Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 207 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Ahra. And she writes: Dear Vidas, My name is Ahra Yoo. I am an organist in Korea. My recital is coming up in Germany, and the organ has short octave. I have never been played on short octave organ and I read your article about ‘CDE Octave’ Could you recommend any appropriate pieces for this organ? I am in trouble to make a program. It will be very helpful any of your advice. Thanks, Ahra So. It’s wonderful that people from various countries are trying to play on historical organs, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s wonderful. V: And it might be surprising for Ahra, because in Korea, they might have replicas, but not historical organs A: Yes, not originals, yes. V: Mhmm. So, what do you need to recommend to Ahra, in this situation? What is C-D-E and short octave? A: Well, yes...You know, it doesn’t matter what kind of repertoire you will select--you will still not be able to avoid the short octave; so you will really have to learn how to play it. So of course, the earlier the music you will select, the better it will work. V: Until the 18th century, probably. A: Yes. Don’t play Bach with the short octave; it might not work. V: Uh-huh. A: And also, the fewer accidentals the pieces will have, the easier you will adapt to that particular organ. So I would say: because your recital will be in Germany, play German music. V: And look at the pieces that you want to play, and circle all the short octave notes. If it’s C-D-E, this means that there isn’t C♯ or D♯ in the bass octave. A: That’s right. V: If it’s C-D-E-F-G-A, then it means there are no accidentals of C♯, D♯, F♯, and G♯. Even more limited. And whatever you do, you need to adjust your fingering this way. A: Yes, that’s right. And you know, what I did when I knew that I would have to perform on an organ with a short octave? Of course I circled the notes that belonged to the short octave, as the first step, as Vidas mentioned; and then, while practicing my organ that I had as a practice instrument, I would play it that way, imagining that it is with the short octave. V: Even though it sounds-- A: Yes, it sounds horrible that way. But in that case, you will build up your muscle memory, which is very important for us as keyboardists. V: Uh-huh. C-D-E organ short octave has a layout that C is where normal D is, and D is where normal D♯ is. So the lowest note is D. And you depress it, and it sounds C. And in another version, if it’s C-D-E-F-G-A, then the lowest note is still C but it looks like E. And then D is where F♯ should be, E is where G♯ should be, F is where F [should be], G is where G [should be], and A is where A [should be]. A: So anyway, you will have fun! V: It’s really fun, but very confusing for the first time. A: Yes, it is. V: So take Ausra’s advice, and play on your normal modern keyboard, pretending that it is a short octave. A: Okay. Now let’s talk a little bit more about the repertoire. What would you play on such an instrument? V: You already suggested to avoid most of Bach’s works, right? Maybe some early Bach works would still be ok. A: Maybe something written in C Major. V: Mhm. Or G Major, or F Major. Those 3 keys in major, or d minor, in minor key. That would be probably the best solution for starters. And in general, if you look at earlier music from the 17th century, I think most of this music would still be composed with just 1 accidental, or even less. A: Yes. And remember that short octave might be in the pedal as well. V: Definitely. I think the most common version of short octave is: in the pedals, C-D-E, and in the manuals, C-D-E-F-G-A. But in her case, I’m not sure. Maybe C-D-E is in the manuals, too. A: Yes, I don’t know exactly how it is. So I would play probably some Scheidemann on such an instrument; I think it would work well. V: Yeah. She could look at Scheidemann, and Scheidt, and Sweelinck, probably, too. A: Yes. V: “Tabulatura Nova” by Scheidt. And any piece in Tabulatura Nova could be played by manuals only. A: That’s right. And if you would need more manual pieces, you could also play some Pachelbel; I think he would work well, also. V: Yes. Pachelbel...What else? A: Some Buxtehude, probably? V: Easier Buxtehude. A: Yes, easier pieces. Also Bach’s pieces too. V: I made a big mistake for my first try on the mean-tone temperament organ with split keys and short octave...choosing a piece in E Major. A: Hahaha that’s a horrible mistake! V: And you? You did something else in C Major. A: Yes, Yes. I actually played in e minor. V: E minor? A: Which is also not as good selection for mean-tone temperament and split-key action...but that’s what we did! V: Hopefully Ara will not have to deal with split keys just yet; but some time in the future, she might. A: But I think pieces by Buxtehude--such as Chorale fantasy, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern--I think would work quite well on an instrument like this. V: True. A: And it has almost not pedal parts. This would also make life easier. I think some pieces by Böhm would work well on such an instrument. Don’t you think so? V: Yeah. So you could choose between those authors Pachelbel, Böhm, Scheidemann, Scheidt, Buxtehude… A: Sweelinck. V: And Sweelinck. Those 6. A: Yes. V: What else? Maybe some early Bach, right... A: Yes. V: If you really like playing Bach. Do really think, Ausra, that modern music created in the 21st century would still work on an organ with short octave? A: Yes, I think some of it might work. But you’d need to make a selection very carefully. V: Or even improvise. You could improvise. A: Yes, that’s right. And you know, I thought also of another composer that would work, I think, very well on such an instrument: that’s Muffat. V: Georg Muffat? A: Georg Muffat, yes. His “Apparatus musico-organisticus.” V: Ahh. A: It consists of many toccatas. There are, I think, like 4 volumes of it; and you could select quite nice pieces. They are not too hard, and sort of sectional. V: Mhmm. They’re a little bit Italian-influenced, or French-influenced as well. Do you think Italian music would sound good on this organ, too? A: I think so, yes. V: Something like Fiore Musicale, by... A: Sure. V: ...Frescobaldi. A: Frescobaldi. V: Mhm. A: And maybe some Fröhberger, too, if you like him. V: So in general, 17th century music would work well… A: Yes, yes--I think that 17th century music… V: Except for French music. A: Oh yes, that’s right! French music wouldn’t work! V: Mhm...Spanish, maybe? A: I...wouldn’t risk it. V: Early Spanish. Renaissance Spanish... A: Yes, that’s true, that’s true, yes yes. V: But not 18th century Spanish. A: But still, because you are going to Germany, you want to honor German composers first. V: Right. Play some Korean music, too. That would be nice, I think--to bring your own cultural flavor to Europe. People will appreciate it. Lots of Korean music is written in pentatonic, so you just to be careful with accidentals; but if anything happens, you could still play in C Major without the fourth or the seventh scale degree A: Yes, if it will sound good… V: Without F or B. Or improvise something in pentatonic, and say it’s an original Korean melody! Nice. Wonderful. Thank you, guys, for listening. 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.
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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 206, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Alison. And she writes: Hi Vidas, I enjoying reading your blog and would appreciate some advice on repertoire using the mutation stops. I am to give a recital on an organ which has 3 mutation stops and would like to demonstrate all 3 during the recital. I have looked out a Cornet Voluntary by John Stanley and a tierce en taille by Michel Corrette, but perhaps you could suggest some other repertoire I could play? Here is the full specification of the organ: Department and Stop list Pedal Key action Suspended Stop action Me Compass-low Compass-high Keys 1 Sub Bass 16 RDH Bourdon Manual I Key action Suspended Stop action Me Compass-low Compass-high Keys 2 Principal 8 3 Stopped Diapason 8 4 Octave 4 5 Fifteenth 2 6 Nineteenth 1 1/3 7 Twentysecond 1 Manual II Key action Suspended Stop action Me Compass-low Compass-high Keys 8 Gedackt 8 9 Chimney Flute 4 10 Nazard 2 2/3 11 Flute 2 12 Tierce 1 3/5 Console Console type attached Stop type drawstop Pedalboard radiating concave Naturals black, sharps black/white; couplers by hitch down pedal; Couplers Manual II to Manual I Manual II to Pedal Manual I to Pedal I hope you will use this question in your blog. Best wishes, Alison V: Basically, you can find the specification in the description of this conversation as a text. But we could also summarize, right? In the pedal, if it has only one stop, SubBass 16’, in the first manual, if it has Principle 8’, Stop Diapason 8’, Octave 4’, 15 2’, 19 1 1/3’, so that’s the mutation. And then 22nd one foot. And then on the second manual, Gedacht 8’, Chimney Flute 4’, Nazard 2 2/3’, Flute 2’ and Tierce 1 3/5’. Basically on the second manual it has two mutations—a fifth sound and a Tierce sound. And in the manual one he has a high pitched fifth; 1 1/3, right? A: Yes, that’s right. V: So the most common mutations, I would say. A: Yes, yes. V: And if he has suspended key action, which means the keys should be depressed quite lightly, in Italian fashion, I believe, according to this specification. A: Yes, it looks like very much Italian, because it doesn’t have reeds. V: So, so she chose Cornier Voluntary by John Stanley. Let’s see if we could build the Cornier. For Cornier remember we need five banks. A: Yes, that’s right. V: 8, 4, a fifth, a two foot and a third. So on the second manual you have all, everything you need, right? Because we have to remember that they have to be flutes. A: That’s right, so it looks like, you know, the second manual is actually a Cornier. V: Exactly. A: If you pull all stops together. V: And then Tierce en Taille by Michel