Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 441 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dan, And he writes: Hi Vidas, I noticed that you’d uploaded to YouTube, a version of Carillon of Westminster by Louis Vierne, where you’re playing it slowly. I know you normally do this, so people can transcribe what you’re doing, and eventually produce a print score with fingering and pedaling. This as well, may help me, as I learn things by ear here, due to being totally blind, and finding Braille music to be tedious, and slow. So along with helping people to transcribe stuff, I’d say what you’re doing with that, is also helpful to me too. Take care. And then I asked Dan this question: What is the easiest way for you to learn music by ear? When you hear entire texture or separate hands and feet? Or even separate voices? And Dan replied, What I usually like is to have separate hands and feet, and then entire texture to work with. That has worked well over the years for me. I’ll then take that and work on its parts separately to start out, then manuals only, then right hand and pedal, left hand and pedal, and then put things together. What do you think, Ausra? First of all, could our videos be helpful to people who cannot see? A: I guess, yes, when you record the music really slowly. I guess this might help. V: And even if it’s faster music, it’s possible to slow down twice, by reducing the speed on YouTube. A: Well yes, but then the key will change. V: By an octave, exactly. Lower an octave. But some players, obviously not on YouTube, but some audio players have the possibility to reduce the speed, but to keep the pitch constant. Like VLS player, I guess, can do that. A: Excellent. I didn’t know about it. V: So what people can do is just download the mp3 file from any of our video, and then play it on the VLC player on their computer, and reduce the speed by keeping the pitch constant, and that way will be possible. I remember playing in one international organ festival in our Curonian peninsula on the Baltic Sea, and this is a resort spot, very wonderful place to visit in the summer especially. And I once played there continuo part on the small chest organ, continuo part from Bach’s cantatas, two cantatas, I think. And I was using original notation for continuo, without any chords spelled out, just numbers above the bass. And I supplied the chords by myself, like improvisation. And it wasn’t easy, so I got this YouTube recording of Bach cantata, and played it through VLC media player, by reducing the speed by half, but the pitch was constant. And it worked for me, you know, to master my chords playing and continuo playing together with orchestra this way at home. A: Excellent. V: For awhile, I didn’t do this all the time. Just maybe a few days. So, technology can be helpful today, even for these sorts of things. And then, you know, Dan says he like to have both, entire texture and separate texture for hands and feet. It’s very natural, I think, it’s like a normal practice procedure for everybody. Right, Ausra? A: True. At least it should be. V: Mm hm. When the piece is difficult, we subdivide the texture into separate voices and play them separately, and then combinations of parts. And that’s what Dan needs, and people who probably cannot see also appreciate as well. And then, of course, when they know the texture well, they are ready to play four part texture, or entire texture, and then in a slow tempo, obviously, at first, but videos can be helpful as well. Because, you see, Braille music is slow and tedious for him. I always thought that, you know, it’s a special system to be used for blind people, but today probably, there are more options and people can choose, and it’s not the fastest way. A: Well, you know, I’m not blind, you know, obviously, but I can understand Dan, why it’s easier for him to listen and then to reproduce, you know, music, than comparing to Braille. Because you know, in Braille, you have to touch things to know what is written. V: Exactly. And you have to have a special printer for that. A: Well, yes, but that’s all the technicalities. But since Dan is a musician, it means you know, he has good pitch. Well-developed pitch. And I think it’s easier for musicians, you know, to learn by ear than by touching things. V: Helmut Walcha, remember Walcha? A: Walcha, the blind German organist and composer, yes. I don’t remember him, but I remember our professor, George Ritchie, talking about him, because he was his teacher. V: In Germany. A: Yes. V: And what did he do? A: Well, he would ask his students to play, you know, one voice of the piece really slowly, and then he would memorize it, and then another voice. And in such a manner, he would learn the entire piece. V: It was before the time of videos, and recordings, probably. Recordings were possible, but not maybe cassette recordings, maybe LP recordings, and that was impossible to record at home by your own equipment, you had to have industrial equipment for that. Or, the help of other people, who would play back a melody to you. Mm hm. Excellent. I wish the technology would be advanced enough that they could grab an audio file and then take it apart into separate tracks or voices. And they could do this with MIDI files. And MIDI file can be created by playing it on the synthesizer connected with your computer. And then you could have entire score, entire texture, and then separate parts, or any combination of parts if you want. A: I guess, you know, since every human being, you know, has a different understanding of the world, because some of us are very visual. Some of us, you know, understand words with our ears. And some understand words with entire body. So I guess, you know, everybody has to choose what is the easier way for them to comprehend, to learn music. V: It would be a good business model for organists who would like to focus and specialize for blind people, blind organists, for resources like that. Who would produce audio files – you don’t need videos for that, just audio – for separate voices, combinations of voices, and entire texture. And there are quite a few blind organists in the world, so that could be a niche and very helpful for people. A: Maybe French are doing that, since we have such a long-lasting tradition of, you know, blind organists. V: If they’re doing some, maybe, they are not doing this on the internet. I haven’t seen this yet. A: Could be. V: Yes. But even if Dan or people who could not see, would just take this audio file or video, and play back in a slow tempo, the entire texture, it’s possible to pick up separate voices, right, and develop your own musicality this way much better. You know, you’re like your own teacher this way. It’s not easy at first, because you have to hear inner voices. But with practice, probably people can develop this. At least, Dan is suggesting, between the lines, that it’s helpful. Right? A: True. V: Okay guys, lots to think about. Please keep sending us your wonderful questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 443 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dan. He writes: “Hi Vidas, the whole incident at Notre Dame in Paris, France is shocking, and sad at the same time. It’s really, really good, that the main organ wasn’t damaged by the fire. Very cool that you’d visited that instrument back in 2014. Is the other choir organ that they have, a totally separate instrument, with its own console and everything? If so, how many ranks is it? And is it Cavaillé-Coll as well? A podcast talking about your experience there, due to all that’s happened, would be cool. When you were there in 2014, did you get to have a go at the organ then too? And did you get any audio recordings, or YouTube videos when