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Have you come across Schirmer's student edition of Mendelssohn's Organ Works, Op. 37/65 edited by Samuel P. Warren? This is a good edition with fingering and pedaling written in (in most cases). However, a lot of times people feel confused about the way pedaling is written.
From the way the pedaling is indicated it might seem that the strange pedaling indications does not involve signs U (heel). Instead, the toes are indicated v (left) or ^ (right), and the heels: ̺ (left), ̪ (right). Every sign is positioned BELOW the notes. This might happen in some editions. If you are not aware of this difference, then it might even seem like some sort of early pedaling without heels is used. From this notation, it is certainly not very easy to decipher which foot (left or right) should play which note. That's the main difficulty, I think. But in reality it is nothing more than a different form of notating heels and simply means that the heel is used in such cases. By the way, there was a time when it was common to use "o" sign for heels. What to do if you are playing works of Mendelssohn or other composers from such editions? Is it practical nowadays when we all are used to modern pedaling signs? What I have found from my own practice is that it takes more time to adjust to these pedaling signs but it certainly could be done. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide.
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Do you know what is the difference between a good performance and an exceptionally outstanding performance? Furthermore, do you know how to achieve the level of an exceptionally outstanding performance? In this article, I will give you 8 tips on how to strengthen the quality of your organ playing so you can advance to the next level.
1) Fingering. When you open your new organ score and want to start practicing a new composition, don't play it right away from the beginning until the end. I mean, you could play it through once just to get familiar with it but then the real practice begins. Write in your fingering in every difficult spot of the piece. How to find out if the passage is difficult and needs fingering? You could play it once and see if you made a mistake. If you did, stop playing, go back, figure out and write in the most efficient fingering for it. 2) Pedaling. I suggest you write in pedaling on every note in the pedal line. This is very important because unlike manual playing, pedal playing usually is a completely new skill that organists must learn. 3) Notes. When you have fingering and pedaling in place, you can now start practicing it. Observe that every single note is correct. Sometimes you can hit the wrong note accidentally but in most cases, it is better to go back and play this spot with correct notes at least 3 times in a row. 4) Rhythms. In every measure, make sure that your rhythmical values are also correct. This is usually not so difficult in places with straightforward rhythms. But when you see any complications, such as syncopations, dotted notes, duplets, triplets, irregular rhythms, meter changes and so on, you have to be very careful about playing with correct rhythms. It is best that you subdivide the beats of each measure and count out loud while playing. 5) Articulation. Do not play every note legato. For people who come to the organ from piano playing, this is especially difficult to understand at first. You see, you have to look at the historical period that this piece was created in. If you are playing a piece by a composer from Renaissance, Baroque or Classical period, play with gently detached articulation (articulate legato) unless it is indicated otherwise by the composer. If the piece is from the Romantic or modern period, usually composers indicate articulation very precisely. So pay close attention to each slur, dot or dash under or above the notes and try to execute them in the exact way. 6) Phrasing. If you want your organ performance to become natural, try to incorporate phrasing in your playing. This helps to achieve a feeling that you breathe together with music. In fact, you should breathe slowly, deeply and consciously while playing. Look for cadences in your music which reveal perfect places for phrasing. 7) Tempo. While performing, choose a concert tempo very carefully. Evaluate the mechanics and the size of the organ. In addition, assess the room in which you play and the reverberation of the space. While practicing, usually take a much slower tempo which will allow you to avoid mistakes in your playing. 8) Practice. When you practice your piece, be very systematic about how you learn new music. It is best to practice in short fragments of about 4 measures each and later combine them together. Also for polyphonic music try to master each voice separately, then combinations of 2 voices, 3 voices and only then - the entire 4 part texture. Strengthen the quality of your organ playing by concentrating on the above details and making the details concentrated. This approach will help you to achieve the level of exceptionally outstanding performance. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. 4 Tips in Choosing the Best Pedaling for Prelude and Fugue in B Flat Major, BWV 560 for the Organ6/12/2012 Knowing how to choose the most efficient pedaling in the Prelude and Fugue in B flat major, BWV 560 is not always easy. Sometimes an incorrect choice may lead to incorrect articulation. If you want to figure out the best and the most stylistically appropriate pedaling for this prelude and fugue, use these 4
powerful tips. 1) Write in each pedal choice for each and every note in the pedal line. While writing in fingering you can skip certain easy episodes and indicate the fingering only in the places which give you the most trouble, for pedaling I strongly recommend that you write in your choice for every pedal note. This is because many organists come to the organ with some experience on the piano and pedal playing gives them the most problems. 2) Avoid using heels. Since it is a piece written in the Baroque style, avoid using heels. Use toes only pedaling because on many Baroque instruments playing with heels is very uncomfortable. This practice comes from the traditional technique of playing the clavichord which was the most common practice instrument for organists in Germany at that time. By the way, some scholars believe this piece may have been written specifically for the pedal clavichord. 3) Use alternate toe technique. Most of the time in the prelude apply alternate toe technique which means playing with the left and right foot in alternation. This is especially obvious in the opening pedal solo and in other places in the prelude because of the duple meter. This technique allows you to create a perfect articulation in the pedal line with gentle alternation of strong and weak beats. In addition, it is quite easy to apply it in the passages with ascending or descending melodic line, such as in scales. 4) Use same foot technique. In the fugue which is written in the triple meter sometimes it will be necessary to play some notes using the same foot. In this piece, this rule is valid in situations when there is a change of melodic direction. In addition, you will also have to use the same foot in the prelude where the melody changes direction. Use the above tips for writing in the pedaling for the Prelude and Fugue in B flat major, BWV 560 today. After you have figured out and notated your pedaling, make sure you practice with correct pedaling choices repeatedly. This will allow your pedal playing to become automatic, fluent, and free of mistakes. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my FREE Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. Have you ever observed the pedal technique of a world-class organist? It
