Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 461, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Guinn, and Guinn writes: Good Morning, I purchased 10 Day Organ Pedal Playing Challenge last night. I have a flat Baroque 27 note pedal board, normal for Baroque which is what I play. I cannot possibly play those exercises as indicated with toe and heel. Most of them have the incorrect clef marking. Treble clef is marked, this must be an editorial mistake. What must I do? How do you direct students with a normal Baroque pedal board? Thank you, Guinn V: Well, remember the day that we did this challenge? A: Yes, I remember it. V: We took um, do you remember where those exercises were taken from? From ear-training-- A: Yes, I remember that, yes. V: From French method book. And therefore it’s not a mistake of course. In ear-training, they write everything in treble clef. A: Yes. And of course it would be original organ piece, you would definitely use the bass clef. But the thing is, what you do with treble clef? You just play it an octave or two octaves lower. And that’s it! V: Yes. Which means that you could do the opposite—if you encounter something written in the bass clef, you can play an octave or two higher and you could practice with your hands. A: Yes. It’s not like sight-reading the C clef. That might be challenging for some musicians, but basically to go from bass clef to treble clef, it shouldn’t be a problem I think for any musician, even non-professional. V: Mmm-hmm. Exactly. So the first advice would be to practice those exercises one octave or two octaves lower than it is written. A: And another thing; I don’t think these exercises are intended for Baroque organ or Baroque pedalboard. It’s for, intended for more modern instrument. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And not for a flat pedalboard. Of course you can do some of those with Baroque pedalboard but I think intention is not to play it on the Baroque instrument. V: Well, it is written, in Day 1, actually, even when people get Exercise #1 in Day 1 it is written; ‘taken from Solfege Method Books by Frederic Boissiere from 1877, and in the parenthesis I write ‘feel free to practice the exercise in the tenor and or bass octave’. So… A: So, I guess it just shows how people don’t read instructions. V: Mmm-hmm. And you even can feel free to sing these exercises which could improve your musical pitch, right, Ausra? A: True. True. V: Not only your technique as an organist but also your ability to differentiate different keys and pitch levels. What we do in ear-training classes, we sight read things. And organist would benefit from this skill as well. A: And this Exercise #1, I think it can be done on the Baroque pedals as well. V: Except when you have heel written in. A: Yes. You need to use toes… V: Toes. Yes. A: of course if you are playing Baroque pedalboard. V: Whenever you see heel, you could maybe use toes for that, but there are some delicate instances where you need to change things completely, but I don’t think it’s necessary. You could simply, instead of heel, use the toe. Don’t you think, Ausra? A: Yes, definitely. Because on the Baroque instrument you wouldn’t use heel… V: Mmm-hmm. A: on the pedalboard. V: And therefore you would actually play not entirely legato, in articulate legato style. A: Of course. V: So, I think that would be suggestion for Guinn, who likes to play Baroque, probably music, on the flat Baroque 27-note pedalboard. A: And actually, I not quite got the last question in his letter, ‘how do you direct students with a normal Baroque pedalboard’? What’s the normal Baroque pedalboard mean. Do you mean that only Baroque pedalboard is normal, or you have Baroque pedal, one that is normal and another that is not normal? V: I think he, if I understand correctly, I think he maybe implies those exercises suitable for non-Baroque pedalboard but what to do on the Baroque pedalboard, like he has. A: So I guess you already answered it. V: Yes. A: That you have to adjust it a little bit. V: Mmm-hmm. A: But definitely, if I would need to learn some, or to improve my Baroque technique, on the Baroque instrument, I might choose exercises like J.S. Bach’s Pedal-Exercitium. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And things like this. V: Well exactly. So we hope this was useful to you. Try out this exercise system. It really helps. It’s not a long thing, just ten days. It’s like a mini-course. And in ten days you will certainly feel much improvement. A: But definitely, I think it’s intended more for modern music, for later music, for romantic and for modern music. Because Baroque music is not so much pedal challenging as later music. V: Mmm-hmm. Yes. A: Don’t you think so. V: Yes. Do you think it’s possible to play with heels on the Baroque pedalboard? A: I wouldn’t do that. I would not recommend to do that. V: Do you remember when were in one conference at Eastman School of Music, and somebody told that they had one student who practiced and maybe even mastered Sonata by Reubke on pedal clavichord. You remember it? A: Yes, I remember that, it is some sort of experiment. V: Mmm-hmm. A: It could work, but is it a rule? I don’t think so. V: And maybe it’s even counter-productive, because if you have this flat pedalboard, and practicing with heels… A: I’m afraid you might injure your legs, and it’s not good for your feet. V: But also, if you then switched to real Baroque music, you might start to feel like playing with heels, that kind of music on that pedalboard, which would defeat the purpose, I think. A: True. V: So, for Guinn I would probably switch to toes only technique I think. Could work easily, I think. Alright! Let us know how it goes, and keep sending your wonderful questions in the future. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: I hope you will be able to practice today. We practiced in the morning and we are now feeling that our day was well spent, right, Ausra? A: True. V: And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen!
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SOPP457: I do have to work on my pedaling some more work on my coordination between hands and feet7/12/2019
