Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 227 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent by David, and before that, I asked him what challenges is he facing when preparing for a wedding. And he wrote: Fortunately, I have 5 years to practice for this. My biggest hurdle was actually covered in one of your recent podcasts where Jan was mentioning she might be practicing to quickly the speed of the piece. I have the same problem as I want to capture the artistic interpretation immediately, but am starting to realize it's more important to get the correct fingering and pedaling down first and perfect that and then focus on interpretation. V: So Ausra, practicing the piece too fast—is this a common problem for organists? A: Yes, it’s a very common problem, especially for beginners. V: And even not for beginners. I think a lot of people sort of want to get the general feeling of the piece too fast and too quickly. A: But you know what I mean when I’m telling that about beginners, because people who practice organ for more years, we know the trouble that causes that fast practice at the beginning. And simply, we don’t want to experience it again. Don’t you think so? V: It makes sense. What you mean, probably, is when you slow down considerably, you have to postpone the sense of gratification. A: That’s true. V: Because you have to be extremely patient. A: True, and you know, I think all experienced organists have had this thing when we learn a piece very fast and we learn something not correct. Maybe a fingering wasn’t right or something, or text wasn’t correct. V: What about you, Ausra, are you a patient person? A: Well, not really. V: So, do you practice your pieces too fast? A: Well, I think this is the only one case in life when I try to be patient and to learn in the slow tempo first, because the pain of undergoing, undertaking the piece and relearning it is much worse than practicing the piece in a slow tempo first. V: You know what I think is that I think you have experienced the moment of perfection when playing a nicely prepared piece without mistakes in front of the public, and you feel good about this feeling. So then you remember this feeling, how you felt in front of other people when playing at the high level. So, if you want to rush and play too fast right at the beginning, then you remind yourself, too, that if you do this now, you will not be able to prepare that piece at the high level. A: Yes, that’s one of the reasons. Another, if you play in the fast tempo right at the beginning, you will not notice many wonderful things in that piece. You will not notice compositional techniques, all those subtleties that the learned musician has to understand and to notice. V: It’s like if you play the piece too fast when practicing, then you’re constantly on the edge—your nerves are tensed, you’re stressed actually, right? A: Yes. V: You never know if you make a mistake or not. You’re basically shaking. It’s like driving a car at too fast a speed. A: That’s right. Because you know, it’s really a very good comparison with this, about the car. V: Thank you. A: Because you know, if you will drive a car too fast, maybe everything will be fine. Yes. If you are lucky. But, think about some unexpected things that might happen. Your tire might explode, you know, or somebody might run in the way right in front of your car, and then you will be toast. V: Like a hedgehog, right? A: Yes or a person, too, or a bicycle or something. V: A piglet. A: Yes. I doubt a pig would cross my road, but hedgehogs, yes! And in the evening we have those a lot. V: Plus, if you drive too fast, you will never experience the beauty of the scenery. A: True. And I think the same with learning a new piece of music. So, and then you will be able, you can play it fast, but not in the beginning. V: What would you say to people who are criticizing a little bit this kind of approach and say, “Ok, if I play too slow all the time, considerably slower than I just want, and practice at the tempo which I could control, how on earth could I play fast in the concert tempo later on?” A: Well, for me it was never a problem to play fast. The problem was to play slow, actually. Because, when you are learning a new piece, you know if you are doing everything step by step in sort of a correct way, or you know put your mind in what you are doing, too, not only your fingers, V: Mindfully! A: Mindfully, yes, that’s right, that’s a very good word. Mindfully. Then, you know, that speed will come up. You will not even notice that you finally will be playing at the concert tempo. V: Because you will be ready. A: Sure. But if you will play at too fast a tempo when you are not ready yet, you will constantly make mistakes and you will play sloppy, probably. V: I think it depends a lot on muscle memory, too. When you play very slowly, your muscles get developed better. Do you remember working out at the gym in our classes? They always do slow exercises, not fast moving exercises, because to move slower is much harder. A: That’s true, yes. V: Right? So if you do this with organ, you play it at the slow speed, and little by little your finger and your mind starts to think that this is the normal speed—it’s not too fast for you, so they will gradually pick up the tempo actually. You’ll want to play a little bit faster then, and still be in control and still can understand and appreciate the beauty of the details, right? In a few weeks you will speed up the tempo even a little bit more, when you’re ready. Right? A: True. V: And that’s how you pick up the tempo up to the concert speed. By practicing at your tempo which is under your control. A: That’s right. V: Very naturally. Ausra, are there any exceptions for this, where you have to do some extra work to get up to speed? A: Well, yes. There might be some spots where you have to exercise more, to practice more. V: And isolate those, right? A: Isolate those V: Isolate those spots and first play them extremely slowly! A: True. V: Maybe even not all voices together—in combinations and solo parts. What else? Maybe you could make it like an exercise. Transpose half steps or whole steps upwards and downwards through the entire range of the keyboard, right? And once you do that up and down, up and down, you will learn this fragment—this maybe measure or two. What do you think about it? A: Yes. Yes, I think this might be helpful. Although, I’m not sure about the fingering. Because you might not be able to apply the same fingering while surfing through differing keys. V: You’re right. But also, think about Hanon exercise; It’s written all in C major. But, in the preface, Charles-Louis Hanon writes that he recommends transposing, for example, to C# major, and playing it with the same fingering. A: Well, it makes some sense, because if you practice always only in C major, then you will become very good only in C major. And all the accidentals will definitely kill you. V: Yeah, but you will keep the same fingering in C# major as well. A: But that’s a very bizarre way, you know, I see his point, but it does not always work in real pieces. V: It’s like forcing your fingers to do what they are not meant to do. It’s very good for maybe very chromatic music and modern music to do this from time to time, just to see if it’s possible. A: Yes, but you know if you have a very thick texture, oh my gosh, what kind of bizarre things with your fingering you’d do! V: Mhm. I think people who cannot play up to speed are not ready for it, right? They’d have to choose easier pieces! A: Could be, and I think the Hanon exercises would be very beneficial for those performers to improve these skills, to strengthen their finger muscles. V: You’re right. And also, people who criticize slow speed practice I think have never mastered this piece in this way before. I think they think they would wish to try it, but they find some reason not to do it. And before they even try it, or before they mastered it, maybe the did it for a page or two, and it felt really hard, and then they complained… but if they persevere and do it from the beginning until the end for several weeks or even months, they will start noticing benefits. A: Yes. I’m positive about it. V: Excellent. Thank you guys for these wonderful questions. We love helping you grow and we need more of them, actually. Please send them today. And your questions can be about what you’re currently struggling with organ playing. Just think about what you are playing right now, and what would you like to achieve in three to six months with that piece or with organ playing in general, and what specifically stops you from achieving that—why are you not at this level yet? So write to us, and we will be glad to answer your questions on the podcast. A: Yes. We are waiting for it… looking forward to it. V: So, do it now, we are still waiting. Have you done it yet? Not yet? Maybe now! Ok...Thank you guys, this was Vidas, A: And Ausra. V: 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 226, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. And this question was sent by Daniel. He writes: “Vidas: In your opinion, could Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 610, be setup with a big registration, which includes reeds and mixtures?” V: So, this is a narrow question, quite Ausra? A: Yes, it’s a very narrow question. V: But we could talk a little bit about what type of pieces requires reeds and mixtures, right? A: True. V: So, first of all, I don’t think Jesu Meine Freude would work well with a big registration, because, for several reasons: We have this score in front of us. Maybe the first reason is the slow tempo, Largo. A: True. V: What do you think about it? A: Yes. Of course some Largo could work with reeds and mixture, probably not this one. Because when I have the free works, then you know, I register them as the free works. But when I have the choral-based works, I always try to look at the text—what it means. And I don’t think the meaning of choral Jesu Meine Freude, or Jesus my Joy, you know, requires reeds and mixtures. V: I agree with you Ausra. And plus, if you look at the mode, it’s another thing. It’s written in basically in C minor although in the original notation, Bach didn’t use three flats. A: That’s because that’s C dorian, so it has the six scale degree. V: And only two flats are required. A: That’s right. V: So in any case, it’s a minor mode, rather somber character. And for that reason I think, more quiet registration would work well. What do you think about Principles 8 and 4, for example? A: Yes I think that I would not go louder than the principles. Even I think it’s possible to play this choral on the flutes too. It wouldn’t hurt, but definitely not a big registration, with mixtures and reeds. Not the Organo Pleno. V: Could it be, maybe a mixture of two stops? Maybe a Gedacht and a Quintadena. A: Yes, could be. V: If your organ has Quintadena. Very soft nasal sounding stop. A: Yes. And for example with like some smaller organs, they have Principal 8. You could Principal 4, but Flute 8. