#AskVidasAndAusra 2: Solving problems when accompanying the choir on the organ from the distance6/18/2017
This morning Ausra and I went to the woods for our 10000 step practice and we recorded episode 2 of #AskVidasAnd Ausra.
Today's question was sent by Rory who is our Total Organist student. Here's what he wrote: "Dear Vidas and Ausra, First of all, by the way, thank you for all you do and special congratulations on reaching 100 podcasts! My question: in our parish we are in the early stages of planning a musical event featuring choir and organ and also some organ solos. It is a small church with a low gallery (total seating about 300).The choir, about 25 people, normally sing from just in front of the organ, which stands at the back of the gallery. This is good acoustically. We do not have a conductor - the organ leads the choir directly. It works well, but for this concert type of event we find a problem. Both the choir and the organist would be invisible to the downstairs audience the whole time, so we have been experimenting with locating the choir on the altar steps, but at that distance it is difficult for the choir to hear the organ clearly enough above their own voices, unless the organ plays very loudly - which becomes out of balance for the audience. I wonder if you have any comment from all your experience? Have you ever used a camera to project a view of choir and/or organist, using a screen in front of the audience perhaps? Any thoughts welcome! Many thanks! Rory" Listen to #AskVidasAndAusra 2 IMPORTANT: If you would like us to answer your questions for #AskVidasAndAusra and share on this blog, please post them as comments and not through email. Make sure you add a hashtag #AskVidasAndAusra because otherwise your question might get lost among many other comments people leave. With the hashtag #AskVidasAndAusra we'll know exactly you want us to answer them in the correct place. We are looking forward to helping you reach your dreams. Are you excited as much as we are? You should be. And remember... When you practice, miracles happen. Vidas and Ausra (Get free updates of new posts here) TRANSCRIPT Vidas: Hello guys, this is Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And we are starting our episode number 2 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. We're taking our 10,000 step practice in the woods here, and you can hear the birds singing around us. It's a really wonderful Sunday morning. Mosquitoes are everywhere, but this morning I'm smarter. Now I'm wearing long pants and they have no chance of biting me. Ausra, how are you this morning? Ausra: I'm okay. Vidas: Are you ready to answer people's questions today? Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Did you have fun yesterday? Ausra: Yes, I did. Vidas: Good. We had quite a few comments based on our first episode, and it was really fun and people started to responding, and sending many other questions during the day with the #AskVidasAndAusra. If you are trying to reach us and send more questions, feel free to do that in the comments of this post, or any other post of this blog. Make sure you write a hashtag, #AskVidasAndAusra, because otherwise your question might get lost. Now, the question for today was sent by Rory, and he asks, and he has this situation. He's preparing for the event in his church. Around 300 people will be seated in this church, and usually they sing with a choir and with the organ. Organ is in the balcony, and choir is positioned in front, but they have no conductor there, so they have this issue of keeping the pulse together and singing together, but I think they can do this. His main concern is that people will not see the organist, because it's behind them, and the choir will be hidden, too. So Rory asks if it's a good idea to perhaps broadcast both the organ and the choir on the screen in front of the audience, in front of the congregation. We'll talk about that. First of all, Ausra, what do you think? Is it a good idea to record the organ and broadcast it on the screen? I think, for me, it would be very simple idea and quite doable, right? But you have to have cables for that, equipment. I presume Rory has the technology to do that in the church. For that they need, of course, a video camera. Ausra: I think I misunderstood this question, because the question I think was that, usually during like services, choir stands next to the organ and actually organ leads their singing. In this particular musical event, I believe that the choir will be downstairs, not next to the organ. Vidas: Okay. Ausra: I think. I don't know. Vidas: Let's continue. I think, yeah, the balance also will be the problem if the choir is downstairs. The organist will have a hard time of keeping the rhythm, the pulse together with the choir, which he will be positioned so far away, I think. They will have to rehearse quite a bit during that week leading prior to the event. Do you think, Ausra, that it will be possible for them to sing at such a distance? Ausra: Well, it's very complicated, actually. They definitely have to rehearse a lot. Like media technology would probably be a big help, and maybe the only solution they can do it. If it would be like a professional choir, I would suggest to use Alternatim practice, no while singing - to play like one verse on the organ, and then one verse do with a choir, but if choir is some professional, that's probably a hard thing to do because to sing a cappella is always very hard. Technology might be the only help. Vidas: By technology, what do you mean? Ausra: To project it on the screen and then the organist could see the choir and the choir could see the organist. Vidas: And the people could see everything, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Right away. Yeah, that's what actually Rory also suggests. He has to investigate if they have technical means to do that. I presume they have to have a long cable to extend from the video camera, which would be positioned next to the organist on the balcony. This cable should go down the balcony and to the front of the church or the middle of the church, where the projector will be positioned. That's a long cable they have to calculate, but I think it's doable. Ausra: Yes, it is. In general, this is one of the hardest things how to stay together for organ and for choir when stand up