein. And, once I sent him that piece, he was really happy, because he listened to the video, probably, or played it through. It’s easier to start with three-voice texture than with four-voice part. A: Sure. V: So, I guess Hanna chose the pieces from her level, I think. Right? A: Yes, I think it’s good not to jump right away to hard pieces. V: Even if she practices, let’s say, Doxology, or a few other hymns, then you see those four part hymns, they’re not very melodically developed—they’re more chordal texture, and with much practice, I think, people can learn it. A: Yes, I love that Doxology hymn. don’t you? V: Yes, it only has four lines! Nice and short. Excellent. And then, she needs to adjust to the pedals and sitting on the organ bench. Flexibility of an ankle, of course, plays a good part in here, and maybe organ shoes… would you suggest to Hanna to acquire shoes with higher heels? A: Sure! It’s always a good idea. V: Why? A: It works like a extension of your foot. V: Like a pedal extension. A: Yes. V: But, you don’t extend the pedals, but you extend your leg, exactly. A: But, you know, last week, my student from the organ school, after me showing her how the organ shoes look, and asking her to find something similar, she came with the heel which was… I don’t know how many inches, but… V: 5 inches? A: Well, I would say at least 5 inches… it was extremely high heel, and so thin, and you know, it just made me mad. I just told her, “I think this time you need to take your shoes off and just play with your socks. What else could I tell her? V: Or, you could let her try for herself, and receive the result, and she would say “Oh, I need to take my shoes off today.” A: I’m afraid she would have broken that heel, and that she would have to walk home barefoot. V: Oh, it was street shoes? A: Yes! V: Oh, that’s not nice. So, anyway, if Hanna or anybody else needs to extend their legs, maybe they could go to the...what’s the person who fixes shoes…. A: Don’t know, “shoemaker.” V: Shoemaker! Ok, Schumacher. Ok, Shoemaker, and maybe give him your playing shoes, right? But asking him to extend the heel...add another layer to the heel, or two more if you need a really long one. But this will be specifically designed for your feet, and I think it would be better. A: True. V: Nice. Better than to add pedal extensions on two keys, I guess. Maybe, we should recommend this version to Wayne Leupold, too, so his kids would make their heels longer and could play all the keys on the pedals. A: I don’t think it would work. V: Alright, guys, please keep sending us more of the 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 321 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Heidi and she writes: “Wow! Vidas Pinkevicius, what an Artist you are! Runs in the family, except your media is painting with music, rather than oils. The music you’ve created and performed here is deeply profound and moving to me. At times, I also noticed that it is so far 'above my comprehension' that I feel a bit confused. In no time, however, the music is telling its story again. The birds singing brought so much joy! I actually wondered for a moment if they were live birds. And then there is the Giant. How I loved hearing the giant come tumbling down. Very deliberately, filled with tension and suspense, slow, getting slower as he descended!! Wow, it was so much fun listening to this. Everything about this piece is wonderful, including the Artist - thank you. Oh, and by the way, the fact that the organ is mechanical totally added to the music’s drama. Beautiful performance by the artist, Vidas. Articulation beyond compare. You deserved a vacation after that.. Whew! I love it. Heidi” V: It seems that Heidi is talking about my performance in Liepaja, Latvia when I recently broke down that organ. A: Yes, nobody will invite you now to perform. V: (laughs.) This was storytelling improvisation about David and Goliath which I recently shared with our listeners too. So what can you say about this feedback because obviously you could tell more things than I. A: Well you know I wasn’t up there together with you so what can I say. Was it rough for you to register during performance? V: I made two recordings. One was rehearsal and another was live performance in front of the audience. This rehearsal which lasted exactly one hour was all the time I had to adjust to the organ so I deliberately limited my practice time on this instrument and wanted to find out how would it feel to give it really live and spontaneous performance on such a big organ with 131 stops. And to my surprise, rehearsal was even more spontaneous I think, maybe because the organ didn’t break somehow. A: Well, do not scare our listeners. You actually didn’t break that organ. The electrical company who was fixing that organ a week maybe before your performance, forgot to add one extra