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Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 629 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by James, and he writes, Thanks Vidas for acknowledging my donation. With lockdown and retirement I have a bit more time to work at learning the organ. I am now 73 so things are a bit slower for me. I have an old analog Viscount organ but I have found that my new iPad can produce even better and authentic sound. Favourite at the moment is Pipe Organ and St Just. So I have brought out my old Casio keyboard which has a MIDI possibility and bought the necessary connectors and connected it to my old stereo system, it really can sound amazing and have to keep the volume down. Love the “pedal notes”. Over the winter I shall follow your example and buy new keyboards, I think it will be better than only one. Music wise I continue to work away at hymns and have started flowkey. I bought your Prière à Notre-Dame as it is just about my level though hard work with all the accidentals. So I would appreciate you doing more of the simpler stuff, I am not quite ready for the toccata. The likes of simpler advent music and Rhoysymedre like what you are beginning to play with fingering would be really useful. It helps build confidence and speeds the process up if an expert such as yourself does the ground work. So thank you for all you do, all you online organists are amazing at this time and offer so much to those of us who feel safer not going to church, a real godsend indeed. So you keep safe and bless you, Jim (James) V: So, wonderful. James donated, I think, some money for us after probably seeing one of my videos, I would say. A: Yes, I guess so. And we appreciate it very much. V: Yes, and I asked him how is your, how is his organ playing doing these days. And he wrote that rather extensive feedback message. A: I think it’s so nice that nowadays you can have instruments at home and have different sample sets and that would connect you to organ from various countries. And that way you might not feel lonely, and you always have some goal and I think this will help so many organists to survive this pandemic. V: Yeah, definitely. It’s like a hobby - a good hobby, right - to keep your mind and body occupied while so many terrible things are happening around the world, and you are sort of trying to forget it all, or distract yourself. A: And I think making music is an excellent way to entertain yourself. V: Yeah, in early days without the recorders and stereo systems, YouTube and internet, people would really entertain themselves while playing, by reading out loud to family members, playing games, probably board games, card games, right? What else - probably drawing, probably acting together, like a small theatre production. It’s all amazing pastime. And I think people who don’t have hobbies, who only have a job and after job they return home, they sort of are tired. They get something to eat, go to bed, get up in the morning and go to job again, miss a great deal something in life, don’t you think so? A: Yes, I think so. I think we are really really lucky to be able to make music. V: Who? A: You and I, and all people who can play. V: Oh you mean we. I thought you said “they.” A: No, I did not. V: Okay, I need to wash my ears more often. More often than twice per year. A: But I think this is a great idea that James suggests, to record easier music for beginners. You should think about it and do something. V: And I did! For example, during my this recital upcoming Saturday, I’m playing - well, it’s not that easy, but - I’m playing a piece which people could start learning themselves. For example, Crown Imperial by William Walton. Very nice, fanfare-like voluntary. Then I’m playing Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, but a short one, BWV 549, which starts with a pedal solo. It’s a basic level piece, it’s not a difficult piece. So maybe James could pick it up. I have fingering and pedaling available in the score. What else I’m playing...I’m playing Eleven Preludes, Chorale Preludes, by Johannes Brahms. Those are really basic level pieces, not very difficult, although some have more thick texture than others. But they are short. A: And some don’t have pedal. V: Exactly, yes. And then after that, I’m playing two Chorale Preludes by Jan Zwart, Dutch Romantic composer, which I love very much. Recently discovered his music from some of my Dutch organist colleagues. A: Well, his name, sorry for that Zwart, but makes me laugh every time. Because somehow that Zwart sounds like a “dwarf” for me. V: Oh, you mean Zwerg. A: Yes, that’s what I mean. V: In German, Zwerg means dwarf. A: Yes. V: Okay, and then I finish with the Gigout Toccata. Gigout Toccata is not a basic level piece, but it’s one of the easier ones in the toccata repertoire. A: Yes, I guess it’s sort of manageable. V: Mm hm, yes. So even after 25 plus years of experience, I can choose a variety of repertoire. Some of it is difficult, some of it is easy, some of it is medium, intermediate