you were there then? If so, links would be greatly appreciated. Take care, and all the best from Dan in Ontario Canada.” First of all, Ausra, let’s start with our experience back in 2014. What did we do at Notre Dame? A: Well, we definitely visited the Grande Organ. We had our personal tour with Gene Bedient upstairs in the organ balcony. So, we saw that great instrument from inside out. Of course, at that time, you could not play it, because it was undergoing restoration, and I think at that time, the console wasn’t ready yet, because the historical console now is stored… V: In a separate room. A: Yes, that’s right. V: Behind the organ. A: Yes. But the instrument itself is massive! What was your impression, Vidas, about it? V: Did we go to the Vespers there? A: Yes, but that’s another story. Now, if we are talking about Vespers, we have to talk about the choir organ, because for people who maybe haven’t visited big cathedrals, and in general, big churches, they used to have two organs—two separate instruments. They are not connected between themselves. And this is the case in Notre Dame as well. Because the Grande Organ is used for concerts and special ceremonies, but not on a regular basis for liturgical purpose, because the distance between the altar and the Grande Organ is too big. So basically, it would be very hard to manage such a thing in such a distance. So for that purpose, there is a choir organ, which stands much closer to the altar, and it’s used for liturgical purposes—to accompany Mass and Vespers, to accompany the choir… V: Yes. But we could clarify that both organs can be used at the same occasion, just probably the Grande Organ would be used, maybe, as a solo instrument more, A: that’s right V: and as an alternatum instrument, if they sing interchangeably with choir or schola. But not in an accompaniment, because, as Ausra says, the distance is too great. A: Isn’t Alternatum practice now forbidden in the Catholic church? V: I don’t know, for sure… A: Because I know it was forbidden for many centuries, actually. V: Alternatum is when one verse is sung by the vocal group, and another verse is played by the instruments, by the organ, for example. And, the reason for the Second Vatican Council omitting—abandoning this practice, is that not all of the text will be heard by the congregation. A: And since text is more important in religious hymns, it means that you need to sing it throughout. V: Yes. So we took a look at the online specification we found of both organs, and because Dan is concerned about the choir organ more, so, let us look at the choir organ specification. This is taken from the Website: http://mypipeorganhobby.blogspot.com (http://mypipeorganhobby.blogspot.com/2008/11/organ-notre-dame-paris.html). We can put a link into the description of this conversation. And it has two manuals and pedals. A: Yes, that’s a good size—two manual instrument. V: 19th century organ case, manual compass 56 notes, pedal compass 30 notes. All the usual couplers: Positif to Grande Orgue, Grand Orgue to Pedale, and Positif to Pedale. And now let’s count the stops… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 on the Grande Organ, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 on the Positiv. And Pedals have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 stops. So, 11, 10 and 8. How many would that be, Ausra? Can you count? A: 29. V: 29. I need to learn Math. A: True! I was enjoying how you were counting, like in a kindergarten. V: With my fingers! A: Yes. V: The Grande Organ has Bourdon 16’; Montre 8’, which is the principal, basically; Bourdon 8’; Prestant 4’, which is the principal of the 4’ length; Nasard 2 2/3’, which is the 5th of the flute sound; Tierce 1 3/5’; Fourniture III (3 ranks); Cymbal (4 ranks—those are two mixtures, but Fourniture is a progressive mixture, I think)... A: That’s right... V: Trompette 8’; Clairon 4’; and the last one is Dessus en chamade 8’, which means that the chamade division, horizontal trumpets, are only from the descant—from the treble, maybe C or C#. I’m not sure. And Positif has specification as follows: Bourdon 8’; Prestant 4’; Flûte 4’; Nasard 2 2/3’; Doublette 2’; Tierce 1 3/5’; Larigot 1 1/3’ (Larigot is a high pitched mutation, basically, a high pitched 5th sound); Cymbale III; Régale 16’ (Régale means, probably, short resonator lead, at 16’ level); A: Yes V: (At 16’ level); and Cromorne 8’. A: So basically, it’s a softened French organ, in the case of French organ, that the second division is basically a smaller repetition of the larger division. V: Yes, it looks similar. And then Pedale (Pedals). Those 8 stops: Flûte 16’; Bourdon 16’, what’s the difference between Flûte and Bourdon? A: Well, one has a darker sound. V: Yeah. A: I guess Flûte is more open than Bourdon. V: Bourdon is covered; Flûte 8’; Flûte 4’; Flûte 2’; Bombarde 16’; Trompette 8’; and Clairon 4’. A: Very interesting pedal division, I would say. No principals. V: No principals, but they have Bombarde 16’. A: Yes well… True… if you have Bombarde, you don’t need anything else. V: Imagine, Ausra, at St. John’s in Vilnius we also have Bombarde 16’ in the pedals. But we have 64 stops and 3 manuals. Here is only 2 manual organ, but with Bombarde, also. A: Well, and Chamade! V: And Chamade. I guess they need it to fill the space. A: That’s true, we heard this organ during Vespers that we were attending when we were visiting Paris. Of course, during Vespers, they didn’t use these loud reed stops. But I would say that the sound of the organ was filling enough. V: Right. A: Because that space is so wonderful, you know, it has wonderful acoustics—or at least had wonderful acoustics. But you know, it’s really sad to talk about an instrument that might not recover, because as I understood from all the articles and all the friends that are sending us different messages that this organ was heavily damaged by waterfall. V: And this Website that we’re looking at on http://mypipeorganhobby.blogspot.com, it has also links to online recordings, YouTube recordings of both organs, so we will link it to our conversation, so anybody who is interested in hearing those instruments can visit this site, and without searching YouTube manually, they can just click on the collection and listen right away. Alright, guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen! SOPP440: I have given some thought to blogging—particularly since my studies focus on early music5/30/2019
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 440, of Secrets Of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Michael, and he writes: Hi Vidas and Ausra, Thank you again very much for liking and reposting music! I cannot thank you enough, and I am extremely honored by your likes and reposts! I have given some thought to blogging—particularly since my studies focus on early music (particularly English composers like Byrd, Gibbons, Tallis, etc.). I've always loved early music, so it was not difficult for me to decide on what part of the repertoire I wanted to focus. I have given some consideration recently to creating a website for my work in general (compositions, studies, recordings), and I have also given some thought to recording an album of my clavichord music. I am still researching into how I can do all these things. I know there are some free domain sites, but I am not sure about PayPal so people can purchase my scores or recordings, or how to add a feature that allows people to peruse my scores before purchasing them, etc. I am hoping to do all these things before university resumes in late August. At the end of this month, I have a harpsichord recital, so I am focusing all my energies on that, at this time. On the recital will be pieces by William