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 457 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Bass4Art, and he writes: “Hi Vidas I have a Kawai Electronic full console organ here at my house. While I took some time away from practicing, I have been taking piano lessons, in fact, I am up to advance level 5 and beginning level 6 and still plugging away at it. Now I have gotten myself up to that level, I like to push my organ playing up to that level as well. I do have to work on my pedaling some more work on my coordination between hands and feet. While I have gotten rid of a lot of the organ music I had. I still have a full pile of it. So how would you advise? Not this coming up month, but more towards the end of the year. I do plan on purchasing your organ training course to help me with those things.” V: So, Ausra, he seems to be able to play at the level of 5 and 6 in piano, so maybe that’s grades 5 and 6 in some systems. A: Well, I’m not sure, you know? V: Me, either. A: In what kind of system is he training? Because, if he would be like our old piano students are at my school, at this grade, he would be quite advanced already. V: Yeah! A: Because we are playing really difficult repertoire at such level. But, the thing that concerns me is that it seems he wants to proceed probably with both instruments at the same time, and I think it might be quite hard, because although both these instruments have keyboards, they are quite different, and they require quite a different approach and different techniques to be developed. And finally, you still have to decide what you are. Either you are an organist or you are a pianist. You cannot be both at the same time. V: At the same level. A: Yes, at the same level. V: Yes, yes. This is wise, to choose at some point. So, he has to ask himself what he values more, and what is more important to him. But, if he wants to advance in organ from this level, I’m not sure again—it’s speculation, because we don’t know exactly what pieces he’s playing. Right? But presumably, in the piano area, he has some finger proficiency. It’s not level one, but it’s 6. But it’s not level 10, so maybe somewhere in the middle, depending on actually reality. Sometimes, people say they can play that level, but it’s not quite clear if they can perform at that level. Right? For example: if I’m practicing Chopin Etude at home, it doesn’t mean I can play Etude at the recital. A: True. V: So… maybe some basic organ works would suit him—short chorales from “Orgelbuchlein,” maybe, A: Yes! V: We have plenty of fingering and pedaling for that. A: True. V: Not too long pieces, I would say. And, it depends on his preference of style. Maybe he likes legato stuff more, then maybe he should take a look at Romantic composers—a little bit easier pieces. But with pedals, probably. A: Definitely, if you want to play the organ, you need to learn to play pedals. V: Alright! And of course, pedal technique will advance much further if he took our pedal virtuoso master course. So, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas, A: And Ausra, V: And remember; when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 436, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ruth, and she writes: I am working hard on the pedal parts of every piece I practice. I do this at a large organ in a local church. I isolate the parts first and listen carefully and repeat. I then attempt to memorize, although that is s long process. All of this is a labor of love. V: So, Ruth is our Total Organist student, and how do you understand her expression, ‘all of this is labor of love’? A: I guess she just likes what she’s doing. V: Mmm. A: She really loves to practice pedals. V: Mmm-hmm. Pedal parts are usually the hardest for beginners. I don’t know if she’s a beginner, but people who haven’t played organ before, pedals are especially difficult challenge to overcome and I think she does a good job of working on pedal parts more than on manuals, probably. Agree? A: Yes, I think so. Usually pedal is what scares people the most when talking about organ playing, but I think after we manage it, I think it’s one of the part that gives most of the pleasure. V: Do you isolate pedal parts from your manual voices, or not, when you practice? A: Not so much now, but… V: Mmm-hmm. A: I did it when I just started to learn organ. V: It all probably depends on the level where you are at. A: True! V: If you are a good sight reader, then isolating pedal parts requires, maybe, in especially polyphonic pieces, like fugues and trio sonatas. A: Yes. That’s what I wanted to point out that it depends on what kind of music. If it’s harmonic, then I do not separate pedals, but if it’s polyphonic then yes, it’s a good idea to work in combinations. V: Mmm-hmm. Interesting that Ruth is memorizing those parts. What would you recommend, Ausra, to memorize, and would you memorize yourself? A: Well, there are some tricky spots that I tend to memorize… V: Mmm-hmm. A: it helps me. But not the entire piece. V: And, I would presume, your stance on this is because there are so many musical compositions to work on in the entire organ literature, and memorizing all of them that you play, would be very slow learning process… A: True! V: not worth, for you. Right? A: And usually I memorize either very tricky spots, or I memorize two last measures of the page and first two measures of the next page. V: Uh-huh. Why? A: That way if the page-turner is not very well organized, and slow, that way you can be secure. V: Mmm-hmm. Sometimes page-turner turns the page from right to left, and from left to right, and vice-versa and mistakenly panics and makes a mess. A: Or turns two pages at the same time. V: Oh, yeah! A: So, we have all kind of fun adventures. V: Therefore, it’s good to memorize page turns—a couple of measures before and after. I also agree. I tend to print out my scores that way that I could myself turn the pages, but sometimes it’s even not possible, and therefore, I have to rely on page-turners as well. Interesting situation. Okay guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… V: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 432, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Irineo, and he writes: Now that WAS an interesting post. I recall when I started to think of pedal exercises in order to achieve as close a legato as possible. I took a long look at the pedalboard and imagined