Corrette is something different. Tierce en taille. Tierce en taille means, it’s like a Cornier but in the tenor. A: That’s right. It’s a French manor. Piece written in French manor. V: Maybe without Nazard. Maybe, maybe Gedacht 8’, Chimney Flute 4’, sometimes for depth and reinforcement and this Tierce. And that might be enough, don’t you think? A: Yes, I think so. I actually have to listen to that balance. Because sometimes its sort of risky you know, to decide to, what stops you will pull out before you actually, you know, play on that particular organ. Because, well, some, some stops, sometimes stops sound so much different from what you imagined. And from sort of, common, common stops. So you need to adjust right on the spot. But, but I think it might work. V: And, my guess is that 1 1/3 19th on the first manual might be a principal stop. A: Yes, that could be. Because it looks like you know, the first manual is stronger. It has no other principles. V: So what we’ll be suggesting next might not work for the first manual. What about the ornamented chorales? You see? They’re probably more suited for the second manual, right? A: Could be. But then it would probably be hard, you know, to select something for accompaniment on a different manual. V: Well, sometimes you can play with Octave 4’ but one octave lower. If the tenor is not lower than tenor C. A: That’s right. But then again, you know, maybe you could use one of those new principles. Probably Principle 8’ not a stop Diapason. What do you think? V: Yeah, if it’s not too loud of course. A: I know. You need to check the balance. V: If it’s too loud then check Octave 4’ one octave lower and you have a couple of choices here on the second manual, to bring out the melody. A: What do you think; would it possible to accompany the Gedacht 8’ on the second manual and then play solo on the first manual? V: With 19th? A: Yes. V: And stop Diapason? A: Yes. Would that be possible, a possibility? V: It could be possible, yeah. It could be possible. If it’s not too harsh, this 19th. If it’s not… A: Yes. Then again you have to check on the spot to listen to how it sounds. V: Right. So any type of ornamented melody in the soprano might work for any of those mutations, high pitched 3rd stops, like 1 1/3’ or Nazard together with Gedacht, right? Or a Tierce together with Gedacht, without Nazard. A: What, let’s say, you know, if you would go to that organ and you would find out that mutations are just really loud. What would you do? V: I don’t… A: I think, I think it would work for Stanley like, you know, well, that piece, but, but for major ornamented chorale it would be too much. Would it be possible to register and not use mutations? V: Yeah. Principle 8’ or Octave 4’ one octave lower, would be perfectly suitable for the solo voice, I think. A: And what would you do when for accompaniment on the Gedacht 8’ or would you also add Chimney Flute 4’? V: Chimney Flute 4’ of course. And we have to probably recommend to Allison to use Chimney alone sometimes in the demonstration too. A: Yes. That would be nice. Because some pieces sound just beautiful played on the 4’ flute. V: Or Flute 2’ on some passages. A: That’s true. V: If it’s a full, full demonstration too. So lots of choices even though it is just a twelve stop organ. A: I know. You could also use some gap registrations as well you know, like 2’ 8 and 2 together. V: Oh, you mean on the second manual Gedacht 8’ and Flute 2’,,, A: That’s right. V: Would sound perfect for, or even for ornamented chorale. A: That’s right. Sometimes it works very nice. V: Or remember you played the Canzona by Scheidemann this way. A: Yes. I did it, and it worked quite well. V: Mmm, hmm. It think you have to, you have to maybe play with coupler in the pedal, sometimes, right? To reinforce,,, A: Yes. Yes, I think so, yes. V: Because Subbass alone is not enough sometimes. Then you need to do either pedals to manual two or pedals to manual one, depending on which manual is accompanying. V: Yes. But I think it’s, you know, its a nice, nice size instrument. It seems like it’s not a big one but you can still do lots of things with it. Don’t you think so? V: I think so, yeah. And hopefully the room is a little bit reverberant so it can even enlarge the sound and reinforce the acoustics. Excellent! Lots of variety. It can be done very nicely I think during the recital. So you don’t need to have hundreds of stops to register some elegant and delightful organ music and play for, for thirty minutes or entire hour this way. V: Yes, that’s right. V: Even solo organ music, you don’t need to play with, with a friend or a singer. I mean you could, if you have an instrumentalist, but it’s perfectly possible to do a solo recital this way. V: Yes and I think some Italian music would work well on this kind of instrument. Remember those sonatas, by,,, V: By, by, I’m thinking about, eh, you’re thinking about Italians, right? A: Yes. V: And we played it? A: Well, yes you did. Remember, at the museum. V: Oh, Gaetano Valerj’s sonatas are perfect for this too. A: That’s what I thought but I also forgot his name. Getting old. V: Mmm, hmm. 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 205 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent by Petty. She writes: I would like to offer my contribution as follows : 1. What is your dream for your organ playing? To become a reasonably capable parish organist. 2. What are 3 most important things that are holding you back from realizing your dream? I would like to provide a brief background of myself to put my input into a better perspective : I will be turning 50 in a few days' time and have just retired. I started learning to play the piano since the age of 7 until my early thirties when I have to leave for a job overseas. I have since been playing the piano, not very often, as a leisure hobby, i.e. only with sparing technical exercises. I have stood in as substitute organist a few times in 2016 and 2017 which sparked my interest in taking organ lessons, and this started last September. I practise in the church a few times a week and will practise on the piano other times - finger exercises and piano pieces. To me, the three most important issues in adapting to organ playing is : a/ adapting to the different touch in organ playing - I have started seriously taking up technical exercises for the fingers again, but it has taken me a while to adapt to applying the right touch on the organ keyboard. b/ overall physical "coordination" of the body - the relative distance between the eyes/the score/the hands are quite different (farther off) from the piano (upright or grand). Proper posture and how to conduct movement would be essential or it could lead to unnecessary muscles fatigue, as I have experienced. c/ muscle coordination - this follows from (b) above. There is no short of resources about correct posture in organ playing but I think it might be useful for beginners to be advised of how to, say, keep necks/shoulders/hips/thighs appropriately relaxed, during and after practice. Since there is a lot of matters requiring attention in learning a new instrument, the mind and body would possibly become tense at some point, particularly when playing with hands and feet together. Specific advice to keep the body properly relaxed would be useful. Thanks for allowing me to share my experience. Regards, Petty V: So Ausra, that’s a nice goal and quite a few useful experiences that we have here, right? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Do you think that Petty is on the right track while listing those challenges? Adapting to different touch, physical coordination and muscle coordination. This is useful and important, right? A: Yes, I think that these are difficulties that many beginners have to overcome. V: As I was reading this question I thought about simply practicing before you get tired. Maybe taking a break before you even get fatigued. What do you think about that Ausra? A: Yes, I think that’s a good idea because if you will do something bad with your muscles then you may recover very slowly so it’s better to take breaks more often. V: So sometimes we get immersed in our organ playing and our track of passing of time is really difficult to remember right? And we get really focused on the music and we can practice for hours and hours but then it’s not good for the body. A: Yes, that’s true and we have talked about it I think in a few of our conversations before. But I would like to remark about reading this question about how different hand motion is from playing piano compared to the organ. Because as Petty mentions that pianists usually make quite a lot of movement with the hand they use the wrists, they move the wrists and elbows and shoulders. So, you need to avoid these motions when you play the organ because these motions you know if you do too much of them it will not help you to get the right touch. V: You are right and I think there is a letter from Bach’s day describing how he played, that someone who observed him play couldn’t actually notice any movements. A: Yes, that’s what you do when you play organ you know. It’s not that you get tense and you know not move at all but you still keep relaxed you know your arms, your whole body keeps relaxed but you avoid all the unnecessary motions. V: I think it’s really important to keep breathing and reminding yourself to breathe because we forget to breathe consciously and if we can remember this, entire problem of stiffness in our neck, or shoulders, or hands, or even feet will disappear because to breathe is to relax, to relax is to breathe. A: That’s very important point that you are making Vidas and it’s actually very important because it not only will help you technically to play better and not to hurt you muscles but it also will help you to play more musically because breathing is often related to phrasing. V: Mmm. So, I think the singing also helps to breathe right? Because you cannot sing forever without taking a breath. And you usually take a breath at the end of the