Secrets Of Organ Playing Podcast

This question was sent by Fedor, and he writes: Hello Vidas, Thanks for your helpful video and advices. I'm not a musician, but have primary music education on piano (7 years of music school). Many years I'm fan of organ music and play something in piano transcriptions. But, at one side, these transcriptions is often so difficult and I should simplify them, whereas in organ scores the musical tissue looks transparent, at second side, transcriptions still don't reflect power of originals, and, at the third side, I always dreamed to study playing on the king of musical instruments. Finally, I got an opportunity to assemble home midi-system with my Yamaha keyboard (88 keys) and midi pedalboard (Nord pedal Keys 27 keys), and I started to master original organ scores. I should say that it's not easy, but wonderful simultaneously! Due to your and others videos, I mastered correct sitting and simple playing on pedalboard, but it's more difficult for me to combine playing my feet with my arms. So I would like t

This question was sent by William, and he writes: I want to learn Carillon of Westminster by Vierne, which I purchased score from you. I can play pieces like the Te Deum of Langlais. Dupre Cortège and Litany. Do you think I would be capable of learning this piece if I practice one page for a week or two very slowly? I am working now on relearning 8 little preludes and fugues. I don’t want to take on that much. Do you have any suggestions? Does it help to practice Vierne on piano? I have to start very slow practice to learn a piece. If I know it well, I can play any speed. I am 79 years old and still have full time cathedral job. Thank for any advice. ~Bill

This question was sent by Guinn, and Guinn writes: Good Morning, I purchased 10 Day Organ Pedal Playing Challenge last night. I have a flat Baroque 27 note pedal board, normal for Baroque which is what I play. I cannot possibly play those exercises as indicated with toe and heel. Most of them have the incorrect clef marking. Treble clef is marked, this must be an editorial mistake. What must I do? How do you direct students with a normal Baroque pedal board? Thank you, Guinn

This question was sent by Bass4Art, and he writes: “Hi Vidas I have a Kawai Electronic full console organ here at my house. While I took some time away from practicing, I have been taking piano lessons, in fact, I am up to advance level 5 and beginning level 6 and still plugging away at it. Now I have gotten myself up to that level, I like to push my organ playing up to that level as well. I do have to work on my pedaling some more work on my coordination between hands and feet. While I have gotten rid of a lot of the organ music I had. I still have a full pile of it. So how would you advise? Not this coming up month, but more towards the end of the year. I do plan on purchasing your organ training course to help me with those things.”

This question was sent by Blackstone, and Blackstone writes answers to my question about the dream in organ playing and three things that holding back from the progress. 1. My dream for my organ playing is to spice my music creativity with some great organ sonic vocabulary. 2. The 3 things hindering my progress are: (i) Inadequate practice, (ii) lack of instructional resources, (iii) Don't have my own instrument.

This question was sent by Alessandro, and he writes: Dear Vidas "The Total Organist" has the taste of being very intriguing and complete. But from your video I have not well understood: 1) The total duration of the course 2) The total price of the course 3) If one has to master every section of a level before passing to the next level, or the pupil can choose exercises by carefully looking at what he can already do and knows and what are still his/her weak points? 4) The pace of tuition: if I'm a slow learner what happens then? May I see and re-see the videos again and again? May I also write an mail asking for explanation (I'm sure that I may, since I did it in the past) 5) Can i get in touch with other learners Sorry for bothering you, but I need to Clarify these points Thank you very very much for your answer Alessandro

This question was sent by Abraham, and he writes: “Thank you Mr Vidas Pinkevicius for this wonderful opportunity... First and foremost, my dream for organ playing is to be able to play classical pieces like the professionals do, and also to be able to play church hymns with varied hymn harmonies or alternate harmonisations... I'll also be glad if you could share me PDF files of hymns with alternate harmonisations, and hymns with varied harmonies... 2. The 3 things holding back from practising hard are (a) it takes me weeks to be able to practice and memorize a classical piece which always pisses me off....I do ask rhetorically, how long does it take professionals to learn and practice a particular classical piece and memorize it? This has always given me much concern. (b)Unable to gain access to worship materials... Here I mean, I don't have full access to practice on the organ, and this also makes me feel discouraged.. (c)Inability to play the organ pedals like a professional because i don't have a

This question was sent by Kiel, and he writes: Hi Vidas, I found a Facebook video of an organ student of yours playing the Dupont Meditation. I have two rhythm issues I’m wondering if you can help me with. One being the 5 against 4 sixteenth notes. This is when the melody is on the moves down to the great and are on off beats. The way I’m currently playing it is the f’s are together, g flat is two by itself, three four and five are with the remaining three sixteenth notes. Is that correct? The other spot being the six measures of two groups of three triplets against the four sixteenth notes. Would you be able to explain where the sixteenth notes fall against the two groups of three triplets? Thanks. -Kiel.

