Is perfect pitch a blessing or a curse?
Here's what I mean. Some people problems with perfect pitch. They hear what they see. It is a problem for them when playing instruments tuned to a much different pitch, but even more so when trying to play from memory on an instrument which is out of tune. Having a perfect pitch and hearing instruments of another pitch level is usually a problem. Playing them is easier after a while (at least for me). It's strange when you hear C major prelude as Db major or B major. But you can get used to a certain pitch level, if you just spend a couple of weeks with it (that's what happens when somebody has a piano tuned half step lower - then you will hear the note A always too low (G#), in comparison to the standard pitch). And other temperaments will start to bother you, by the way. So people with perfect pitch normally can spell out any note which is being played high or low. That's how they are used to listen to music - by hearing individual pitches. When the instrument is tuned a half step higher or lower than A=440, they have a problem with following the music. Here's the thing: instead of listening to the notes which may or may not be the same for the player and for the listener, try to hear the chords and key areas. For example, try to hear the tonic, subdominant, dominant and other functions without spelling out the chords. Try to discover what key area this episode is written in in relationship to the tonic (not the precise key, but only the function, subdominant or dominant or mediant or submediant etc.). This is far more useful than listening to the notes only. It's more challenging, though. But we seek out challenges, don't we?
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Most organs which have swell boxes and swell pedals operate in the similar way. This makes the playing experience for a lot of organists similar. However, when you travel to play an unfamiliar organ, sometimes you get to play an instrument which has swell pedal raising less common or obscure problems. Below are some of these problems and solutions.
1. Pedal is reversed. Some organs have a swell pedal which opens the shutters when we press it with the heel (contrary to the most which opens when we press with the toe). Here you have to consciously think about this difference from the swell pedal and even mark the opposite motions in the score. Practice the opposite motion ahead of time on your organ. 2. Pedal is too far right. Normally swell pedals are positioned between the D# and F# in the tenor octave. But some organs have the swell pedal which is positioned on the extreme right of the pedal board. Try to sit on the edge of the bench which will help you reach the swell pedal easier. Lean forward to have a good balance. 3. Pedal is too heavy/too light to operate. With some swell pedals you have to use much force to open it. And the opposite is sometimes true - as soon as you touch it - it might open without you even realizing it. In both cases you have to consciously think about this feeling ahead of time and make a mental note to use more or less force. Next time when you play an organ with a swell pedal, try to find out whether these above problems are true and if yes, consider them in your practice or performance. It's best that you find out what kind of swell pedal and how it operates well in advance by asking about it the local organist. Then you can be sure that you will have ample time to adjust and prepare yourself to the new playing experience without too much stress. If you want to become a successful improviser, one of the most powerful tools is transposition. It helps to isolate ideas worth memorizing and make them your own. By transposing short fragments of your favorite pieces and cadences into as many keys as you can, you will be able to recollect them at a moment's notice, adapt to new situations, and use them in your improvisations in surprising ways.
Here are some of the strengths of transposition for the prospective improviser: 1. Transposition develops musical thinking. By forcing yourself to play a fragment in unfamiliar keys, you are creating a new musical universe which didn't exist before. Just as we can tell a story in our words, we too can create a musical story out of these musical elements. 2. Transposition improves your memory. In this case, we transpose from memory. Basically, we have to memorize a fragment in an original key and then try to recreate it in another key without looking at the score (except when we transpose by changing clefs and/or key signatures and looking at the score). 3. Transposition helps you to master any key you want. Don't use your key knowledge limitations as an excuse not to transpose. Don't say "I'm not good at playing with many sharps or flats." Simply master your fragment in a key without any accidentals (C major or A minor), then add just one sharp/flat (G major, E minor/F major, D minor). It's that simple. 4. Transposition develops your technique. Have you ever wished that your favorite composers created special exercises for you to practice? There you go - any fragment of any piece by any composer can become a potential exercise which will develop your finger and pedal technique and hand and feet independence. Have created something worth remembering yourself? Transpose that fragment and it will stay with you wherever you go. 5. Transposition helps you to master the styles of your favorite composers. Have you ever wished you could improvise a polyphony like Bach, choral ornamentation like Buxtehude, chromatic chords like Vierne, or colorful modes like Messiaen? Transpose their fragments and they will become your own. Although transposition is so powerful, it doesn't come with potential pitfalls: 1. Potential to transpose without thinking. This is especially evident in advanced keys. Your fingers guide your mind. Reverse this process by analyzing the chords first and directing your fingers with your mind. 2. Potential to make your improvisations lifeless. There is a tendency to play your fragment exactly as it is when you improvise. Do this frequently and your playing will lack the spark of unexpectedness or freshness. Instead, adapt and transform your fragments so that your listeners would never know where you are leading them. 3. Not all transpositions work in major/minor equally well. Sometimes this is due to the fact that chords that in major mode are minor, in minor mode become major and vice versa. Also some progressions and passages involve progression from 6th to 7th scale degrees. In harmonic minor this interval becomes augmented second which doesn't sound well (because of the 7th raised scale degree). Usually treating a fragment in melodic minor (raised 6th and 7th scale degrees) solves this problem. Still not convinced? You never know the true power of transposition, unless you try it. Grab a fragment of 1-4 measures, analyze and memorize it, and start transposing. And don't forget to share your experience with all of us. Setting short-term and long-term goals is crucial, if you want to achieve any kind of measurable results as an organist. It focuses your practice and helps to use your time available in the most efficient way. It also helps you to resist the temptation to skip one or two practice sessions because in your mind each day is one step towards your goal. One practice session wasted is gone forever.
