 A few days ago I sat down on the organ bench at Vilnius University St. John's church and improvised this Sanctus from Missa IX (Cum Jubilo). Hope you will enjoy it the beautiful Trompete stop of the largest pipe organ in Lithuania! Join this channel to get access to perks such as custom weekly members-only tutorials and others: www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg
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 Last Wednesday some students at our Vilnius University Unda Maris studio were late and we decided to use the time available wisely. We sat down on the organ bench and improvised a couple of pieces. Today Vidas and I would like to share with you our duet improvisation Pleasant Pastorale. Hope you will enjoy it! We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/ausramotuzaite My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pXxZgiFPMKiqBRYi9rSLT?si=Xe1nTroTSmOGPtv8bP8MSw  A few days ago I sat down on the organ bench at Vilnius University St. John's church and improvised this Gloria from Missa IX (Cum Jubilo). Hope you will enjoy it! Join this channel to get access to perks such as custom weekly members-only tutorials and others: www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg  I hope you will enjoy my improvisation on Kyrie from Missa de Angelis which I recorded at Vilnius University St. John's church. I'm reading the music from Gregorian chant notation. It's easier to play from it: it only has 4 lines and no 16th notes haha! Join this channel to get access to perks such as custom weekly members-only tutorials and others: www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg  It's Saturday and it's time for my weekly improvisation video. Today I'd like to share with you Sanctus in Tempore Paschali from Graduale Romanum. Hope you will enjoy these beautiful sounds of the great organ at Vilnius University St. John's church! Join this channel to get access to perks such as custom weekly members-only tutorials and others: www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/join We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg  After Unda Maris organ studio rehearsal at Vilnius University St. John's church this week I decided to improvise a little and what came out was this video on Stabat Mater Gregorian chant tune. It juxtaposes two elements - a light chant episode and a dark minor third relationship episode. Hope you will enjoy it! We support Ukraine: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: https://PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: https://www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: https://www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! https://organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg  Join me on a journey of sound and spirit as I improvise on the breathtakingly beautiful Rauschquinte and Oboe stops at the historic Panevezys Christ Church Cathedral. Let the colourful modal harmonies and enchanting melodies transport you to a world of wonder and awe. Experience the power and majesty of this magnificent instrument as I explore its limitless potential for expression and creativity. Don't miss this special improvisation "Celestial Grace" that will hopefully touch your soul! Thanks to Maestro Antanas Šauklys who let me try out this beautiful 3 manual and pedal organ built by Bruno Goebel from Königsberg in 1931! More information about the organ: vargonai.lt/vargonai_panevezys_katedra.htm We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg This improvisation on the hymn tune Amazing Grace is dedicated to the memory of Aleksas Speičys who died one month ago today. I improvised it almost a month ago at Panevėžys Christ the King Cathedral on the 3 manual and pedal organ built by Bruno Goebel from Königsberg in 1931. Thanks to cathedral organist, choirmaster and organ builder Antanas Šauklys for letting me play this colourful historical organ!
More information about the organ: vargonai.lt/vargonai_panevezys_katedra.htm We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg 
Vidas: Hello and welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast!
