SOPP567: I am working hard on Prelude in the Classic Style by Gordon Young, and I am finding I am learning it much faster than I expected!

Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
 
Ausra: And Ausra
 
V: Let’s start episode 567, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by John. And he writes:
 
Dear Vidas and Ausra,
How are you today?
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with the music distributors and the very unfair treatment you are receiving. I can't believe they are doing this to you. And it seems James Flores is also being harassed over copyright issues when his music is in the public domain.
Thanks for your advice on the role of music director, and I look forward to your next podcast!
I am working hard on Prelude in the Classic Style by Gordon Young, and I am finding I am learning it much faster than I expected! I remember one of your students from the Unda Maris studio played this piece and it sounded magnificent on the St John's organ! So now when I'm practicing I try to imagine I am there playing it at St John's!
Take care,
God bless
John...

V: Oh, that’s a nice message.
 
A: Yes, it is.
 
V: So, his first question was, ‘how are you today’!
 
A: I’m fine.
 
V: What are you doing today? How are you feeling today?
 
A: Well, I will have one private lesson today, to teach, and then no class next week and I’m so excited about that.
 
V: Mmm-mmm. Spring break? No.
 
A: No, that’s a winter break.
 
V: Winter break.
 
A: Yes, we are still in February you know.
 
V: Yeah. My plans today is to start composing a piece based on the choral tune for Lent, passion chorale; ‘O Sacred Head Now Wounded’, and I’m having a little bit hard time figuring out what can I do with a Lutheran choral like this, how it would fit my style, and I know that Gregorian Chant works well with my modal writing. And Ausra suggested that I do something with it. What did you suggest?
 
A: I said that you need to embellish the choral melody and do it some more like Gregorian chant. Add some non-harmonical tunes.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. We’ll see about that.
 
A: And then your style will work for you, just fine.
 
V: John writes about being sorry that DistroKid banned me from uploading my organ music to Spotify and other audio platforms. And since then I found another platform and it’s called Mixnauten and their business model is different from DistroKid, and actually they’re, actually interested in seeing their customers succeed because they take not subscription fee like DistroKid has. Once a year you pay a yearly subscription and irregardless if you’re successful or not, if you’re making a lot of money or very little money, you always only pay certain amount. For me it was thirty-six dollars because I have this double artist account for Ausra’s music too. But with Mixnauten they take percentage—thirty percent of your revenue goes to Mixnauten, so when you grow, the company grows. So it’s win-win for all of us involved, you know.
 
A: I think that’s a very wise solution.
 
V: Yeah. And it doesn’t cost me anything from my own pocket.
 
A: That’s good. So we earn more and it’s better for you as well.
 
V: Yes.
 
A: Because I think DistroKid just treated you so unfairly. So I guess they will bankrupt in the future.
 
V: Mmm-hmm. Yeah. I know. Spotify has some shares in DistroKid too, minor shares, but they are too big to care about their customers. And the copyright issues that James Flores is facing, sometimes it’s not exclusive to him. Sometimes my videos get copyright notices…
 
A: This is just idiotic. For example, when somebody shows the complain about you playing Bach’s Invention #1…
 
V: Yes.
 
A: That’s total (expletive not included). Who could copyright that?
 
V: Well, exactly. Somebody suggest that I would upload all my videos but not strait away like I would play them, but with a little bit increased or reduced speed-change and tuning, a little bit higher or lower, just a little bit. Then the copyright bots and software wouldn’t pick it up. What do you think about that?
 
A: Well, maybe it’s okay, somebody who listens [to] you doesn’t have a perfect pitch, otherwise I don’t think it would be so well.
 
V: I mean, it’s not like half a step, but maybe just a few cents.
 
A: Mmm, well, I don’t know about that.
 
V: Yeah, it’s just too much work.
 
A: It is.
 
V: If you produce, like one video per week, or one video per month, then okay, you can polish it and edit it and do all kinds of fancy things with it, but when I do several per day…
 
A: True.
 
V: It’s not worth it. I just file a dispute about copyrights and usually they release it. And James Flores is doing the same thing. So now, John is playing ‘Prelude in the Classical Style’, by Gordon Young. Do you remember this piece?
 
A: Yes, I remember it very well.
 
V: Our student Arnoldas played it.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: And it’s still available on Youtube to listen to.
 
A: It’s a nice piece.
 
V: Yeah, very popular. Even though organist and composer, Gordon Young, was living in the early 20th Century, the style here is really classical and sounds like from early 19th Century, I would say, like Lemmens.
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Remember ‘Fanfare’ by Lemmens?
 
A: Yes.
 
V: Same thing. It’s a very fun piece to play in public. Maybe to end a recital or begin recital. I think Arnoldas began our Unda Maris recital with it.
 
A: Yes. I think it’s one of the pieces that sounds better and more complicated than it really is, more complex than it really is. It’s not a hard one, piece to learn, even for a beginner. So it really worth attention.
 
V: Yeah. And since John was playing a recital and St. John’s before, he now can imagine that he’s back and playing on our organ, the piece by Gordon Young.
 
A: That’s very nice.
 
V: Wonderful. 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!