which pedals would turn out to be most comfortable for each foot while playing scales upwards. Then downwards. It became clear rather soon that the bottom C would be perfect most of the time for your left foot while the upper C for your right. But when I started playing pieces a bit more demanding, I realized that not all the time that would be the case. For instance, when I played my own arrangement to Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition", there's a measure where you should interchange your left and right feet at bottom C [while playing C(left)-F(right)-G(left)-C(right)-F(left)-G(right)-C(left)]. Afterwards I thought about what would happen if I turned things around while playing the "regular" or "standard" order while rehearsing scales/arpeggios. What I'm getting at is that maybe inverting the apparent "standard order" of playing could help Terry with his problem, because I'm of the opinion that NOTHING should warrant undergoing surgery (especially regarding your feet) only to solve a purely mechanical challenge, because you might actually create a bigger problem. Hope this helps him. Irineo. V: Remember, Ausra, we talked about Terry writing that certain passages on the pedal, would require surgery of his feet. Probably he was joking, obviously, but now, Irineo has his own experience to share. A: Well, if you will do something really stupid, while playing pedalboard too much—you might really need surgery. Because I’m trying to picture how would I play my right foot with the lowest C note in the pedal keyboard, and I cannot imagine that. I would probably really need surgery if I would to that regularly, or I would simply just fall down on the pedalboard. V: I guess you need to have long legs, first of all, and then you have to shift your lower body to the extreme right. And then, maybe, maybe, it’s possible, I don’t recommend it. A: I don’t think any composition is worth hurting yourself too much. So what I would do, I would rearrange that transcription, since it’s not original piece for organ—it’s piano piece. So you could easily arrange things your own way. Anyway, it’s not original so why not to do some more, take some more liberty… V: Mmm-hmm. A: and do things more suitable for yourself, and not torture yourself. That’s what I would do, because anyway, maybe it’s not a case with the men so much, but for women, usually women clothes are sort, of made of slippery fabric. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And then you are on the wooden bench, you would simply slide down on the pedal if you would move to extreme… V: Uh-huh. A: sides of the organ bench, or try to reach the extreme, with your left or right feet. V: Mmm-hmm. So guys, always try to maybe use the things that you have at hand creatively, and not to torture yourself, not to think that you have to take the score to the letter and play everything that is written, in the way it is written—especially if it’s an arrangement; especially if it’s a hymn; especially if it’s a choir piece; especially if it’s an accompaniment of some sort. Sometimes composers don’t have good grasp of organ capabilities and tend to write things that are simply not playable. So we as organists have the responsibility to adjust things. And never, ever, do something that is hurtful to your body. A: True! Plus when you are playing arrangements or transcriptions, always think that organ has so many stops, and you can manipulate a lot by just changing them. Because, let’s say if you are playing pedal, you might, and you need to know that, let’s say lower note, you could substitute something by just adding or changing stops. V: Right. A: Or manipulate in different octaves. V: Correct. Excellent! We hope this was useful to you guys. Please send us more of your questions. And we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… V: Miracles happen! DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 408 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Sally, and she writes: I worked on registration for my prelude this weekend and practiced one of the Hymns. I also worked on the Beginning Pedal studies, Day 5, and reviewed Days 1 through 4. These are a struggle for me because I am trying to following the pedal markings and am not comfortable with thirds. I don't usually want to do them with the same foot (either toe/heel or heel/toe) as I am not very accurate. The pedal studies are forcing me to work on that technique. I also tend to not use my left foot on the upper right side of the pedal board, so I am working on this as well. V: Sally is our Total Organist student, and this question, I asked at the end of the day what she was working on, and she apparently is struggling with playing thirds with the same foot on the pedals. What do you think, Ausra? A: I think many of us share this same struggle. Is it easy for you to play thirds with one foot? V: If I play without my shoes, yes, it’s very difficult, because you need heels. Right? A: Yes, but I think that, of course, you need shoes, I couldn’t agree more, but it also depends on how long your foot is. You have a longer foot, longer feet in general, so I think it’s probably easier for you. I don’t have such a long foot, and sometimes I struggle with playing thirds, too, because how will you extend your foot? It’s impossible, unless you buy bigger shoes, but then you might lose them on the organ bench. V: Exactly. A basketball player might easily play a fifth on the organ, with his size. Right? A: Well, true, but I think he or she would have another problem, and would hit, probably, a few keys at the same time. V: And probably the bench will be too low for him. A: So, all of us are different, and we all have to adjust to the organ. V: But what I liked about Sally’s report is that she doesn’t give up easily, and if something doesn’t come easily, she practices repeatedly, and I think one more issue with why playing in thirds is more difficult than playing in seconds is because you have to move your ankle even more with thirds. Right? A: That’s true, ankle flexibility is a problem for some people. V: And with practice, flexibility improves! Which means that it should come easier with time for Sally and others who are struggling with this. A: Yes! I thought about a funny thing when you said that flexibility will improve with