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Vidas: Let’s start Episode 128 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. And this question was sent by Helene. She is an ordained minister, but also plays the organ; and one of her challenges is that she doesn’t let churches know of her ability--basically, as I understand, she keeps her organ playing talents a secret. Right, Ausra?
Ausra: Yes, that’s what I understood from her question. Vidas: So, why do people keep their talents a secret? Ausra: Well, I think there might be different reasons. In this case, maybe she sort of feels uncertain how her colleagues or the church would respond or react to it--that she’s actually playing organ. For me, it sounds like maybe she feels a little bit ashamed of playing the organ, and maybe she thinks that preaching or leading services is more important than playing organ. Which I don’t think is the right way, at least from my point of view. Vidas: You’re right. Remember we have some friends, and one of them is Paulius. He is a lawyer--his first profession is lawyer--but he started playing organ some years ago, right, as a hobby. And now of course, he is, we could say, a professional organist, because he receives a salary within the church; but in the beginning, he was just practicing for his own pleasure, right? And remember that time when he kind of felt a little bit hesitant to say to anybody from his work that he plays--he was a little bit shy, right, at first? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: So you’re right. What keeps people from basically letting other people know that they have other talents and hobbies, is probably insecurity and how other people would react, right? Ausra: But I think it’s important to let other people know about your talent. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: And to share your talents with other people. Because I think service music is equally important. Vidas: Especially if Helene is a minister. Imagine this situation: she could preach, say, a sermon, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And maybe she could play a prelude, or postlude at the end. Maybe she could not play every hymn in the service, because it’s just too much to do; but she could contribute. Would you think that her congregation would be in awe of her contribution? Ausra: Yes. I think so. I think people would appreciate it. Vidas: Right. So guys, I think among our listeners there are other people who have organ playing skills or hobbies, but their main profession is something else, right--they do something else for a living. And they keep it a secret; they practice in a basement or somewhere like an attic, where nobody is around, and never, ever share their art, let’s say on social media--never post a picture of their organ playing on Facebook or post a video on YouTube, right? Ausra: Yes, that’s right. Vidas: There are some people like that. Ausra: Yes. And you know, I understand why people don’t want to share their talents on social media. It might disagree with their beliefs. But I think playing organ in church, during a service, should not be kept a secret. Vidas: Exactly. Ausra: Especially if you are a minister, an ordained minister. Vidas: You are already sharing. Ausra: Yes, you’re already sharing; and I think playing organ would just support what you are doing. Vidas: And if people got over that initial fear of sharing their talents, and fear of being, you know, ridiculed in front of other people, sometimes--if they got over this situation and they would even play in front of other people--I think their general organ playing skill would improve, don’t you think? Ausra: Yes. And you know, playing organ--I think that’s a rare gift for a minister. Not too many ministers can play organ. Vidas: Remember in the old days, Lutheran seminaries had organ playing classes; and I think Concordia colleges in the US had many practice organs-- Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Like 40 practice organs. It was, I think, around the 1940s or something. Ausra: Yes, because I think it’s important for clergy to understand music in general--to understand the meaning and value of music, and how it helps to sort of lift up the congregational spirit in church. So I think this is even better, that a minister can play herself. Vidas: There are some side benefits to that, because she can sing well, probably. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: She can lead hymn singing very well. And this is also very important for a church, because sometimes organists play the hymns--they sing--but if they see a minister not participating in that, there’s a wall, right? Between what the clergy do and what the musicians do. Ausra: I know. And it’s like that in some Catholic churches; because if the mass is sung, and you have to make a response to a priest’s singing, so sometimes it’s so funny if the priest doesn’t have any pitch at all! And during like one phrase, he can modulate a few times! And the organist never knows how to pick up the response to it. Vidas: Of course, the priest doesn’t know they’re modulating… Ausra: I know, yes. And that’s because they don’t have good musical education, I think, in seminaries. Vidas: So if Helene and others DO have musical background, and can sing well and even play the instrument, it would be selfish-- Ausra: Yes, sure. Vidas: To keep it a secret. Ausra: And you know, if it’s hard to combine things in one service, for example, it might be too stressful to do preaching and playing in the same service; so maybe she could keep leading the worship as the minister on one Sunday, and maybe play the organ on the next one. Vidas: Mhm. Or just play occasional service music-- Ausra: Sure, sure. Vidas: Not everything, but just...like a dessert! Ausra: Yes. And especially like during or before big festivities, like Christmas or Easter, during Lent and Advent, many churches have additional services; so maybe she could play the organ on those services. Vidas: Yeah, on Saturday nights, Vespers-- Ausra: Vespers. Vidas: Mhm. Excellent. We hope this was useful to you, and we hope to inspire you to share your gifts with your community and congregation. People need this, right? And maybe they will be inspired to take up your example and share their gifts, too. Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: Right? You never know what impact you have on people around you. And if you play in church, and you are a minister, please write to us about your experience. It would be interesting to know how people react, and how you react to this situation. Thank you, guys! This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.  Would you like to learn J.S. Bach's Christe, aller Welt Trost, BWV 670 from the Clavierubung III? If so, my new PDF score with complete early fingering and pedaling will save you many hours and set you on the path of success to achieve the ideal articulate legato touch naturally, almost without thinking.