level. Right? And you can do the same if you follow our work. Ausra is also practicing at home. What are you playing right now, Ausra? A: I’m practicing the G Major Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach. V: 541. A: Yes, and I’m also learning the Offertory by Alexander Guilmant. V: On the two noels. A: Yes, on Adeste Fideles and another French noel. V: Mm hm. So, it’s a wonderful piece, and I think you play it already very well. A: Well, but I will play them for Christmas time. V: And Christmas is so far away, I think you are ready for another challenge right now. A: Well, we are still learning that Haydn quartet, quartet. V: Yes. We decided to play for four hands, arrangement of Haydn, Josef Haydn’s quartet, it’s called Emperor’s Quartet in C Major. It’s called Emperor’s because one of the movements I think… A: The second one. V: The second one has this traditional anthem. Right now, it is German national anthem, but in earlier days it was Austrian anthem too. So I think people who will listen to us will recognize this theme right away. A: It’s very beautiful one. My favorite. V: All right, so hopefully we will manage. We will start to practice it more often this week after tomorrow’s TV production. Can you tell us a little bit what’s going on with TV? A: Well, yes. And I’m afraid of it so much, so tomorrow we are going to our church to be filmed by national television for so-called interesting learning, or… V: Curious lessons maybe. A: Yes, maybe curious lessons would be the best translation. And we need to, in two minutes, basically to represent our organ at St. John’s. V: So we’re kind of, for the first minute, I will go upstairs and show some pipes. Ausra will stay at the organ console and also play some sounds with those pipes, or maybe operate some organ stops so that people could see how the mechanics work. And in the second minute, maybe we will play a coda, only the ending, from Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. A: Yes, that’s our plan. We will see if it will work. I’m already having goosebumps. V: (laughs) That will be fun. So interesting week. I hope this was helpful to you guys. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: It has hundreds of courses, coaching and practice materials for every area of organ playing, thousands of instructional videos and PDF's. You will NOT find more value anywhere else online... V: Total Organist helps you to master any piece, perfect your technique, develop your sight-reading skills, and improvise or compose your own music and much much more… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 627 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Abe, and he writes, I had a stroke which hit my left hand very hard. It is slow and lazy. Any suggestions? V: Well, I’m sorry to hear about Abe’s condition. To have a stroke is always very painful, right Ausra? A: Yes, I guess so. I haven’t had a stroke yet, but my mom had sort of a mild stroke when we were studying at the United States. But because she’s connected with medicine, because she graduated from the medical school herself, and worked in the healthcare system for all her life, she understood right away what is happening, and my father took her very fast to hospital, and basically she didn’t have any... V: Complications? A: Complications, yes. V: Side effects? A: Side effects. And now she lives just a normal life. V: Mm hm. A: But the bad thing about strokes is that they tend to repeat themselves. V: What causes strokes, do you know? How to prevent them, I mean, in the future? A: If things would be so easy, I think nobody would have them. But in general, you just have to apply the healthy lifestyle, to lead the healthy lifestyle. To avoid stress, to eat healthy, to exercise, and of course to avoid stress, which is almost impossible, but… V: You said that twice. A: But I think this is the most important. V: (laughs) I see. So playing organ, is it stressful, or not? A: For some people might be. V: Why? A: Well, if you have important recital… V: Oh, if you are playing in public, you mean. A: Yes. V: And people depend on you playing well and they paid tickets perhaps - maybe not. But nowadays, public recitals are kind of, with real audience is kind of on hold, right, because of the pandemic? A: Yes. But you know to answer Abe’s question seriously, I think we should know more a little bit about his condition, really. How it happened, was it connected to organ playing? And in general, I think he needs to consult his physician, because maybe he’s not allowed to play the organ because of what might happen. V: You mean sitting in one position for extended period of time can cause some complications? A: Yes, I think it’s not good for your blood circulation. V: Uh huh. Well, if you’re sitting in front of TV, what’s the difference? A: Well, I think it’s healthier to sit at the organ because you’re moving your legs and your arms while doing that. Not like watching TV. V: And also thinking - your brain is working. A: True. But in any way I would suggest