Ausra: This is a show dedicated to helping you become a better organist. V: We’re your hosts Vidas Pinkevicius... A: ...and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene. V: We have over 25 years of experience of playing the organ A: ...and we’ve been teaching thousands of organists online from 89 countries since 2011. V: So now let’s jump in and get started with the podcast for today. A: We hope you’ll enjoy it! V: Hi guys! This is Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 700 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Pedro, and he writes Hello Vidas, I have just started watching your channel. I am 50 years old, but still a baby organist. Thank you for your score on the meditation "Nun komm der Heiden Heiland.". I bought it as soon as I watched you play it. I will probably play it several times this Advent. 1. My dream is to improve my improvisation techniques. I think this goes through more music analysis, and trying to write down small pieces. I would also like to be more confident when choosing the appropriate registration. And finally I would like to change my finger touch, that is still one of a trained pianist. 2. Things that hold me to reach that goal is : Time to play more often and access to an organ. Thank you, Pedro So Ausra, this is our 700th episode. Congratulations to everyone! A: Oh yes, congratulations to everybody, and to us, that we have so much patience to do so many podcasts. But actually, it was a fun, fun ride. V: Yeah. And now Pedro wants to know how to improve his improvisation techniques. Let’s talk about that for starters. A: Yes, you know, if I would be Pedro, I wouldn’t waste my time by writing down any type of compositions, because it takes very much of your time, a lot of the time, actually, and that doesn’t give you much confidence in improvisation. Actually what you could really do to spend more time at the keyboard and to do some harmony exercises, to play some cadences, to do some transpositions, or to play sequences. V: You’re right, Ausra. I think harmony is the foundation of improvisation and Pedro would do really well to practice it first. Not to spend entire time on harmony of course. He needs to create those pieces and improvise them. But harmony will give him a good start, obviously. The starting point, step one for me, would be to figure out what he wants to do with improvisation because there are many other, many goals in improvisation, many styles, many genres, and practical applications, right? So you first have to figure out what would you like to learn, right, practically, how to apply it. And then once you know that, you take the baby steps towards your goal. A: Yes, very well said, Vidas. V: For example, some people don’t like chorale-based improvisation and they start with free types of melodies. But a lot of organists enjoy church melodies and hymns and chorales, and that’s where they should start, obviously. A: I think it’s much easier to start to improvise on a given melody, as you take a hymn tune and work on it, and around it. At least that you don’t have to worry about creating your own melody. So I think it’s easier to start with improvising on the hymn tunes. V: Agreed. And to keep things simple, I would just probably stick to two voices at first. Soprano would be the melody from the hymn tune, and the bass in the left hand could be the foundation notes of the harmony. Note against note, right? We have a course like this. It's called Hymn Improvisation Level 1. A: Yes that’s a possibility. V: I-IV-V - tonic, subdominant, dominant - things like that. And then once you get used to I-IV- V, you can add other scale degrees, always creating sweet sounding intervals of major and minor thirds and major and minor sixths. Sometimes fifths and octaves, but only in opposite direction with the soprano. Okay, Pedro would like to know about choosing appropriate registration. This is a broad topic, obviously. But again, it would depend on what kind of music he is practicing right now. Is it a chorale based work or a free composition, yes, Ausra? A: Yes, true. But usually if you could help yourself for making just a few combination of organ stops, I think it would be enough for a beginner organist. So one type of registration would be like full organ, organo pleno, for loud preludes and postludes playing on one manual. And then, like softer registration either on one manual or on two manuals if you want to solo out a melody. So for that type of registration, if it’s a soft registration on one manual you could just add two flutes or maybe two flutes and some strings, or maybe just strings to play something really soft. And then if you want to solo out the melody, you would play on the other manual like a solo voice, you would add let’s say oboe for solo voice, or cornet for solo voice, and accompany on another manual. If cornet is loud, maybe you could use 8’ principal for accompany, or if it’s soft reed, maybe you would accompany with one flute or a couple flutes. And you would play pedals accordingly. Probably with Sub Bass 16’ and 8’ flute. If it’s not enough, maybe you could add light principal 16’ or Octave 8’ and see how it works in the balance with your hands. V: And for pieces which have to be played on one manual, you don’t only have to play only with principal chorus with mixtures. You could play with one principal or two principals or three principals, expanding the sound, or even mixing flutes with principals if it’s more of a romantic work. But even in some cases in later Baroque music, you could double principals with flutes, right Ausra? A: Oh yes. V: Mm hm. This is a very broad topic but we hope you get the starting idea for yourself. Okay. And changing his finger touch from pianist to an organist - what would you like to suggest, Ausra? A: Well, when I’m thinking about touch, about articulation, I am always thinking about how the instrument on which I’m playing is constructed in itself, and that helps me to grasp the idea. And basically