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Yes, and you know, experiment with the softer stops. V: And after I wrote down suggested registration for this piece, I took a look at the recording that George Ritchie made. A: So what did he use? V: Principles 8 and 4. A: Sure. V: Somehow we’re both intuitively agree with this concept. A: True. V: So in general, Ausra, if you want to use mixtures and reeds, what kind of piece would you choose for that? A: If we are talking about J. S. Bach, I would choose, you know, his Preludes and Fugues, or you know, Passacaglia, Fantasias and Fugues, or Toccata and Fugue. V: Free works. A: Yes, free works basically. V: But not trio sonatas! A: True. Not trio sonatas, and probably not all of the choral based works also would work with Organo Pleno. Some of them yes, maybe. But not as often as free works. V: The thing about Organo Pleno and mixture sounds that are included in Organ Pleno, is that Bach frequently indicates his choice, right? A: True. V: For example; in the first choral fantasia from 18 Great Choral Preludes or the Leipzig collection. It’s called Komm, Heiliger Geist. It is written for organ, Organo Pleno. A: Yes. V: For Organo Pleno. Which means, yes, you need full principle chorus, and probably 16’ reed in the pedals too, emphasize the Cantus Firmus in the bass. If you have a 32’ stop, it wouldn’t hurt there too. A: True. True. V: Because it moves in slower note motions. A: True. V: Excellent! So in other cases, let’s say you’re playing In Dir ist Freude, BWV 615 from Orgelbuchlein. Would that be nice with mixtures? A: Well, yes, I think it would suit the character of that particular choral. V: And it’s different, right, from Jesu Meine Freude. A: Yes, it’s very different in character. V: And mode is joyful, the rhythm is repetitive, and the tempo is quick. A: True. Or you know Herr Christ, der einge Gottes-Sohn, BWV 601 from Orgelbuchlein, I think it would also work nicely with the mixtures. It’s also has a joyful pattern, you know, of trust, fast tempo. V: Mmm. Yeah, so Orgelbuchlein collection there are a number of those pieces suitable for playing with Organo Pleno. A: Yes, but not so many longer chorals. Not so many, you know, light chorals, or other. V: Mmm-hmm. So the main idea basically is to look at the character, A: True. V: At the tempo, A: True. V: And the text. Right? A: That’s right. V: Excellent! What about the soft registrations? What are the type of things you have to look for? A: Well, you need to look if the choral or the piece is written or manual or pedals, or two different manuals and pedals, and that makes a big difference, you know, if you have a solo voice in one of your hands, then you need to register it on the separate manual. And sometimes you could use reeds for a solo voice or you know, other suitable stops would be, probably Cornier, or you could do you know, combination of various stops. Maybe Quintadena as you mentioned before, work nicely too, sometimes. V: We don’t have a Quintadena in our church, so I haven’t used it for quite a while. The last time I used Quintadena, was probably in Sweden, in Stockholm. A: True. V: St Gertrude’s church. A: True. V: On the Duben Organ, a modern-day replica of the organ from the 17th century. A: Yes. V: What is the last piece that you played with mixtures, Ausra? A: Well, good question. Probably E Flat Major, Prelude and Fugue, BWV 552 by J. S. Bach. V: Mmm-hmm. So it fits the idea very well. Free work and it’s even written I think for Organo Pleno. A: Yes. Although you do some softer stops in the prelude, that Bach indicates himself. But you also use the Pleno but on the other, you know, manual. V: Exactly. So maybe the second level of Pleno would be less thick without 16’ in the manual. Sometimes even without the mixture you could, if the mixture is too fierce and too harsh. My piece that I recently played with mixtures is probably, I think, one of the free works too. Mmm-hmm. That could be B minor Prelude and Fugue, BWV 544. A: Yes. It’s very sad piece I would say, tragic piece. Don’t you think so? V: It is tragic piece, exactly. A: It has all of dramatic descending lines all the time, you know, throughout the Prelude. And I think that the theme of that fugue, it has sort of like sign of cross. V: I think I first learned this piece at the Lithuanian Musical Academy. A: Had you played it? I don’t recall it. I played it, at the academy. V: With Gediminas Kviklys. A: So it was much later, yes. V: In our masters degree program. And only yesterday I understood why I played this piece. Because Gediminas Kviklys himself loved this piece and plays it all the time. A: True. V: Wonderful, guys. So please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And we hope that this question was useful to you. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember; when you practice… A: Miracles happen! Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 225 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Steven, and we are continuing our discussion about what makes a good free theme, let’s say for a prelude, because in a previous podcast we talked about the fugal theme. So let’s look at our example of BWV 541, Prelude and Fugue in G Major by Bach (and we discussed the fugue in the previous conversation). And the theme, of course, doesn’t start right from the beginning, right? It’s a flourish--it’s like a passagio, right Ausra? A: Yes, and you know, in terms of talking about preludes, it’s so distant from the fugue. V: Mhm. A: It’s completely different, because the main purpose of the prelude is to set up the key for the fugue. So it very often has a more improvisatory character. V: Mhm. A: Or, you know, more virtuoso character. It can be like a toccata. V: Mhm. A: And I don’t think you have to create a specific subject to the prelude, because it’s not a fugue. V: Maybe you could use several rhythmic elements to create certain episodes. Because with Bach--later in his life, when he matured and studied works of not only German composers like Buxtehude, but also Italian composers, like Vivaldi--he created what we call ritornello prelude. Remember, this recurring melodic idea which could be found throughout the prelude in various shapes: in the original key, in other related keys, in shortened or expanded version--it works as concert material for the entire prelude. A: Yes, but you are now talking about more sophisticated preludes, more complex preludes. V: Mhm! A: And I’m talking about simpler ones. V: Uh-huh. A: You know, I’m not talking about what you just meant, like Prelude in E♭ Major! V: With 3 episodes! A: Yes, with the 3 episodes. But in terms of when I’m thinking about preludes: just imagine that you come to a strange instrument, that you see for the first time--a strange organ; and you sit down on the organ bench, and you want to… V: Try it out. A: To try it out. V: Mhm. A: For me, that’s what a prelude is about. V: It’s an introduction to the fugue. A: True. V: In this case, then, what you need to think about is a tonal plan. A: Sure, sure. V: Maybe one--just one--melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic idea which you could use in various keys. Right? For example, let’s take the first prelude from the Well-Tempered Clavier. The fugue is very complex-- A: Yes, it’s one of the most complex pieces. V: With 4 parts, and many canons; but the prelude is so simple that it starts like arpeggiated chordal action. A: It’s like basically a long cadence. V: With the cadence in G Major, which means in the dominant key? A: Yes. V: Then, I think it goes to d minor--to what, the second scale degree chord or key; it might touch, of course, the relative minor, which is a minor; and towards the end, it has what--dominant pedal point. A: True, and then it resolves to tonic. V: Tonic pedal point at the end, with an excursion to the subdominant key, and plagal cadence. A: But it has all the same figures over and over again, throughout the entire piece. V: Yes. That’s plenty for an entire prelude. It is, of course, a shorter prelude; for more sophisticated writing, this could be just the first episode, right? A: Could be, yes. V: Maybe a little bit long, but half of it could be for the first episode, and you could actually...actually, you could take 3 of Bach’s Preludes from the Well-Tempered Clavier with the same meter and use the same figures in alternation to create something similar to E♭ Major Prelude by Bach, BWV 552/1. A: True, and of course, when you select your key for your prelude, you could also think about the message that that key brings to you or to the musical world V: Mhm. A: Because I’m thinking about the same C Major Prelude, and then the c minor Prelude from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book I---how different they are. Remember the second, that c minor prelude, how dramatic it is? V: Well, yes; it’s like a toccata. A: Yes. It’s definitely like a toccata. Fast motion all the time, very virtuosic. V: But also no imitations, no fugal elements-- A: True, true. V: Just simply arpeggiating those chords between 2 hands. And the same is with d minor, probably. Some of the preludes I remember from Well-Tempered Clavier, like E♭ Major, it already has imitations, so it’s more advanced writing. And Bach loved to create imitation episodes within the prelude, too. A: True. V: Like in c minor Prelude and Fugue for the organ, BWV 546. A: Because that’s a good technique to develop your piece, to make it longer. V: And more interesting. A: True. V: Because when you write imitations, it’s like a dialogue between the 3 parts. A: Plus, all those imitations come with sequences, too. Sequential episodes. V: Yes. So, sequence is what? It’s a technique to connect various keys, basically. A: True. V: To bridge the gap between C Major and G Major, you add a sequence going downward and adding somewhere F sharp. A: That’s right. V: The new accidental of the new key. So things like that comprise a prelude, or basic prelude type of writing. It could be called sometimes Fantasia... A: Sometimes Toccata... V: Sometimes Toccata, if it’s a motoric piece...But mostly, it’s one and the same: free writing, not based on a fugal theme. If you have your fugal theme ready for you, and you created the fugue, you could simply select the key of the same fugue and maybe