not to take things too hard on yourself, and to take things easy actually, whatever you do. Plus, we don’t know what kind of stroke it was. If it was one time of where you have your blood… V: Uh huh. I know what you mean. So basically, yeah, Abe should tell us more about it. Until then, he should consult the physician, and of course take physical therapy. Wouldn’t it help? A: Yes, it might help, but of course it should be measured by… V: Your doctor. A: ...your doctor, yes. Because as I said before, strokes tend to repeat themselves. V: Mm hm. A: So doing too much might do side effects for you. V: I would probably also have frequent breaks between organ practice sessions. Not practice more than 25 minutes at a time. Even less, probably. A: It might be too much, 25 minutes. Maybe 10 or 15. V: Yeah. Stop before you’re tired. Before, not after. When you’re still feeling good, you have to stop. Which is kind of counter intuitive. But that’s less risky. A: Yes, yes. But in general, I think it’s beneficial to practice still to keep practicing, and try to work with that left hand a little bit in order to improve it. It might never be the same as it was before, but it might improve. V: Yeah. You could take my left hand training course, right? A: If it wouldn’t be too hard and too much. V: With one hand only, you see? One voice. It’s an excerpt from Bach’s trio sonatas. What can happen from trio sonatas, Ausra? A: I think a lot could happen, because of the trio sonatas, they are very hard. V: What’s the worst that could happen? You can.. Yeah, but I transposed them in many keys. It’s not only in original keys, but throughout the circle of fifths, so sort of additional benefit is you will learn to play in those keys. You can obviously play it with your right hand and with the pedals if you want one octave lower or two octaves lower in the bass clef. But always keep listening to how your body feels. Right, Ausra? A: Yes, I think it’s very important. V: Probably it’s important if you’re relatively healthy, too - to always listen to your body. A: You know, strokes come really unexpectedly and suddenly. And you might not get any warning before that. It happens to healthy people every day. V: Drinking fluids - does it help in avoiding, preventing strokes? A: Yes, I think this is one of the things that you have to do. V: Mm hm. So you see, we are not certified doctors, but we have some suggestions. But obviously if you need more, or more specialized advice, consult your physician. All right, guys. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: It has hundreds of courses, coaching and practice materials for every area of organ playing, thousands of instructional videos and PDF's. You will NOT find more value anywhere else online... V: Total Organist helps you to master any piece, perfect your technique, develop your sight-reading skills, and improvise or compose your own music and much much more… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Patreon and get free CD’s. A: Find out more at patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying I will analyze just one more hymn for this Thanksgiving weekend. This time the tune is called CLAUDIUS (We Plow the Fields, And Scatter). Hope you will enjoy it! I'm using the Sauer organ sample set from Chemnitz made by Sonus Paradisi on my Hauptwerk setup.
I'm excited to present to you my next live organ recital. I'm playing it on the Sauer organ sample set in Chemnitz made by Sonus Paradisi and my Hauptwerk setup. Hope you will enjoy it!
Program: 1. Trumpet Tune by Graham Twist Score: write to the composer at [email protected] 2. Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 546 by Johann Sebastian Bach Score with fingering and pedaling: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.mysh... 3. Meditation by Gabriel Dupont Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/... 4. Fantasie en Fuga, Psalm 72:11 "Zijn Naam moet eeuwig eer ontvangen" by Jan Zwart 5. Allegretto by Louis Vierne Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/... 6. Prelude No. 1 in C Major by Juozas Naujalis 7. Prelude No. 2 in G Major by J. Naujalis 8. Nun danket alle Gott, Op. 65 No. 59 by Sigfrid Karg-Elert Score with fingering and pedaling: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.mysh... If you like my music making, you can support me on Patreon and get free organ CD's at https://patreon.com/secretsoforganpla... Buy me coffee: https://www.paypal.me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt 7 Steps in Mastering Nun danket alle Gott, Op. 135a, No. 18 | Max Reger | Hauptwerk Chemnitz11/27/2020 Nun danket alle Gott, Op. 135a, No. 18 by Max Reger is an easier choral prelude of the famous tune suitable for Thanksgiving. The other favourite is of course by S. Karg-Elert. So in this video, I will share with you my process of 7 steps in mastering this piece. If you repeat after me, you can achieve the same results. Hope you will enjoy it! I'm using the Sauer organ sample set from Chemnitz made by Sonus Paradisi on my Hauptwerk setup.