piano, it’s really a percussion instrument. Because the hammer hits the string, so you use more strength in your fingers when you are playing the piano, and to hit from the top. And when playing organ, you always need to keep in mind that it’s basically a wind instrument. And so pipes are operating through the wind system. And you don’t need to hit the key from above, you need to keep in touch with keyboard at all the time. V: And also release your notes while holding the key also. Don’t lift the hand into the air like we see sometimes people do, but just release the note but keep the contact with the keys. That will help with control. A: Yes, and also keep in mind that when we are playing on the piano, the pressing key is more important than releasing of the key. But on the organ, both are equally important, the pressing down the key and releasing it. V: Correct. And things that hold him back: of course time, he doesn’t have enough time, and access to an organ. Well time, you have to make time obviously. You don’t have to practice for hours and hours, but if organ playing is your goal, you want to achieve something, you have to make time. Some time, right Ausra? A: Sure. V: Regular practice. A: Sure. Well, you have to squeeze it into your daily routine and find time - make time - for it. Maybe you could sleep less for like half an hour, or to spend less time surfing on the internet or whatever you do, you know. V: Where that time goes, right? You have to do some analysis, where does your time go, the most time. And maybe it’s not all productive. Maybe it’s sometimes draining your energy. Because organ playing is still creative activity, and we suggest you do it before some management activity. If you have to answer emails, you do creative activity first. And then you’re tired, you answer emails then. Things like that. Not necessarily about answering emails, but there are two types of activities, two types of brain modes - creative and management. And it’s best to do creative part first. Some people want to do it early in the morning. Some people later, at night even. It depends on your personality. And access to an organ, Ausra. Can we solve that problem? A: Well, I don’t know what is his situation and how many churches his neighborhood has, but obviously if I couldn’t access an instrument at home, I would reach for the local churches and try my luck there. Maybe in return for access to the instrument, for playing their instrument, I could offer to do something nice for the church. Maybe to do some volunteer work, like ushering or playing the organ during the service. Doing something nice for the community. And in return, I might access the instrument. V: That’s right. And nowadays, you can actually build your own organ set-up at home. It’s quite affordable in many cases. You can have just one keyboard for starters. A: But well, you will have to add the computer to it, and your computer will have to be good. V: Maybe Pedro has that. A: Well yes. But I remember the frustration when we started to play Hauptwerk with just a regular computer, and we would get like sound delay, and it made me so angry and frustrated. V: In this case, what we should have done, but we didn’t know at the time, we should have had an external audio card. That’s it. A: So yes, and then look what starts when you need an audio card. And later you need that and this and that, and a new wire and new equipment, and it just never ends basically. V: But it’s fun to build your own organ. A: Well, if you can access the local church organ for your practice, then do it. V: That’s true. But you know, sometimes we also access our church organ, but we go there and we cannot practice there because there has to be silence because of some funeral or something. Always it’s good to have a back-up instrument. I’m not against pipe organs, not at all. I’m all for it, and obviously it’s much better than electronic or virtual organs. But to have an instrument at home just in case - worth the time and trouble, I think. Okay guys. If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave us a comment and maybe send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. V: This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online. A: It has hundreds of courses, coaching and practice materials for every area of organ playing, thousands of instructional videos and PDF's. You will NOT find more value anywhere else online... V: Total Organist helps you to master any piece, perfect your technique, develop your sight-reading skills, and improvise or compose your own music and much much more… A: Sign up and begin your training today at organduo.lt and click on Total Organist. And of course, you will get the 1st month free too. You can cancel anytime. V: If you like our organ music, you can also support us on Buy Me a Coffee platform and get early access: A: Find out more at https://buymeacoffee.com/organduo  This improvisation on the Gregorian chant Adoro te devote is dedicated to the memory of Aleksas Speičys. I improvised it at Panevėžys Christ the King Cathedral on the 3 manual and pedal organ built by Bruno Goebel from Königsberg in 1931. Thanks to cathedral organist, choirmaster and organ builder Antanas Šauklys for letting me play this colourful historical organ. More information about the organ: vargonai.lt/vargonai_panevezys_katedra.htm We support Ukraine: www.blue-yellow.lt/en If you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo PayPal: PayPal.Me/VPinkevicius My Hauptwerk setup: www.organduo.lt/tools.html Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ training program online: www.organduo.lt/total-organist Secrets of Organ Playing - When You Practice, Miracles Happen! organduo.lt Listen to my organ playing on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0ckKPIvTWucoN3CZwGodCO?si=YWy7_0HqRvaZwBcovL-RKg |
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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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