create a different meter: if your fugue was in 4/4 meter, maybe the prelude could have 3/4 meter, and vice versa. Or the same meter, could be. A: Yes, I think. V: But maybe different tempo. A: Sure. V: And then think, sometimes, how the tempo relates to the prelude and fugue. What is the relationship between the tempo--sometimes there is... A: Yes. V: And most of the time there is. A: And it’s the sort of subject that always makes so many discussions and arguments, because everybody has their own truth. V: Yes, yes. So for starters, avoid complex metrical relationships; maybe use the same meter for the beginning, right? For your first 10 fugues and preludes. A: Yes. V: Mhm. A: That’s what I would do. V: Excellent. And to make it more interesting, use excursions into related keys. In a major key, you could modulate to the second scale degree minor, third scale degree minor, fourth scale degree major, fifth scale degree major...What else? Sixth scale degree minor. A: True. V: That’s the most common type. What about a minor starting point? A: That’d be just the other way around. V: For example? A: You would have third scale degree major, and sixth scale degree major. Then, of course, fifth degree would be major, too, but the first scale degree would be minor. V: You said major fifth scale degree? A: Yes. V: Why? A: Because the fifth scale degree is mostly major in both minor and major keys. V: So if a starting point is a minor, the fifth scale degree would be…? A: E Major. V: E Major. Can you use e minor, then? A: Well, yes, you could. This wouldn’t be so common, but you could do it. Of course, it would have a different meaning. V: So the same as with first scale degree minor? A: Yes, because you know, if you use the minor dominant in a minor key, it means that you don’t have a dominant chord. It means that you have a subdominant. V: But I’m not talking about the chords. I’m talking about the episodes. A: But these are all related, too, with the harmony. Don’t you agree? V: What about… harmonic subdominant? Remember, a minor first scale degree chord--in a major key. Can it be used? A: Yes, I think... V: It is related. A: Yes, it is related. V: Just like a major dominant in a minor key... A: Yes. V: Then minor subdominant in a major key. A: Yes, because you know, what I’m thinking is: for example, in a minor key, if you would use the episode in E Major, then you could have the tonic straightaway after the dominant episode. V: Mhm. A: E Major episode. If you would use an e minor episode, then probably you wouldn’t go back to the tonic episode. You would probably have to use something from the subdominant material. V: Okay, guys. This was our discussion about creating a prelude; and as you see, the most important thing is to choose a fun rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic figure, and keep it throughout. And by the way, I teach this technique in my Prelude Improvisation Formula, which is based on the Klavierbüchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the preludes that Johann Sebastian Bach created for his eldest son. So people who want to learn to improvise like that, in a free style--they can train from this collection as well. Okay. And 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 224 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Steven and he writes: It would be an extremely interesting subject some time for a podcast, if you and Ausra might consider discussing what the elements of a good free theme and a good fugue theme are, as regards development. All the best, Steven V: So Steven he frequently composes various organ compositions and he likes to create preludes and fugues out of free themes not based on a chorale melody and he wants basically to know if there are any themes that are unsuitable for musical development or are any themes suited better than others. So of course we could take examples of masterworks by various composers, right Ausra? A: True, yes there is so much music written. V: And when you play those pieces Ausra do you notice that those melodies have something in common. A: (Laughs) Of course all the musical melodies we have something in common and that’s the music notation and intervals, certain intervals. V: So which intervals basically are not very good for developing a theme in a prelude or a fugue. Perhaps intervals which are difficult to sing? A: Yes, I think big leaps maybe are not so suitable and not so common although you could encounter them as well. But in general when creating a subject or a theme for your piece you need to know how will it sound if you will invert it. Because especially in fugues the technique you use is called invertible counterpoint. V: Exactly. For example right now we are looking at Prelude and Fugue in G Major by Bach, BWV 541. And the fugue lends itself very well for the canon because it has intervals of ascending fourths and ascending sixths and when you do that at a certain interval you get a nice strata so every good fugue usually has a strata, but not always, but composers tend to seek out elements of their theme that would be suitable for that. A: Sure. Right now I’m thinking about the C Major fugue from Well Tempered Clavier, Part 1. It has a very nice steata at the end of it. V: And basically this is a scholastic fugue because in almost every measure you can find appearances of the theme and in various ways as you say, inverted, and in canon and composer created this fugue specifically out of this theme and every measure is based on the theme basically. So whatever you do in your fugue you should always think about the theme and of course countersubject. A: True. V: Is countersubject important Ausra? A: Well, it’s of course important but probably not as much as the theme because what you do with your theme that you actually need to have it throughout the piece. V: Um-hmm. A: And whatever changes you do we can not go very far from the theme. You could do it augmented or diminished. V: Um-hmm. A: In long note values or in the short note values but basically you still keep the same interval structure. But what you can do with the countersubject, actually in some fugues the countersubject is kept throughout the piece and actually that’s a very high level of polyphonic composition if you keep the countersubject the same throughout the piece. But in some pieces it changes all the time, slightly or even more. V: They say that’s it’s easier to compose a fugue with changing countersubject that with fixed countersubject. A: True. I believe it. V: And we could analyze a theme or a countersubject based on at least three elements, melody, harmony, and rhythm. And every melody, every subject, and countersubject should have those melody rhythmic elements and harmonic elements well fixed and well developed and encoded basically so that you could develop your piece entirely based on those three melodies. Let’s say we take a look at the theme of the G Major Fugue by Bach. And the melody it has nice intervals, right? And it has a nice range. It doesn’t exceed an octave. That’s usually. A: Yes, that’s usually the case even I would say that most of the fugues are, the theme are not exceed more that a sixth interval. V: Except in a minor mode they allow a diminished seventh. A: True. V: So then here in G Major Fugue we have a range from D to B, this is a major sixth, that’s about normal. A: Yes. V: If you have just a few notes of range like a minor third it’s a little too few notes, too few melodic intervals. A: True, then you will not have a chance to develop them. V: Maybe. If that’s the case your countersubject should be contrasting with wider leaps. A: True. V: So then of course melody should be singable. Basically you need to write those intervals and sing yourself. Can you sing that fugal theme yourself. That’s another reason we try to avoid augmented intervals. A: Yeah. V: And wide leaps above major sixth let’s say. What about the rhythm. What do you see here Ausra? A: Well most of fugue themes consist of eighth notes, quarter notes, some sixteenth notes. V: So whatever meter you decide to create you have to use the values that are suitable for that meter. A: True. V: Well some composers choose to use like triplets, special duplets, as they say, which is quite uncommon because then you mix duplets with triplets and in a fugal theme it’s not very often seen. A: True. I think it’s better to stick with common values such as eighth notes, quarter notes, sixteenth notes. V: Because with the countersubject if you do let’s say sixteenth notes or eighth notes and with the subject you do triplets you have a hard time of mixing them together as a performer. A: True. V: Um-hmm. Then it’s maybe better to change the meter altogether and write in a six, eight meter. What about the harmony? Of course a fugal theme is a melody for one voice. Of course we have sometimes double fugues where two voices enter subsequently one after another and then some harmony can be traced out of those two voices but it’s quite uncommon. If you are just starting writing fugues of course we recommend sticking to one theme. A: That’s right. But already I think you know that most of the Bach fugues could be analyzed in terms of harmonical chords. V: Definitely. Let’s say we have the stronger beats in 4-4 meter every two beats, we have a rather strong emphasis on the note and here we have to change the harmonies and let’s see how Bach does. The first measure has D and G so on D you could harmonize as the dominant chord of G Major, on G you could harmonize what? A: Tonic. V: Tonic. Then the second measure starts with the suspension basically F# is the main note. A: Yes, and you have the dominant again. That’s very common for opening stuff, any piece. Then you need to establish key and you use dominant, tonic. V: Dominant, tonic, dominant, tonic. And then the second chord is on the note D which is also a tonic obviously. A: Yes. There you also have some A note, this would be something of the dominant, yes. So basically this would be juxtaposition of dominant and tonic throughout the subject. V: Yes, and the second half of the third measure has noted G. We could harmonize it as the tonic also. And the fourth measure begins with the dominant function ending of the fugal theme. So in every measure we should have at least two chords. And sometimes sub-dominant too. Tonic, dominant, and subdominant they work well and remember we could have inversions, not only root position chords but inversions. So when you write a theme for yourself on a sheet of paper maybe write on two staffs on the higher staff you could write the theme and on the lower staff you could add the bass line. And this bass line might be the basis for