Here are some of the most common goals I see organists set for themselves: 1. Prepare and successfully perform a recital. Take a deep look at your skills as an organist and decide what level of difficulty your pieces should be. Set a date well in advance (but not too far) and choose a venue. This could be your church or a church in your area where you have lots of friends, family members, and other people who are likely to attend your recital. If you have a trusted relationship with the local organist, you can ask for the possibility to perform in this church. 2. Prepare and perform at the church service (weddings and funerals also count). This is self-explanatory for any church organist yet we see people over and over again who prepare their hymns and service organ music in a sloppy way. It's important to take any church service seriously and prepare the same way as if Bach or any other master you respect would attend it (you never know who's listening). 3. Prepare a challenging piece. If you have a piece that you want to play but it is a little out of reach (but not too much) for you at the moment, you can set a goal to learn it by a certain date and play it for your friends or family. If the piece is long, divide it into manageable units or sections and concentrate on the them in each of your practice sessions, remembering also to refresh already mastered ones regularly. Here are a few more: 4. Learn to play any hymn setting with the soprano in the pedals. 5. Transpose a piece into another key. 6. Learn to play a piece with the sheet reversed. Not as crazy as it sounds. 7. Introduce the organ to kids in your congregation. Let them play it (3 at a time) and take pictures. Organize their improvisations so that they would not be lost. 8. Discover an old organ in your area which has been forgotten and remind the congregation of the value of preserving it. 9. Use story-telling in your recitals with improvisation. 10. Think of the people with vision or hearing disabilities. Introduce the organ and its music for them. Invite artists, dancers or actors to collaborate. Can they touch it, smell it or perceive it in any other way? Don't forget to measure your success rate. This can be done by setting short-term intermediate check-points. Don't measure how many mistakes you made while playing in public. Instead, measure how may times you have slain your inner dragons which don't want you to succeed. Don't measure how much applause or lack of applause you got. Instead, measure how many souls you have changed. It turns out that the goals which are the most difficult to measure are the ones which we need to set the most. If organists want to secure more recital opportunities on organs that interest them, current practice is to contact the local organist directly and ask him/her. This reaching out is so easy today as so many organists use social media and/or have their own (or their churches') websites. Contacting an organist is as easy as writing a short email proposal or messaging them on social media with little info about yourself and what it is you want from them.
This rarely works, though. If it did, we all would be circling around the globe with multiple recital tours each month. The No. 1 reason for this is that it is and feels like spam - the recipient doesn't know you, doesn't expect your message and in many cases, your proposal may not even be relevant to this person. It would be better to approach a person who trusts you, who expects your email, and to whom your information would be relevant. What I recommend is that you invest time and effort into building a genuine relationship with this person and help him/her solve their problems long before you even think about asking something back in return. Here's why I think with this approach you are much more likely to succeed in finding new recital opportunities: 1. The person will get to know you better. Remember that you are just one of the hundreds of organists they communicate with. By showing up in their email inbox regularly you will become your own category, not just one of the many. 2. The person will get to like you more. By helping them solve their problems, it's far more likely that you will be treated as a sincere person whom they would want to recommend. 3. The person will get to trust you more. Nothing can be achieved without mutual trust. Because you have helped him/her in the past so much, a normal reaction is to reciprocate - to spread the art of giving gifts further. Going forward, as our email inboxes become more and more crowded and our days - more and more hectic, it's vital you continually ask yourself this question, before hitting that "SEND" button: "What can I do to increase their trust?" so that you won't need to chase them but they would come to you instead. As Christmas is fast approaching, I'm sure most of my readers are busy preparing for it. And I not only mean planning family celebrations or gift ideas but also increased workload for church organists with additional Advent services and choir rehearsals. In order for your Christmas celebrations to be even more creative, special, and remarkable this (or next) year, today I'd like to supplement your ideas with a few of my own.
1. Hymn Fest with classic Christmas carols where your entire congregation can sing along. 2. Your own organ recital with some of the best Christmas music. 3. Improvisational story-telling around the theme of the Nativity. 4. Organ demonstration for the kids of your congregation. 5. Prepare some large-scale choral work (not only Handel's "Messiah") with your choir, soloists, and organ. 6. Invite a guest organist to give a Christmas-themed recital. 7. Record a video musical Christmas greeting and share it with your community. Choose any or all of the above ideas and begin to make preparations for one of the most important celebrations of the year. If you communicate about them to your congregation in the most enthusiastic manner in the form of text, pictures, audio, or videos, it will help to create a sense of a mission in your community which they will be gratefully part of. Your musical experiments and the stories about them will create a core group of evangelists who will help attract even the outsiders to your cause. Christmas is not far away and I hope you have thought about your organ music selections for this season. As you consider what pieces you will play for a church service or recital, I want you to be aware of this trap which is choosing popular Christmas music arrangements of lesser musical quality. Although this kind of music might appeal to some listeners right now, in the long run it might hurt your reputation, credibility, trust, and your position as an inspirational leader in your community.