seems like he or she can play effortlessly for hours at a top speed. How do you develop speed in your pedal technique? In this article, I will share with you 4 tips which will help you to achieve this level of proficiency. 1) Play scales for the pedals. The single most important exercise that the legendary French organist Marcel Dupre used when he was unable to play the manuals due to his wrist injury was pedals scales. Practicing pedal scales on the organ in all major and minor keys will develop flexibility of an ankle which is the secret to a perfect pedal technique. 2) Play arpeggios for the pedals. If you want even more benefit you can go one step further. Take 1 new major and minor key a week and play arpeggios on a tonic chord. You can also practice arpeggios on a dominant seventh chord and a diminished seventh chord which is built on a 7th scale degree (or raised 7th scale degree in minor). 3) Practice slowly to achieve speed. Although it sounds counterintuitive, it is best to take a slow practice tempo in which you can avoid mistakes and play fluently. Then little by little you can raise the tempo until you reach your desired speed. However, be careful not to force yourself to play faster because it has to be a natural process. You will play faster when you are ready for it. 4) Correct your mistakes. If you make a mistake in pressing the wrong note or playing the notes in uneven rhythms, always go back, slow down and play correctly at least 3 times in a row. This way you will form correct practicing habits. Note that if you are a beginner at the organ, it is better to postpone practicing pedal scales and arpeggios for a later date. Instead, take up some easier exercises for alternate toes first. Use the above exercises and tips and start perfecting your pedal technique today. To achieve such level when you can play the pedals fast and effortlessly may take many months of practice but I can assure you that you will start seeing some tremendous changes in your pedal playing very soon. 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. Because pedal playing is a new skill for all beginner organists, the vast majority of them have a strong temptation to look down at their feet while playing pedals. However, the looking at the feet should be avoided because it inhibits the technical advancement of the organist. Just as playing with the fingers it is advisable to look at the organ score instead at one’s fingers the same applies when playing the pedals. In this article, I will give you the advice which will help you to play good notes on the pedals without looking down at your feet.
Write in pedaling. In order to avoid confusion and accidental pedaling which leads to mistakes and unnecessary tension, I strongly advice to write in all your pedaling. Pencil in your pedaling with the signs for toes and heels (left or right foot). If you write in your pedaling regularly in your scores, you will start to feel the predictable patterns which will help you make the right choices even without writing down your pedaling. However, pencil in the pedaling at least until you are comfortable playing with correct pedaling the Baroque compositions. For Romantic and modern organ music, it is best to write in the pedaling in every score. Use pedal preparation. This technique will increase your pedal playing abilities enormously. Simply prepare your feet for the next note in advance. For example, as you release the note in the pedal part, slide it instantly into position for the next note. Do not play the next note, of course, but let it rest and wait for its turn. In order to be implemented correctly, this technique must be practiced over and over. By the way, it is a very powerful technique which makes your pedal playing automatic without the need of conscious thinking. This, of course, reduces the chances of mistakes dramatically and you will not need to look at your feet while you are playing. At first, you will find that it is hard to remember the position for the next note. In this case, write in your pedal preparation in parentheses. Later, with the advancement of your pedal technique you will start to feel the next note in advance and will not need to think about the preparation at all. If you use my advice and write in your pedaling and practice pedal preparation regularly in your daily practice, after short few months you will begin to notice that the temptation to look down at your feet gradually lessens. This will happen because you will know your pedal board much better than before. If you are interested in perfecting your pedal technique, an invaluable resource is Organ Technique: Modern and Early by George Ritchie and George Stauffer. 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. Although alternate toes technique was the most popular type of pedaling used in Renaissance and Baroque organ music, quite often we have to use the same foot technique as well. It is important for an organist to recognize the differences of alternate toes and same foot technique because it affects our pedaling choices. If you know in which type of passages playing with the same foot is the best choice, you will quickly learn to see the familiar patterns in your pedal lines. In this article, I will give you the most important instances of using the same foot technique in early organ music.
Same Foot before Changing Direction On passages in quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes sometimes we use same foot instead of alternate toes technique. Here applies the general rule: use same foot before changing direction. This means that in a passage like C D E D we play with the same foot notes D and E because after ascending notes D and E the melody changes direction downwards. So the entire passage, such as C D E D E F G F G A B G would be played left, right, right, left, left, right, right, left, left, right, right, left, and left. Same Foot on Long Note Values in Extreme Edges of the Pedal Board In Baroque and Renaissance organ music, chorale-based compositions often employ cantus firmus technique – placement of the chorale melody in long note values (half and whole notes). Cantus firmus method can be used in any voice. Instances of cantus firmus in the bass were especially common because they could be played on a separate pedal division with a different sound color. Moreover, if cantus firmus was used in any other voice, it could still often be played with the pedals. The normal way of pedaling such melodies was alternate toes technique. However, in extreme edges of the pedal board one could play long notes with one foot because the traditional alternate toes technique is uncomfortable. I recommend that you write in pedaling in every piece you play on the organ, at least in the beginning. This will prevent you from making accidental pedaling choices which will not necessarily be correct and efficient. With experience, however, you will start to notice familiar patterns in pedal lines of your organ music and gradually your pedaling choices will become automatic and natural. In other words, if you practice writing in the correct pedaling regularly, with time your pedaling will become instinctive and you will not need to write in any of it. 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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