your countersubject. A: True. V: Speaking of which, what is the difference between subject and countersubject right here in the second line. Are they similar or contrasting? A: I’m looking at it right now. I’m trying to decide. V: When the theme has eighth notes what does the countersubject have? A: Of course the countersubject has smaller note values. That’s very typical for countersubject. V: When the theme subject has smaller note values… A: Countersubject has the longer note values. V: Um-hmm. And vice-versa. Basically it’s a dialog between two voices. A: True. V: One is speaking and another is listening. A: Yes, because if everybody would try to speak at the same time you would have chaos. V: Um-hmm. And since we didn’t have any tied over notes or just one syncopation in the theme there are syncopations in the countersubject as well. More of them, right? To make an interesting rhythmic element. A: That’s right. V: But if we look at the melodic element of the countersubject it has this wide leap upwards an octave. Ausra, what does the subject do at that moment? It goes... A: down. V: Down. It’s an opposite direction. Always try to create a contrasting motion between two voices and that’s very good for making two voices independent. A: But you could also have parallel motion for example when the third voice will come in. And you will have the theme, the countersubject, and the third voice. V: Um-hmm. And by the way if you have three voices later on you could easily create a fugue with two countersubjects which are fixed and they are interchangeably connected and they could be inverted and used in various combinations and in various voices. This is called permutation fugue where soprano suddenly becomes the bass, alto becomes soprano, or the bass becomes alto or soprano. Any number of combinations. But then there is one caveat to avoid. What is the least used inversion of the tonic chord Ausra? A: 4-6 chord. V: Uh-huh. So we have to check that there is no such intervals as the fourth above the bass or the fifth above the bass because in inversion they would create fourths or fifths. Fifth in itself is good but fourth when you invert makes 6-4 chord so what do we use instead? A: 6th chord. V: And basically intervals of the thirds and sixths if you want to use this invertible counterpoint. A: And actually you know if you really want to compose fugues you have to study the fugues written by great composers and most famous collections probably would be Well Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, then probably if you want to study more modern style you could study Paul Hindemith’s Ludus Tonalis. V: And don’t forget Art of Fugue. A: Yes, Art of Fugue of course but that might be too complex maybe, don’t you think so? And another composer probably would be Dmitri Shostakovich, also his 24 Preludes and Fugues. V: In a modern style. A: Yes, in a modern style. I think he also got his inspiration from J. S. Bach. V: Um-hmm. That’s right. If I remember correctly Prelude and Fugue in C Major doesn’t have any accidentals at all. A: I think so, yes. V: White keys only. So that’s the start right? So not every melody is suited for fugal development. A: Maybe you know if it’s hard for you to create your own theme for a beginner you could pick some of these composers themes and try to create fugues. V: Um-hmm. What about prelude? Prelude of course it’s another story. Maybe we could leave it for another conversation in next podcast, right? Maybe we should start it with the prelude but since we started with the fugue now prelude comes later. OK guys, 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 223 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent by David, who is helping us transcribe my slow motion videos into scores with fingering and pedaling. And he writes: I'm getting better at this, yes. I'm quite enjoying this. I have an organ transcription for BWV 35, the aria Gott Hat Alles Wohlgemacht. I've been adding the fingering as I go, but with the work I'm doing here, I've been noticing things in the fingering that has got me going back and analyzing the entire aria and I've revamped the fingering in certain areas and I'm actually writing it in for every note while testing it at the same time to make sure it makes the most sense. I have a good grasp of the pedals, but with some of what I've noticed you do, I'm now applying those techniques and it's starting to catch on with the basic hymn playing I do. Sections that I used to find a bit challenging to figure out the proper pedaling before are now becoming a breeze! What can you say, Ausra, about this feedback? A: Well, I appreciate David’s letter! It’s so good to know that things that we are doing, that you are doing, are actually working. But it just proves what I believed starting from, I don’t know, 20 years ago, that right pedaling and right fingering may solve a lot of problems---technical issues, V: Mhm. A: and will make playing much easier. V: And you see, I am reading actually in between the lines, now, what David wrote, because he’s watching the videos and transcribing the fingering and pedaling into the score. He learns my technique, too! Not only does he help me, but he helps himself. A: True! V: Right? And later, he can apply my own system, or our own system, because it’s similar, in his own performance, which takes him, basically, to another level. A: Because it’s often the case, if you are working on a new piece, and there are some spots or one spot where you cannot play correctly---you always make mistakes, you always mess something up---then probably, your problem is incorrect fingering or pedaling. V: Either incorrect fingering and pedaling, or inconsistent pedaling or fingering. A: Yes, True. V: Sometimes people don’t bother writing them down, and play with whatever accidental fingering and pedaling they want. And that’s not consistent. And imagine, in one rehearsal you play one way, in the second rehearsal you play the second way, in the tenth rehearsal you play the tenth way, and in the public performance, you mess it all up, because you are in a very confused state. Especially with public performance, it’s dangerous; you’re stressed, and you don’t have motor skills this way. A: That’s true! And, this just reminded me, I almost started to laugh. When I had an open lesson of music theory with my ninth-graders a few years ago. And there were like three people watching that lesson. V: Mhm A: It was for me to receive a certain certificate. And, one of my students was playing just a basic sequence. And he suddenly said “Oh, I don’t have enough fingers!” And then another guy who always makes jokes said, “Oh, take my finger, then you will have six in one hand!” And everybody was just laughing. And the problem was related to this, because he chose the incorrect fingering, and then he could not play the chord appropriately. V: And sometimes you can use both hands... A: True, true. V: ...to facilitate playing of sequences like that. So even kids sometimes, in a way, understand the need of fingering the hard way, basically while making mistakes like that in front of the public. It’s sometimes humiliating, right? A: Yes V: Because he wasn’t joking, right? A: I know! V: Others were joking! A: True. So yes. Do you feel sometimes that you would need to have a sixth finger? V: If I do, then I need to add my foot, you know, like a third hand. And in a way, our feet are sometimes designed as a third hand. We use them, both feet together, as one additional hand, sometimes. While keeping heels and knees together, they move together as a unit, right? And not two separate limbs, but just one. Except, in cases where there is a double pedal passage, which is rather rare. A: True. V: Do you recommend, Ausra, writing down fingering themselves for people who don’t know how to do it? A: Well, I would say you’d better learn how to do it and then write them down. Otherwise, you might need to rewrite them a few times. V: Can’t you learn by doing? By writing and making mistakes, failing, erasing, and adjusting? A: Yes, that’s one way, but that’s a longer way. That will take a lot of time. So having correct fingering at the beginning, I think would save you time. Unless you like writing and rewriting fingering all the time. V: Another person who is on our team of fingering and pedaling transcriptions, he asked me to provide a score, you know, from which I’m playing, with fingering and pedaling. He hoped I had a score with fingering and pedaling written in with pencil. But I said, “No, I’m just sight reading those pieces with correct early fingering and pedaling right away!” And he asked me how is it even possible, right? Well, A: After many years of, you know… V: The first 20 years are difficult. A: Yes. Daily training and then it’s easy! V: Once you learn the system, you can do many, many things right away without preparation. And actually, one of my goals with sight reading those fingerings and recording those videos is not only to provide material for our team to transcribe, but also to improve my own sight reading, because it’s a process, right? It always improves or degrades depending on if you miss practices or not. So I hope to improve to the level that I can learn my pieces faster and faster. And sometimes, it’s even sight read unfamiliar pieces, easy pieces, during public performances in a fast tempo, concert tempo, if you reach that level. A: Yes. I think it’s always important when you are trying to teach other people, to help other people, don’t forget that you have all these to be improving yourself as well. Because otherwise you will not be able to teach others. V: Oh! Isn’t that a nice circle? While teaching others, you are teaching yourself as well. A: Yes, it is. V: And while teaching yourself…. Actually, you are not always teaching others, right? People who are hiding their talent from others, they are not helping others. But that’s another side of the story. We prefer to be open about it, right? We learn something new and we share with the world. A: Yes. V: Ok, thank you guys for sending us questions. We love helping you grow. And we hope that you apply our tips in your practice, and continue to develop your own skills in whatever area you choose. 