phrase. A: That’s true. V: And breathing as we talked helps you to relax and then it’s more natural this way. A: Yes. V: So let us recommend to sing some lines from her score, maybe inner voices, maybe the pedal part one octave higher or lower depending on her range and it would be really interesting if Petty could sing even soprano. A: Yes and no. Another important thing would be that you actually need to work on your coordination and I think the best way to do it is to work in different combinations. Don’t try to play everything together and we have talked about it I think quite a few times but you know I still keep reminding people that this is the way you know to learn to coordinate your feet and your hands. V: Sometimes people forget this step right? That they need to learn to play separate parts first. Because maybe it’s boring. A: Yes. V: It’s rather boring. But I think it pays off in the end after a few weeks maybe of strenuous effort if you really stick to this plan of playing single voices, two part combinations, three part combinations and only then four part texture. Then something really clicks at the end and you are ready for a denser texture and you will not make too many mistakes this way. A: Yes, that’s very good advice Vidas. V: So guys, please continue practicing this way. The slower the better right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s true. And actually the last thing that I would like to remind Petty and others that I keep constantly reminding myself since she you know comes to the organ after you know playing piano for many years. That in piano it is more important how you touch the key but not as important as how you release it. But in organ it is equally important in how you press the key and how you release it. So never forget it. V: Um-hmm. You mean because the sound never fades in organ. A: That’s right. V: And you have to be really precise. A: That’s right. V: And calculate when exactly would like inner voices to get released. A: Yes, that why it’s so hard you know to play the fixed texture on the organ to play for example a fugue, five voice fugue. It’s really hard because you need to be careful about each single line. V: Or even two voices sometimes are complicated because you can focus on one voice or another voice but both of them together maybe some people are not ready. A: Yes and working in combinations will help on this aspect too. V: Right. Let me just add for the final advice to Petty and anyone else in a similar situation who want to become a decent church organist. Keep expanding their repertoire for preludes, offerings, communions, and postludes. Those four elements. Well maybe even wedding marches or fanfares something like that. But sometimes, yes you need that. Yes, and funeral pieces too. Keep adding one by one maybe one piece a month, maybe one piece every week. I don’t know how fast you can learn you know. And those pieces don’t have to be very advanced or long, right? A couple of pages and that’s it. A: That’s right. V: But remember to refresh your memory with old pieces with pieces that you played a month ago or a few months ago or a year ago because that’s how you expand your repertoire and you can play them in alternation, one week one set, another week a second set. Maybe you would need just maybe a handful of sets to keep variety in your playing and mix them together those sets of pieces, right? A: Yes. V: So the people won’t be able to guess what will be next because that will become boring after a while. A: That’s right. V: You have to keep them always guessing what the organist will play next. Thank you 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 204 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Kae, who is helping us to transcribe some of the podcasts into text and make them into blog posts. So, she wrote a question: Labas Vidai ir Aušra! She knows a little Lithuanian. So this means, “Hi Vidas and Ausra!” She continues: I was inspired by AVA192 to make a video of my newest creation--a lyric song, which meant I would have to sing (*shudder*)--and post it on YouTube for the whole world to see! I had a couple thoughts about it that I'll share with you: I try to make my lyrics as non-specific as possible, probably for 2 reasons. 1) I want them to be universally accessible. But 2) I think I also try to hide my personal life, even though songwriting involves putting it on display for the whole world--so I make lyrics that don't give away specific details. It's a weird balance I have to find, isn't it? ...Or do I? Another thing I was thinking about is: I want to encourage people to use and change and improve any music I create. I don't believe in copyrighting the kind of stuff I create, which is mostly keyboard music. What do you think about that? (I arrived at this conclusion after I discovered a beautiful piano concerto by Władysław Żeleński, and the library in Poland that is sitting on the sheet music wouldn't let me even borrow it for my school's concerto competition. Only one or two people have ever recorded it, and I suspect only those people have ever been granted access to copies of the music. How do they expect to honor Żeleński, their own country, or music itself, if they treat it like it's not music and leave it to gather dust behind red tape? No wonder this composer is so obscure! I would be so mad if a library hoarded up my copyrighted music after my death and refused to share it.) And she gives the video link, which you can also click and view: https://youtu.be/x8W8njPFT7Y And she writes further: Thank you for everything you do. The world is really a better place, with people like you. I can't wait to meet you in person this summer! Love, Kae So, Ausra, Kae is coming to Vilnius on the occasion of the song festival we’ll have in July! Thousands or even tens of thousands of singers will come, who have Lithuanian background, at least, from all over the world; and sing at this huge festivity, because this year the entire Baltic States--Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia--celebrate the centennial of their independence! A: Yes, it will be very exciting, and we are looking forward to see Kae in Lithuania. I think we will have a great experience, and I hope she will like it here. V: There is so much to see and enjoy, I think. Each Baltic country has their own singing traditions; and together, we are quite unique in the entire world with these song festivities--massive festivals where thousands of people gather every four years, I think. So wonderful. So, Kae started to compose music... A: Yes, it’s wonderful; I think it’s wonderful. V: And not only compose, which a lot of people do, but she started to share her music. A: Yes. V: Which only a few people do. A: And it’s wonderful that she creates her own texts. V: Right. A: Lyrics... V: Lyrics. A: Because I remember the day when I was back in high school, I loved poetry. V: Uh-huh? A: So I what I would do is, I would pick up some kind of lyrics, and I would sit down at the piano, and would play whatever accompaniment, you know, just based on basic chords; and would sing those poems. And it was fun. I had a great time. V: Did you used to write down those lyrics in your own notebooks? A: Yes. V: Did you keep them? A: Yes, I still have them. There are like, 4 volumes of them! V: Do you look at them now, sometimes? A: No, because you know, actually, I don’t have so much time--and actually because I memorized almost all of them, and I could still recite maybe half of them from memory. V: Wow...You have excellent memory! A: Well...it’s not so good as it was, you know, 20 years ago...But still, still, it’s okay! V: Is it a useful skill, to have good memory? A: Yes, it’s a very useful skill. V: To remember everything? A: But sometimes not, because you would like to forget some things. V: To remember good things, and forget bad things? A: That’s right. V: Excellent. So, back to Kae. She created the lyrics non-specific, right? And generally accessible, to be universal, so that other people could relate to them, right?--not about her own life. In part, also, she wanted to protect her personal life. A: Mhm, yes. V: Right? Because if she puts something on YouTube, then thousands of people might see and hear and comment, and those comments might hurt. (Of course, you’re always free to disable those comments, if you don’t think that they matter. They can vent somewhere else.) A: That’s true. V: But I don’t know...What would you recommend Kae--to create something very personal, like, very very vulnerable, you know--about her own feelings or experiences, or something more universal? A: Well, you could look at two sides to this issue. Because on one hand, I understand why she wants to create more universal lyrics that it would be accessible to everybody and understandable to everybody, and she would not expose herself so much to the public. V: Mhmm. A: And it’s okay. But on the other hand, I think that if you would create more personal things, they might excite other people more… V: Personal? A: Yes, personal. V: Mhmm. Because they understand that you’re being vulnerable. A: And they might--your lyrics might touch their hearts more. V: Exactly. In your experience from reading poetry, do poets sometimes write personal-related poems, or are more of them general, universal? A: Um...they do it both ways. But yes, that poetry which shows the inner feelings excites more. V: Mhm. A: Because, look, we seem like each of us is unique--and yes, each of us is unique--but I think we all share the same feelings; and you know, everybody always has certain good experience and bad experience. You know, many of us experience love, and… V: Mhmm? A: And other things. So… V: In order to protect herself, she could simply publish them under a pseudonym. A: Yes, that would be a great idea. That’s what many poets did in their lifetime. Or writers. V: Of course, if she publishes a video, then her face is visible, right? But she could point the camera away from her face, right? A: Yes, if you would do, like, a profile