fuse, and since the organ is totally mechanical it needs a lot of power and it didn’t have enough power so that’s why at the end of the recital simply all the power was off. V: Or maybe the organ gave up and said “Oh no, I cannot stand Vidas improvisations, let’s finish this concert earlier.” A: Well I don’t think so. It’s just coincidence. V: You never know what goes inside of this beast. Monster organ really, even without additional side panels it’s already very big but in 1885 I think, Barnim Gruneberg added, enlarged this instrument, made it into a larger instrument than the Riga's Cathedral actually. The famous Walcker organ there and it’s completely mechanical, it only has I think barker machine for the first manual, but no combination action, everything has to be done by hand. So to answer your question, actually, it’s easier to register on that organ than on St. Johns’ organ because the stop handles are shorter. You could move a few of them quickly. A: Well, yes. At St. Johns’ sometimes you get the feeling when you are trying to pull of the organ stop that actually the organ stop might take you into the organ with it. V: Umm-hmm. And I had another improvisation experience when Pope Francis was visiting Vilnius and Lithuania too, so I played in Lukiskes square in conjunction of his prayer at the monument for the victims of genocide. There I had a digital organ, Johannus organ, and that time I didn’t use the stop knobs, I used dynamic buttons, pianissimo, piano, mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, forte, fortissimo, those kinds of things. A: And I think it worked quite well. V: Yes it was sort of easier for me to just push the button and to see the desired dynamic level but I kind of didn’t feel in control because by pushing the button you give up control. You don’t know exactly what will sound. A: But I think on an occasion like this when you don’t have rehearsals basically, and you are improvising in open space let’s face it, you don’t know how the result will be in a way. V: Yes, you might hear one thing when large speakers are next to you and you don’t know what the audience is hearing 300 meters further. A: And I was listening to it on TV, of course it was broadcast, so I think it sounded fairly well. V: So to go back to Heidi’s comment she started her comment that it runs in the family except my media is painting with music rather than oil. My dad was a painter. A: So do you think it’s largely because of him you are so creative. V: No, I don’t think so. I think we are all creative in one way or another, maybe in different fields maybe, not necessarily in organ playing everybody equally creative. But what I mean, I took from my dad maybe motivation to create because I saw the example but not necessarily the genes. He didn’t transmit his organ playing genes to me because he wasn’t an organist. A: But don’t you think that your parents could understand you better what you are doing because they were artists themselves? V: I hope so, yes. People who create themselves tend to understand other creators better but I could also feel certain limitations when talking to my parents about organ playing. Their knowledge about organ artists was very limited. My dad for example, he could not really differentiate between certain periods of musical composition I believe, so I don’t really know what or how he comprehended organ music. A: Interesting. V: Maybe a little bit differently than a person from the street would but certainly not like an organist. A: Well but still you were lucky you could talk about art in general because what I could talk with my parents was with my mother about blood formula and with my dad about all that building engineering things. V: Which is also creative too. A: Still it’s very far from music and organ playing. V: In order to talk about engineering creatively you would need to know a lot about engineering before you even start this conversation. A: But actually yes, my dad helped me a little bit to understand how the things in the engineering drawings looks like and it helped me in an organ building class that Gene Bedient taught us in Lincoln. V: Listen Ausra, of course your background with your family is different from mine but tell me this, would you say that your creativity over the years diminished or is growing. A: I think it’s growing. V: Why? A: Because I’m living with you. (laughs.) V: No. Because you let it grow I think. That’s all it takes. A: I think simply you stop fearing things, to try things, so it helps. Actually to stop thinking what others will think about you. V: Stop comparing yourself to masters or your peers, your colleagues. Just ignore everybody. Ignore your husband, Ausra. (laughs.) A: I don’t think you would like that. V: Actually I would love it and then I could ignore you. A: Really? V: Yes. A: OK, let’s try it. V: Let’s start ignoring