Byrd, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Ercole Pasquini, Domenico Scarlatti (the "Cat Fugue"), Domenico Zipoli, and several of my compositions. I will be performing on three instruments, all tuned to a temperament appropriate for the time in which those works were performed (meantone tunings for Byrd, Frescobaldi, and Pasquini; well-temperament for Scarlatti and Zipoli, etc.). The semester will conclude the week after the recital. After resting for a few days, I will try to begin the process of creating a website/blog. Thank you again for your message and suggestions, and thank you again very much for liking and reposting my music! I greatly appreciate it! Most sincerely, Michael V: Ausra, do you know who Michael is? Or which Michael, because we have many Michael’s on our listeners base. A: It’s a very popular name. V: Exactly! He is, I got to know him from SoundCloud... A: Yes, I know it. V: ...Where we share our podcasts, and other audio files. So Michael Calabris is his name. He is a composer and student and organist and harpsichord player and clavichord player, basically keyboardist. And he posts some nice compositions of his own and also his performances of those early baroque pieces on harpsichord and clavichord. So I’m in the habit of liking and reposting his pieces and which he really appreciated. A: Yes I heard some of his works. V: So then after a while of doing this, he wrote me this message and I suggested that since he likes to share his work on SoundCloud, it would be nice for him to write about it too, as a blog. And that’s what this feedback is about. What do you think? A: Yes, I think it’s wonderful that nowadays that you can share your works and your ideas with others, with thousands of people on the internet. We didn’t have that possibility, let’s say, twenty years ago. And I really like those composers that he is particularly fond of, because as probably everybody knows, Vidas and I, we love early music too. And another thing that I liked about this message [is] that Michael is playing harpsichord, and he’s using different temperament for different composers. I think that’s such a great idea. And I miss our time at Eastern Michigan University where we had [a] wonderful harpsichord technician who would tune harpsichord for us in any temperament that we would wish. And in the same recital you could play, let’s say, Sweelinck’s ‘Fantasia Chromatica’ on the meantone, on the Italian harpsichord and then to play let’s say, on the on Kirnberger, the third temperament. V: Mmm-hmm A: harpsichord. It was really wonderful experience. I miss those times a lot. Because you cannot change temperaments so easily on the organ. V: Exactly. A: Especially on as big as is ours at St. Johns. V: Would you like to have a harpsichord at home? A: Well yes, but knowing that we already have organ and piano, I don’t think we would have enough space to place it. V: What about clavichord? It’s a little smaller—much smaller. A: Ha! Well if you would get pedal clavichord with two keyboards—two manuals, it wouldn’t be smaller. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Because the pedal clavichord, the pedals takes a lot of space. V: Why? A: Because they are very long. I’m meaning because it’s a string instrument, obvious. V: And pedals strings need to be twice as long. A: That’s right. V: They have have 8’ strings like normal manual clavichord, but also twice as long strings for 16’ sound. A: So it takes space. V: Mmm-hmm. A: But if I could get pedal clavichord, I think I would sacrifice probably my old piano for it. V: It would be worth it. A: Yes, I think so. V: We would play a funeral mass for this piano. A: Stop teasing me… V: (Laughs). A: okay, because I will do something bad with your piano in Klaipeda, at your mom’s house. V: I think my mom already did something to it. Some improvements. Excellent. So, going back to original question by Michael, to what he is planning to do after his exams in August, start writing a blog—it’s good to start planning for blog, even before you’re ready. Because when you’re ready, you have to do it, not the other way around. Planning stage might last for several months, for beginners who are hesitant to jump in and get started right away. Because it is possible, Ausra, don’t you think, to start writing your blog this weekend, for example? A: Well yes, but again, it’s not everybody’s path, it’s your path. V: But it’s Michael’s path. He wants to do it. A: Then it’s fine. It works just fine. V: I mean technically, you can start a blog in ten minutes, lets’ say. Just setting up the domain and everything else takes that little time. But it’s scary because you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re not sure if your taking the right path, if you’re blogging on the right platform, if you’re domain name is okay. If you’re using let’s say, your name for the domain, for Michael would be like MichaelCalabris.com perhaps, right? Or you could create some brand name for your subject or niche and people don’t know which one to choose. Obviously if you are not sure, always go with your name. That would be first choice. Um, what else? Since we started blogging, at first I was alone, then you joined in. Many things changed and many more opportunities are there in the blogging world. For example, the last three years, we can see how Steemit platform is suitable for blogging. If you want to blog just using Steemit, it’s possible, and get right rewarded right after seven days of your first post. When somebody uploads or likes your post, this reward gets to your account after seven days. And I received my first dollar with blogging with Secrets of Organ Playing after three months, I remember. I sold fingering and pedaling practice score for ‘Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ’. But that took me three months to get to this point when I was comfortable even asking for money. A: You still remember that, yes? V: Because it’s my first dollar, you know. It was actually my first hundred dollars but still the first payment after three months. But with Steemit, for example, you get rewarded right away, and this reward comes into your account after seven days. A: But it comes not in dollars. It comes in crypto currency. V: Exactly. A: Don’t forget to... V: Exactly. And uh… A: stress it. V: And you can cash it out, change it into other currencies, or you could grow it. You could stake it. And the more Steem you have, the more value your own upload has. A: Don’t you think that if Steem platform would be in like normal currency, it would attract more users? V: Obviously, but it’s impossible to do this with cash because of regulations. Dollars and Euros are regulated heavily, and all those permits, and… Imagine if you are starting to pay anonymous people real cash, this cash could be used for bad things, so you have to get their own identity cleared. It’s very difficult. A: But don’t you think that if more and more people will begin using crypto-currencies that governments around the world will start to regulate them themselves? V: Yes! To some degree, it’s already happening, yes. A: So basically it’s, the term is short. V: No, no, it’s okay. It has to be legal because if we want the future for it, it has to be legal. For example if you want to cash out and change into euros or dollars, you have to declare your taxes, right? You cashed out some, maybe, let’s say, hundred dollars, and it’s probably taxable. Yes! It depends on your own country of course. You have to check your own regulations, but, I presume, in many cases, it would be. But that’s normal. It’s like in, it would be taxable if you got paid through PayPal as well. A: So from harpsichord to music, see how far away we… V: Exactly. A: went. V: Yes. The good thing about Steem