apart in our churches. The larger the church is the harder it is to get the right balance. Vidas: That's why they have choir organs, right? Ausra: Yes. Another solution would be maybe just to rent an electronic organ, which I personally don't like so much and to put it downstairs next to the choir. Vidas: If they can't sing a cappella well without accompaniment. Good solution. Yeah. Rory has to investigate all those options and choose the one that seems least complicated for the present situation, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Okay. Let's move on. Now, we're taking this walk further. Mosquitoes are not biting today. I'm now wearing my long pants and they have no chance of biting me. I'm smarter this morning, but still we have to move faster because they're all around us. Ausra, did you have a good practice yesterday of Piece d’Orgue? Ausra: Yes, I did have a good practice. Actually yesterday I practiced a lot. Probably I will skip my practice today. Vidas: How are you feeling today regarding practice? Your body hurts, or not? Ausra: No, it doesn't hurt, but I feel exhausted. Vidas: Would you rather skip the practice today altogether, or would you say create some of the duets that we are going to prepare for our upcoming- Ausra: We have to do it, because the time is pressing us. Vidas: Yeah, we have a few new duets by, written by Ad Wammes, the Dutch composer and our friend and Carlotta Ferrari from Italy recently dedicated a piece for us for four hands, which we will try to incorporate in our upcoming recital in August. We have to sight read this and see if it's fits the program. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Wonderful. I didn't practice yesterday because I was at the funeral of the dad of my colleague. We have a number of organist friends there. Afterwards, we went to the recital of Hayo Boerema from the Netherlands, which was part of the Vilnius Festival. We heard so beautiful improvisation and wonderful other pieces. In fact, I interviewed Hayo for Secrets of Organ Playing podcast a few days ago when he just arrived in Vilnius. So guys, stay tuned for this podcast number 101, which will be wonderful interview for you to get to know Hayo and his thoughts about improvisation. Anything else you want to add and to wish, Ausra, today for our listeners and students? Ausra: Just to wish you to have a nice Sunday. Vidas: And should they practice today something or take a day off? Ausra: Many of them will play in church, so I assume so. Vidas: That counts as practice, right? Ausra: Yes, that counts as practice, yes. Vidas: Excellent. So guys, thank you so much for listening to this. Please, send out your questions to us by sending the comments to this post and make sure you include #AskVidasAndAusra. This is very important because otherwise your question might get lost. This will be a wonderful. Rory, of course, is a student of ours at Total Organist. Right now, we have a limited time offer, where you can try Total Organist for free for 30 days and see if you like it and decide to keep it, if you enjoy it. If not, if it's not for you, you will not be charged for the entire month. It's really, extremely great way to get to know the value of this membership program. You will find hundreds of programs and trainings and thousands of videos and exercises, which will relate to any area of organ playing, and actually, help you reach your dreams much faster than you would do this on your own. This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And we wish you a wonderful Sunday. See you online very, very soon.  Does you hymn playing sound too choppy in dry acoustics? Or perhaps you play so legato that you even forget to breath at the end of the line? Or maybe your congregation can't hear the melody or the bass well further into the church? These are not the only problems you might face so today I'll give you some solutions to apply in your hymn playing.
1. Articulate in hymns created before ca. 1800s. 2. Play legato in hymns created after ca. 1800s. 3. Lift the last note of the phrase for breathing. 4. In legato hymns, shorten the repeated notes by half (even in the middle parts). 5. Articulated hymns should not sound choppy at all. Adjust the spaces from organ to organ, from acoustics to acoustics (don't worry - it comes naturally from experience with multiple organs so try to get acquainted with as many instruments as you can). 6. In articulated hymns, make the meter paramount - aim for alternation of strong and weak beats by shortening the weak beat but making very little space between strong and weak beats. 7. Give the bass line more gravity by adding a little bit more of 16' and 8' stops (if needed). 8. If the soprano part doesn't sound strong enough out in the church, try playing it on another manual with the solo registration (alto and tenor could be played with the left hand). 9. Try adding a 16' stop for the soprano line to help the men hear the melody sounding one octave lower. 10. Sometimes people register the hymns too soft - experiment with Principal Chorus with mixtures and 16' reed in the pedals. This way people will feel that you're leading and feel compelled to sing from their hearts. 11. To make registration changes easier, play different stanzas on different manuals and prepare the stop changes ahead of time. 12. Leading is not the same as following - don't drag and play a split second ahead of the people (but don't rush). 13. The best way to lead is when you can almost play the hymn harmonization from memory. In fact, memorize one hymn and compare its performance with the others. 14. Make the last note of the stanza and the rest that follows very rhythmical - there could be a fermata on the note, but still keep counting. Then the congregation will feel confident when to start singing the next stanza. 15. Try to imagine how the congregation hears the result and not how it sounds next to the organ. Apply these tips in your hymn playing and be mindful of the acoustics of the church. Remember, it's not what you do but what the people hear that counts. Church organists very often have to provide organ accompaniments to choir pieces and anthems every week. In other words, the organist has to be able to sight-read an unfamiliar organ score really well and to do it fluently during the public performance such as church service.