This is the 2nd long chorale in the Kyrie/Christe/Kyrie set of Clavierubung III. If you liked Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit, BWV 669 or Allein Gott, BWV 676, I'm sure you'll enjoy this piece too. Intermediate level. 4 pages. 50 % is valid until December 27. This score is free for Total Organist students.  In the fall of 2013 my friend and colleague, Paulius Grigonis who is the organist at St Joseph church here in Vilnius was preparing to play a recital at Vilnius Cathedral around Christmas time. He approached me asking for advice about the pieces he could be playing.
I offered him to compose a set of 6 variations on the famous Christmas tune Adeste fideles and he agreed too much hesitation (too bad). I started working on the composition but got stuck at the end of the 5th variation. I used major and minor chords only. My goal was to create something colorful and modern and yet understandable to the listener. Because of these simple chords the harmonies are very clear and transparent. What makes it sound modern though is that I avoid traditional chordal progressions of the perfect fourth and perfect fifth. This would imply tonic-dominant, dominant-tonic, tonic-subdominant, subdominant-tonic relationship. But I didn't want this. I wanted to surprise my audience and my friend Paulius. So I chose all kinds of progressions - minor and major seconds, minor and major thirds, even a tritone to keep it fresh. However, the result was too difficult to play for Paulius on a short notice and I got side-tracked with other projects. Although the idea of completing the variations never left me. So last weekend I sat down and added the last variation with a CODA. I hope you'll enjoy this piece which is dedicated to Paulius. 8 pages, PDF score. Advanced level.  Have you ever dreamed of being able to make a living from your music? I did. And still do.
A month ago, on November 17th I signed up for a service called Musicoin. It's an audio platform based on the revolutionary blockchain technology where listeners can listen to the music for free and musicians get paid fairly without intermediates for every playback. You might have already heard about it because I've been uploading our podcasts and music there (here are some of my recent improvisations: 45 Pounds, Veni Emmanuel Fantasy, Divinum Mysterium, Wedding March Fantasy, Organ Demonstration and Music for St Lucia Day). If it goes as planned, Musicoin's vision has the potential to fix the entire music industry which only benefits big labels while artists are left with crumbs from the table. I decided to make an experiment of uploading my audio recordings to Musicoin and report to you after a month about the results. The current rule is that with each playback I get 1 Musicoin (the native currency of the platform, symbol: $MUSIC). As of this writing, 1 Musicoin is worth about 0.03 USD. So right now I have 142 tracks uploaded and earning me 3 cents for every playback. Of course, the price of the coin fluctuates, like with any other cryptocurrency. Sometimes it drops, sometimes it rises. But the potential is clearly there. So far I have earned about 2900 Musicoins which is worth roughly 93 USD today. In comparison, during the same month I earned about 13 USD on YouTube partner program. Big difference. It's something like 7 months with YouTube! Oh and by the way, from 2009, when I started my YouTube channel I only earned 291 USD to date on with thousands of subscribers and videos. I guess no further explanation is necessary. Back to Musicoin. These Musicoins can be transferred to the special desktop wallet you download from the platform and from there exchanged into Bitcoin on the exchanges Bittrex or Cryptopia and eventually to any other crypto or traditional currency. The beauty of all this is as the time passes, the platform gets traction and more and more people are using it, the $MUSIC itself becomes more valuable. Right now there are over 1500 verified musicians, bands and labels on Musicoin. It's really new because it started just this year. But they are experiencing 50-100 % growth every month. Eventually the vision is that they will be a major platform, just like Spotify is today. Except for 1 million plays, an artist on Spotify gets about 400 USD only. But who can get to a million plays? A rock star maybe. Certainly not organists. As I said, it's just crumbs from the table where only major labels win. But with Musicoin, I see the potential. Because the platform itself is growing. Because the number of my tracks is growing. Because of compounding effect. Here's a good article with detailed explanation of how Musicoin works. I invite you