picture...then you wouldn’t be so well recognized. V: Or maybe just looking at the score, facing the score, so that people will see the score. Or hands. A: True, true, true, yes. Yes. So there is always a way to make it work. V: And I’m looking now at the YouTube channel by Kae, and she has quite a few pieces arranged and performed--from West Side Story...an Estonian folk dance arranged for 2 pianos...right? Even some Polish composer, Leopold Godowsky. This is interesting; I think she could continue. Do you think, Ausra, that YouTube today is the best place to share your creativity, or not? A: Well, it’s a good place to share it, because so many people use it... V: Mhm. A: And you would have a bit larger auditorium. But also, I would share it on Musicoin. V: The audio file? A: Yes. Because you would get back more out of Musicoin, I would say. V: Especially if the platform grows, then the value of that coin grows, too. Then your entire revenue also grows. And put it on Steemit, too, because they have a DSound application which accepts audio files; or the video version of Steemit is DTube. It’s like YouTube, but on the Steemit blockchain. So you get also some revenue out of that when someone uploads your content. A: Yeah, so you have a few options; so do it. V: And it’s only the beginning of blockchain-based social networks and content monetization techniques; so...I’m sure there will be many others, and maybe better platforms to post your content in the future. So always be on the lookout for revolutions in this field, because blockchain is the future, I think, of media, and people should not neglect this, right? Because it directly rewards creators. So...and...Kae doesn’t believe in copyright. Do you believe in copyright, Ausra? A: Yes and no. Because in some cases it gets frustrating, like Kae describes about Władysław Żeleński. V: Mhm. A: But on the other hand, you have to protect your work somehow. V: Mhmm. That’s the thing--now, you can have not public domain music, but a Creative Commons License, which means you are free to share and distribute, and only you have to give credit to the person who created it. But it’s free, right, to do anything you want with it. But the thing with Creative Commons is that you still cannot really monetize it, right? You can’t live off your art. So there has to be some other way to monetize your brain, so to say. And one of those ways is probably blockchain-based, right, that we mentioned earlier. So copyright means that if somebody picks up that you have performed, let’s say, Władysław Żeleński’s concerto--so then, if this is copyrighted, a portion of your revenue will go to the copyright owner of that work. Maybe relatives of Władysław Żeleński. Or...I don’t know if the library has copyright. Probably not. But maybe the publisher has. I don’t know. So, in part, yes: people have to be rewarded for their work; that’s why we have copyright for 50 or 75 years after the composer’s death. But that’s a sometimes tricky situation; because you don’t always know if the person has performed or not--right, Ausra? A: Yes, that’s true. V: But now, blockchain-based platforms for copyrighted content are also being created, so people should check out them soon, also. It’s a new paradigm now, with blockchain--they can automatize everything and make it so easy to check and track, it’s like distributed a digital ledger, where everything you put on that ledger stays forever; and you can’t say, “No, no, I didn’t perform the concerto by Władysław Żeleński!” because the ledger says you did, you know? A: Huh. Yes--no way to hide! V: Mhm, yeah. Excellent. I just would add--I believe that creators should get paid for their work. And in what form or what shape, it depends. A: But yes, you also need to share your work; because otherwise it will just die. V: Exactly. If you hide--if you always protect it under copyright--nobody will notice it. So it’s a balance. Maybe when you are just starting, you could share them more freely; and when you are more advanced and mature, you could start to, I don’t know, hold back a little. A: Yes; that, I think, is a good suggestion. V: Right. And it’s always good to monetize your creativity, and control it--not give away copyright to other entities, like institutions or companies, because they will abuse your rights for sure. A: Yes, that’s true. V: Okay! Thank you guys. Keep creating, keep sharing your music--and not only music, you can do anything you want today. And keep sending us your wonderful 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 203, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Robert. And he writes: Hi Vidas ... Robert here again from Vancouver Canada: I'm at a point where I read well and have pretty good independence with hands and pedals. I seem to have trouble with arpeggios though, left and right hand. Basically it's doing the fast transitions to other chords (in the progressions) which are often in inversions. Any material you know of or from your own courses that really exercises a disciplined technique? Cost factor I'm fine with as this is something I'd really like to get " under my fingers " yet, so to speak. I'm just playing this material way to slow. Appreciate your or Ausras input! 😃 Robert V: So Ausra, do you know of any courses or sources for information about learning to play arpeggios? A: I’m sure there are plenty of sources, you know, how to play arpeggios well. But for, in order to do that you even don’t need any additional material. You could just do it on your own. Just pick up any key, for example D Major, and start playing D Major arpeggios. V: But then you need to know the fingers. A: Yes, you need to know fingering. V: And usually the fingering is very naturally understandable if you have some experience with chords. A: Yes. And you know, I’m sure you could find in a library, books that consist not only of arpeggios but basically in order to, you know, build up your technique. As kids at an early age we start to play scales, chords, arpeggios and chromatic scales. V: Mmm, hmm. A; In various manners. And these four things actually help build you, up your technique. V: In addition to etudes, right? A: Yes, yes. V: Mmm, hmm. So one source to look at while waiting for our material—we haven’t prepared such a course yet—but since you are in need now, you could look at Hanon exercises. And in part two, at the end of part two, they have scales and arpeggios you know, keys. So that’s all you need probably, for now. And if, while you are in Hanon collection, check out the previous exercises. In part one too, they are very, very good. The aim for Hanon is it to get perfect technique over time while playing on the keyboards only one hour per day. Because in the fast tempo, you can sight read entire collection—there are three parts—in one hour. I don’t know who can do this because it’s really, really difficult, the third part, I mean, but virtuoso pianists can. A: Sure. So, and for now, if you have trouble, you know getting right arpeggio passage in the piece that you are working on, make an exercise from that particular spot. And check if you are playing with the correct fingering. This is a very important thing. Then you will play it fast. V: What to you mean Ausra, do an exercise based on your piece? A: Well, take a spot that you cannot play well, V: Uh, huh. A: Where you are making mistakes, just a little excerpt of with it. V: Yes. A: And play it many times. Especially in the slow tempo first, check your fingering if it is correct. Then you know, increase the tempo. V: Like one or two measures, right? A: Yes. Like one or two measures. Then you can have fun with it — you can transpose it too. V: Ohhh. A: Into different keys. V: Right! And then, of course by that time you even memorize this fragment. A: Yes, and you know, especially what I do with arpeggios, you have to know on which note to lean. If it’s a short arpeggio then it’s enough to lean in one spot usually at the bottom of the note or on the top of the note, depending in which direction the arpeggio go. But if it’s longer arpeggio, last more than one, one, one measure, then you will do, will have to do another accent somewhere. So that’s what helps me. V: Usually those longer arpeggios are based on one simple chord, like C Major tonic chord, and they just repeat the, the first scale degree one octave higher, two octaves higher, three octaves higher. A: Yes. And even if you know, if you make text mistakes, maybe you don’t know what those chords are, those arpeggiated chords. And this is also a good way you know, to, to play piece better and to feel more secure with it, to know what theoretically what’s going on. V: You mean that playing arpeggios will help you to understand music theory too. A: Yes that’s right. That’s what I mean. V: Prepare for harmonies. A: Yes. V: Nice! Do you think that isolating those measures and playing them over and over again plus transposing them, probably from memory, would help you in improvisation? A: Definitely, yes. V: How? A: Because you would develop sort of muscle memory, by transposing excerpts like this, and at the beginning you might need to think very carefully and slowly about them. But in time, I think you will be able to not think so much about them and do it almost automatically. V: You will develop sort of a bag of tricks, right? A: Sure. V: That you could later use in your own improvisations. That’s of course, that will be in the style of other composers though, right? But that’s in principle the same technique that jazz players are doing. They listen to recordings over and over again and maybe now in the slow tempo and transcribe, the notes. They call them licks, those fragments. And they then memorize, transpose, and later reuse them in their own improvisations. A: Yes, and you know, I think now in the 21st Century, they are too concerned about being original. Because look at the history of, of, of music. You know composers especially at the beginning of their career, they copied each other. They learn from each other. And it wasn’t considered a