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 222, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Samuel. And he struggles with recognizing patterns in the form of chords, completely and independent, and sight reading harmonies, especially hymns. V: Ausra, I think most of his struggles are related to chords and harmony skills, right? A: Yes. V: It’s not an easy skill to develop though. A: True. True. V: It takes perseverance and time. A: That’s right. V: Where should he start? What’s the first step, would be? A: Ah, probably he has to take some music theory. V: Basic music theory training, like our basic chord workshop, where I teach the chords and inversions of three-note chords, and four-note chords, even the ninth chord which is a five-note chord. A: True. V: Afterwards, he will be ready to go into probably more advanced harmony. A: Yes. V: Playing with two hands, not one. A: That’s right. And first of all you just have to start to recognize chord patterns. When you look at the score, and only after a few years, you might recognize while playing. V: I remember John from Australia in our long-term correspondence wrote a few times that he, after studying those chords in theory, he started to notice them in practice, in his compositions that he’s playing. But little by little, maybe not even in compositions but especially in hymns. A: True. V: At first. He said “oh, it’s a dominant chord”. Or, “oh, it’s a modulation. That’s where we have F sharp”. You know, things like that. Little by little, the new world starts to open up for him. A: True, but it’s a slow process. And anybody who has to spend quite a bit of time with it know that. V: Of course, it’s different for everyone. For us it was systematic training and we spent twelve years studying at the national level, art school, right? Where each grade we had to, to study ear training, and then later music theory, and then later harmony. So, do your remember back in your childhood, Ausra, were you conscious of those harmonies in your pieces that you were playing? A: No. Not at all. Because we receive a professional training in all those music theory disciplines. I think that the main mistakes and the weakness of our school training was that we very rarely applied them here in practice. Somehow these two, performance and theory existed on their own. And only later on when I became an adult, I myself started to draw conclusions and to search for a right way, or better ways, combining theory and practice. V: The same for me. I think the first piece that I played on the organ that was one of the chorale preludes from Orgelbuchlein, and I think it was "Jesu, meine Freude", BWV 610, by Bach. I was worrying about putting hands and feet together but not about chords and how the piece is put together. A: Yes. But I think understanding that composition with structure and seeing the meaning and the notes is very important. V: Especially when we teach adults. They have more developed sense of motivation. A: Yes. And especially when you are playing like chorale based works, because we also have a text somewhere, beneath those musical notes. And that also changes a lot. V: Sometimes you can even ask why is this chord, colorful chord here, and discover because of the text. A: True. So it is important to know what you are playing and to understand chords. V: Mmm, hmm. It’s good that Samuel is interested in that. Somehow it’s not a universally loved thing, an analytical approach to music. A: And it’s just too bad, because it we would look at the middle-ages when the university system started, started going in, in Europe, actually music was a subject of science. And it was taught together with math. V: Exactly. There is even a quote, a very famous quote about musicians and, and probably people who can understand music which is called ‘Musicorum et cantor magna best distantia’. A: could you translate it for everybody to understand? V: I’m trying to look up, yeah. Between musicians and singers, it’s a great distance. Which reads in Latin (This is the quote by Guido D’Arezzo. And I found it in Christoph Wolff’s book “Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician”.): Musicorum et cantor magna est distantia Isti dicunt, illi sciunt que componit musica Nam qui facit quod non sapit diffinitur bestia. A: And let tell couple of words about Guido D’Arezzo. V: OK. A: He was actually very famous for creating the musical notation system. So this is really one of the most, most important names in the history of music. So you need to, to know who he is. V: Exactly. He created the system that we use today, the solfege. A: Yes. V: So let’s translate this passage by Guido which is cited in Christoph Wolff’s book about Bach, which everybody interested in Bach’s music should read. And it, it goes as follows: “Singers and musicians; they’re different as night and day. One makes music, one is wise and knows what music can comprise. But those who do what they know least, ought to be designated beast”. A: These are strong words. V: In Latin beast is bestia. A: Yes. V: So, the meaning of this passage is basically, the person who doesn’t understand what he is doing is like an animal. A: (Laughs). Wow! V: Right? A: Well, V: In those terms. A: That’s a strong words. I would not put them like that. V: But that’s what Guido in the Middle Ages wrote. A: I know. V: Right? It’s… A: Way back. V: It was like a satire, right? Humor a little bit. So, but it just means that how this ancient, centuries old battle, between musicians and singers, between scholars and, and performers, went all the time. A: True, and I think that’s a nice quotation that Christoph wrote, chose for his book that he edited about Bach, ‘The Learned Musician’. Because in that book all the articles, they just help you to discover or to rediscover Bach and to show behind his scores, what he really did and how fascinating his music was, full of all those symbols and entire different world. V: Yeah. So although Samuel’s interest in chords is, is not perhaps related to Guido’s quotation of course. Not at all. He’s just is interested in knowing and recognizing chord patterns, just intuitively. It says that it’s extremely important too, for everyone who’s listening to this, to understand the meaning of, of those chords and structures, how the piece is put together. Basically, this is the preliminary step before you start to create your own music. And let’s face it, not everyone is willing to create his or her own music, right Ausra? A: True. V: And one of the reasons, I guess, I suspect is, that it’s not because of talent or lack of talent. Not at all. It’s because lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge how those master, master works were created in the past, which could serve as models for us today. We should not of course copy them today, note by note. But use ancient techniques in a new way; combine and mix them together and create some new and original this way. A: That’s right. V: So I think, even though, Samuel doesn’t probably even aware, isn’t aware of, of, of this further steps, but his motivation to learn chords will definitely lead him into a realm of creating music too. Either on paper or on the instrument as in improvisation. A: Yes. Isn’t it wonderful. V: Absolutely. Amazing world! Every day you can learn something new from the treasury of organ music. And we wish you that. And 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 221 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Ron. He writes: Hi Vidas, I signed up for Steemit 15 days ago; they verified my email but haven’t sent me a password yet, so I couldn’t get into the contest site to upload on Dsound. Anyway, for what it’s worth, here is my recording. It is very simple, but I learned a lot, having forced myself to stick within the FGAC theme. A very interesting exercise. I actually did another one, for 6 minutes, and made no note mistakes (!) but didn’t want to force anyone to listen to something that long. What I tried to do with this one was 1) stick to the notes 2) keep fair time 3) allow myself to play with resolution and not 4) allow my fingers to play fairly disciplined, and then more-or-less spasmodically—which gave me a feel for that “other” side of playing and what we fear to do… Anyway, you don’t have to listen to this or upload it—but you can if you would like; the site won’t let me yet. I do intend to enter these contests, I haven’t “forced” myself to do anything quite like this an a long time! I especially wanted to let you know that I did a recording, and that it was a big step forward for me. I appreciate what you are doing! You and Ausra are going to have WAY too much to do in your 100s, heh, heh. Cheers, Ron A: That’s a sweet letter. V: Ausra we hope that Steemit will facilitate registration process for new users and send passwords quicker, right? A: Yes, we hope so because now it’s quite annoying when you have to wait for a password for a week or even longer. V: For longer. He wrote that he signed up for Steemit 15 days ago. A: Wow, that’s more than two weeks. V: And some people never get their passwords with this system but I heard that a new hard fork is coming when the registrations will be automatic so maybe then it will be all easy to sign up and fast. A: Let’s hope for it. V: Because all those benefits that Steemit platform provides it’s all for nothing if legitimate users cannot sign up. A: True, true. V: They will never come back. A: That’s true. So, what is your impression about his improvisation. V: We listened to it, yes, just a moment ago. First, let me congratulate Ron for being brave and submitting his playing. It feels like he hasn’t been doing this for many years, right. He’s just experimenting and finding for himself what is possible. A: True. V: I think the theme, four notes, F, G, A, and C is simple enough for anyone, even a beginner, really, who never ever played the organ experiment with those pitches in any order, in any rhythm, in any octave, in any meter, in any texture and registration. And even form you can mix up things to do interesting stuff back and forth, right Ausra? A: True, yes. That’s quite a nice motive you know to improvise. V: Um-hmm. And this week, for week second, I also chose four pitches but they are different. D, E, F#, and G#. Like lydian, lydian tetrachord. A: I think this improvisation will sound more modal. V: The first week with F, G, A, and C is like pentatonic almost. A: That’s why it sounds so calm and down. It has no tension. V: No tension, exactly. I think Ron did a good job of doing this for the first time and the second week even if he doesn’t enter the competition if he records himself and let’s say sent this recording to us or uploads it online for anyone to listen he will discover something new about himself, about this music, and about this instrument that he is playing probably at home. A: Yes, sure and you know you could use like more varied dynamics you know because varied can be really from the pianissimo to fortissimo and try to explore different registrations, and you know to play not only one octave but keep range varied from the lowest notes to the highest notes. V: Let me tell everyone a little secret how it’s so easy to make a fantastic improvisation on those four pitches. I will tell you the secret in a moment and you will think how didn’t you think about this before. And once you apply my tips in your next improvisation you will not reach level 2 but you will reach level 10 I think right away. A: Wow, tell us about it. V: (Laughs). I’m curious myself now. A: I know. It sounds so unrealistic so. V: It is. A: I’m wondering what you are talking about. V: For everyone it will be different because everyone’s passions is different. For example take you favorite organ piece that you are practicing right now. It could be, I don’t know, Orgelbuchlein chorale prelude by Bach, or some romantic work, or some fugal work. Any type of composition that you enjoy today playing. And you know the intricate textures and details well enough. OK? And then second step would be to analyze a little bit what is happening in terms of texture, rhythm, dynamics, registration, where the melody goes up or goes down, what does the pedals do, OK? So that composer, let’s pretend the composer was Bach and he created chorale prelude from Orgelbuchlein. And he does all kinds of wonderful things and the theme is in the soprano perhaps or in the alto sometimes. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you now know the secrets behind this composition well enough so you put the music in front of you just like you would be playing it on the organ, but instead of playing this piece you’re using only four pitches, right? Either F, G, A, C like in Ron’s case or D, E, F#, G# like for week 2. Imagine that. But you are keeping your model intact. Your basically doing everything that your master did three centuries ago but with four pitches, you know? You could do that on paper first of all. Just write down similar things you know to see if this works well enough. But if you are brave enough you can actually play it. Four pitches is not too much in both hands and pedals and in various octaves. And because Bach made the music interesting enough you could also do interesting stuff too keeping similar procedures. What do you think about it? A: Very interesting. Now I’m working you know I’m repeating the Chorale in B Minor No. 2 by Cesar Franck and I’m thinking how it would work with it. V: B Minor, OK. A: Because it has that you know sort of not passacaglia theme but something similar to passacaglia style a little bit. V: You keep everything similar, not the same though but similar in your own imagination. But you only use those thematic pitches. A: But what to do with those modulations, no? Because like Franck used so many of them, and sudden changes of the keys to extreme you know to foreign keys, and enharmonic modulations. V: Let me ask you this question. If Franck wrote everything in one key, just in one B Minor key with two sharps right? And he only used what, seven notes, not four notes but seven notes. Do you think this music would be absolutely boring? Not really, right? A: Oh yes, but somehow it’s hard to imagine Franck not using modulations. V: No, no, no. Of course he will use modulations and of course it’s normal. But, if we just omit those modulations and key changes for a second in our mind there are plenty of other musical elements which are being varied at the same time as modulations. Rhythms are changing, right? Perhaps texture is changing, dynamics are changing too, registration is changing too. So those four at least things could be used as in Franck’s model but with your own theme. A: Yes, could be very interesting. V: Yeah, and it could be done not only with Franck but with Buxtehude, with Sweelinck, with Tournemire you could you know open any score that you like and experiment with what you can extract out of that score and make it your own. And of course if you are you know more experienced with this you can add a second section with another set of four pitches and then a third section where you come back to the first set of four pitches then you will have ABA form. A: Yes, with a nice simple few parts piece. V: Maybe it’s not for that contest, not for this competition but it’s a principle that you could easily follow. Anyone can do this actually just I’m especially certain that now if Ron is listening to this and taking this tip seriously his next improvisation will be in level 10 and not in level 2. A: That’s true. And I think it’s very nice to take a set of like four notes and to improvise something for the church especially when you don’t have much time to prepare for it. You know and to learn some difficult organ music. I think it would work quite well for communion, let’s say. V: Exactly, like a meditation. A: Yes. V: By the way, here is Ron's entry for the contest the following week. Listen to it here. Thank you guys. I really hope this was useful, don’t you think Ausra? A: Let’s hope for it. V: And let us know if this helped and please send us your recordings maybe next time we could listen to it and discuss your feedback as well with your questions. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember when you practice and share your art… A: Miracles happen. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 220 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Jan, and she writes: Dear Vidas, Thank you for asking how my practice is going today. Today I am struggling with hymns. I am not very competent with the pedals. I practice separately...pedals, RH, RH and pedals, LH, LH and pedals, RH and LH, RH LH and pedals. I also write in the pedaling and fingering. It seems to take me ages to learn a hymn; especially as playing a hymn on the piano is very easy. Perhaps I need to do more slow practice and perhaps I need to do more separate practice rather than playing the hymn together over and over again. On a more positive note...I have been playing in church for a year now and my playing has definitely improved. I am very pleased. It has been worth all the hard work. Thank you for your help over the last year. Kind Regards, Jan Ausra, do you think that playing hymns is the easiest part of organists’ work? A: Well, I don’t think so. I think it’s quite hard to play hymns, because you’re accompanying the congregation, and you never know what will happen during the service and during the singing, because when you are playing a solo piece, then you are only responsible for yourself. V: Mhm. A: But when you are playing hymns, you are responsible for the entire congregation, and I think it’s quite demanding. V: Right. I think playing the hymn nicely, in time with the congregation--and actually leading it, not following--it’s a tricky skill to have and develop over time, but very handy. And I think the first step would be to--in addition to knowing all the parts--probably know all the harmonies, too. A: Yes, this might be helpful, too. V: Because when we compare 2 people who can play about the same level, and one can do only the music without understanding what is going on, and the second one can also analyze all the chords, and chord progressions and modulations (if there are any), and cadences perhaps, then the second person will definitely have an advantage. A: Yes, I couldn’t agree more; knowing theory helps a lot, especially in tricky situations. V: So Jan should take up, at first probably, music theory practices; and also, later, harmony, once she’s familiar with the chords. A: I think it would be very beneficial. V: So, our course which is called Basic Chord Training would be helpful for her to get familiar with all the basic 3-note and 4-note chords, in a position to be played with one hand only. A: Closed position. V: Closed position. But then, afterwards, I think she could progress to Harmonic Studies. A: Sure, definitely. And because, you know, hymns are nothing but 4-part harmonization sets. V: Mhm. A: So it’s very well-connected with hymn playing. V: Do you think, Ausra, that at this stage of her development, Jan could supply her own harmonizations, with pencil for example? A: I don’t know how well she can harmonize, but… V: She could try. A: But yes, she could try, why not? V: Following examples of well-known hymns-- A: That’s right. V: From the hymnal. A: But you know, for Jan, I think--because she’s already an organist for many areas--I think the second year will be getting easier, because some of those hymns that she worked on in the previous year will repeat. V: Definitely, yes, I too agree with you here. And also, I think practicing 7 combinations as she does, instead of 15, is probably perhaps not enough for everybody. Maybe she could try to do SATB alone, instead of RH, LH, and pedals alone, and then to do all kinds of 2-part and 3-part combinations, too. Don’t you think? A: Well, it might be beneficial, if you would keep the same fingering--then yes; but if you would play with different fingers, then it would be not so beneficial. V: Ausra, what about hymn sightreading? A: That’s very beneficial, definitely. V: Take an unfamiliar hymn--one hymn a day, at least--and sightread it; and if you cannot play 4 parts together very very slowly without mistakes, then you could play just 1 voice. A: But yes, as Jan said herself, maybe her problem is that she practices too fast; because she says that she needs to practice slower. V: Mhm. A: So yes, the tempo might be the issue. V: Usually people who say they might need to slow down--not only are they practicing too fast, but I think WAY too fast. When they will slow down, it will be too fast even then, I think, usually. A: Yes, that might be… V: Let’s say at quarter note at 30bpm would be the fastest available tempo for her, I think. Right? A: Yes, I think so. V: Not 40. 