to check out and subscribe to our channel on Musicoin. If you do, I will dedicate my next improvisation to you. And of course, you too can upload your own recordings to YOUR channel to maximize revenue. If you have some audio recordings of your organ performances, you can follow my example. Feel free to use my invitation link to join Musicoin: https://musicoin.org/accept/MUSICa45e5f26ede2be5dd4411747 But this platform has another cool feature - your listeners can tip you using Musicoin. And I've been tipped around 1800 Musicoins already - sometimes 1, sometimes 5, sometimes 10, and sometimes 100 Musicoins! By the way, using smart contract protocol you can divide your revenue up to 8 shares. So if you have an ensemble or a band, or like in our case a podcast guest, they could also earn fair share from your playbacks. Where does the money come from? It's all explained on the website but to make it simple to understand I have to add that it comes from the miners who verify every transaction on the blockchain using cryptographic software. During the mining process new Musicoins are created too. Imagine, if one day 1 Musicoin would be worth 1 USD? Of course, by then only a fraction of the coin would be paid for the playback to make it feasible. Then I could really see the future where artists could make a living from their music. The sooner you start, the easier it will be, because right now, you will be one of the pioneers, early adopters who will spread the word to early majority who will in turn spread this idea to late majority. Aren't we living in a revolutionary time? Vidas: Let’s start Episode 127 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. Today’s question was sent by Lilla, and she writes:
“Thank you for all your advice about organ playing - especially the pedal virtuoso course that I am taking now. Regarding the arpeggios, is it OK to NOT to follow with both legs, when one foot is playing the highest/lowest notes on the pedal board? I keep my other foot on the note that I need to play when switching legs. For example, in case of B minor arpeggios, I keep my left foot on D while keep playing with the right foot upward and backward. (I followed your suggestion to use the F# minor pedal signs for B minor and it seems to work better).” Isn’t that great, that the f♯ minor pedal version works for b minor, Ausra? Ausra: Yes, excellent. Vidas: Sometimes you get advantages of discovering similarities between the keys and transferring one type of pedaling to another key, which works sometimes with sharps, sometimes with flats. Ausra: Yes, it’s nice. It’s really a big help. Vidas: And saves time. So, her question is about… Ausra: About body position, basically. Vidas: Keeping either one foot in place, or moving that foot, together with another foot, upward and downward. What would you say about that? Ausra: Well, I would say that most of the organ scores would suggest to keep both feet together. Vidas: But in the case of, let’s say, b minor, in the middle of the pedal part, you use both feet. But then, it goes very high. Then, you only need to use the right foot. What about the left foot, then? Ausra: It cannot stay in the middle, I would say. Vidas: I think so, too. Ausra: Because otherwise you might fall down on the pedal, if you will shift your entire body too much to one side. Vidas: It’s an unnecessary burden, I think. Ausra: Sure, yes. Vidas: And in general, it’s quite difficult to keep your balance on the pedalboard while switching directions. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: You have to push off with the opposite foot, to switch direction with your knees, in order to simply not hurt your knees, right? Ausra: Yes. And remember that you must feel comfortable on the organ. Not like on the couch at home--but still, you know, it shouldn’t hurt, and it shouldn’t be very much uncomfortable. And if it feels like that, it means that something might be wrong. Vidas: Should Lilla stick with the virtuoso pedal course, or would it be beneficial for her to supplement her menu with real organ music? Ausra: Well, definitely supplement it with real organ music, because you might get bored by playing exercises. Vidas: And exercises don’t get you real life experiences. Ausra: Sure, sure. Vidas: They’re isolated techniques which develop one certain aspect of your playing, of your skill. Which is good, but in real music, you need all kinds of abilities, right? Ausra: Yes, especially while playing organ, you also need to work on your coordination. Vidas: Mhmm. Ausra: And if you are only playing pedal all the time, your coordination might not be as good. So you need to combine all those practices: do some pedal work, and do some repertoire. Vidas: Maybe play a scale or two, or arpeggio or two, for starters--for warming up. Ausra: Yes, definitely. It would be a good beginning, you know, to warm up. Vidas: And with your fingers, too. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Something technical. For example, I like to kind of...warm up with improvisation nowadays; because I can warm up, and slowly, gradually feel the keyboard. And the pedals too, because I improvise with my feet as well. What about you, Ausra? How do you warm up? Ausra: Heheh. I warm up with dictations--playing to my students! Vidas: “Eight measures!” Ausra: Because I have so many classes that I teach--27 a week!--so I get plenty of warmups, with my hands, at least. Vidas: Do you play this same dictation over and over again, the same day? Or do you have different ones? Ausra: No, I have different classes, so I play different dictations. Some of them--most of them--are actually 3-part dictations; but some are 2-part, and some have only 1 voice. Vidas: Do students like those dictations? Ausra: Oh, no. They hate them. (Most of them.) Vidas: Do you like them? Ausra: Well...yes! Why not? Vidas: And why do you like them and your students don’t? Ausra: Because I can have the music score in front of me, and they just have to write it down by ear, so that’s another story. And they are hard dictations, so I understand why they don’t like them. Vidas: Do they have syncopations? Ausra: Yeah, syncopations… Vidas: Dotted rhythms? Ausra: Suspensions, dotted rhythms, and all kinds of...things... Vidas: They’re like short musical compositions-- Ausra: That’s right. Vidas: Like preludes of 8 measures. Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: And sometimes they do sound like preludes, when they are 3 or 4 parts. Ausra: Yes, those 3-part dictations, you could play them as preludes. Vidas: Mhm. I would even say 2-part dictations sometimes sound convincing. Ausra: Yes, because they have like secondary dominants, and some of them even have modulations. Vidas: So, you teach your students the skills for real-life improvisation, I think. Ausra: Well, yes, but dictations are mainly meant to improve the pitch--musical pitch, hearing. Vidas: Mhm. To help them understand what they’re listening to in real life. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: And that’s not necessarily enough for creating your own music, right? Ausra: That’s right. Vidas: You have another class--harmony-- Ausra: Yes. Vidas: --Which is a transition between playing repertoire, listening to what you play, and then improvising--creating your own music. Harmony is sort of the in-between step, right? Ausra: That’s right. It’s very important, you know. Vidas: Good. So, Lilla should also supplement her exercises, too, with real music, we think. Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: Alright. What about...what about other pedal virtuoso exercises? I have, I think, not only scales there, but also arpeggios over the tonic chord, arpeggios over the dominant 7th chord, arpeggios over the diminished 7th chord; and even, I believe, chromatic scales with single voice and with octaves. So it’s a really comprehensive approach. Not too many people finish what they start, from what I read; but those who do, thank me later. And thank themselves, too. Ausra: Yes. Excellent. Vidas: So, if you have the stamina to succeed, if you really want so badly to develop your ankle flexibility like Marcel Dupré taught, so then playing scales, arpeggios--with one foot and both feet--is very beneficial in the long run. But you have to not forget the real music. Ausra: Yes, definitely. You know, the real music is the most important, I think. All these exercises, they supplement the repertoire very well. Vidas: They are servants for repertoire. Ausra: Sure, yes, yes. Vidas: It’s not the goal to master those exercises. It’s a means--it’s a tool. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: They have to serve you. And if you don’t enjoy playing technical exercises, don’t play them. Right? This is for people who do enjoy them, like Lilla and others--hundreds of others, actually, who love isolated technical exercises. But other people cannot stand them, so they do something else. We need to always find a balance between what we can be passionate about, right--and what we can do long-term. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Thank you guys, this was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This is really fun. And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. 
Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #125!