practice. I thought, “What would happen if you would break your ankle, if you would try to practice too hard?” V: It’s the same as with stretching in the morning or in the evening. If someone does any kind of stretching, like Pilates or Yoga. If you try too hard, then it’s unhealthy. A: Yes, and I think that it is always harder to practice in the morning, the same as to do physical exercises in the morning, because on the one hand you are all fresh, but your body is very stiff in the morning. V: Right. Physical activity tends to go easier in the afternoon. That’s why singers don’t like to sing their pieces in a public setting in the morning. A: It’s because the voice is still sleeping for a few hours after you wake up. V: You might even notice my voice today. It’s sleeping, still! A: Well, it’s okay. It sounds okay for me. Well, I wanted to discuss another issue about this question about pedal exercises. Do you think they need to be polished, like 100%, each of them? V: Maybe, let’s say, 70% is quite enough, not 100%. Because, it’s technical exercise. Right? It’s not like a finished organ composition which you can play in public, or to yourself with satisfaction, an artistically pleasing manner. No, it’s just an exercise which leads to a better technique. And I always think that technique exists for person and not the other way around—the person doesn’t exist for the technique. And if something is really really uncomfortable and feels unhealthy, you have to either adapt it, or just skip. A: Yes, that’s what I thought, too, because these are not repertoire pieces, these are just technical exercises to help you to improve your technique, and even when you choose the repertoire for yourself, you need to sightread it through and see if it’s possible for you to do, that it does not have some goals that you cannot reach yet. V: Because for some people, their palm flexibility, or reach, is greater than others, and they could reach more than an octave, easily, and for some, they barely reach an octave! And if such piece has wide intervals or double thirds, double sixths, then thick texture makes playing very difficult for small hands. A: True, so you always have to check things. V: But maybe early music is your strength, and maybe trio sonatas would sound wonderful for you, because each hand only takes just one voice! A: Well, and there are later compositions that need such a playful technique, sort of small technique. V: True. Okay, guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send 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 393 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Ariane. And she writes: I would like to finish my pedal course and move on to a hymn improvisation class, perhaps the one on the lowest level - which one would that be? V: So, Ausra, Ariane is our Total Organist student, and obviously, she wants to take those courses which are the most beneficial to her. And now, she is on the course to finish the pedal work, and moving to the hymn improvisation class, and I have created, in the early days, this level one course of Organ Hymn Improvisation Master Course. Would you like me to tell our listeners about it? A: Sure! Go head. V: So, this course is a video based course, and I recorded those videos in my church, Vilnius University St. John’s Church, with the hope that people can develop the skill of playing two part chorale improvisations. Just two part, for this level. Does it sound doable? A: Sure, I think it’s much easier to control two voices, comparing with four, for example. V: In our Organ Playing Master Course, it’s of course just one voice at level one. You start with solo voices, but with hymn improvisation, one voice would mean, probably, just a theme, and the theme itself is not improvised. A: Sure, you really need to have some support melody. V: So, I’m treating this course like a counterpoint in practice course. You know, in counterpoint, we have 5 species of counterpoint, and this system is devised to be very systematic for learning later types of polyphonic writing such as fugue. A: Sure. V: Do you like counterpoint, Ausra? A: Yes. I like it. It has strict rules. V: Which pieces are your favorite? A: Do you mean written counterpoint? V: Mhm. A: I never thought about it in such a way. And what are yours? V: Maybe we should first talk about what those pieces are, right? A: Sure, tell us! V: The first species of counterpoint, and the beginning of my course, is when the chorale notes move at the same time as the counterpoint melody moves. In other words, note against note counterpoint. One on one. So, then we have some rules, like to move in opposite direction than the melody to avoid parallel fifths and octaves. What else…. To play in sweet sounding intervals, such as thirds and sixths. And that basically creates a very basic simple disposition of voices, and the melody could be in the soprano or in the bass as well. Do you think, Ausra, that Ariane could benefit from this beginning? A: Well, I think any musician could benefit from this beginning, because most of the musicians at some point of their life actually have done exercises in this species of counterpoint. V: But, usually, they do in written form, only. A: Well, it’s just a matter of how advanced you are, because to write it down is easier, because you have time to think. When you’re playing it, performing it on the instrument, then it’s harder. It’s sort of a hard level, but I think it’s beneficial. V: And even later in life, if your skills are more developed, it’s very good to go back to your basics. For example, I find it very fascinating to put a hymnal or chorale book in front of myself and just improvise those species of counterpoint. A: Because, although the rules seem so simple, it’s not as simple to do things when you actually start doing it, because the simpler rules are the hardest to achieve a really nice result. V: And in second species, we have two notes against one. So, against one chorale note, you have two counterpoint notes. There we have not neighbor notes, passing notes allowed. A: And that gives more possibilities already. V: Mhm. And in species number three, we have four notes against one, like imagine a whole note in the soprano, and quarter notes in the bass, or vice versa. So we deal a few weeks with that. And