40 is a little… A: Yes, there is no need to rush. V: Mhm. A: Because, in any case, you will dictate the tempo for the congregation that they will sing, especially if you will play the organ loud. V: Yes. So, sightreading hymns, then music theory, and harmony later on...and of course, regular practice. A: Sure. In a slow tempo first. V: Never skip 2 days in a row. You can skip 1 day, but 2 days in a row is not good. Right, Ausra? A: That’s true. V: Because when you skip 1 day, then you can make it up the following day by practicing a little bit more; but when you skip 2 days in a row, to make up for those 2 days on the following day will be much harder. You will be tired! A: That’s right! V: Excellent. So Ausra, I think this is useful advice for people who want to improve their hymn playing. And for closing, what would be your last piece of recommendation? A: Well, practice every day; practice in a slow tempo; know what you are playing about, what the music is, how it’s put together; know the text of the hymn--that might help, too. V: And practice, probably, changing registrations between the verses by hand or by pushing pistons in rhythm. A: Yes, that’s a very good suggestion. V: If you mess that up, you can miss the entrance of the next verse, or make a mistake. A: True. V: Okay 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. AVA219: Would a given piece of music have the same "feel" if transposed to a different key?5/18/2018 Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 219 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent in by Russell, and he writes: Greetings, Vidas. I found your course while searching for guidance as how to educate myself in music theory. I have a piano and an old Hammond organ, but I am not a musician. I read music, but only with difficulty. I desire to learn music theory because I do not understand many things about music. Most importantly, would a given piece of music have the same "feel" if transposed to a different key? For example, why did Bach choose D-minor for the Toccata & Fugue, BWV 565, and C-minor for the Passacaglia & Fugue, BWV 582? Would music written all in the same key be boring or tiresome? Or does the key (other than major or minor) enhance the effect of a particular piece of music? It seems to me that, for me, a good starting point would be to practice and memorize scales and chords. I love classical organ, but I wonder how an organist manages to keep track of multiple voices, such as in a fugue. I wonder whether some brains are "wired" with this capability and others are incapable of playing polyphonic music. By the way, are organists typically ambidextrous? At age seventy, I do not expect ever to become proficient on the organ, but I do find your instruction enlightening and welcome. Russell Harris V: Ausra, this is a nice account of Russell’s experience because at this age when he’s 70 years old and still is interested in music theory, it’s a great gift! A: Yes, you know, and I appreciate his question because some even professional musicians, they, you know, play for like 20, 30 years, and they never raise for themselves similar questions. So this is, I think, a very nice example of how people can, you know, think. V: Obviously, if pieces are written in different keys, there is a reason for that. A: Sure. And just a couple days ago Vidas and I gave a lecture at our school of art about historical temperaments. And, that’s why I think originally musical compositions were written in different keys, because each key had a different meaning, because each key sounded different at that time. Because before the beginning of the 20th century, you know, the A of the first octave wasn’t tuned in 440 Hz. V: Mhm A: And it could be higher. It could be lower, and the half steps wouldn’t be equal, and we have many many historical temperaments. And, in Bach’s time, for example, there were, like, Kirnberger II, Kirnberger III, and Werkmeister, and Rameau, and all those other temperament systems. So, and it makes sense why Bach wrote his compositions in different keys. Because each of it’s keys had its own unique character. V: And symbolism, too. A: Yes, that’s right. V: So, the difference between D minor and C minor was very apparent in those days---not so much in our time, if you play on a modern tuned instrument. A: True, because, you know, D minor was a more common key at that time, and it sounded a little more like a regular D minor key, especially because most of Baroque music still had like a D minor sort of Dorian feeling. V: Mhm A: It often had a raised 6th scale degree, not B♭ but B natural, as in the Dorian mode. V: Mhm A: But for example C minor, it had more accidentals, so it sounded more dramatic! V: Yes. The more accidentals you have, the more colorful the sound---sometimes dramatic, if it’s a minor key, and sometimes more joyful, I think, if it’s a major key. A: True! For example, E♭ major, that’s a very, very joyful character. V: Or A major. A: Yes. A major was suited more for, like, pastorale scenes. V: Mhm. A: And E♭ major was considered, because it has three accidentals, it was connected with the holy trinity. So, this is a whole different world beneath those keys. V: It’s connected with musical rhetoric, and musical affects theory, but Russell is, of course, on track here, thinking that it shouldn’t sound the same when transposed to a different key. And, he wants, of course, to learn more about music theory, and Russell suggests he would practice memorizing scales and chords. That’s probably one of the first steps, Ausra, right? A: Yes, I think it would be helpful. V: Not only will it improve his own technique, but his own knowledge of other keys, and the system of circle of fifths. Things like that will help him understand how pieces are put together. He should not stop here, though. Even if it’s a slow practice. But, I think in the not too distant future, he will be able to expand his knowledge into, let’s see, cadences, modulations, A: That’s right.. V: Things like that. And then the last part of his question is really intriguing. Russell asks whether some brains are wired for understanding and playing polyphonic music, and others not. A: <laughs> I think maybe for some people it maybe easier than for others, but, I think for everybody it’s quite hard and it needs some special training, and it needs time. V: But, for some people it’s easier than for others. A: That’s true! V: Who can coordinate and do two things at once. A: Well, and he asks about if the organists are typically ambidextrous. That’s a very nice question, actually. About that, that people can be ambidextrous, I found out about 10 years ago, only. Before that, I thought people could only be either right handed or left handed. But, you know, I am right handed, and so is Vidas! V: I even am right footed! A: <laughs> I don’t know about that, but, for myself, yes, I’m right handed, but since I have played starting from the age of five, in time, over the years, I think I improved my left hand enough. V: Mhm A: For example, in the summer time, sometimes I go to the forest to pick berries, for example, lingonberries or blueberries, and I can do that equally well with both hands. And other members of my family are wondering how I can do that so well, and I think its partly because I’ve played the instruments all my life: organ, piano, so… V: I also eat berries with both my hands! A: <laughs> but I’m telling you about picking them. V: Oh no, I prefer eating to picking! A: I know that, so that’s why I have to pick berries with both my hands, so that you could have plenty of them to eat! V: Yes, big stomach! And then, of course, we have to think about if some people develop this ability faster than others. What about, Ausra, your parents. Can they use their hands equally well or not? A: Well, probably not. V: Not so much. A: Not so much. Yes. And I think that it’s important, because you know that one part of the brain is responsible for math and science, and another one is for more responsible for arts V: Mhm A: and probably languages V: Creative stuff. A: Yes. So, and it’s important that if you are right handed that you would work more on your left side of the brain, and vice versa. V: To compensate? A: Yes. So I think for right handed, it’s a good way to learn arts. V: But actually, Ausra, you’re sort of… you have to add… because… it’s a mixed connection. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. A: Yes. V: Mostly. In motor skills. And vice versa. The right side of the brain controls the left hand, for example, more. A: That’s right. V: So, what does it mean? I think that you have to do both things at the same time sometimes. Improve both hands. To coordinate both hands. It’s wise to develop these skills especially in organ music because we have so many melodies moving independently at the same time. A: That’s true. And that’s why it’s so beneficial to play the organ, because it keeps your brain in a good shape. V: Yes. And, if Russell is 70 years old, he will find out for himself very soon that practicing actually organ music and analyzing organ music is even better than solving sudoku puzzles or crosswords from developing Alzheimer's to prevent such diseases, too. It’s like always engaging your brain, always exercising your brain when playing the organ. A: True! V: Wonderful. Thank you guys for listening to us and for applying our tips in your practice. We hope this has been helpful to you, and we also hope to receive more of your questions to help you grow further. This was Vidas, A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice and share your art, A: Miracles happen. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 218, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. And this question was sent by Bruce. He writes: Hi Vidas and Ausra, I am working on BWV 615 (In dir ist Freude) from the Orgelbüchlein, and I have a question about possibly moving a measure or two written for the pedals and taking them in the left hand instead. In measure 8 (and later, equivalently in measure 24, and also possibly 4 bars from the end), it seems to me that the quasi-Alberti figure in the pedals could (and possibly should) be taken by the left hand. In terms of registration this also makes sense to me (allowing the pedals to have a 32 foot stop, and individuating the left hand from the pedal with a 16 foot stop in the left hand). Also, by doing this, the pedal part that is established in the wonderful figure in the first measure (and found throughout the piece), can be given it's own character. Besides, to be honest, my pedal technique still isn't quite up to a full measure of 8th notes yet ... A few quick questions then: 1) Is it a common and acceptable practice for an organist to essentially move parts between manuals, and between manuals and pedals? I feel somewhat uncomfortable doing this (after all, who am I to alter Bach's written score?!). 