SOPP505: I’ve been struggling with fingering the most this week

Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra
 
V: Let’s start episode 505, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Diana. And she writes:
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I’ve been struggling with fingering the most this week. I didn't have piano lessons, so I don't know when I can cross fingers, how to change positions.

V: Do you know Diana, Ausra, from our organ studio?
 
A: Yes, of course I know her.
 
V: Unda Maris.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: And she is very active on Steam, submitting her videos to our Secrets Of Organ Playing Contest, and actually she also everyday shares her organ playing experiences. Basically she is starting to adopt this sharing mentality. And she only started playing the organ last year. But she has some experience with playing violin, but no piano lessons. How can [a] person like this learn fingering?
 
A: Well I would suggest that she would play organ compositions from finger score. That way she could save time and be learning from right fingering.
 
V: Mmm-hmm.
 
A: Because it might be too hard for her to do her own fingering yet. Basically when you practice piano, the best notion of right fingering gives to playing scales, chords and arpeggios.
 
V: And I suggested [to] her to basically look at the examples from more experienced organists. So I assigned her to the fingering and pedaling team so that she could transcribe fingering and pedaling for us while looking at my videos recorded above the keyboards. My hands are visible, sometimes even feet, and she can study my own fingering while I’m playing, and transcribe, and get access to Total Organist this way.
 
A: I think that’s a good way of learning, too, when you see master player playing.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. She has already produced, I think, two or three short trios by Lemmens, fingering and pedaling from these videos. And I hope this will be useful to her.
 
A: Excellent.
 
V: So, guys, if you are struggling like Diana with fingering and you don’t have an experience with piano playing scales, arpeggios and chords, you need to study how more experienced organists do, from up close. Obviously you can find some videos on Youtube where other organists are performing and recording from above so that hands are clearly visible. But they are not necessarily practicing. They might play fast, and I strategically sight-read course very slowly so that people can learn.
 
A: Excellent. But I think that she still needs to play skills on the piano because she talks that she doesn’t know when to cross fingers.
 
V: Uh-huh.
 
A: And I think skills really teach you how to do it. Especially when you have to put your thumb under.
 
V: Yeah, it’s just a simple system but you need to learn it. Once you learn it you can apply it to many, many organ pieces.
 
A: That’s right.
 
V: Thank you guys. This was Vidas.
 
A: And Ausra.
 
V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice…
 
A: Miracles happen!