then, the fourth species deals with syncopations, where you create dissonances, like intervals of seventh or second or ninth or a fourth, in this case it could be dissonant, too. A: So basically, it teaches you to do suspensions. V: Yes, syncopations are about suspensions. And we finish this course with mixed species in number five, and there you can combine all those previous movements in quarter notes, in half notes, and in syncopations as well. A: It seems like when you’re learning these five species of counterpoint, you could actually improvise a nice set of variations. V: Even in the first level, when you have… A: ...only two voices… V: Only two voice, you already have two variation possibilities. And on the organ, you can actually expand with different registrations—it’s very beautiful, too. Imagine playing the chorale melody with the Reed and the counterpoint with a Principal, for example. And then you switch with another Reed in the bass, and with a Flute combination in the soprano, for example, and it sounds really convincing, even at this level, note against note. I’ve tried it before, and even did live streams on Facebook, and people reacted nicely to that, and not only people, but myself, I’m listening from a distance, sort of, as a listener, and I would think that in a service environment, this could be done, even at the liturgy, too. A: Sure! V: But of course, after a few weeks, you move to the second level, and you can do two notes against one. That’s like a jump to the next level, and very exciting. So guys, we hope that everyone who is interested in chorale based improvisation, can take advantage of this course, because it’s just a foundation—level one. From there, you can add a third voice, obviously, or you can do ornamented chorales, where the chorale melody is no longer stationary, but in itself it can have species, like two notes, like chorale melody can move in half notes, or in quarter notes as well. That’s another creative path to take. And in species number five, in that level, both voices could move in imitation and in unpredictable ways, creating polyphonic duets, not unlike Palestrina and Olando di Lasso would write. And for organ composers, it would mean Samuel Scheidt, easily, and, of course Sweelinck. A: Yes, they all were masters of counterpoint. V: Right. Thank you guys, this was Vidas, A: And Ausra, V: Please send 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 390 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Erika. She writes: Pedalboard on the church organ hasn’t been working for a few weeks. I accompany the piano - the piano is the main instrument. But the organ fills in the bass line and adds depth to the sound. So I have had to find another way to bring out the bass to the best of my ability. What I have done during this time is play soprano, alto, and tenor with the right hand and do the bass in octaves with my left hand, keeping it as legato as I can. It’s been a challenge - kinda figuring things out as I go. Thankful that the organ is not the main instrument - it gives me a bit of space to learn this new way of playing and hide my uncertainties. Thankful also that the organ should be fixed soon. But it has been interesting to have to figure out in a different way what the purpose of the organ is at my church and to find another way to accomplish that purpose. V: Have you ever played, Ausra, like that, in octaves with the left hand, and three voices in the right hand? A: Well, hymns on the piano, no. Because, usually, there are possibilities to play piano and to play organ you just pick up the different hymns with different accompaniment—the ones that are suited for piano, because I don’t think it’s such a nice solution to double things in octaves, playing on the piano. V: You mean like a regular hymn chorale tune wouldn’t sound nice? A: Yes, I don’t think so. V: With three voices in the right hand, right? It has to be choral SATB texture. A: If you want to have a prominent bass, maybe you need not to play bass in octaves, but just to play it an octave lower. V: An octave lower, exactly. A: I think it would be better, at least for my understanding of how it goes. V: But then, obviously, the tenor line would not be able to be played with the left hand, because the distance between the bass and… A: But anyway, Erika doesn’t play tenor in the left hand in this case, so… V: Ah, I see. Ok, so, playing it one octave lower, maybe she does that, I don’t know. She doesn’t specify. A: Well, she says that she plays three voices with the right hand, and she plays octaves with the left hand, so it’s very specific. V: But where is this octave? Lower or in the normal range? We don’t know. If it’s in the normal range, then obviously, it would be better to drop one octave lower. A: But I just wonder how she plays those octaves legato, as she says. How is it possible? Unless she uses a lot of the pedal, and then I don’t think it’s very nice, because I think then everything goes very muddy because of her 5 voice texture. V: Yes, it’s hard to know. So in every situation, probably, you need to trust your ears, and even record yourself from a distance, how you sound…. A: But anyway, when you are playing on the piano, don’t try to pretend that you are playing on the organ, because it’s a completely different instrument, and the tricks that you use on the organ don’t work on the piano. So, I don’t think you would have to imitate organ while playing the piano. A piano is a piano, so when you are playing on the piano, just know that you are playing on the piano. V: On the piano you could add piano texture with more arpeggios. A: Sure, that, I think, would be more suitable. V: Make it more lively and moving. Not as stationary, because remember, piano sound fades quickly, and you need some tricks to make it sustainable. A: Sure. V: So, we hope this was useful to you, please keep sending us your wonderful questions, and remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. PS David who transcribed this conversation later clarified the situation: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I don't think that Erika is playing the piano at all. I get the idea that Erika meant that both the piano and the organ are being played on the hymns in the service at the same time by two different people. She is playing the ORGAN, not the piano, and is doubling the base in her left hand while playing three voices in the right hand until her organ pedal board gets fixed (so it would maybe imitate a 16' and 8' in the bass since she probably doesn't have a 16' stop available on the manual). At the same time, someone else is playing the piano (I have been in several churches where the hymns are played on both piano and organ at the same time). In her church, I think she is saying that the piano player leads the hymns, and the organist is more in the background accompanying the pianist. David