2) I'd like to hear your suggestions on registration for this work, if you would care to share them. 3) As I am new to pedal work, can you suggest appropriate pedal footwork for the predominant figure in the pedals in this piece? (And yes, I am working on my pedal technique, it's coming along, thanks to your pedal power course ... slow and steady ... it's a miracle.) Cheers, -Bruce V: So, Ausra, we have a score in front of us, right? A: Yes. V: And what can we say? I think he refers, Bruce refers, to the first passage of the pedals which has eighth notes, throughout one measure—this is measure eight. Before that it was mainly quarter notes and then ostinato figure in the, in the, in the pedals, right, which obviously is repeated. But what happens then is arpeggio figure in the pedals. What do you think about it? A: About what? If it would be possible to play that measure in… V: In the hands. In the left hands. A: Well, technically, yes, it would be possible but I wouldn’t do it. Because, you know, Bach was really specific about what he wrote down in each of his pieces. And sometimes, you know, he even wrote a riddle in his pieces, and various symbols, religious and his personal symbols in the pieces. So I, I, I would not mess up this, you know, what he originally wrote. Because if he puts those figures in the pedals it means that he wanted them in that place, be played with the pedals. V: I can understand Bruce while he, why he would want to do this because it’s very high in the right hand, in the, in the tenor range, extreme right, right of the pedalboard and it’s really uncomfortable, right? And if he is just struggling with his pedal technique and, and still has ways to go, then playing eighth notes in, in rather fast tempo, as it is with ‘In dir ist Freude’. It’s a struggle. A: Well, but since, you know, you have a so many rests in that measure in the hand part, maybe you could, you know, shift a little bit, you know, higher up and look at the measure before. You again, in the pedal part, you have like a, a half-note D, D and C and that’s the highest notes in the pedal, on the pedalboard, basically. So you are already, have to be in the right position. V: Right. A: So I don’t think it would be so hard to play that next measure. Of course you have to practice it in a slow tempo and find the right position—comfortable position. I, I still think it should be okay, and I think it would take, you know, less time to learn it correctly with the pedal, than, you know, rearranging it and playing with manuals. V: And think about this: what happens in a few years, when Bruce is really advanced and can play almost anything, and he comes back to this beautiful piece, I’m sure he would want to repeat it, right? And, and suddenly he sees himself playing left hand with this measure. At that point in a few years, I think his mind will change. A: Sure. V: And his abilities change. He would be able to do so much more, right? A: And you know, somehow, in, in this particular measure, pedal part is written in such a way that actually it has two melodies; one is played with left foot and other one is played with right foot. You need to hear them both, and I think the, the left one is more important so you have to lean more on it. Yes? V: You are very, very right here, Ausra. Because if we see what’s happening one measure before the pedals are playing half-notes, D, D, C. And then if we continue just this model of noticing half-notes, the next important pitches in the pedals would be B half-note, B and A. So what does it mean? It’s a, it’s a choral tune. A: That’s right. V: Its a choral tune. If you suddenly drop this choral tune to the left hand, it sort of breaks up a little bit, right, half of the tune is in the pedals and half of the tune or the theme is in the left hand. It doesn’t make sense in this case. A: So, yes. So I would just you know, leave it in the pedal. I’m sure you can manage it, you know, after a while of you know, correct slow practice. Just be really patient. V: Mmm, hmm. Exactly. The next measure after this arpeggio figure in the right hand demonstrates exactly what is happening with the tune in the right hand; D, D, C, B, A, G. So these are the pitches that are present in, in, in the pedals as well. And I think it makes sense to keep them in the pedals as well. A: Yes, that’s what I think too. V: But,,, A: True, and maybe then you play pedal part like that, maybe you need you know, to underline or, you know, to make in circles those most important note. Like in this hard measure it would be B, B, and E. V: Mmm, hmm. A: And you would lean more on those notes with your left foot. And this might help too; look, don’t try to push hard each of those eighth notes. That might, you know, make also it technically challenging. But if you will focus on those three most important notes, I think the others will be played easier. V: Mmm, hmm. You’re right. And we should point out, that the right place to switch direction to the right, is right after you finish the ostinato figure in the bass on the note G. A: That’s right. V: Right? You have one measure rest then. And when you release G with your left foot, afterward, you have to push off with the left foot to the extreme right. A: Yes, to shift your body to the right side. V: Your lower body will be shifted to the right and your upper body will be facing straight to the music rack. A: That’s right. V: That’s the most comfortable way, actually, and the most efficient. And now let’s see if Bruce wants to hear our suggestion about registration. Registrations of course should be played with Organo Plano, don’t you think? A: That’s what I think because this choral has such a joyful, joyful and confident character. So that’s what I would do, I would play it Plano. V: Would you a add 32’ in the bass? A: Well,, V: If it’s not too muddy, right? A: Yes. If it’s not too muddy. If acoustic is, is, is dry enough I would add 32 probably. V: Mmm, hmm. And in the hands, the lowest principle should be 16. A: 16 yes, if you use 32 in the pedals, then yes, you need to have 16’ in the manuals. V: Uh huh. And don’t forget to add all kinds of principles; 16, 8, 4, a fifth, 2 2/3, principle 2, and then probably mixture. A: Yes. V: And maybe, possibly coupling the manuals and adding another plenum from the Positiv let’s say. A: True. V: To the Great. With the higher mixture. A: And look this also sort of massive registration, it will, you know, slow down, slow down your tempo a little bit, because you don’t want to play fast with a registration full like this. V: Mmm, hmm. And of course, a third stop, 1 3/5 is appropriate in Bach’s area because it was included in the mixture composition too. A: That’s right. I like actually to use third in Bach’s work. V: It’s like a little bit of pepper in the dish. A: True. True. V: Then of course, Bruce asks is it’s possible to rearrange and move part between manuals and pedals in other pieces, right? There are some instances in other composers. A: Well, yes, yes, yes, and, and no. Because for example, let’s say take a music for example for, of Cesar Franck, and I think everybody knows that the picture on the Dover’s Edition of Frank’s complete organ work. V: Mmm, hmm. A: Which shows, you know, Franck sitting on the organ and pulling of one of the stops and it shows his hands very nicely. And everybody can see how huge his hands were. And thinking about that you understand why some of his range in the manual was just simply almost impossible to play legato. Think about such pieces in E Major Choral, Choral #1, yes, or Priere and some of his other organ music. But you know, I heard in some conferences and masterclasses that even in places like this, professionals don’t suggest to put and to play some notes from the manual in the pedals. V: Mmm, hmm. A: Because it’s, it’s sort of inappropriate. You can do things like this easily when you play at transcriptions. V: Mmm, hmm. A: Then yes, you can do whatever, you know, what makes you comfortable. V: What about Ausra, for early music? Is it more acceptable to rearrange parts? For example, for example; take a look at Tabulatura Nova by Samuel Scheidt, right? You could easily play every piece for manuals only, or you could play Cantus Firmus choral melody in the pedals. A: No about early music what I would do. If I would have organ without pedal, then yes, I would play pedal part in the manual. But if I would have organ with pedal then I would play pedal part in pedal. V: Mmm, hmm. A: What about you? What about you? V: Yes, I would probably do the harder, the hard way. I mean what, what would sound best, right? If the pedals would have it’s own stop, maybe with a reed, why not use the pedals, right? So, so the more pedals, the better, in this case. If it’s, of course it’s more, more difficult but it takes time to develop this skills but in a few years, I think Bruce will understand this easily, and,,, A: True. V: And can play almost anything. A: And I think if you, you know, if you will start to avoid pedals right at the beginning of you know, of your career as an organist, then you know, your progress will be much slower. V: Exactly. A: And you may never be comfortable with pedal parts. So I think it’s better you know, to play as much for pedal parts as possible, right, at the beginning. V: The last point, question that Bruce makes is about pedaling the most prominent figure, ostinato figure in the pedals. How would you, would you Ausra, suggest to pedal this opening measure: D, G, B C D, C D, G. A: Well, I would play left, right, V: Right. A: Left Right Right, Left Right, Left. That would be my suggestion. What about you? V: It makes sense. We use alternate toes mostly, in, in early music, except, when pedal part switches directions. Or when you’re playing extreme edges of pedalboards. Or if the notes are very long, you could play with one foot. So, but in this case, it’s left right, alternate toe, then left right, alternate, but then the next note is with right also because afterwards it changes direction. A: And in this place if you will play C and D with right right, you will have a sort of a good articulation too. V: Yes. Before stronger beats, you articulate more. Especially when playing with the same foot. A: And know, and that you know, the tempo is quite fast in this piece, if you will start to alternate between that C and D, you might, you know, mess up. I think it’s easier to play C and D with right right. V: Excellent. We hope this discussion was useful to other organists besides Bruce, who maybe will be taking this piece and practicing. It’s a wonderful choral. A: It is, it’s one of my favorites, yes. V: It’s, it’s very unique in the sense that it’s not a Cantus Firmus choral or a ornamented choral. It has the structure with ostinato figure throughout the piece, but also, it is also fragmented. It’s not entire choral that is heard but just a measure or two at a time. So, we are actually in the process of making videos in the slow tempo. And our team are helping us to transcribe the fingering and pedaling. So in not too distant future, expect the pedaling and fingering prepared for this particular piece too, and maybe this could be helpful for other people. A: Yes, I hope so. 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, and share your art… A: Miracles happen! |
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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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