each other. A: How we will do this Podcast then? V: I think our ignorance of each other would last only last until lunch. A: Yes, you always know where the food is coming from. V: Unfortunately. Thank you guys for listening to our silliness. We hope this makes you smile a little, and remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 319, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Irineo. He writes: Have you ever partaken in an event where 2 organs (or organ + harpsichord/2 harpsichords) were played simultaneously? Very truly yours, Irineo. V: Uh, we certainly have played organ duets many times. A: Yes. V: Does this count, Ausra? What to do you think? A: (Laughs). I don’t think so, because I think what Irineo means, he means two instruments. But we definitely have played two instruments. Two... V: Let’s say pianos—two pianos. A: Two pianos. We played that... V: Hindemith Sonata. A: Many times, yes. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And Brahms’ variations and other pieces. Concerto by Telemann. And we also have played two harpsichords. V: Two harpsichords. A: Yes. V: Okay. On which occasion? A: Well, at the Eastern Michigan University we have played a recital. Each of us played one of the solo pieces. I played the Italian concerto. It was entirely a J.S. Bach program. I played Italian concerto, you did French overture, and then we played two concertos, for harpsichord and orchestra but it was arranged for two harpsichords. V: One was in D minor. A: D Minor, where I played a solo part and then we switched to A Major concerto, and you played the solo part. V: Wow. You remembered so many details. A: Because I just loved that concerto. V: How was I dressed? A: I don’t remember that. V: Probably black. A: Sorry. This is not my strength. V: How did you, were you dressed? A: I don’t remember. V: What did you eat for breakfast that day? A: I don’t know. I just remember music. V: I see. Um, maybe I need to eat more fish oil, then, to help with my memory. A: Could be. But I don’t think it will help. V: (Laughs). Nothing would help me. A: Yes. Too hopeless case. V: Alright. So what’s your impression about playing two instruments? A: I love it! V: More than playing one instrument together? Four hands? A: Well, probably yes. Because you have sort of your space. You don’t have to share with same keyboards, which is very nice. Because sometimes when you are playing four-hands, it gets really uncomfortable. And I remember that Andreas Hildebrandt in Paslek, Poland, where that bench was so short, and we had to squeeze on it somehow to sit for entire hour and to play. It was really uncomfortable. V: Let me say this: Hildebrand definitely didn’t plan on this organ to be played for two people. A: That’s right. But when you play two different instruments, it’s wonderful. But if you are playing two different organs, you really need to be careful that they would be tuned in the same temperament. V: How many organs or instruments do we have at home, Ausra? A: Two. V: Two. What kind of instruments? A: Piano, and organ. V: Can we play them both? A: I have also block flutes, two block flutes, but I don’t remember where I purchased them. V: Ah. You could call them by name. A: Yes. V: Soprano flute, where you are? Alto? A: That’s right. V: So, could we play piano and organ together at home? A: I think our piano is so out of tune that it really needs tuning and our organ is tuned in Kirnberger III temperament so I don’t think they would work together. V: Mmm. And piano is tuned one half-step lower. A: Yes, comparing to 440. V: So it would be like comparing situation when ancient historical organ tuned in Kammerton tone half-step lower, about 415, would be played together with a 440 instrument, still tuned in Kirnberger. But in historical times I don’t think this was ever possible. A: True. V: Can you promise me to try how it sounds, both instruments, and I can transpose something and you would play on the organ and see if that’s nice sound or not. A: Yes, we could do that sometime. I could transpose too. V: No, please... A: But I cannot transpose. V: No, no, no. Only one of us should transpose, because if you transpose and I transpose then the difference will be too much A: But you know I transpose every day, in my work. V: So maybe you should take a break from your work. A: Yes. That would be nice. V: For once. Okay. You see guys, we enjoy playing together in any situation, whether on one instrument or two instruments, when we get a chance. In our church of course, there are, there is a possibility to play two organs. Well there isn’t anymore because the chapel organ just broke recently. We broke it recently. A: I broke it. V: You did it. Okay. So we’re waiting for a new organ blower to arrive. But later of course, we could play the big organ and the little organ together. That would be nice. And there