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 372 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jonathan and he writes: “Reaching a third with left foot when above middle C. Here's an example. In the "10 Day Pedal Playing Challenge" in exercise No 3, the left foot needs to stretch for thirds a number of times in the area above middle C. I can barely reach middle C to the E above; this is with toe on middle C and heel on E above. Any higher combinations (and the exercise wants me to use my left foot as high as F above middle C reaching to A) is impossible for me. I've made sure I've been pivoting to the right. I've tried lowering and raising the bench. I've moved the bench closer and farther away. I've been working on ankle flexibility for the two years I've been studying organ. Perhaps some of us just aren't built that way. (My left leg is shorter than the right. And my upper legs are long and lower legs are short, compared to the average person's build.) Is it okay to reverse the parts of the left foot used - to begin with the heel and end with the toe, when ascending, if I can't do what the pedal notation asks for? Or should I try something else?” V: Ausra first of all I would suggest that any person who feels stress on the ankles or legs would not torture himself or herself. A: Sure. V: This is rather dangerous, right? A: It is and of course I understand the meaning of this exercise, why you sometimes need to play a lot with your left foot even in quite a higher range because a lot of music is created in romantic and later period has this kind of thing that you have to leave your right foot for using of the swell box mainly, that’s very often the case so in terms of learning such music you need to do as much work with your left foot as possible. But of course you don’t have to hurt yourself and if somebody it’s really impossible for you a particular exercise or particular piece you need to know to find other solutions. V: Because in real life for example if the reason you had to use your left foot alone for those intervals of thirds was that the right foot was occupied with the swell box, right? Imagine a piece like that by Cesar Franck for example, and you cannot do it, then you simply would probably avoid using the swell box in this case. A: Yes, I guess so. V: Right? And use both feet in that place. This is acceptable because swell box is just for expression purposes, it’s not life or death situation. Ankle strain might be some complications for your body condition and feeling well. A: Yes, and as Jonathan said in his letter that everybody has a little bit different body construction, and proportion of legs and hands and entire body so you really need to adjust yourself. V: Exactly. A: And if something is very, very uncomfortable for you it means that maybe this particular spot doesn’t work for you in that way and you need to change it because your body sends you a signal that something is probably wrong. V: You know I wrote to Jonathan that technique set ups the person and not the other way around. It’s good to have some virtuosic moves from your ankle and it’s like something to be proud of but it doesn’t replace real music, right? Jonathan is talking about 10 Day Pedal Playing Challenge and those are exercises, not real musical compositions. And again, you have to feel your body and don’t fight with it and if this doesn’t work move on to some other exercise, right? A: That’s right. V: You will still be exercising your ankles. So that’s my recommendation I think Ausra would you agree on this one? A: Definitely, yes. So whatever you do you need to be careful about things. V: Umm-hmm. Other people in general don’t like exercises. They just play organ music and they develop their pedal technique this way. Of course it’s a little bit limited because organ music doesn’t involve all kinds of moves with your ankles and feet and that could be isolated with any particular exercise but that’s what other people like, they like musical challenges, not technical challenges. It’s like comparing with athletics or maybe body strengthening exercises. Some people want to lift weights, isolated exercises, and other people just prefer running or walking. It depends on what your body feels and what your goals are, what your preferences are. That’s why we have all kinds of aspects in organ playing that you could improve including but not limited to improvisation, repertoire playing, music theory and harmony, hymn playing, and repertoire playing and organ technique as well. All kinds of areas put together form a nice total organist. A: That’s right. So you always need to listen to your body and then make a right decision for yourself. V: Umm-hmm. Great. Thank you guys for sending those wonderful questions, we hope this was useful to you and please keep sending us your feedback and challenges because we might be able to help you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen. SOPP329: I am having pain in my inside right groin from trying to hold my knees and feet together11/12/2018