In order to be able to play organ accompaniments every week without stress and anxiety, you have to be able to sight-read really well so my first recommendation is to develop your organ sight-reading skills. The best way to achieve fluency in sight-reading is to practice playing new pieces regularly. However, remember that you have to be systematic about sight-reading. Otherwise this practice will not work and you will not develop the skills that you need to play organ accompaniments easily. Take a collection of organ music that you love and start playing one page a day. Don't play all the parts and voices right away because most likely that will be too difficult for you. What you have to do is to try to play just one single line and do this for the entire collection for a few weeks. When this will become easy, go back to the beginning of this collection and start playing another line or part. So little by little you will be able to play the entire organ collection by playing just one line. The next step would be to play two parts or voices at the time and later three voices and finally the entire four-part texture. Remember to proceed to the next step only when the previous step will become easy. Do this in your every-day practice for 15 minutes a day and in short nine months you will easily achieve the level when you can play any organ accompaniment during your church service fluently and without stress. Many church organists have to deal with choir directors every week. Their duties include interacting with directors, accompanying the choir during rehearsals and services. Even concert organists often play the organ part in choir concerts. Knowing what to expect from the choir conductor might save them much time in preparation and frustration in performance. In this article, I will share with you 4 things that are common for many choir directors and conductors which every organist should be aware of.
Conductors often like fast tempos. Very often choir directors take too fast tempos when performing with the organ. In a church setting, we have to be aware not only of the original tempo indication but also of the acoustics of the space. If your church has huge reverberation, chances are that the tempo has to be more moderate, even though it is written allegro, vivo, or vivacein the score. If your choir director forgets about adjusting to the acoustics, politely remind him or her about that. Conductors might forget to show when the organist should to start playing. It is not uncommon that the choir director is under a lot of stress during rehearsal or performance because there is so much to think about. Among the things that they might forget to indicate is the organ entrance. This might happen if the choir part enters after the organ. Be prepared for such situation and ask politely if they could show you the organ entrance. Conductors might forget to show when the organist should stop playing. This issue is the exact opposite of the previous point. If the choir finishes the piece earlier than the organist, normally you would expect that choir director would show the ending for the organ part as well. However, be prepared to finish on your own. This is OK, if both of you have mutual understanding. Otherwise discuss this issue with your conductor during the rehearsal. This might save you some guessing and frantic movements in a stressful performance situation. Conductors do not always wait for registration changes. Although the organist often has to change registration during the piece by hand, not every choir director will be aware of the challenge of this task. They might start a new episode or even a different piece without waiting for organ stop changes. If you feel that you need more time in order to successfully change your registration, politely ask your conductor to wait for you. Looking at the mirror and having eye contact always helps. Keep these things in mind when working with your choir director either in the rehearsal, service or a concert. As a result, your performance be more successful. The practical techniques of accompanying the choir with or without a conductor are discussed in Organ Technique: Modern and Early by George Ritchie and George Stauffer which I highly recommend. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. In many churches, in addition to playing the organ organists must also lead the choir. This often happens in smaller congregations were funds are limited to hire a separate choir director. Conducting and leading the choir require very different skills and education than that of an organist. Today I would like to give you some advice on how to lead the choir and play the organ at the same time.