​​Listen to the conversation
James’ involvement in church music ministry spans over several parishes of the Albury, NSW, area. James enjoys the demanding but rewarding challenges in contributing to the various liturgies of the Christian church and his ongoing development as a recitalist and liturgical organist. James hopes that the organ will be a treasured instrument for many more generations to come. Apart from his musical endeavors, James completed an IT degree from the University of Wollongong and currently works as an Enterprise Systems Engineer at Fairfax Media. He is also strongly interested and skilled in many web related technologies. In fact, his website (jamesfloresorganist.com) was created by James along with the assistance of his talented wife Leysa Flores (Graphic Designer). In this conversation, James shares his insights about his recent 12 recitals in 12 months challenge. And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. If you like it, feel free to subscribe to our channel on Musicoin. By the way, you can upload your own recordings to YOUR channel to maximize revenue. ​ If you have some audio recordings of your organ performances, you can do the same. Feel free to use my invitation link to join Musicoin: https://musicoin.org/accept/MUSICa45e5f26ede2be5dd4411747 Thanks for caring. ​Listen to the conversation Relevant link: jamesfloresorganist.com Vidas: Let’s start Episode 126 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. And today is a very interesting day: we celebrate 6 years of the beginnings of Secrets of Organ Playing! Isn’t that exciting, Ausra?
Ausra: Yes, it's been already 6 years! Wow, time flies. Vidas: Very fast. It seems like a few weeks ago, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: It seems like this September, for example. Remember the first article that I posted on EzineArticles, and started--you were not part of this project yet, but you joined it later, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: By the way, how did you decide to join the Secrets of Organ Playing blog? Ausra: I couldn’t explain how it happened… Vidas: Very naturally, probably--gradually. Ausra: Yes, yes, yes. Vidas: You were helping me behind the scenes with fingerings and pedalings… Ausra: Yes, yes, that’s right. Vidas: And of course... Ausra: I just didn’t want my name appearing somewhere. Vidas: You were too shy, right? Ausra: Yes, I was crypto-editor. Vidas: Crypto-editor! Haha. Ghost editor! But then somehow things changed, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And are you happy about that? Ausra: Very much. Vidas: I sense that since you have started doing this together with me, our conversations became more lively online; and people, I think, get more out of this discussion than myself--I would write just a one-sided article, and now sometimes we disagree, we sometimes have discussion; and people can choose which one they like more, which version. Ausra: Heheheh. Yes, that’s right. It’s always good to have an argument, and compare things. Vidas: So, we would like to thank you guys very much for sticking with us for 6 years now, and we hope to help you grow as an organist even further in upcoming years, and help you reach your goals, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And now, going back to the question that was sent by Irineo: he writes: “Hello back there maestro Pinkevicius, thank you for your interesting email. I have a couple of questions though. 1. How can I upload one of my pieces to Musicoin? I have it recorded in my iTunes, so I guess I should first transfer it to my laptop and then upload it to the site, am I correct? Do I need some kind of software to do so? If that's the case, which one would you suggest and where can I get ahold of it, please? 2. I also wrote lyrics for that piece. Therefore I suspect it might be classified a short Chorale. I have to translate it into English as well but, do you think I should upload its original lyrics as well as the translated version? Thank you so much in advance. Also send warm greetings to maestra Ausra please. Keep up the good work, you both! Very truly yours, Irineo” So, isn’t that exciting, Ausra, that people are joining Musicoin? Ausra: Yes! Very exciting! Vidas: You joined Musicoin, too. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Why? Ausra: Because you suggested that, and I agreed! Vidas: Hahahaha! Do you find value in that program? Ausra: Yes, I think it’s much more beneficial than the others. Vidas: Like, if you put your music on SoundCloud, what do you get? Nothing. You simply have to pay monthly or annual membership fees for that, but you don’t get anything in return. What do you get for putting your music on Facebook? Ausra: Nothing. Vidas: Nothing, too! They actually put advertisements on top of your posts, and you become a product for them! So basically it’s a lose-lose situation for an artist. What about YouTube? YouTube does pay for views, and it makes a little bit of sense, right? A very insignificant amount compared to Musicoin. But it