 I always hear people saying, "you should play Bach with toes only. Avoid using heels. Heels are bad." But why? Why can't we play with heels? In fact, why can't we use heels-only technique? It's all about articulation, isn't it? Avoid legato touch in Bach. Have you tried to play legato with heels only? It's a nightmare. And the toes! The toes can be used for a lot of other things. Instead of thumbing-down, we could have toes-up technique. Sure, you have to develop some flexibility to reach those manuals with your toes, but maybe they could build a second pedalboard? I've heard they had something like that in Germany more than 100 years ago. "Aristide, perhaps you should consider building a few of the stops down there that we could operate with toes." "No, I don't need a page turner anymore, I have my toes for that!"  |
Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
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Authors
Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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Don't have an organ at home? Download paper manuals and pedals, print them out, cut the white spaces, tape the sheets together and you'll be ready to practice anywhere where is a desk and floor. Make sure you have a higher chair. Archives
February 2019
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