Lead with Your Head When you play the organ and want to be able to conduct the choir, you can lead with your head. This means that whenever you need to show your choristers the entrances, simply use your head movements. Similarly, your choir members will know from your head when to stop singing. Just imagine that your head is your arm and make small but exact movements. In order to show your choir the entrance, try to move your head downward and at the same instant upward with one crisp motion. Play Three Voices in the Right Hand If you play the hymn on the organ and need to conduct your choir, you will need at least one free hand to do that. This means that you should take soprano, alto, and tenor in the right hand (because the hymn tune is in soprano) and play the bass with your feet on the pedals. However, quite often you will find that because of the open chord position, it is not possible to play more than two voices with one hand. If this is the case, another option would be to rearrange the chord position into a close position. In open position chord, the three upper voices can be more than an interval of the fourth but not more than an octave apart. The simplest means to achieve the close position while maintaining the soprano part intact is by flipping the alto and tenor voices. Imagine a C major chord in an open position, such as c-g-e1-c2. The alto takes the e1 and the tenor – g which requires two hands to play the chord. Now flipping the alto with the tenor you will get c-e1-g1-c2 and you can play the three upper notes with the right hand easily. The entire hymn can be rearranged this way while preserving the original voice leading. This technique takes some practice, of course. Conduct with the Left Hand Now when you play with your feet and your right hand only, you can conduct with the left hand. Simply use whatever scheme you need to conduct the meter properly. Use your free hand to show choir entrances and stops also. You can even make some dynamics with your free hand. If your movements are small, your choir will sing softly. To achieve a stronger sound, use wider movements. Make sure that you point to the correct portion of your choir if only a part of it is entering at any particular spot. Practice Conducting and Playing at the Same Time If you try to conduct and play at the same time, you will notice right away how tricky it might be. It is very easy to hit the wrong notes or start conducting incorrectly or both. This happens because your hands must accomplish very different tasks. In other words, you need to achieve hand coordination. Perhaps even more importantly, your brain must also do the same. In order to achieve the fluency while conducting and playing at the same time, you will need to practice your movements. Practice your hymns or anthems ahead of time. Repeat the small sections as many times as you need to do them correctly at least three times in a row. Then combine the shorter fragments into longer episodes. The practical techniques of accompanying the choir with or without a conductor are discussed in Organ Technique: Modern and Early by George Ritchie and George Stauffer which I highly recommend. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. For many church organists, service playing involves not only performing hymns but also accompanying choir in anthems. One of the main difficulties in playing choral accompaniments on the organ is the legato touch. Although many different kinds of articulation are used in accompanying the choir on the organ, the legato is the most common. Without the proper legato the music might sound too choppy. In this article, I would like to give you some advice on how to achieve legato in playing anthems and choral accompaniments on the organ.
Write in Fingering Very often people do not play with a good legato because they do not know the best fingering. Because it is harder to use the proper fingering if it is not written in the score, I suggest that you write in your fingering. It is especially important that places which are the most difficult in achieving legato would be fully fingered. Do not hesitate to change the fingering if you find a better solution. However, erase the old markings and write in the new ones as you practice for best results. The same applies for the pedal part, of course. Finger Substitution Finger substitution is generally accepted as the most common means to achieve a perfect legato on the organ. However, it should be used wisely. For example, most often there is no need to apply finger substitution in a one voice passage because the legato can be achieved by using position, scale and arpeggio fingering in such a case. However, for episodes which require playing more than one voice in one hand, you can use finger substitution technique. Basically how it works is like this. While holding the same key with one finger, you substitute it with another finger. In chromatic music, this technique can work on chords where you substitute more than one finger at a time (double or even triple substitution). Finger Glissando If finger substitution cannot be achieved and all your fingers are busy, another option would be to use finger glissando. With this technique, you slide from one key to another using only one finger. In some cases, double glissando is also a possibility (sliding from two sharp keys to two natural keys). However, make sure that there is no other way to achieve the legato besides glissando. Quite often you can take the burden of one hand by playing a few notes with another hand. Whatever you choose, always write in your solution in the score. Finger Crossing Like finger glissando, finger crossing is not a very popular technique but sometimes it is necessary to use it. In finger crossing, you place the longer finger over the shorter one and vice versa. This technique is useful in playing wider intervals, like sixths, sevenths, and octaves legato. Usually finger crossing works best with fingers 3, 4, and 5. If you take my advice, write in fingering and use finger substitution, glissando, or crossing in your choral accompaniments, you can achieve a perfect legato even with small hands. More often than not the legato playing depends not on the size of the hands but on the choice of the fingering. The practical techniques of accompanying the choir with or without a conductor are discussed in Organ Technique: Modern and Early by George Ritchie and George Stauffer which I highly recommend. By the way, do you want to learn to play the King of Instruments - the pipe organ? If so, download my FREE video guide: "How to Master Any Organ Composition" in which I will show you my EXACT steps, techniques, and methods that I use to practice, learn and master any piece of organ music. |
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 Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
Authors
Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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