crime you know, to, to, to copy somebody, or something. V: Mmm, hmm. A: So I think, why not, you know, take something that is good from those times, and do it nowadays, especially when we are talking about improvisation. V: Mmm, hmm. It’s, it's like language, because music is communicating in some form of language, which is not text based but sound based. So if you have a version of language that other composers used, and you like it, there is no crime in, in communicating in this language yourself, right? Or part of that language. First you will shape and adapt that language for your own needs, right, as you develop. Because, because, look, you will not only copy one composer, you will probably mix ten or twenty composers together. Don’t you think Ausra, that this way you will become original? A: Yes. V: This mix of, of ten or twenty. A: Yes, it’s still will sound like you, not like somebody else. V: Mmm, hmm. A: Maybe it will remind of somebody else but, but still it will be your thing. V: Because other people who are doing the same thing, maybe they’re copying other composers in that twenty group. Maybe some of the are the same like you are doing, but not all of them, and the mix would be unique. A: Yes, that’s true. So now going back to the course. First of all, you need to check your fingering, if it’s really comfortable and fitting the particular passage, playing a slow tempo, transpose it to the other key. V: And do it over and over again. A: Yes. V: Excellent! I think this will be helpful to people who want to expand their technique. And their creativity too. A: Yes. V: Thank you guys for listening. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. This is really fun to 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 202 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent by Eddie and he wrote: How can an existing church with a wonderful Rieger organ but dry absorbent acoustics be improved either by mechanical means or electronic reverberations systems? Any experience of this? It's in St Georges Anglican Church Parktown Johannesburg. Really a superb two manual organ but the room is quite dead and sec - I imagine early-reflection panels on the side walls and perhaps even in the roof/ceiling (or both) OR otherwise Electronic Reverberation system could be considered! Building is 'n shoe-shaped designs by a famous SA church architect Sir Herbert Baker! V: Ausra, I asked our friend and organ builder Gene Bedient to get a perspective on this and here is what he wrote: “As far as general acoustical suggestions hard surfaces, remove carpet, hard floor, irregular surfaces to diffuse sound efficiently, avoid flimsy wall panels such as thin drywall. Such panels absorb low frequency.” So were not really experts on acoustics, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: But Gene probably knows quite a bit more than we because he built many wonderful organs in different acoustical environments throughout his career. And not every church, not every building has reverberant acoustics. A: That’s for sure, yes. V: Especially in the U. S. So in the case of Eddie’s in South Africa situation I think if they could really remove carpet, right, those things? A: Cushions. V: Cushions, exactly. What else? Umm in general avoid any cloth right? A: Yes. V: That would strengthen the reverberation a little bit maybe one second or two seconds. A: But still I don’t think you can do something significant in this kind of situation. V: But then Eddie mentioned he imagines electronic reverberation system could be considered. Imagine that. I don’t have any experience with this. Do you? A: No, I have neither but I wouldn’t do it because it sounds so bizarre. If the organ is pneumatical or mechanical then adding stuff like this you know I don’t think would work. It might make situation even worse. V: And electronic reverberation system solution might be expensive too. A: Yes. V: Because I understand finances are important right here. A: Look at the bright side of this thing you know you can do repertoire that would not work maybe in large acoustics. Do more chamber music, ensemble music. That works quite well you know. And in church like this you know I don’t know if organ is upstairs or downstairs. V: He doesn’t say. A: But then we have no church with large acoustics and we have for example settings the choir has to be downstairs for example or the soloist has to be downstairs and the organist is upstairs you can never you know play together. But if the acoustic is dry you can easily do arrangements like this when soloist or choir sings from downstairs and you play upstairs and it still works quite well. V: And then of course organist has to adjust his articulation. A: Yes, you don’t have to articulate so much you know do a little bit more less space between the notes. So of course you have to play at a faster tempo too. V: For a lot of people it’s easier to play in dry acoustics than in reverberant ones. A: Yes, that’s true. Because it’s more like at piano you know, playing piano that way. V: What you play is what you hear. A: Sure. V: Um-hmm. It seems like it would be quite expensive remodeling of the building if you want to improve acoustics significantly. A: Because I think that acoustics is such a thing you have to think about before building a building. V: I know. A: Unfortunately that not so many architects now considering acoustics in general. Not only in churches but concert halls a well. Like we have this Siemens arena, so called is Vilnius which holds how many people? A big crowd actually. V: Ten thousand,maybe fifteen thousand. A: I think the one in Kaunas holds fifteen thousand people. But this one in Vilnius holds ten thousand people and it’s used for all kinds of different activities for sports, for basketball, and sometimes it holds concerts as well and acoustic is just horrible. V: And Vilnius University is planning to have a special concert next year there with classical music as well so we don’t know what kind of acoustical environment it will be. A: I don’t know about this organ in Johannesburg, maybe some mikes would help if you amplify the organ, I’m not sure you know. You really need to consult a sound engineer. V: And Gene in our correspondence gave a few contacts to Eddie to contact his acquaintances in this area. So maybe Eddie can find some help further. A: True. But you know even if you will be able to make your acoustics better if you will have a good crowd of people coming to the service you might lose that too. Because with each additional person you know coming to the church the acoustic is diminished greatly. V: Remember what’s happening during diploma graduation ceremonies at University of Vilnius where we play. If for example in empty room it’s like five or more seconds of reverberation with full organ but then when three hundred or more people come and pack into the building it’s completely dry. A: Yes, it’s dry and organ sounds much softer than it would be in an empty church. So you need always to keep that in mind. V: Yeah and play louder if you want softer registrations actually. Good. We hope this discussion was at least in part helpful to you but you really need to get some expert advice on this I think. A: So I think the best advice would be for a future generation would be before building a church think about acoustics because that’s what should come first and then just worry about what kind of instrument you will put in that church. V: Um-hmm. A: Building is the most important. V: And then when you play in such environment the beauty is that you can adjust your playing technique everywhere you go in every different acoustical environment. And at first when you just start playing in public and you have tried maybe just a few organs it’s really strange and uncomfortable to change your articulation, right Ausra? A: That’s true. V: Somehow if you are for example taught in a dry acoustical environment and then going to a cathedral then you are playing legato or more or less legato and it’s completely frustrating to adjust right away and vice versa, the opposite is true. If you are used to spacious rooms and good acoustics then going to a concert hall like this would be quite strange. A: So I guess the most important thing is you know to consider all these possibilities and to know what might you know be waiting for you so be ready in advance. V: And when you play listen to what the audience is hearing right? To the echo. A: Sure. V: If it’s even there this echo. Sometimes you don’t have echoes. But still if there is no echo you know it’s a dry room. A: I know and you know it’s a different feeling because I remember playing in the states in several you know churches where basically you hold the last chord and before even you know releasing the keys it seems the sound already disappeared. So acoustic is so dry, it’s not dry dry but it even eats your sound. V: Like black hole. A: I know, it’s a funny feeling. Not a very nice feeling but you get used to it as well. V: Right. So the more you travel the more experience you will have and the less time you will need to adjust I think. A: True. V: But in Eddie’s case I think there isn’t any possibility to do an acoustical environment of the cathedral out of let’s say supermarket acoustic. A: True. V: Maybe a little bit. One or two seconds reverberation that would probably be the best he can hope for. A: That’s actually two seconds, that’s a nice acoustic. I would consider that a nice acoustic just a we had at Grace Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. V: Um-hmm. A: It was nice. V: And again it’s nice when you practice alone but when the big festivities in the church full packed with people then this disappears completely. A: Sure. V: What can you do? A: Well you know then peoples voices fill out the church. It works well as well . V: Thanks 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. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 198 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. And today’s question was sent by Austin, and he writes: I am just with 4 years of experience but I have only played mainly four part hymns and Handel works. Currently I transcribed Handel's Dettingen Te Deum into solfa notation for my choir and am just learning the organ part because that's the book we wish to perform this year. After that, safe learning pieces such as For unto us, O thou that tallest, And the gloria all by Handel. I want to study Bach works, most especially the ones without pedal part because over here pipe organ is not easily accessible. I have an organ tutor but no way of practicing from it. So I need your advice on how to go about it. Over here Bach works are not popularly studied it's just mainly Handel, few Mozarts, Henry Purcell etc., most especially chorus works. Interesting situation, Ausra. A: Yes. V: That Handel is more popular than Bach! A: Sounds like English tradition to me. V: Hmm, could be, could be. Especially choir tradition, right? A: Yes. And Handel also worked in England almost all his life. V: Mhmm. So he probably struggles with finding a way of practicing from an organ tutor--from a method book. A: Yes, and also finding an organ with a pedal, as I understood, too. V: I see. Hmm...If you didn’t have pedals, Ausra, in your situation at church, let’s say, right? What would you do? Would you just play on the piano keyboard, or something else? A: Well, yes, I would play on the piano keyboard. But maybe I would just draw myself a pedalboard, and practice imaginary pedals. V: Mhm. A: It depends on the situation in life; for everybody it’s different. But in that case, I probably would just select manual pieces. V: Yeah. For now, like chorale partitas by maybe Pachelbel, maybe Krebs, right? A: Yes, there are many collections of wonderful keyboard music without pedal. All the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, 2 volumes of it. That collection doesn’t have any pedals. Most of the pieces by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck have no pedals--most of them, not all. V: Mhm. You know, people seem to hesitate to practice on paper pedals, right? It’s very easy: you just print out a few sheets with real-size pedals printed on them, and then you cut out the borders, right? And then glue those sheets together with tape. And then you have an imaginary pedalboard, as Ausra said. And then you can put it on the floor next to the keyboard that you’re playing. Or if you don’t have a keyboard, you could just work on the table. A: But as I understood, you know, Austin has a keyboard, but it doesn’t have pedal. V: And people who don’t use this paper method say that they don’t know if they’re hitting the right pedals, if they’re not making mistakes right? Because those pedals are not sounding. To which I would reply: it doesn’t matter. What matters is your effort; what matters is your muscle movement. A: Yes, because your coordination still works that way. V: Mhm. A: If you are playing that, then when you get to the real instrument, you will see that it’s not as hard as you thought it would be. V: Because you still will hit approximate distances, you know? If you’re hitting middle C, you will not be hitting some middle G, you know--tenor G, a fifth higher. Because you will have a feeling where this middle C is. So maybe you will hit B or D next to it, but it’s still very close, right? So...We did an experiment, I think at the beginning of our Unda Maris studio. In the first lessons there were maybe 10 people in the rehearsal, and only 1 organ; so I brought paper pedals and paper manuals, and we put them in the balcony. And I think 1 person played the organ, and everybody else played the same exercise together in the same rhythm. And I was conducting those 10 people, I think, like a choir. But only 1 person made a sound. And everybody else played on the paper. And then, after a few rounds of playing that exercise, I asked a random person who had never ever played a real organ before to play this particular exercise with pedals on the real organ! Guess what happened, Ausra? A: He could do it? V: She could do it! (It was our friend Erika.) And she almost didn’t make a mistake! Maybe once. But it was like a miracle, right? A: Yes. So this is a good way to practice, if you don’t have a real organ and a real pedal. V: Exactly. A: Because you never know when the situation in your life will change. Maybe you will get access to a real instrument. V: Of course. This is a temporary solution. Or maybe when you are traveling, right? Never skip an organ practice just because you don’t have access to an instrument. Carry those simple sheets with you all the time, and you can adjust to the situation. Or, if you don’t have paper pedals, you can still pound those imaginary pedals with your feet on the floor, right? A: True. V: In approximate spaces. Then you can have inner hearing how the piece is sounding. Maybe you could improve your pitch this way. A: Yes. V: Could a person like Austin sing the bass part? A: Yes, this is a solution, too. V: Mhm. A: And a good one. V: Remember, we lived in the summer cottage for a few months, and we didn’t have pedals at all... A: Mhm. V: Just the piano. So, my voice is low, and I would play the piano parts--the manual parts--on the piano; and I would sing the bass part and play with my feet on the floor. That’s it. That’s how I prepared for many recitals! A: True. V: Excellent. How else could we inspire people today? ...He wrote that he transcribed Handel’s “Dettingen Te Deum.” That’s very nice practice, transcribing choral and orchestral works, don’t you think, Ausra? A: Yes, it is. V: Yeah, especially if you have a choir, right? If you have a group of people who would be interested in singing it. Sometimes you have to adjust the scoring, maybe if you have 2 voices--maybe women’s voices and the men’s parts--maybe you could then select soprano and the bass only. A: Yes. V: From the given score. What if you have only 1 voice, Ausra? What would you do then? I mean a single-voice choir where everybody sings just 1 line--cannot hold separate voice parts. A: Well, then, you could just write out an accompaniment, in 4-voice harmony. V: Mhmm, based on that original. A: Yes. V: And people could probably sing soprano line most of the time. A: Yes, yes, definitely. V: Whatever’s the melody. A: Sure. That way the piece would be the most recognizable. V: What about if you have a 3-part choir? What would you do? A: Well, I think it would work well. V: Without which part? Tenor or alto? A: Well...good question. You could do either way. V: Or you could adjust the middle voice so that you sometimes play alto and sometimes tenor, depending on whether or not the chord is complete. A: Yes. V: What do you mean, the chord is complete? What does it take to make a chord complete? A: You have to have the root… V: Yes, like in C Major, C. A: Yes. And if it’s a triad chord, you have to have E and G, and then C repeated. V: Right. So at least 3 notes should be sounding. A: Sure. But you could do either C, E--if you have only 3 voices--you could do either C, E, G, or C, E, C, and omit G. V: Omit the fifth. A: Yes. V: Because the third is what matters. A: Yes, what matters. Because the third from the bass shows us if it’s a major or a minor chord. And this is the most important. V: Good idea. I hope Austin and other people can apply that in their practice, and their transcriptions, and make the life of their choir more interesting! A: Yes. V: They will appreciate their efforts, for sure. Thank you so much, guys, for listening and applying our tips in your practice. We love helping you grow, so please send us more of your 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 197, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Irineo. And he writes: Thank you very much maestro, it was a delight hearing that sweet/inspiring organ work. V: I think, Ausra, he wrote me back after listening to some of our pieces we played for Bach’s birthday recital. A: I see. V: It might have been Bach Passacaglia, or maybe your E Flat Major Fugue. A: If it’s maestro then it’s not E Flat Major. V: Exactly, he would write Maestra if it’s about you. Okay. So then he writes: Well about my organ playing, I regret to inform you it's been in the backburner for ages by now because of lack of interest down here and besides things have become real tough for almost everybody. But I still write a few bars every now and then (about the lyrics of my piece, which I intend to eventually upload). Keep up the splendid work and thank you again! Very truly yours, Irineo. V: So, I think he’s struggling with sitting down on the organ bench. A: Yes. V: Because he loves to listen to our conversations or to read about our discussions, um, or to listen to the pieces that we play, but, but then his practice, as he writes, is delayed, postponed. Because, because, lack of interest down here, down where he lives probably, right? A: Yes. V: Uh-huh. So maybe he has a situation where he would love to practice but since realistically he cannot apply his practice to real live situation, you know like public, playing in public those pieces that he played at home. Then he doesn’t feel so motivated to play at home at all. A: Could be. V: What would you recommend, Ausra? Stop playing or find some inner source of motivation? A: Well if it’s really important for you, if you really love organ then you must, you know, keep playing and doing what you are doing. I wouldn’t say that in Lithuania that we have such a wonderful situation for organists. That you know, we have big crowds during organ recitals, or you know, very high levels, general level of you know, church music. I would think quite an opposite but it doesn’t stop us from you know, doing what we’re doing. V: For example, our colleagues don’t come to our recitals at all. A: Never ever. V: Yeah. A: It would be a miracle. V: With a few exceptions, right? A: Yes, yes. V: Mmm, hmm. Our maybe closest friends, but,,, A: Even then you play something new and something really excited and something that is rarely played. And maybe this is the one