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 329 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Hanna and she writes: “Hi Vidas, I am having pain in my inside right groin from trying to hold my knees and feet together. It was all I could do to do 10 reps of the Master organ course Week 2 Day 1 this morning. I am only 5' 1" and it is difficult for me to perch on the edge of the organ seat to reach the pedals as you describe. I can only hope that the pain will decrease with time. I was not able to do all of Week One in the Pedal Virtuoso course last week, but am trying to be more faithful daily this week. But things are improving, more accuracy bit by bit. –Hanna” V: So Ausra, what do you imagine is happening? A: Well I think probably Hanna is working too hard. V: If something is hurting then you are not doing it right, right? A: Well, yes. I would like to talk a little bit about that thing of keeping knees and feet together. I never did it for myself. It never worked for me. I learned about this kind of thing late in my life when I was already completely shaped as an organist. I never really learned to do that but it doesn’t hurt me for not doing it. And I’m playing all kind of repertoire from renaissance to modern and I can do it perfectly without keeping my knees and feet together because as Hanna me too, I’m not very high and really I don’t have long legs, I don’t reach things easily on the pedalboard so I have to find my own ways to do things and I think each of us is very unique and what works for one person cannot work for another person. So always when you have rules you need to take only what really works for your body and not try to hurt yourself. V: You’re right Ausra. The idea of keeping the heels and knees together is simply to move both feet as a unit. Not two separate legs but one and for some people it’s harder to do than for others because of body type and physique and obviously if your playing in the far reaches of the pedalboard it’s crazy to do this. I have to emphasize this, never try to hurt yourself because it’s painful and it will lead to injuries eventually. A: Yes and Hanna says maybe in time it will hurt less. If you won’t change something in your practice, your playing, it will hurt only more because that’s what pain does. It increases, usually, unless you change something. V: I recommend for Hanna just to play with the inside portion of the feet. This way her knees will be pointed inward, not outward, and she will be still playing correctly and without pain. A: Probably yes because I never imagined how a person with big hips can put his knees and ankles together. It’s kind of a weird feeling. V: Right. And of course this Pedal Virtuoso Master Course that she is talking about obviously is just a set of exercises of scales and arpeggios. In real music we might find a passage or two in entire composition like this. It would be completely boring to have pedal line comprised only from scales. It’s not an etude. A: So if you are working on some technical exercises like Pedal Virtuoso Course you don’t need to do only that and please don’t play entire day only on this course because you might really get injured yourself. V: Right. This course is probably good for warming up. A: Sure. Anything that you do you have to have that feeling of moderation. V: Yes. Never over-exert yourself. A: And mix that practice with some other practice, work on repertoire. V: And whatever you do, always take our advice with a grain of salt, right? Whatever I say it might work for me but you have to think about yourself too, if it does work for your body. And you might even misinterpret my words sometimes. I don’t remember writing “You have to keep knees together and feet together in extreme edges of the pedalboard” unless there is something else that I am missing from Hanna’s writing. What about Ausra if she doesn’t turn her lower body to the direction of the playing. Maybe she’s playing upper notes but her knees are facing to the left. That’s hurtful, that’s incorrect. A: I don’t know how it’s possible even to do, even to try to do. V: If you always face to the center, right, your knees are facing to the center but your feet are trying to go up, up, up, the pedalboard. A: That’s impossible to do. I can’t even imagine it. V: It’s really hurtful and dangerous. A: It hurts you from thinking about it. V: I believe people can sometimes forget to turn their lower bodies to the direction they are playing. Their knees should always point to the note that you are depressing with the pedals. Either left or right. So then maybe even Hanna can reach the high notes with both feet together and knees together. I don’t know if she tried that or not. You see how sometimes we could spot a simple solution I think too. So if Hanna is listening to this or reading our conversation it would be nice for her to try the right way, the way we advise, and report us back if that helps. A: True. In general the more I listen the more I think that not everybody needs to play everything. You need to select what you want to play and what works for you. Don’t you think so? V: I think that you need to explain it a little bit more what you mean. A: I mean that if something really doesn’t work for you, doesn’t fit your body, maybe it’s not worth trying to and hurting yourself. V: Umm-hmm. What you mean is that you can become a good organist even without playing exercises. A: I was talking also about repertoire as well. V: As well. A: For example if my hand is very small and I will pick up pieces that needs big reach then I will be doomed to hurt my hands. V: Right. Always listen to your body. And maybe sometimes a thick texture is too much for you; maybe you need to play trio sonatas. A: Yes. V: Do you like trio sonatas Ausra? A: Yes, I love them. V: For that reason. A: Yes. V: Because you have small hands. A: Well, I have moderate hands, I wouldn’t call them small. V: Can you reach an octave? A: Yes, I can do that. V: Can you reach an octave and a fifth like Liszt? A: No. (laughs.) V: I once tried and I think with my left hand I reached an octave and a fourth. That’s a perfect eleventh, an interval of eleventh but only with the left hand and with the right hand I can only reach a tenth, an octave plus a third. A: So you still have a greater reach than I do. V: Can you reach a ninth? A: Yes, yes, it’s hard but I can do it. V: (laughs.) It’s very painful for the hands but fun to stretch just to see how far it can go but never try I think some tools to stretch your hands. Never fasten your hands and fingers to some appliances like in medieval times they would torture humans. Don’t do this. This wouldn’t be nice. Excellent. We hope this was useful Ausra. Do you think it was useful? A: I hope so. V: OK A: I’m not sure but I hope so. V: Let us know if you think our suggestions to Hanna were suitable and it could be interesting to get feedback from other people who are not tall too. Alright. 