blogging is that you could actually create your own blogging site through Steem based application, but not using Steemit.com, but your own domain. A: But you see for people like Michael, for example, how will he would know if there are many people, let’s say on the Steem platform, that are interested in early music? Wouldn’t it be work for nothing, all this job of his? V: It’s a little bit growing, you see, it’s growing… A: Well, how? Because you wouldn’t want probably to blog, for let’s say, ten people. V: Mmm, those ten people can bring you 100 people, you know. Every person can bring ten people. A: But I would think that on such a platform as Steem, it would be hard to find even ten people who like early music. V: Look how many Steem accounts I have created for people for our contest, Secrets of Organ Playing Contest. A: But is it still growing right now? V: It’s little, it’s slow, but as long as there are people who are using it, I’m, I don’t mind for this contest to be a small little contest. It’s okay with me. A: As you see Vidas is optimistic and I am pessimistic so if you would mix our opinions, you would probably get a right opinion. V: If you’d started blogging the traditional way, if Michael starts blogging the traditional way, by using, let’s say, using WordPress platform, right? Then what he needs besides that is obviously newsletter service to reach directly his subscribers, like we’re doing with email. And it also takes time and extra resources. A: But is it possible just to use what you are using, what you are creating and to share the same post, let’s say, on a few platforms? V: It’s called ‘cross posting’, yes. And… A: So I guess this would be the wisest thing to do. That way you would reach the most. V: Exactly! And actually, automatically you can repost from WordPress to Steem, using SteemPress plugin. And you get rewarded for both things, and you can actually triple your reach by cross-posting also to WhaleShares platform through Steem2WLS application. And imagine—you just post and publish a blog post on WordPress, SteemPress automatically picks it up and cross-posts it to Steem blog chain, and then at the same time Steem2WLS publishes it to WhaleShares. And you get twice as much reach and twice as much revenue for that. A: Wonderful. V: Yeah! Without any extra work. Yes. Exactly. So, wonderful, guys. There are so many new opportunities. You just have to look them up and check them out and be a little bit curious about new developments because maybe in three months there will be even more opportunity. A: I’m sure of it. V: Yes. Again, thank you so much for sending those wonderful questions. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 434 of Secrets ff Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Alan. And he’s a member of the team who transcribes fingering and pedaling from the videos, and prepares nicely done fingering and pedaling practice scores. So Alan writes: Vidas and Ausra, I enjoyed this episode, thanks. You mention Sauer’s crescendo roller. We saw one of these demonstrated by Andreas Sieling when we toured the Berliner Dom last year. I didn’t quite understand this unique device ; perhaps you could explain exactly how it works in a future episode. Is it selectable to specific manuals? Does it change wind pressure or add/subtract from registrations? Thanks and regards, Alan Peterson V: Well this is an easy question, right? Because those early crescendo pedals would work in a certain way that they add and substract from registration, nothing fancy. A: True, yes. Simply, instead of adding stops by hand, you would use this pedal, and it would do it for you. V: And it would work for all the manuals and pedals, in a predetermined manner by the organ builder. A: And I think it’s very well suited for certain musics, like Max Reger for example. Because sometimes in his music you don’t have time to add or subtract anything, but you need to change dynamic most of the time, it moves going up and down in terms of dynamics, you know? V: And other late romantic composers, sometime Brahms writes like this, Schumann obviously writes like this in his canons. A: Then of course some pieces like Reubke Sonata. V: Right. Not forgetting Liszt, obviously. A: Yes, he does it sometimes in "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam" and other pieces. V: Also Liszt lived a little bit earlier and he played Ladegast organs. A: And you could tell sometimes that terrace dynamic is more used by Liszt than other composers. V: Terrace dynamic means that you jump from manual to manual and that’s how you create crescendos. You prepare the first manual with one registration, the second with a second registration, the third with a third registration and you make dynamic changes like that. But of course with Sauer, they have not only crescendo roller but also those pistons with pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo, tutti, those pistons can be done with hands and they really facilitate the crescendo. A: Yes, sometimes they’re easier to use because sometimes it’s hard to control your foot to open or close the roll pedal smoothly. And then if you can’t do that you might get too sudden crescendo or diminuendo. V: What to do now for people who are living in the XXI century and don’t have the chance to play on an historical organ? Adjust, right? A: Yes, you need to adjust. V: Perhaps if your organ does have crescendo pedal, perhaps compare this pedal with historical pedal, listening or watching videos of people playing the Sauer or Walker organ and thinking about how it ideally should sound. And then when you have this image in your mind, then you transfer this image in your target instrument, which might be modern, and the capabilities of the crescendo might be different. If it’s pre-programmed in advance and you don’t like this sound, maybe don’t use it and use combination action, toe pistons and things like that to adjust the level of the dynamic. Some modern organs have the possibility of programming your crescendo pedal for your own use, which is really nice. A: I remember myself as a young student, it was quite hard for me to register smoothly, to make my crescendo smoothly. Sometimes, instead of coming up gradually, it would come jumpy, suddenly into louder or softer registration. V: Ok guys, always experimenting, use your taste. We hope this was useful to you and please try sending your questions, we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 442 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Erika, and she writes: “I’m working on the choir piece for Easter. Beautiful piece. Quite a bit trickier than I usually do. It’s become an Easter tradition. A couple of sections are like a fugue and there is one section that I didn’t practice as I should have when I first learned it several years ago. So now I have to drill it every year or my fingers seem to fall into the wrong place at the wrong time.” Ausra, does it sound familiar? A: True! It sounds so familiar. V: Why? A: Even painfully familiar. Because, that’s what I did in my youth when I would learn music incorrectly, or wouldn’t work on certain spots as well as I had to. And I have said this many times already, but I will repeat it once again, that it’s easier to learn a new piece than it is to correct an old one that you have learned incorrectly. Don’t you agree? V: Exactly. If you imagine teaching your dog some tricks, it’s easier to teach a new trick to your dog than to change some variation of the same trick to the same dog. A: Well, I’m not a dog trainer, so don’t know, exactly. V: But you’re training me! A: Well, it’s a hard job! V: How is it going? A: Not well! So far not well! Not too much progress! V: But you are a good coach, right? A: I don’t know. I’m