OLD HUNDREDTH | Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow | Harmonic Analysis | Hauptwerk Chemnitz11/26/2020 What kind of Thanksgiving it would be without the hymn tune OLD HUNDREDTH? In this video, I will analyze the chords in this beloved hymn setting. Hope you will enjoy it! I'm using the Sauer organ sample set from Chemnitz made by Sonus Paradisi on my Hauptwerk setup.
 Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it! Considering the circumstances of the state of the world now we are happy to be alive, really. Wherever you are, we hope you and your loved ones are safe and avoiding physical contact. Ironically, there is one benefit of the pandemic - people who are forced to stay at home, sometimes (but not always) have more time on their hands. Time, which they can use for studies, hobbies and developing new skills. For our Secrets of Organ Playing community this means, of course, focusing more on organ playing. To this end, and in connection with Thanksgiving we'd like to offer a special 50% discount for Total Organist program and for any of our practice materials within our store (discount at the store will be automatically applied at the checkout, no code is necessary). Total Organist Thanksgiving Discount Here's what some of the members of the community say about Total Organist:  Discount will last until Monday, November 30. If you decide to subscribe, say hello to our community on Basecamp.
Ausra and I are looking forward to continue to help quadruple your results in organ playing! Total Organist Thanksgiving Discount  This week we had 6 entries for our contest. You can see the winners and listen to every piece here. If you want to participate next week, here are the rules.
 Last September I opened my account on Emanate, a new Australian audio streaming platform which aims to reward musicians fairly, instantly and directly. The process was very simple, like on any social media platform, I had to supply my email address and create a password. Once I did this, I was able to start uploading my music. After 10 years of making music on YouTube luckily I had plenty of material to chose from. In October, I uploaded some of more recent tracks, like: Adagio by Alessandro Marcello Largo by Antonio Vivaldi Sarabande by Louis Couperin Adagio by Tomaso Albinoni Adagio by CPE Bach Aria by Christoph Willibald Gluck It takes a few days for a track to be reviewed by the Emanate team but once it's done, it's public and you can share it with your fans. In the upload process I can specify, if I'm the only beneficiary or some other users should receive any portion of track's earnings. This is especially useful, if the piece is a collaboration, like chamber, choral, even orchestral music. Up to 50 people can split the rewards in any percentage. Emanate is a new platform and right now there aren't many people interested in organ music or even in classical music so I had to share my tracks with my existing network on social media and email newsletter subscribers. It's important to note that Emanate encourages genuine fan engagement and prohibits any type of play manipulation, as can be seen in their Terms and Conditions. They are constantly monitoring user activity for play manipulation and have frozen a number of users suspected of cheating. Having interacted with the Emanate team on their Discord channel showing interest with various questions, they put me on the testing group which allows users to cash out their earnings. To do that, I had to stake some EOS tokens for CPU and NET resources and connect my EOS account with Emanate via Scatter and stake 5000 EMT tokens to be eligible for Music Lover plan. For regular users this feature will be available soon.   The way the earnings are recorded for each second the track is played is that at first I can see my earnings in native MNX tokens. One MNX token represents $0.01 USD. As the number of my MNX tokens grows over time when my tracks get listened to, I can then convert them to EMT tokens in which process they become tradable on the EOSIO blockchain.
So on October 31, I made the first conversion of my 1906.1275 MNX tokens to 3947.0514 EMT tokens. At the time they were worth $19.06 USD but today because of token price fluctuation they are worth $17.37 USD. Still not bad considering this is just the beginning. If you would like to start uploading your music to Emanate and share it with your fans, go to https://emanate.live, and carefully read Terms and Conditions before signing up. Even though you won't see your earnings yet, every stream is recorded into their system. Once it's ready to go public, all the information will be sorted out. Note, that to start, you don't have to have an EOS account or Scatter installed. This all can be done later when you are more comfortable with the tech. If you want to listen to my organ music on Emanate, you can find me there at https://emanate.live/vidaspinkevicius And of course, send me your Emanate links to listen to and enjoy! Yesterday was Christ the King Sunday and I've chosen DIADEMATA hymn setting to analyze. I will play the hymn once and talk about the chords, modulations and keys used in it. Hope you will enjoy it! I'm using the Sauer organ sample set from Chemnitz made by Sonus Paradisi on my Hauptwerk setup.
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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