still does, so it’s, I guess, it’s one of those things you have to consider. What about Spotify? Spotify, I guess--I’ve heard that for 1 million--for 1 million--listens or playbacks, an artist gets $400. That’s nothing. For 1 million! You know, the majority of people will never get to a million. Ausra: Of course, it’s hard to get a million! Vidas: And then $400--that’s nothing compared to the work that is required to get to such a number, right? And Musicoin, with every listen on the Musicoin platform, an artist gets (right now) 1 Musicoin. (That’s their currency.) And 1 Musicoin currently is worth about 1.8c. And sometimes it rises in value, and sometimes it decreases in value, as with any cryptocurrency. But I guess, in general, the more people join this platform, the more valuable it will become in the future--right Ausra? Ausra: Yes, that’s everything. Vidas: It’s basically, the demand grows, and basically a supply and demand rule. So, it’s worth doing that for organists as well. You simply upload your tracks--it could be mp3 tracks, for now, only--and you watch your Musicoins come in. That’s very exciting. Ausra: Yes, that’s right. Vidas: Of course, you have to share--share your work all over the place so that people will find you. Right Ausra? Ausra: Because if you will not share, nobody will Know about you. Vidas: And another good thing about the Musicoin platform is that it’s built on so-called Blockchain technology, which enables them to create smart contracts: automatic contracts where you can specify which proportion of your revenue will go to you, and which proportion will go to, let’s say, your partners (if you have a band or ensemble or a small choir or something). Right now, you have to subdivide your revenue in 8 shares. So right now, for example, these podcasts with Ausra--we divide it in half. One half goes to Ausra, and one goes to me, because we both participate in this--right Ausra? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Even though you say “yes,” you still get one Musicoin! Ausra: Okay, okay! Vidas: Or half a Musicoin. Ausra: I can give all my Musicoins to you, and make you happy! Vidas: Hahahaha. I know! But that’s not the point! The point is that you have the choice of doing this. Ausra: I know, but the thing is that you get such a technical question as this, the thing is that you are just more experienced. You know, all those programs, and internet stuff. Vidas: Or, maybe you have other questions that arise when I talk? You could ask! Ausra: Hahaha, maybe not now. Vidas: Good! Ausra: Let’s just answer Irineo’s question. Vidas: So, he writes that he wants to use the pieces that he uploaded to iTunes, right? And repurpose them on Musicoin. Ausra: How should he do this? Vidas: So, he simply has to transfer mp3s from iTunes. And there was, I think--I found an article online, “How to Download from iTunes,” and you can simply read the directions there. Ausra: Yes. And also, the second half of Irineo’s question was about either he needs to put the original lyrics, or just an English translation. So I think he definitely has to include both. Vidas: Yeah, to expand his audience. Ausra: Yes, yes, of course. Vidas: Some people will want to listen to the English version. And others--why not include the original language, too? And specify in tags, you could specify the language: English or another language. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: We could even submit a Lithuanian chorale, too. Ausra: Yes. It’s like watching movies, like for example, I love to watch a movie in the original language. It gives me much more, even if it’s a language I don’t know well enough, like French, for example. Vidas: And, to expand your audience, you can actually include an English translation in the description box. Even though the original track is in another language, people could click and read the English version, too. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Everybody wins, this way! So, we hope this was helpful, right Ausra? Ausra: I hope so! Vidas: Don’t hesitate to use our invitation link to join Musicoin. And please, of course, invite other people--that’s how this platform grows; that’s how, in general, it becomes more valuable to you and to everyone. Because it’s a network; your songs, your music, get in front of many more people this way, inside of the platform of Musicoin, just like on YouTube or iTunes. And of course, you get paid for each listen. That’s fair treatment for every musician, I think. Thank you guys, this was Vidas! Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.  I improvised this gentle piece first for the Communion of the memorial service of Lithuanian journalist Rokas Zilinskas on June 10, 2017 at Vilnius University St John's church which you can listen to on YouTube: Then I came back home and started to transcribe it to the Sibelius notation software from this video. Although the tempo is rather slow, the process was painstakingly difficult. So I decided to improvise it fresh, this time straight to the Sibelius.