not sure. V: You give me treats! A: I’m not sure. V: Treats in the form of sweets! A: Well, that’s not a good way to train anybody, you know, because you might get diabetes! V: Exactly. You have to punish for mistakes, instead of rewarding them. Right Ausra? A: I think you are nonsensical! V: Excellent! So, do you think Erika could reward herself a little bit for her achievements on some piece? Do you think that this would help her develop good habits? A: That might be a case, but I’m wondering, since it’s not a new piece and she’s repeating it not for the first time and she still struggles in the same spots, I would suggest strongly for her to rethink her fingering, and to restudy those spots, because something might be really wrong with them. Because it shouldn’t be like this, if you are repeating this piece over for many years. V: Yes, that’s what she writes; she “has to drill it every year, or my fingers seem to fall in the wrong place.” A: Or it could be that those particular spots are just really difficult, and simply you have to work more on them. V: Even for choir accompaniment, sometimes it’s important to write down fingering. A: True, and since it’s accompaniment, you could actually change it a little bit. You might omit or rearrange some things if it really gives trouble. V: I agree. A: Of course, to give more specific advice, I would have to check the score for myself, and then I could suggest what you could omit or do another way or differently. V: Yeah, it’s hard to be specific when we don’t even know the name of the piece. A: Because you know, if an accompaniment is originally, let’s say, composed for the organ, then it might not be a good idea to play it differently. But often, the case of accompaniment is that the piece wasn’t composed originally for choir and organ. It might be composed for a choir and piano, or choir and orchestra, or choir and instrumental ensemble. So, you really need to check the origin of the piece. V: It might have been a piece for choir and orchestra arranged for choir and piano. A: That’s right. So, in that case, if it’s not an original piece, you are free, actually, to do things that you need for the accompaniment to make it to fit the organ and to make it comfortable for yourself. V: Exactly. A: Because if you are accompanying choir or ensemble or any other instruments or soloists, and if you will not feel comfortable with your accompaniment, it won’t be good, because it’s you who are giving support, who are basically leading the entire choir. V: You’re right, Ausra. Can it be done on the spot, or do you have to write it down. A: Well, I would do it on the spot. Maybe I would add some markings in the score, or cross off some things. V: I think this would…. A: But I would not rewrite the entire score. V: I think we will put it to practice this summer, as well, because we are committed to performing a symphonic poem by a Lithuanian Romantic composer and painter, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, and this symphonic poem is called “In the Forrest,” and we are playing from the arrangement for two pianos. And we are sitting on one organ bench, performing on separate manuals, but on one instrument, and not the piano, and on the organ. So, obviously, we will have to adapt it to fit the texture of the organ. But, we’re not going to write it down; we are doing it on the spot. A: That’s right, because we don’t have time to rewrite it all, so… V: “Necessity is the mother of invention,” as they say. So maybe Erika could also develop the skill of rearranging a little bit, some things. Thanks guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 437 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by May, who is our Total Organist student. And she writes: Hi Vidas, Thank you again for addressing to my concerns in details! I have not had the time to spend on the 3 to 4 rhythms yet. In fact, I had to put the sight reading courses aside in order to focus on the harmony (which has been taking 1.5 hours each day from my practice time). I simply don't have the time for writing out the chords beforehand (it would have taken me at least another 45 minutes each day to do so). In your week 11 video, you said it would be easier if we write down the chords before doing the hands on practice. How could practice in writing makes playing easier (for we are not looking at our chords when we play the harmonization anyways)? And, she has questions on the week 11 of Harmony for Organist Level 1 video and exercises.... 1. When you demonstrate exercise 1, you say aloud each chord (and how it connects to the next chord). For the first 3 chords in the 2nd half of exercise 1, I think I hear you say "subdominant". Should they be tonic? 2. In exercise 8, the 2nd note (A) in measure 3 belongs to tonic chord, and the 3rd note (D) belongs to the subdominant chord (See attached). They are apart by a 4th. In what way should they be connected using our rules? Thanks in advance for your help. May V: So, primarily, May is interested in harmony, right? And I wrote to her my answer: Dear May, Writing in practice makes playing easier, because it helps us think faster. But not writing the chords is also fine, but you are exercising a different skill, basically, improvisation on the spot. Answering questions: 1. Yes, in measure 5 and 6, these 3 chords should be tonic. You have a good ear and eye. 2. In measure 3, yes, A-flat is the tonic and D-flat is the subdominant. Do you know skips of the thirds? It means the 3rd in the soprano or the tenor of one chord can jump to the 3rd of another chord, which is a 4th or 5th apart. Common notes are held constant, the 3 voice goes to the nearest chordal note, and the bass jumps to the root of the next chord. Position changes from closed to open and vice versa. Starting from the bass, these 2 chords are spelled F-A-F-A-flat – one more time, F-C-F-A flat, and B-flat-B flat-F and D-flat. Hope this helps. What do you think, Ausra? A: Well, I’m thinking that, you know, you need to know the theory very well, and have quite a good performance skills in order to be able to understand the benefit of knowing theory. I think for beginners, sometimes it’s very hard to understand why we at all need it. V: Mm hm. A: But really, knowing structure of the piece, knowing chords – it really helps. But you need to reach a certain level to feel the benefit. V: And that’s why your kids at school are revolting sometimes? A: Yes, and that’s why, you know, wanting to quit my job almost every day, after you know, teaching for a few hours. V: But if you taught, let’s say adults, who are motivated, they come to you voluntarily? A: Well, you know, I think each age group has its own problems. Because like, kids sometimes don't have motivation but they are very good material to teach, because they can learn things very fast, not realizing that themselves, sort of they take everything from their surroundings. V: Like a sponge. A: That’s right. And for adults, it’s another strength and another weakness. Because we usually don’t question things, why do we need it, because we are more motivated, you know, of learning things. But let’s face it, I feel it on myself, that with age, you lose ability to learn things as fast as you know, let’s say in your teenage years. V: Mm hm. Well, you have to have a constant habit of learning. And many people who are adults quit learning after school. Therefore, one of the reasons it’s harder, it’s just, they don’t exercise this muscle, don’t you think? A: Well, yes, but… V: And I’m not talking about organ or harmony, but in general. A: But I think if you keep learning all your life, you know, you keep learning new things, I think you will be better than other adults that stopped learning, let’s say after