are some pieces written for the positive organ and the big organ too. A: That’s right. What to you think about organ and harpsichord duets? Do you like it? V: Mmm-hmm. I do. It’s so contrasting sound—organ sound lasts forever while harpsichord sound fades away very quickly. And you could play Soler concertos I think, very successfully with this kind of layout. A: Sometimes Clavierubung III by J.S. Bach was done in that way that Prelude and Fugue and long chorales are played on the organ and the little ones are played on the harpsichord. V: So not simultaneously but... A: Yes, but still in the same... V: In alternation. Right. I wonder why Irineo has this question about this instrument. A: True. I he going to perform with somebody simultaneously? V: Could be. Maybe a friend, or a family member. It’s quite common for two organists to go to one place. For example, if I had a friend, let’s say in Sweden, or in Poland, a local organist, and they have a concert series. They invite me, right? And I go to play may solo repertoire, and then we switch—he plays his own, and then we play both together on two different instruments, if they have one, if they have two different organs. But as you say, they need to be in tune. A: Because I vaguely remember but I still remember a little about, when we had two organs, in nowadays, it’s called Holy Cross Church in Vilnius. V: Right. A: We had two organs, remember? V: Mmm-hmm. A: In the early days. But I don’t think we were entirely in the same tuning, and I heard some recitals where at least one or two pieces were played by two organists. I didn’t like it so much, actually. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Have you heard it? V: No. You were living in Vilnius... A: Oh, that’s right. V: For a longer time. A: That’s right. V: You’re a native. Indigenous. A: And you are, alien. V: Alien, immigrant. From Klaipeda, from the seaport. Okay, so guys, if you ever try to install two instruments in your own church, or initiate a project like that, always make sure it’s in one tuning temperament. Or it could be in double tuning temperament—multiple temperaments—but in general, at some point those tuning systems should coincide. Okay guys, we hope this was useful to Irineo and others who are listening. And please us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen! The other day Denham, one of our subscribers wrote to me about wanting to study Finale from Symphony No. 1 by Louis Vierne. One message led to another and he appeared to be a very motivated person who really wanted to improve his organ playing skills. So in order to help him the most, I naturally suggested our Total Organist program.
However, he wrote back that because he is living in Sri Lanka, he cannot afford to pay me $69 a month (15,240 Sri Lankan Rupees!) . So this is the situation hundreds of millions of people around the world are living in. They don't have access to Western cultural benefits and education because of poverty or corrupt governments or some tyrant ruling their country. I hate poverty too so I'm always trying to look for ways people can improve their situation. I believe that blockchain-based social media networks where content creators are rewarded for their contributions may put an end to poverty in the future. For example here is the new China-based social network ONO: https://www.ono.chat/ono/invite/#/catch/uid/100151148 You can use my invitation code: IOUY If you register, you'll get 100 ONO tokens (ONOT) right away. If you invite up to 100 of your friends with your own invitation code each of you will get 100 ONOT too... ONOTs cannot be exchanged into any real currency yet but once they will list them on exchanges, things might change. I earned over 10000 ONOTs so far since I started in October. Ausra earned over 4500 ONOTs too while posting here Pinky and Spiky comics. Ausra and I also been active on Steemit and I since recently have been experimenting with Whaleshares and Minds too but it's too early to see the results yet. No one knows if ONO, Steemit, Whaleshares, Minds or other new social networks will be successful or not in the future. As a disclaimer I have to add I'm not a financial adviser and you have to do your own due diligence. I just wanted to share with you my experience. But I'm sure we are living in very special times. The 4th industrial revolution is going on: blockchain, fintech, robotics, artificial intelligence etc. are changing the world in real ways. My biggest regret so far has been that I don't know how to code so I can only be a consumer in this new world but not a creator. But even this attitude is better than most of my friends and acquaintances who lack curiosity about new developments. |
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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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