time, live opportunity to hear such a piece performed live. You know, it seems like nobody cares. V: Exactly. A: And many graduates of organ studies in Lithuania, we stop playing at all. And that’s it. Some of them work at churches but not many of them. V: And those who do work at churches, only minority of them play what they learned at school. A: Yes. Not new repertoire. V: Yeah, make themselves better. A: And then you know, perform. V: They just get by, because yes, it is very un-motivating to work in those situations because the church leadership doesn’t care if you play something new or not, if you play just a hymn or not. A: Yes, if you are mediocre performer, performer or you now, or you perform well. So,,, V: But we are artists, right? And artists, you know, make out, regardless if anybody is paying attention or not, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s true. V: So the process is important; result is out of our hands, maybe. Yes we could strive to put our art out there, out to the world, right. That’s how we live too. Not too many people in Lithuania share their process, share their art. Be we decided to, not to hide it, right, under the table. A: Yes. V: That’s how Irineo could behave too. It doesn’t mean that he has to you know, limit himself with his own Parrish or his own town when nobody is paying attention. But you never know. Maybe, maybe people around the world will become interested or find something useful. And he writes that he is interested in completing his song and uploading it on the internet. And that could be a great opportunity, right Ausra, to compose more pieces, more regularly. A: That’s true, yes. V: To keep up this practice. Because we learn and we grow and we learn again. A: That’s true. Do you think that it’s very important for people that you know, somebody would notice you, and would say to you, to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing? V: I think everyone needs attention. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t need attention. Even my dad who said ‘oh no, I don’t want to do any self-promotion’, and he painted for decades you know, without maybe anybody noticing him too much. But he would still very happy if, you know, people came to his exhibitions or people came visiting to his workshop. A: Yes, that’s true. V: That’s, I think natural, normal and nothing to be ashamed of. And those who say that, you know, no, I am so self-motivated and I don’t care if anyone is listening to me play, or something like that, then they just hiding something, right? They are acting. They have a mask maybe. And actually, they crave for attention but in another way. A: So do you think it would be a good idea for Irineo maybe you know, to start draw more attention to the organ, in the place where he lives? V: Oh, that would be very natural. He could become a center of attention in his town. Yeah, he would become, like, like number one place to go for people who are interested in something new and you know, unexplored. He would become his own category because nobody will be doing this and then he will not have any competition. A: And would you think that this attention, would, you know, motivate him to practice more, and to improve his organ skills? V: Absolutely! He will see that other people are depending on him to show up, to, to speak, to talk, to, to present, to, to play, to demonstrate. So I think the least he could do is to go to local church and to go to local school and meet music teachers if there are any. And say that he could invite those kids to the organ loft and arrange an organ tour, and play an organ demonstration for half an hour, and then answer kids questions, and let them play with, with a few fingers or even with their feet. That would be unforgettable experience for everybody. A: Yes. I think that’s an excellent idea. V: And if he would do that regularly, you know, like once a month, if for different kids, groups, then little by little he would become a ‘go to’ person in his town, in his area. And of course, Ausra, would you recommend him recording his own demonstrations and uploading to Youtube, or Musicoin or other places online, like, like DSound? A: Sure. That way he would get even more attention, and more listeners, and more interest in the organ. V: Mmm, hmm. And those places also pay you for your music, so he could earn some additional revenue while sharing his work. A: True. V: Wonderful! Thank you guys for listening. We hope you understand how important it is to self-motivate yourself. And if nobody really cares about you, your art, then you make them care by finding other avenues. Uh huh. Not forcing them, but inviting them gently to go to an adventure together with you. And kids and children are most, most eager to learn new things, most curious. A: Yes, because those, you know, childhood impressions, they are so important. And maybe some of those kids will become an organist too. And you will be the reason why he or she decides to become an organist. Wouldn’t that be great! V: Wonderful. Thank you guys for, for listening, for applying our tips in your practice, and for sending us those beautiful questions. They’re really thought provoking, and we hope they are 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. V: Let’s start Episode 196 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent by Howard: Vidas and Ausra: I have recently begun working on chorales and variations and partitas by Pachelbel and I am very interested in the style he used to create these works. I have also found similar styles composed by Walther and Krebs. What other composers use this style and are there any contemporary composers that use this style? V: Ausra do you love partitas and chorale variations by Pachelbel? A: Yes I like them they are easy and pretty pieces. V: They are very suitable not only for concerts but for liturgy too. A: Yes, that’s right. I think Pachelbel is one of the most composers for liturgy. V: Yes, I remember you have played plenty of Pachelbel works. A: Yes, because I had that volume of his music. V: Published by Dover, right? A: Yes, yes, and I used a lot because you know I needed new music each week to play at church. V: I used this collection too. I loved not only his variations but also his chorale settings. Four part settings. They were like expanded versions of chorale harmonizations. A: Yes. V: With short interludes it seemed to me. What is the basis of the style. I think people should get a better feeling how those pieces are constructed. Probably continuo feeling, basso continuo. A: Yes, but I think you know the main thing is the subject, the theme and if it’s you know free composition then composer you know just composes the theme and variates it. But if it’s chorale based work then you know the theme is chorale based melody which you know composer harmonizes first and then you know creates different settings based on that theme. V: Let’s talk a little bit about the structure of those variations. Variations could be done just for manuals only or it could be done with pedals like passacaglia or chaconne. A: Yes. V: And we have those famous two chaconnes by Pachelbel in D Minor and F Minor. A: Yes. And you know why it’s not so hard you know to learn partitas or variations as separate pieces because the harmonic chords they are the same all the time although the figuration is different in each variation. V: Usually they start slower and they speed up variation with smaller note values toward the end. A: Yes, so for example you would take like traditional variation, you could expect that you know that theme will be exposed to you, presented to you by quarter-notes, let’s say yes, and maybe some half-notes in the cadences. Then in the first variation you will get like eighth notes and then later you will have sixteenth notes, maybe some triplets, and you know you could even achieve thirty-second notes. V: To make the whole process more interesting somewhere in the middle Pachelbel might change the mode to the minor and add chromaticisms. A: Yes, that’s true. And do you know if he uses parallel minor or just you know same name key but minor key. Like C Major versus C Minor. V: Yeah, same name key. Otherwise these variations stay in the same key. And that’s what’s magical about those variations because you always can recognize the theme and always have the same color throughout the cycle and your listeners would appreciate everything very well. They would understand how the piece is constructed so well. And you know Johann Sebastian Bach when he was young and tried to study foreign composer works he a lot of times chose Pachelbel’s chorales and expanded them. A: Yes, I think Pachelbel was one of his main influences in life. He’s very important actually, composer. V: Because Pachelbel was the teacher of his brother who was the first teacher of Johann Sebastian too. A: Yes. And you know as in our question there mentioned other composers. For example, Krebs, yes? V: Um-hmm. And Walther. A: So basically you know Walther was basically almost contemporary of Pachelbel, maybe just a little bit younger but you know… V: Krebs was also not too far removed from Bach because he was a student. A: So basically this style of variation settings of partitas was very common in baroque time and not only in Germany. J. S. Bach composed partitas as well. V: But he also lived in Germany. A: Yes. V: But in various parts of Germany. Bohm lived in Luneborg and that’s not Germany. And Walther lived in central Germany and Krebs also in central Germany. And Johann Sebastian Bach wrote partitas I think fairly early in his life influenced by those composers previously mentioned. So... A: And I think if we are talking about influence we need to mention Dieterich Buxtehude as well. Because he composed partitas as well and he influenced Bach as well. V: Well exactly. And those partitas are not too far removed from variation cycles like they call Verses by maybe Sweelinck, Scheidt and their contemporaries too. They are more polyphonically created of course than Pachelbel