high school or after university. V: Definitely. What stops people from teaching themselves something? A: Well, I think sometimes some of them maybe just, you know, already created comfortable life, and they are satisfied with it. V: Living in their comfort zone, and don’t have the need to step out of it. A: Yes, but some of them actually have you know, desire to learn new things all the time. V: Mm hm. A: And some are put in the situation that we have to change something in life to learn new skills, let’s say to find new jobs. So, there are, I think, different situations for different people. V: And people who are comfortable where they are right now, I think they miss opportunities, right? Because every day, we make choices to do this or to do that, to learn something or not learn something. And if we stay where we are, we never reach a high level of our potential. Never realize our potential. And I think we will never reach our potential anyway, because life is short, and we as humans, are… A: Limited… V: Not…I’m using a different…I’m looking for a different word. We tend to save ourselves much more than we should, probably. I’m talking about myself, Ausra, of course. A: (Laughs) V: And you can talk about you, but I’m not forcing you. But yes, I’m tending, I tend to be gentle with myself too much. And therefore, I am maybe not pushing myself that hard, or harder. A: Well, I’m always too hard on myself. So if we would mix our skills together, we would get, you know, like a perfect person. V: I don’t know. I don’t know. A: Very well balanced. V: Never tried to mix two people together, so, two people’s skills together, so it’s really hard to imagine. Okay. But anyway, May’s on the right path with her harmony studies, I think. Even if she struggles with some weeks more than with others. I think her brain will thank her in the long run. A: Let’s hope for it. V: Because constant learning postpones aging and cheats death, too, by proxy. 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.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 428, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ariane. And actually it’s not a question, but a feedback, because Ariane is one of our Total Organist student, and once a month they get this question where we ask them “How is Total Organist working for you so far?”. And Ariane wrote: Joining Total Organist is the best thing I’ve done since Christmas, and I keep telling everyone I know how amazing this program is. A: Wonderful. V: Hmm. This sort of feedback is so amazing to get, right Ausra? A: Yes, it is. V: Because, of course we love seeing people praising our program, that’s common sense and human nature, but also when we see people improve themselves, and become more advanced in their playing and reach another level faster than they would on their own. And with Ariane’s feedback, it’s quite obvious that she’s very happy about that and motivated to reach even further. A: Yes, and I can believe it because Total Organist comprehend so many issues that are important to each organist, both church organists and concert organists, because it includes everything: hymn playing, sight-reading, improvisation, repertoire playing, and so on and so forth. So everybody can find something to improve in this program. V: I think it’s modeled after us, after our vision of the organist itself. What kind of person does the organist have to be? What kind of specialist? Is it enough just to play the hymns if you’re a church organist? Is it enough just to play the repertoire if you’re a concert organist? Is it enough just to play your favorite pieces if you’re playing for your own enjoyment? Our vision is something more: you always try to do a little bit more than you’re capable right now, challenge yourself more, stay curious and open new horizons. Hence, we incorporated almost anything that is possible in organ playing. We’re not expert in every field, but we have good knowledge in many fields, and people also can choose: sometimes, if you’re not motivated to do all the things that we’re offering, maybe you can do some things, find some angle of organ playing that suits your goals and vision. And in general it’s much better than just sitting on the organ bench and playing without any goal, for example. A: Yes, because in general I see the organist as a central figure in the church. Not replacing the priest you know, but like a cultural center of the church. So he has to communicate with the church staff, and also with the congregation and choir members, and conduct choir. V: Plus, organists are most often the second if not first most educated person in the parish. A: That’s right, so you need to be a learned musician yourself so that you can inspire other people around you, maybe teach some kid, give some lessons. So I think organists are a crucial figure in the church, especially in remote areas, where churches are a cultural center for the congregation and the town. V: And for an organist to grow, for each of us to grow, we all need three types of people, not one, not two, but three I would say: this idea comes from James Altucher. He’s a blogger, podcaster, marketer and entrepreneur. And he says basically that we need people that are at our level, above our level and below our level, in our life. So of course we need people who are equal to us, sort of on the same boat, because we keep motivating each other right? For example, you and I Ausra? Do you consider me below your level or above your level? Or equal? A: Hahaha, that’s a tricky question! Because in this question I have like a triple answer to you. V: OK, give all of them. A: Because if we would take musical level, I would consider ourselves on the same boat, except that I’m not a good improviser as you are. So in improvisation level, I see you above myself. But if we talk about domestic life and our sort of daily routine, cooking, cleaning etc, I would say that you’re quite below me. What do you think? Do you agree? V: I couldn’t agree more. But I have to contradict you with improvisation. You think you’re below me in improvisation because you’re afraid to try. And when people are trying new things, they start to develop themselves much faster. If they’re afraid to try, they start to discourage themselves and think that they’re not worthy, or somebody else is better. And I’m not specifically talking about you, I’m talking about everyone that I know, including myself. Because even though I improvise, there are plenty of people I know that are better than me, like those masters you here sometimes in recitals. But that’s OK because I’m not trying to be like them, I’m trying to be like me, and that’s what I suggest to you and others as well. So Total Organist helps to stay on track and motivated by finding our peers on that program. On BaseCamp we have this chat everyday, and questions being asked, and people can really support each other. We also need people that are above our levels like masters, who could be beacons in our life, right? And hopefully, for our students, we should be beacons, because they look up to us, right? But also for us, we need other people that are above our level as well, right? Other masters from around the world, or maybe famous composers that have lived before us, that could be an inspiration as well. And then, we need people below our level, whom we could inspire and teach and elevate, and motivate to grow. And that’s what our community is all about. All those 3 types of people are present there, plus, minus and equals. A: Yes, and helping each other, which is so important. V: Yes, that’s according to James Altucher, very good idea I would say. No one is living in a cave, alone, like a hermit. And we need to stay in a group, in a community, even though we might never see each other physically, but today with technology we can easily connect with just about anyone on earth. So I’m really amazed by Ariane’s response, and I’m really happy that she’s happy. And she’s telling everyone she knows about our program, she’s evangelist, our ambassador, which is really great. A: True, because when you praise your own program people might get suspicious but then somebody else says a nice thing, which is very pleasant. V: Hmm. But sometimes we need to tell good things about ourselves as well. IF we know that this program is really working, is great and suitable for many people, why should we stay silent you know? A: True. V: In a perfect world, our students could spread the word for us, but it doesn’t always work that way, because our students also look up to us: if we’re not confident about our program, they won’t be confident either haha. So we’re telling everyone right now that this program is working. Ariane and tenths of other people around the world are a proof of this, and if you want to grow faster in your organ playing than on your own, consider joining us. We’ll see you on the inside. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen! SOPP439: More improvisation and some theory on counterpoint and how canons are constructed5/16/2019
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 439 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ariane, and she writes: “More improvisation and some theory on counterpoint and how canons are constructed - a lot rings a bell now, especially the stuff on consonant intervals and countermovement.” She is our Total Organist student and answered this question in response of my asking her what is she currently working on. A: Okay! V: So, she’s working on improvisation and theory, counterpoint, canons, and she says that a lot of that is familiar to her, now. A: Do you think it’s important for everybody to know the polyphonic techniques that composers use? V: It depends on the goals, of course. If you want to understand the music of great composers, it’s impossible to understand it without getting a good grasp of counterpoint and polyphony. A: Do you think it’s important to know it in depth or not? Or just to be familiar with it? V: Well again, if your goal is just to play the music of other people and understand it to some degree, then what you might do is create some counterpoints and analyze their music from the scores, but not too much, probably concentrating on the performance itself. But if you want to start writing music or improvising music, I think these techniques are indispensable—to know and internalize them. A: Well, what collection would be a good way to start to analyze in order to learn these things? V: You mean canons? A: I mean all polyphonic techniques, because canon is only one of them. V: I always recommend people start where they are, what they are playing, and look for techniques in their own pieces. If they are playing a piece by Franck, for example, they might find a canon or two very easily, because Franck used canons all the time. If they’re playing other composers, let’s say they are playing some baroque music, obviously polyphonic techniques are even more important there. So wherever you are, open the score, and try to find out what you are seeing on the page. A: I think that’s very good advice. V: What would your approach be? A: I would start with probably two-part inventions. Even with the first invention in C major. Basically, Bach used most of the polyphonic techniques in this first invention. V: And you’re right! Those inventions, and later three-part symphonias form a basis for every pianists repertoire, and technique as well! And that was in Bach’s time! He created those short little gems as exercises for his own students! But not only to be played on the harpsichord, but also to be used as examples in composition, so that his students would not only play them, perform them, develop their own techniques, but maybe use them as models for their own creations. This is teaching by example, obviously, and Bach was a champion of that. He almost didn’t write any treatises, just one short page about counterpoint, but basically, his music speaks for itself! A: True, and I wonder how much the world has changed after that, because in Bach’s time, he and his contemporaries wanted students and pupils to study and to take example from them. And nowadays, I think everybody requires originality. And if you will copy something, it will be very bad. V: At first, it’s okay to copy, I think, even today. A: What about authors’ rights? V: When you are a student, I mean. If you are copying a composer who is long dead, who cares? A: But would you achieve much in the area of composition if you would compose in the style of Buxtehude or Pachelbel? V: To some degree, we all start there as beginners in school, and then move on to something which is more innovative and more interesting to our ears and our age. Maybe this classical education won’t last long, maybe a year or two, but even those people who create today avant-garde music, I think they all went through the rigid classical education at some point. Maybe they hated it. That’s why maybe they changed gears later in life, but this classical education gave them something, too. What do you think? A: Yes, I guess you are right. V: Obviously, at the same time when you are studying and playing Bach, if you are really inclined on originality, you would do well on sight-reading music by modern composers—at least twentieth century composers, or even living composers, even better, and see what other people are doing today. And this way, you will discover things that they are not doing, maybe, and you will get more ideas by synthesizing their own ideas! A: Yes, but don’t you feel sometimes that it’s so hard to create something really new, because so many ideas there are already expressed by somebody else? V: I think somebody wiser than I said, “Whoever wants to be original will never be original.” You know, if we focus on originality, this is not the point, because we have to focus on authenticity. It doesn’t have to be new, it has to be yours, this music. And even if you create something really old fashioned, chances are that nobody else has created this, because music has so many thousands and millions and billions and trillions of combinations, that obviously, it’s impossible to exploit all that. It might sound similar to other music, but it’s definitely something new. A: It’s like a miracle, knowing that everything is created only from twelve different sounds. V: Exactly. So, Ariane and others would do really well by starting where they are, looking at music of further composers, and writing down and improvising their own creative things, starting with consonant intervals! That is required for classical counterpoint, and avoiding parallel fifths and octaves, and employing a lot of contrary motion to achieve this. Excellent guys, please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas! A: And Ausra! V: And remember: when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 436, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ruth, and she writes: I am working hard on the pedal parts of every piece I practice. I do this at a large organ in a local church. I isolate the parts first and listen carefully and repeat. I then attempt to memorize, although that is s long process. All of this is a labor of love. V: So, Ruth is our Total Organist student, and how do you understand her expression, ‘all of this is labor of love’? A: I guess she just likes what she’s doing. V: Mmm. A: She really loves to practice pedals. V: Mmm-hmm. Pedal parts are usually the hardest for beginners. I don’t know if she’s a beginner, but people