What came out was a shorter version (ca. 5 minutes of duration) gentle piece suitable for Communion or recital. I dedicate it to Dr. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra, organist, improviser, composer, pedagogue, mentor, friend. The soft strings remind me of Angels flapping their wings. The dialogue between two flutes is like two Seraphims talking to each other in thought. The dark 16' and 8' chord combination give a glimpse of mysteries invisible above the clouds in the dusk. 7 pages. PDF score. Intermediate level. You can check it out here. Let me know if you'll enjoy playing it! Vidas: Let’s start Episode 125 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. And this question was sent by Peter. He writes:
“My challenges are lack of time, and spending/wasting time on other things(!) i.e. lack of willpower. And I think I need to improve my sight-reading if I am going to improve my overall organ-playing. Also, I hate most 'modern' organ-music. On this subject,it might be interesting if you could explain, in one of your blogs, what anybody 'sees' in sour-sounding, discordant 'modern' music. You know the kind I mean - where you are not sure if the player is making lots of wrong notes, or is this what it is supposed to sound like? Many highly competent professionals like this kind of music, but why? One such person said to me, "It's probably more satisfying to play than to listen to." In that case, why play it to an audience? Another said, "Well, I like it, and I'm going to play what I like." (He meant in a recital.) Is it any wonder that the organ is right at the bottom of the pile, in popularity, with the general public? Where I live, if we get an audience of 40 to a recital, that's very good. Usually, it's 20 or under. The idea is dying on its feet and a lot of it has to do with the kind of music people play, as well as the way in which they play it. (There's another topic for discussion - how is it that some people can play all their pieces absolutely accurately, and the performance is dull and boring, and someone else plays with a few mistakes, but it's exciting and attractive? 'Music' certainly is fascinating, as a subject.) I think you may agree with me that, the basic 'purpose' of music - any music - is to create emotion in the mind of the listener. But if that emotion is one of irritation, annoyance and unpleasantness, why would anyone want to repeat the experience? It makes no sense.” It’s a complex question, right Ausra? Ausra: Well, yes; a very broad one. Vidas: In general, I think Peter struggles with modern music comprehension, probably, and discovering the beauty of it. Ausra: Yes. That’s a tricky question to answer, because the term “modern music” is so broad. There are such different types of music in this “modern” organ music. Vidas: There is no longer a mainstream. Ausra: Yes, that’s right, so it’s very hard to describe. But I guess, you know, maybe modern music’s problem is probably too many dissonances. Vidas: Dissonances which people don’t know how to handle in their mind Ausra: Yes. Vidas: They don’t know what they mean; they don’t feel the resolution of the dissonances. Or maybe composers don’t resolve them anymore. Ausra: Yes. And of course, another trouble with modern music is that some of it actually just lost the form of it; and it’s very hard to listen, sometimes, to music which has no shape. Not like sonata form, where you have like 2 main subjects, and then another subject, and then you have all that exposition, and then you have the development of these themes, and then after that recapitulation comes back. Then you have a clear subject, and you can refer to it all the time. Even in a fugue. I don’t think very many listeners appreciate the fugue so much; but still, because you have a subject and it appears over and over again, it makes a fugue bearable to the listener. Vidas: Haha. Good term--“making fugue bearable.” This could be a tagline of some music website or for one of our recitals. Ausra: Well...Okay, and even listening to Bach’s Art of the Fugue, it’s hard work. Of course, you can appreciate such music the better you know it. So if you go to a concert where you know that modern music will be on the program, I suggest you do some research yourself, if you want to really appreciate it. Maybe find a score, or listen to a recording on YouTube, if that’s possible. Or at least maybe you will find a story of how that piece was written. Because sometimes, understanding what the composer felt at that particular moment of this particular composition may light it in another light, and you may understand it better. Vidas: And sometimes it’s a problem of communication, right? Performers don’t make an effort to introduce the music to the audience, either in spoken form or in text, as program notes. So less-experienced concert goers don’t know what to think during such a dissonant performance. Ausra: Yes. And I think another problem is that so much music is written already, that new composers, they try to do something differently. But actually, it’s hard to find something different, and do something differently; because as I said, 700 years of organ music, so...it’s very hard to find something new. So sometimes they want to make it as horrible as possible, to make it sound “new.” Vidas: I think originality is a complex question. Everyone wants to be original, but everything was created before, right? We just repeat history in a new way, perhaps. So the best way to be original, actually, is to combine old things--several things, not one, but several things, in a new and unexpected way; and then you will be original. Ausra: Well, and you know, composers did that time after time, in history, if you look back. It’s sort of, for example, like Romantic composers. They got inspiration not from the Classical music that was just before the Romantic period, but from the Baroque period. And what the Classicals did was, they found inspiration not in Baroque music but in Renaissance music--which was pre-Baroque. So...And they took some things of those old times, and put some new ideas into them. And it worked fairly nicely. Vidas: And I think people like Peter could benefit from sightreading modern music more. Literally taking it apart, and looking at the scores, and seeing how it’s put together helps to appreciate it when you hear it. He wrote that somebody he knows said that it’s probably more pleasant to play it than to listen to it, right? So...which means that he needs to play it more, simply. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And then he will be able to appreciate modern music more. I’m not saying he should go on a modern music diet… Ausra: Oh, no! Definitely not! Vidas: For the record. But just to include some pieces in your sightreading menu would be helpful. Ausra: Yes. And another thing, I think, is that organists who perform only modern music are making a large mistake. I think they are losing audience, because if you want to play modern music, it’s okay, but you have to keep the right proportion. For example, if you are planning a recital, and it’s an hour long, I would suggest that your modern music wouldn’t take more than 10--well, at the most,15 minutes of your entire recital. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: And don’t play it at the beginning, because your audience will leave right away! Vidas: You know, it’s another very complex question for people who choose to voluntarily play only modern music in their repertoire. For example, my friends James D. Hicks and Carson Cooman, they are known to perform only pieces that are created recently. James D. Hicks is playing (all over the world!) music from the Nordic countries, and Carson Cooman is a champion for avant garde music and modern music in general. So you could actually build a brand for yourself, of being the one who performs such music. And I don’t think that they worry about losing audience who don’t like such music, right? Because it’s simply not for them. Don’t you think, Ausra? Ausra: Well, yes and no… Vidas: It depends on your goals. If you want to please everyone, then of course, playing only modern music doesn’t help. Ausra: But what about pleasing yourself? For example, I could not just play modern music. Vidas: That’s why you don’t play modern music only. Ausra: I know. Although, I like modern music, and I have played it quite a lot, actually. Vidas: But then, imagine a situation where a person only plays music of dead composers--not only dead composers, but who lived a hundred years ago, two hundred years ago--three or four hundred years ago! If everybody would play this, then the advancement of organ art would be on a minimal scale. Probably creativity would be diminished, in general, in the organ world, because we would be repeating only museum-like performances! Ausra: You know, I don’t think it would be a huge disadvantage for organ music if none of the new pieces would be written, starting from this day on, because there are so many masterpieces already that you wouldn’t be able to play all of them in your entire life, even if you would live for like 200 years. Vidas: This is true. But what about for a composer, who feels the need to create something, to let it out into the world--what about them? Ausra: Well, that’s a tricky question--you got me! Vidas: So, what I meant is, everybody needs to be creative in some way, probably--to spend our days not only in consuming things, but also creating things. Performing music is one of the ways we consume music, and creating music (either in written form or in improvised form) is one of the creative endeavors. So, you could create, actually, stylistically old-fashioned music if you like it, right? It doesn’t diminish your creativity, if you like this particular style. But I think that people who create sooner or later become a little bit dissatisfied with repeating old styles. They want to create something which has never been created before. Ausra: You know, nowadays there are so many composers that I think you will be lucky if after you compose a piece, somebody will actually perform it. You don’t get much chance of that, knowing how competitive this field is. Vidas: Oh, this is another question probably too broad to answer today, but: in this global world, where everybody can create and everybody can share, and many people are doing this, so it’s getting more crowded every day, right--this global world of music? So then, the only way to get noticed, actually, is to stand out--to not follow where everybody else is going, but to lead, to do your own thing, to find your own voice. Ausra: And what I could suggest to Peter is: for example, if he decides to play some modern organ music, choose that modern organ music which was composed by organist composers. Because they actually know how to treat the instrument well. Vidas: Yes. Ausra: Because I have seen many organ compositions that were not composed by organist composers, and they were just disasters, because you can find things that are impossible to play well on the organ, and it sounds bad. But organist composers, that’s another thing. They know how to treat the instrument well. Vidas: What would be one composer you think would sound perhaps satisfactory enough for Peter, for starters? Ausra: Petr Eben maybe? Vidas: His music is not too challenging--not too dissonant? Ausra: Well… Vidas: He is dissonant. Ausra: He is dissonant, but he knows how to treat the organ. Vidas: What about Charles Tournemire? Ausra: Yes, Tournemire also. Vidas: I’m sightreading every day now from his cycle, “L’Orgue Mystique”. And I find that some of his meditations are quite simple in structure and very modal, and therefore sound quite sweet. So, a lot of French composers also do that modal, sweet writing, which you might find helpful, too. Thank you guys, this was very interesting. Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas! Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.  Would you like to improve your pedal technique in 10 days?
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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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