Here are some signs that a piece on the popular Christmas carol is worth your (and your listeners') attention: 1. Melodies are not monotonous and have intentional direction. 2. Rhythms are unified but also augment each other in various parts. 3. Harmonies are stylistically appropriate and colorful. 4. Dynamics display the tune and other parts in a most comprehensible fashion. 5. Registration cleverly uses resources of the instrument and convey the meaning of the text. 6.Texture helps displaying the possibilities of the theme. 7. Form is clear yet not utterly predictable. Keep in mind the above signs as you prepare for the upcoming Christmas season and you will not fall into a common trap of playing crowd-pleasing but artistically dull music which in turn will help your efforts to become a trusted go-to resource for high quality organ music in your community. By the way, as I was preparing for my upcoming recital of organ improvisations on the Story of the Nativity of Jesus Christ on December 20 at Vilnius University St. John's church, a few days ago I wrote a piece "The Annunciation" for the organ on original themes. Here is the score, if you want to check it out. How do you cope with the situation when you come to the church and find out that you've been replaced by somebody else in your organist position without any explanation?
How do you get on with your life when you and your colleague are fired, but days later you find out that the unfortunate one were only you? Or what about when the church says, they don't have any money to pay for your services and you offer to play for them for free, but they are not interested? What do you think when you are forced to leave by the church although you were clearly doing a wonderful job? The best answer to the church officials would be this: "Maybe it's not for you. I'll go talk to these guys instead." I think it's inspiring to know that these days, people who need you, who value your work might not live next door or in your town or in your country or even on the same continent as you. These days you can touch a person on the other side of the globe (and they can touch you back). What some twenty years ago might have sounded like a life sentence, today is a liberation to create your art wherever, whenever, however, and to whoever you choose. The tyranny of being picked is gone. Great dreams require great sacrifices.
Is your dream for organ playing to be one of the greatest organists in the world? Then you better find time to practice everyday. In the long run, merely sitting down on the organ bench to practice will elevate your skills so that you will be able to read three stave pieces very well. Of course, simply practicing will not be enough to reach world-class level, you will need much more than that. But winning your daily fight against your inner dragons and sitting down to practice is a first step. You can dream about it all you want but without a practice, in ten years you will be no closer to reaching your dream than you were yesterday. A dream without a sacrifice is self-deception. A sacrifice without a dream is drudgery. Good news is that you don't need to think about sacrifice for the rest of your life. Do it only today. And if tomorrow comes, you can do it again. A note about sight-reading and hymn playing: I would like to thank all my readers who took action and practiced my daily sight-reading and hymn playing selections. This experiment which ran this fall is over and I will not be able to continue it as the response rate was too little to make it worth the effort (although I do appreciate very much all your nice notes about it). I choose my daily sight-reading pieces from IMSLP and hymn playing selections from openhymnal.org. If you want to continue to practice them, feel free to explore these resources and chose what you want. Imagine that you find it hard to play pieces from memory in public, although the memorization process isn't particularly difficult. But when you are in the middle of the piece, suddenly, without any special reason, you are lost.
Additionally, you can only read organ music quite slowly, perhaps too slowly for the best results, especially those with multiple sharps and flats. This is true not only for real organ compositions but also in playing hymns. On top of that, lack of music theory foundation is causing you to struggle. This is evident from the fact that when you play from the score, it says very little to you. You can't recognize the patterns, cadences, musical ideas, figures, modulations, and colorful chord progressions. And of course, you know what you should do - put in more effort and work harder but so far your progress has been too slow. If concentration, theoretical knowledge, speed of reading music, and memorization are the things which hold you back from improving your success rate, then here are a few things I recommend to you for starters: 1. Learn the pieces in fragments of about 4 measures 2. Learn these fragments in solo parts, in two-part and three-part combinations first 3. Practice in a tempo slower than the concert speed by at least 50 percent 4. Each step may require 10 correct repetitions in a row 5. Practice sight-reading daily for at least 5-15 minutes 6. Sight-read pieces in separate parts first 7. Try not to look at the fingers and feet 8. Memorize the system of the circle of fifths 9. Learn a few chords and try to discover them in your pieces 10. Transpose one or two chords in as many keys as you can Apply the above tips in your organ practice and with time you will be able to improve your success rate. [HT to John] Next: Dreams and sacrifices Sight-reading: 4. Intermezzo (p. 19) from 12 Pièces, Op.16 by Leon Boellmann (1862-1897), French Romantic composer and organist. Hymn playing: Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying |
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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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