who haven’t played organ before, pedals are especially difficult challenge to overcome and I think she does a good job of working on pedal parts more than on manuals, probably. Agree? A: Yes, I think so. Usually pedal is what scares people the most when talking about organ playing, but I think after we manage it, I think it’s one of the part that gives most of the pleasure. V: Do you isolate pedal parts from your manual voices, or not, when you practice? A: Not so much now, but… V: Mmm-hmm. A: I did it when I just started to learn organ. V: It all probably depends on the level where you are at. A: True! V: If you are a good sight reader, then isolating pedal parts requires, maybe, in especially polyphonic pieces, like fugues and trio sonatas. A: Yes. That’s what I wanted to point out that it depends on what kind of music. If it’s harmonic, then I do not separate pedals, but if it’s polyphonic then yes, it’s a good idea to work in combinations. V: Mmm-hmm. Interesting that Ruth is memorizing those parts. What would you recommend, Ausra, to memorize, and would you memorize yourself? A: Well, there are some tricky spots that I tend to memorize… V: Mmm-hmm. A: it helps me. But not the entire piece. V: And, I would presume, your stance on this is because there are so many musical compositions to work on in the entire organ literature, and memorizing all of them that you play, would be very slow learning process… A: True! V: not worth, for you. Right? A: And usually I memorize either very tricky spots, or I memorize two last measures of the page and first two measures of the next page. V: Uh-huh. Why? A: That way if the page-turner is not very well organized, and slow, that way you can be secure. V: Mmm-hmm. Sometimes page-turner turns the page from right to left, and from left to right, and vice-versa and mistakenly panics and makes a mess. A: Or turns two pages at the same time. V: Oh, yeah! A: So, we have all kind of fun adventures. V: Therefore, it’s good to memorize page turns—a couple of measures before and after. I also agree. I tend to print out my scores that way that I could myself turn the pages, but sometimes it’s even not possible, and therefore, I have to rely on page-turners as well. Interesting situation. Okay guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… V: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 433 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ariane. And she writes: When I am doing the hymn improvisation, should I think in 3rds and 6ths or should I think harmonically? V: Ariane is our Total Organist student, and obviously she practices Organ Hymn Improvisation Mastercourse Level 1. And at some point, she has to add a counterpoint to the hymn tune in the right hand or in the left hand. And usually, this is done in the sweet sounding intervals, thirds and sixths. Well, sometimes, fifths and octaves, but they have to be used sparingly because of danger of employing parallel perfect intervals like fifths and octaves, so therefore, thirds and sixths are most common obviously, in tonal music, for two parts. So, she asks about the concept itself. Ausra, do you think that it needs to be done harmonically, or thinking about intervals? First of all, explain what do I mean by harmonically? A: You mean that you would need to think about chord functions. Like tonic, subdominant, dominant, and all those inversions, and you know, all the other various chords. And if we are talking about counterpoint, then definitely you need to think in the intervals. V: Mm hm. A: Because I cannot imagine how you would think in functional harmony, we are talking about counterpoint. Because counterpoint, guys, that’s polyphonic compositional technique. Before tonal harmony. So, making good intervals was a crucial point in the counterpoint. And if you would talk about chords, you would talk about later developed techniques. Then you know, music is small harmonic, and not polyphonic so much. V: I think my opinion is also similar to yours. I would just expand a little bit. When you have just two voices, obviously, you will think intervals. When we have three or more voices, then the chords are produced, and you would think tonally and harmonically. But, if you analyze a piece of Sweelinck, bicinium, right, for two hands, for two voices, soprano and bass. I’m quite positive that when you see sweet sounding thirds and sixths, you could imagine some chords, you know, at least to some extent. Not always maybe, but sometimes you could think, oh, this is tonic, this is dominant. But not always, I think, especially for that period. A: I think it comes a little bit later, let’s say in Bach, and even in the most complicated Bach fugues, you already can, you know, hear chords all the time, and think functionally. V: But you know why this is the case… A: But not always in Sweelinck. V: Exactly. Because Sweelinck’s counterpoint is more vocal still. And when you sing melodies based on the Renaissance style, you don’t have a lot of leaps. I mean, when you have leaps, then you have to compensate those leaps with stepwise motion, in the Renaissance music. But in the Baroque music, let’s say, string playing was most prevalent. And the string technique allowed more arpeggios. And this arpeggio technique transferred to the keyboard writing as well. So what we see in Bach’s counterpoint, even if it’s created for two voices, you could see some chords, because the second voice jumps up and down, creating arpeggios, based on chords. So it depends, Ariane, obviously, on the style, what you are using, right. But at first I would recommend, and Ausra would join in with her recommendation, to think about intervals first. A: Yes, especially if you have only two voices. Then you just have intervals. V: Mm hm. Maybe later in the course, when you need to move in, let’s say, sixteenth notes. Not eighth notes, but sixteenth notes. So, four notes against one. You might have some arpeggios. And therefore, thinking in chords would be already possible. Or even, six notes against one, like sextuplets. That would be even faster movement. I guess this is more advanced stage. A: True. V: For chordal thinking. Tonal and harmonic thinking. But at first, you have to be really comfortable with instantaneously deciding what kind of interval you want to play, and what kind of note would that be. You know, if you have to think about what is this interval, and there is some delay in your thinking between thinking and playing, then you are not fluent, right Ausra? A: True. V: It has to be instantaneous. How to check this, Ausra, in the score, if you’re looking on the page of music, if you can’t instantaneously say what kind of interval is between two voices, then you need to work on that fluency more. A: True. That’s how my theory professor at Eastern Michigan would say. If you are looking at the interval and you have to think what the interval is, it means you don’t know that interval. Because fluency is all that counts. V: Yes. You might know it mentally, but you cannot apply it in practice. A: That’s right. Because tempo, fast tempo is really important. Fast tempo of your thinking, I mean, not of your playing. V: Mm hm. And we are developing, not compositional techniques here, when you can sit down at the table, think about it, write something correctly or incorrectly, play on the instrument, see if it sounds right, then adjust it – we are not doing this technique, right? We are trying to help you grow your instantaneous, spontaneous playing, right? Thinking while playing, that’s what we’re doing. A: That’s right. V: Creating while performing. 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. DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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