This question was sent by Gavin, and he writes: G’day Vidas, Thank you for your work. My dream for my organ playing is to really enjoy playing well. What’s holding me back from this I think is good practicing…and not just in the amount of time, but also in how practice is done. I know that there can never be one solution that fits everyone, but guidelines are difficult to come by! Cheers, Gavin

This question was sent by David, and I asked him how his organ practice is going, and he wrote: “Very well! And I played a full service - as substitute organist - last Sunday. And they applauded after the postlude. Miracles really do happen (when you practice)! Played ‘Lobet den Herren mit Pauken und Zimbeln - Alla Händel’ by Karg- Elert (also listed as ‘Festliche Musik Alla Händel’). For the prelude, I played ‘Heut‘ Triumphiert Gottes Sohn’ - using your very helpful fingering! This is the first time I’ve played as a substitute organist at a different church (beyond my own church) for many years. So it really is possible to relearn to play the organ (at age 64)!”

This question was sent by Abraham, and he writes: Good to hear from you Mr Vidas. Is it possible to follow these steps and master any organ composition a week before performance?

This question was sent by Christianna, and Christianna writes: “My dream for organ playing is to be able to play, at very least hymns and sightread intermediate organ music. The three inhibitors at the moment I think, would be: 1. Lack of a teacher, 2. Having to drive fifteen minutes to play on an organ and, having to deal with the fact that it's not available on weekends, 3. None of the music stores in my area carry any sort of organ method or scale book. I think that might help at first as I work on figuring out the foot pedals and stops, even though my organ only has four stops for each manual.”

This question was sent by May, and she writes: Hi Vidas, What are the prerequisites to Organ Hymn Improvisation Master Course Level 1? For example, what kind of chords do I need to know in order to study this course well? What level of music theory should I have before starting this course? Also, what are the expected outcome of this course? Thanks, May

This question was sent by Patricia, and she writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, Thank you for contacting me regarding your program of Organ tuition and assistance. I studied organ at Trinity College in London and also at the same time I studied the French music from Jean Dattas at Notre Dame in Leicester Square. I was working in London at the time teaching English to students at Morden Girls Secondary in Surrey. When I returned to Kingston, Ontario in Canada, I worked as an organist in a Lutheran Church called St. Marks for 5 years. My mother got an illness which the doctor's said was incurable. They said it would be better to take my mother to Australia to help her but that was not a good idea as she died soon after arriving. I live in Melbourne and have a Johannes organ in my house. I am very bad at practicing and need some help to get started again. I need to master some on my favorites such as the Bach toccatas and other organ preludes and fugues which I played before. I am trying to teach myself the Widor To

This question was sent by Mark, and he writes: Vidas and Ausra, 1. What is my dream for my organ playing? Answer: to be able to play all the hymns of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and Sunday organ solos as needed using the foot pedals. I'm a "recovering pianist" who started playing the organ at age 62. I haven't yet been able to master the skill of playing the foot pedals along with both hands. I can play the bass part of most hymns using the foot pedals alone. As soon as I try to play the pedals and manuals together, everything falls apart. Instead, I use an electronic bass coupler on my church's digital organ to automatically play the bass voice while I play the manuals with my hands. 2. What are 3 most important things that are holding me back from realizing my dream? Answer: 1) lack of time. I also work a full-time job, exercise at a gym, and I'm preparing 3 to 4 hymns every week for presentation each Sunday at church. I'm the only organist in our congreg

This question was sent by David, And he writes: "Hi Vidas, I bought shoes from Organmaster but I didn’t quite like it. Do you have any recommendation? Regards, David"

This is a continuation of SOPP446 about learning Noel X by Daquin.

This question was sent by John. He writes: “Hi Vidas and Ausra, How are you today? Soon I would like to start learning Noel X by Daquin as we discussed a few months ago. Could you please give some guidance and teaching on these points? How to play the French trills in this piece? Please spell out exactly what notes to play. When to play pedals, and do you double the left hand in this case? How to play the fast arpeggios in the left hand accurately especially on page 4? What registration would you use on a small two manual English style organ? I hope if I start learning soon then I can have it ready by Christmas this year! I really enjoy listening to you play this piece in your Christmas Concert at St Johns I think in 2016. I have read your podcast SOPP346 which has some great advice! I hope you have a great day! Take care, God bless, John...”

This question was sent by Carlos, and he writes: Thanks a lot Dr. Vidas and Dr. Ausra. Well, the primordial matter that I would like to reach in organ playing it's a fine performing level in public. One thing that I think it holds me, and also a matter of my capital focus it's the control of the nervousness in performance. I think that there is a lot of technique to control the panic in scene, I have used some of them and they work well, but I'm sure that you have some great hints for prepare the mind to get a major level for focusing one self in public performance. Thanks a lot for your course, it's pretty good and accurate. Greetings to you all!

This question was sent by Micky, And he writes: My dream is to be a good sight reader and solving the note quickly. My problem is when I practice I am good but when I go to play it in the church I don't play it good with accuracy.