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 315 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dianne and she writes: “I’m struggling with the pedal exercises that call for playing a fourth with heel and toe of one foot... And doing so legato without playing pedals in between. Some of the 3rds, depending on octave and foot called for, are difficult as well. My feet don't bend and stretch that way!” V: This was a discussion in our Total Organist communication channel on BaseCamp so David jumped in and added a comment… David: “That really seems an issue for me, too. When I first started, 3rds were nearly impossible... Especially on the organ where I had my lessons because those pedals traveled farther down than the pedals on my practice organs when you press them. Over months, the 3rds got easier and some 4ths are finally easy for me, but not all 4ths. The flexibility does eventually come. One thing my teacher always cautions me about is making sure to point my knees with the toes so I don't get injured.” V: And then Jay added a comment to Dianne: Jay: “I have that same problem as well. I just thought that maybe I need more exercise with the pedals. I’ve also been trying a bit harder to keep my knees together, as we’ve been instructed. I really like David’s comment about pointing your knees with the toes. That’s a great tip. Thanks, Dianne, for helping me not feel alone with that, and David, for the tip.” V: And then Dianne answered: Dianne: “Thanks to you both! I feel better now as well and more hopeful that the flexibility may actually come someday. I will keep trying!” V: That’s a nice discussion, right? A: Yes, it is. V: I think I added to all of them “Don’t hurt yourself.” A: True. And Dianne you are not alone, I have the same problem too because my foot is quite short so when I have an interval to play legato with one foot it’s really not an easy task for me. But what I do sometimes if let’s say I’m playing in a big acoustics and tempo is fast of a piece I might not be playing such a spot complete legato. And you wouldn’t notice that if the tempo is fast and you have larger acoustics. And another thing if the tempo is slower then I just try to substitute with another foot the same note and then jump to that next note with the other foot so I’m sort of cheating a little bit. V: Example would be from the note G if you have jump to C up a fourth, you would play G with the left foot and C with the right foot and substitute right away with the left foot, right? A: That’s right. You know if the tempo allows me to do that. And if as I told you before if acoustic is larger and tempo is really fast then I don’t think anybody will notice that I don’t play both those notes completely legato. V: This is true I think. For me too I don’t particularly enjoy playing with one foot wide intervals. A: But you see your foot is much longer than mine is. V: Part of the solution might rest in playing with higher heels because when you want to play a wider interval without hitting notes in between you need that space between the toe and the heel and that is only possible when you have a higher heel. A: That’s obvious, yes, you need to have a higher heel. But when you have single melody in the pedal you still can do some tricks. The hardest thing for me is when I have to play two notes with one foot at the same time like for example now I’m playing the second fantasy by Jean Alain and there are a couple spots like that and I’m having a hard time. V: I think majority of organ repertoire doesn’t require that kind of flexibility. A: No, but if you would take French music then yes it does. V: Then you need to be a virtuoso. A: That’s right, or do a plastic surgery on your foot and make them longer. (laughs) I’m just joking. V: A good exercise which prepares you for passages like that is to play scales and arpeggios with your pedals. We have this Pedal Virtuoso Master Course with complete major and minor scales in the 24 keys and arpeggios too over one octave and two octaves. So people tell us that it’s really strenuous working. Not too many people finish what they start but those who do always are very happy with their flexibility afterwards. A: Well, yes, maybe I need to work on your course too. V: Or choose easier music. A: That’s right, but I like hard music. V: Where will you be playing this, Alain’s fantasy? A: At Notre Dame in Paris. V: Notre Dame. A: Yes. V: I see, nice. What else will you be playing at Notre Dame? A: The second chorale by Cesar Franck, the one in B minor and E flat major Prelude and Fugue by J. S. Bach. V: E flat major, BWV 552. Which of those three pieces is your favorite right now? Which of those would you take with you to uninhabited island if you didn’t have food or drink? A: Maybe not Alain although I really much like that piece but it would be hard to decide for me because I really like Bach E flat major, that’s one of my favorite organ pieces ever written, but I also love Franck’s B minor chorale, it’s my favorite out of all three of them. V: Imagine if you actually are on this remote island and you have all three pieces with you, Bach, Franck, and Alain and this boat with indigenous people is approaching and you have only one piece to offer them in exchange for water or food. Which one would you trade? A: (laughs) V: A bunch of organists is coming by in a sightseeing boat for the remote islands of Polynesia, they want to visit their local organs and here is this stranded organist offering one of those pieces, to organists. A: You are asking tricky questions and you have such a fantasy that it scares me. V: Which one would you betray? A: Probably Alain, because it’s the shortest out of three of them. V: Would you feel guilty about that? A: Sure, yes I would. V: Would you go to confession afterwards? A: To whom? V: To me, when you come back home. You could tell me and I say you’ve been forgiven. I won’t tell Alain that. Nice. So we are sort of riffing on this theme of playing wide intervals, right? A: Yes, that’s right. It’s really a hard thing but somehow you can work on it and make it work. V: Umm-hmm. Thank you guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow. And remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen. |
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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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