Blog Archives - secrets of organ playing - when you practice, miracles happen

No escape from organ playing

12/31/2016

By Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene (get free updates of new posts here)

You can't escape from organ playing. It grabs you and never let's go.

It's like an addiction, in a good way.

Sure, you can deny this, you can hide from it for years, decades even.

But in the end, organ playing will find you.

May the new year be this year when organ playing catches up with you.

It's time.

Stop reading. Stop hiding.

Start creating.

The mic is yours

12/30/2016

By Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene (get free updates of new posts here)

Will the new year bring to you more opportunities of sharing your organ playing talent with people?

Or will you mostly practice at home for your own enjoyment only?

Notice that's an attitude shift.

The first choice requires to be generous. The second - risk free.

Generous to give and risking to receive criticism.

The more you give to the world, the more you get also. The more you get, the more you can give back.

That's a never-ending circle which allows us to grow.

And you don't need to wait for people in power to choose you. You don't need to wait for a phone to ring.

If you want to play, play. If you want to share, share.

The mic is in your hands.

I hope you will make this choice in the new year.

It will change your life.

And that's how you will change someone else's life too.

The best of Secrets of Organ Playing in 2016

12/29/2016

By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)

As 2016 draws to an end, I hope you will enjoy 10 of our most read articles this year:

1. How to Play Hymns on the Organ?

2. 32 Organ Registration Tips

3. What Is the Best Way to Start Playing the Organ: Organ Method Books or Organ Repertoire?

4. How to Play Widor's Toccata on the Organ?

5. 11 Tips in Improvising a French Toccata on a Hymn Tune on the Organ

6. Don't have an organ at home?

7. How to Become a Successful Organist?

8. Organ Sight-Reading: "O Gott, du frommer Gott", BWV 767 by Johann Sebastian Bach

9. Organ Music: About "Le Banquet Celeste" by Olivier Messiaen

10. Organ Music: About Piece Heroique by Cesar Franck

And here are our top 10 of the most popular podcasts this year:

1, SOP Podcast #55: Frederik Magle on Bringing the Organ Alive

2. SOP Podcast #64 - Robert McCormick on the Art of Organ Improvisation

3. SOP Podcast #54 - Jeremy David Tarrant on Playing the Piano for Organists

4. SOP #46 - Tom Trenney On Why Some Organists Are Afraid of Improvisation

5. SOP Podcast #26 - Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene on Harmony for Organists

6. SOP Podcast #25 - Martin Pasi on Building Organs and Giving Back

7. SOP Podcast #49 - Don Cook On The Video Training For The New Organist

8. SOP Podcast #57 - Peter Sykes on Imagining the Sound First

9. SOP Podcast #66 - Gavin Black on Teaching Organ and Harpsichord

10. SOP Podcast #24: Paul Cienniwa on the Art of Memorizing Music

PS Finish the year strong! Das Alte Jahr Vergangen Ist Practice (50 % discount is valid until January 4, 2017)

Finish the year strong

12/28/2016

By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)

How was 2016 for you in terms of organ playing?

Did you accomplish your goals or was your practice lacking focus?

You can still change this. Make the year-end practice count!

To help you with this, yesterday just before the memorial service at my church, I set up a camera facing the keyboards and recorded 86 minutes of video training.

In these videos I demonstrate my exact steps and combinations of practicing the famous chorale prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach Das alte Jahr vergangen ist (The Old Year Has Ended), BWV 614 from the Orgelbuchlein.

By the way, the final video was recorded after the church service for which I had to play a prelude, offertory, communion, and postlude as well as to sing a psalm, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. I wasn't sure I remembered all the words of the Sanctus and I didn't have the scores with me at the moment so I quickly wrote the words on top of my left hand.

My hand-writing is still visible this morning as I type this and it is visible in the final video from yesterday.

Ausra said it looks like a tatoo I got made while being in prison. :))

Anyway, here's how BWV 614 sounds.

In the evening I came home and prepared all the fingerings and pedalings for this piece too.

The best part - I recommend you practice together with me. This way your progress will be the fastest.

If the pitch level of your organ doesn't match the largest pipe organ in Lithuania, shut down all the stops and play without the sound using mine.

Some people will be able to master this piece in 86 minutes. If this is not enough for you, feel free to watch and practice with the videos a few more times.

Finish the year strong!

Das Alte Jahr Vergangen Ist Practice (50 % discount is valid until January 4, 2017)

Pursuing many interests

12/27/2016

By Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene (get free updates of new posts here)

Do you find it difficult to pursue just one dream? Are you drawn to pursue many interests?