but they also have the same structure. The themes go throughout sometimes have more imitations. But they are very beautiful to play. A: And if you like variations and partitas you definitely have to see french noels too because these I know typical french type of music that are you know based on Christmas Carols and are also composed in variation styles. Such composers are Daquin for example or … V: Balbastre. A: Dandrieu. V: Exactly. A: They all composed variations. V: Even more romantic composer like Guilmant wrote cycles of noels too. A: Yes, that’s a French tradition. V: Um-hmm. So talking about more modern times I think Hugo Distler wrote some variations too. But then that style might be more contemporary. The language of musical composition might be more contemporary. A: You know if you really like that Pachelbel style you have to improvise yourself. This will be sort of you know already modern composition but in style. Because I think that Pachelbel’s partitas and variations are wonderful models for improvisation. V: In the old style you mean. A: Yes. V: A lot of improvisors who love early music they started with his style, not with Bach’s style, not with Buxtehude, not with Sweelinck… A: Yes, because his style is not a complicated. V: But nevertheless very beautiful. A: That’s true. V: So where to start if a person loves to improvise. Maybe pick a hymn tune from your hymnal and do what Pachelbel did. Maybe analyze what he did in his partitas. See how many variations move in eighth notes, how many in triplets, where does he change the mode and chromaticism. How does he transfer to sixteenth note values, maybe even sextuplets too at the end. Um-hmm. And then do the same on your chorale tune, on your hymn. A: Yes. And you know if your talking back to liturgy I think it’s excellent for those places in the liturgy where you don’t know how much music you will need in advance because you can you know end up in any of those variations. V: You mean you can stop, right? A: Yes. V: Thanks guys, we hope this was useful to you. Pachelbel is an amazing source to explore and experience with your musical adventures and we hope they will lead you to more musical discoveries, right Ausra? A: Yes, we hope so. V: And send us more of your questions. These are wonderful situations. We would love to help you grow. And remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 195 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Brendan. He writes: My sight reading has improved by taking the course. Slowly but surely. I continue to play very slowly though. Around crotchet 50 - 60, depending upon what's going on in the music. I need to slow well down for some of the passages, particularly where there are semiquaver sections, or triplets against quavers for example. My biggest challenge is that I'd developed a really bad habit when I was younger and not studying music properly - I look down from the music desk to see where my fingers are, and where the note is I'm trying to hit. I sometimes play much slower just to allow my fingers to find the note without me trying to look to see where it is. That continues to be quite a challenge! But I am improving, and I am grateful for the material. Best wishes, Brendan So, Brendan is taking our organ sightreading mastercourse. A: Excellent. V: And he seems to enjoy it. Maybe we should clarify the British nomenclature, right--terms. A: Yes, yes. V: “Crotchet” means, probably, quarter note. A: Quarter note, yes. V: And then “quaver” is probably...probably 8th note. A: That’s what I’m guessing, from...yes. V: And then “semiquaver” is probably 16th notes. A: Yes. V: Excellent. So now we’re on the same page. This course is devised in such a way so that you are playing the entire Art of the Fugue by Bach, plus some additional materials for legato playing suitable for Romantic and modern music and after that. But for a long time, like maybe 40-41 weeks in a row, you’re studying Baroque style, right? And playing voice by voice, and then 2-part combinations, 3-part combinations, 4-part combinations, taken from Contrapuncti by Bach. And of course, I had to do something else with this course, in order to help people be familiar with other keys. So I transposed some of those Contrapuncti and fugues in many other minor keys, in the order of ascending number of accidentals. Do you think that’s a helpful device? A: Yes, I think so, because it’s not good to play everything in one key only. V: Mhm. Although, this collection is written in d minor. A: Yes, yes. I know that. But still, if you will play only everything in d minor, then you will be good only for d minor, really. V: Mhm. A: Because the other keys require a little bit different fingering. V: So then...Brendan seems to be frustrated with his habit, when he has to look down to see the fingers. Is is a bad habit, or…? A: Well, actually, it’s sort of a strange one. I have never heard about such a habit before. But you know, I could draw a parallel: he’s with playing organ like I am with computers. Because I sort of never look at the screen when I’m typing things, and only looking at the keyboard. V: That’s good for your eyes! A: Yes, it’s good for my eyes; but you know, sometimes, when you finally look at the screen, you see some mistakes, and then you have to correct them. V: And that’s not how professional typists do, right? A: I know. V: They always stare at the screen, and they touch/feel the keyboard, and use all 5 of their fingers. A: That’s true. V: How many fingers do you use, Ausra? When you pla--not when you play, when you type? A: Well, six. V: What do you mean, six? A: Three in one hand, and three in another one! V: Oh, I thought six in each hand! A: Hahahaha, no, I don’t have 12 fingers! V: Wow, that would be a very fast way of typing! Sometimes people have 6 fingers, right? A: Yes. V: Like Hannibal Lecter, remember? from Silence of the Lambs! Excellent. So now, Ausra, is it similar when you play the organ, do you have to look down at your fingers, or not? Or do you only look at the score? A: Actually, I only look at the score. Sometimes I have to look at the pedal...sometimes. V: How many fingers do you use when you play the organ? ...All of them? A: All of them, yes! V: Excellent, good for you. Because not everybody is so advanced as you. Sometimes people use 2 fingers in each hand. I’ve seen my 2nd grader do that. A: Heheh. So he’s good with paired fingering, probably? V: He uses like 1 and 2, maybe, in each hand; and no matter how hard I emphasize that, “You need to use all fingerings!” and “Please use my written-down fingerings for that piece!” he never listens, never looks at the numbers. So he plays with weird positions in his hand. But what can I do? A: So he uses only 2 fingers in each hand? He plays sort of like a piglet! V: We could say that, yes! A: But don’t tell him this. V: No, he wouldn’t understand. At that age they’re very sensitive. A: I know. V: So basically...basically, we need to use all the fingers; and is it really bad, to look down from time to time? A: I don’t think it’s very bad. But how can you find in your score, the particular spot you are playing? Is it difficult? V: What do you mean? A: Don’t you get lost, when you look down at the keyboard and then look back at the score? V: It should be more difficult this way, yes. And one of the reasons we suggest people just look at the score is to get more fluent with your playing, right? Because your focus will not be interrupted. A: Sure. And what if you are playing from memory? Is it good to look at the keyboard then? V: Well, it’s the same when you improvise, right? When you’re not using your score. I have to look at my fingers, right, because where else should I look? A: Yes, you could just look in front of you. V: Empty music rack? A: That’s true, yes. V: And what would i see then? A: I don’t know. Put some pictures there--some nice photographs. V: A picture of you, maybe. A: If that would help you, then why not. V: A picture of you playing the organ. Or typing on the keyboard with 6 fingers. A: Funny... V: But I do the same when I improvise, right? I look at my fingers, and I sometimes look at my feet, too. I don’t feel troubled looking down from time to time. When I’m using a familiar organ like at St. John’s Church, I can feel the keyboard and the pedalboard quite well. But still, if it’s a large leap I’m making, I may look down from time to time. Should I feel embarrassed? A: I don’t think so. V: So Brendan--should he feel embarrassed, looking down from time to time? A: I don’t think so. I think it’s just perfectly normal. Some of us just have better motor skills, some not so good. That’s normal. V: But if he could reduce the number of times he has to look down, then he would probably become more fluent with his playing A: Yes. And maybe try to look--if you are looking at the keys--at the same spots each time, while you’re playing the piece, and see if the spots are the same each time. It means that maybe you need to practice those particular spots more, in the piece. V: Ah, that’s a good solution. Look for trouble, right? A: Yes. V: Isolate trouble, and make that trouble spot smaller each time--maybe not only isolate both hands, but maybe play each hand separately. A: That’s true. And maybe you need to correct your fingering in those spots, or make some accents, or change something else. Or maybe articulate more in those spots. Because if those spots are the same each time, it means that something is technically not right. Maybe move your hand to a little bit different position; maybe use your wrist. A: Sure. V: Right? Sometimes it’s good, especially on mechanical-action organs. So, experiment, guys, if you are in Brendan’s shoes. And that will lead you eventually to success! A: Yes. V: Okay, guys! Thank you so much for your questions. Please send us more of your goals and the challenges that you are facing. We would love to help you grow. And remember, when you practice… 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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