Curiosity is very good. But too much of it will make your focus shallow.

It's as if you're no longer reaching your goal but chasing multiple distractions.

How to know if you should focus on organ playing only or is there still space in your day for other passions?

My rule of thumb is this: If you can practice all the things you are interested every day for at least 30 minutes a day and still manage to do all your daily responsibilities, then by all means, go do it (some people have more free time than others).

Otherwise, one or two areas might be enough.

Christmas organ music recital video

12/26/2016

By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)

Merry Christmas!

I hope you will enjoy the video of my latest Christmas organ music recital "In dulci jubilo":

Video Part I
Video Part II

Merry Christmas, Enrico Presti on avangarde organ music, finding time to practice and comparing yourself to others

12/25/2016

By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)

First of all, Merry Christmas to all our readers and students around the world!

Ausra and I wish you and your loved ones a blessed time as we gather together to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year! We hope you have someone in your life to share this joy with.

If not, let beautiful organ music be your companion too.

It works, I'm told.

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #74!

Today's guest is an Italian concert organist Enrico Presti. He has attained diploma in Organ with Prof. Wladimir Matesic in Bologna and degree in Computer Science with mention in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Bologna.

Enrico attended master classes with Marju Riisikamp, Olivier Latry, Peter Planyavsky and Hans-Ola Ericsson. He performed several concerts in Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland (Musée Suisse de l’Orgue), Faroese Islands (Summartónar festival, event coordinated by Italian Institute of Culture in Copenhagen), Finland, Baltic States, United Kingdom (Oxford Queen’s College), France, Sweden, Austria, Russia (St. Petersburg), Czech Republic, Romania, Denmark and Germany.

From 1996 to 1999 he was managing director of the international concert series Organi Antichi, un patrimonio da ascoltare in Bologna; from 2002 to 2007 he was artistic director of the international concert series Musica Coelestis (Ferrara) and from 2003 to 2005 he was co-artistic director of concert series Al centro la musica (Bologna).

Enrico is currently enrolled in the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Bologna.

In this conversation we talk about avangarde organ music, finding time to practice and the dangers of comparing yourself to others.

Enjoy and share your comments below.

And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends.

Thanks for caring.

Let's go to the conversation

Do you feel this thirst?

12/24/2016

By Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene (get free updates of new posts here)

Do you have a dream to perform one day in front of people on the organ?

It takes a lot of bravery to show up and play to strangers.

Anything can happen.

Anything will happen.

But it doesn't mean you should risk your life doing this.

Take controled risks, such as playing for friends first.

Or play a piece here and there before, during or after a church service.

It's not that important that you play perfectly all the time.

It's more important you feel this thirst of sharing your art with others.

Feeling this thirst and doing something about it.

New music

12/23/2016

By Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene (get free updates of new posts here)

What's more difficult for you emotionally:

To play new music or pieces that you already love?

For most people, they would prefer playing organ music they're sure are going to like. That's not new music. Because with new music, you can't be sure. There are no guarantees.

But what's actually more satisfying:

To have played through the piece you have never played before or one of your favorites?

It turns out, when you think deeply about it, most people would get more satisfaction from the new thing. The one they were more afraid of trying out.

Only this way you can get out of your comfort zone and grow.

Leap.

Playing pedals

12/22/2016

Written and drawn by Vidas, colored by Ausra (get free updates of new posts here)

If you're reading this on a phone, please click "Show images".

The following advice is based on an actual lesson for a beginning organ student I taught about 6 weeks ago. During the lesson he played for me the pedal line of my setting from Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. I tried to correct his pedal technique.

Later in the day, I took some notes in my schetch-book and started to add some drawings. Today Ausra colored them with pastel.

We want to share with you this comic now. Hope you will find it helpful. Keep reading and practicing.

Play pedals with your big toe.

In Baroque music don't play completely legato, unless composer wanted it.

When playing solo pedals, keep your hands on your knees.

Keep your feet close to sharps.

Avoid foot-crossing. Instead keep the knees together and the heels together as well.

To automate pedal playing, use pedal preparation.

When you play with toes, don't lift your heels off the pedals.

Don't use excess force - play mezzo piano.

Don't look down at the pedals.

Stay in touch with the pedals at all times. Slide from key to key.

Practice pedal lines super slowly.

Aim for at least 3 correct repetitions in a row.

Work in small fragments.

If you like dancing, you'll love pedal playing. It's not that hard. Besides, your legs are like the 3rd hand.

If you want to improve your pedal playing technique, keep the above points in mind when you practice.