Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 552 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Joanna, and she writes: “Dear Vidas, The little finger on my right hand is giving me problems. It has been like this for a few years. I am afraid I will have to give up organ playing in a couple of years’ time because it is stiff, and it clicks and makes a jumping movement at the knuckles. It is a problem to play fast passages because of it. Is there anything I can do… practise more? Practise less? Exercises? Joanna” V: Have you ever encountered, Ausra, such a condition? A: No, actually I haven’t. And what I would advise to Joanna is that she might consult a physician first. V: Yeah, because it might be unique to her situation, and since we haven’t encountered it, we cannot really advise anything specific. A: Yes, but I would suggest definitely not to practice more, because it might do things even worse. So she really needs to consult her physician and to see what he or she will say. V: Right. But practice less, probably is a good idea. A: For right now… until she will get that consultation. V: Sometimes these problems might be because of overworking certain joints. A: Yes, it might be. But definitely, she needs to consult a physician because she hadn’t had that problem earlier. She was developing it for the last few years, so… V: And I think she writes the little finger of her right hand is giving her problems. I would suggest maybe doing a test while playing only the right hand part, and doing it really really slowly. It means probably that her little finger is quite tense. Maybe she can relax it, see if she can relax it and place it on the keyboard instead of lifting in the air. That helps. A: Yes, that’s often the case, that the fifth finger is sort of looking… V: Like a piglet's tail, right? A: Yes. V: Curled. So if she can relax it and place it on the keyboard, maybe the tension can also diminish somewhat. Right? A: Yes, that’s a possibility, but I think it’s wise to check up with a doctor to see if there’s a serious problem with it. V: Right. But for example, I have a thumb, for example, and my condition of the thumb is that it’s kind of curved in the wrong direction. The tip of the thumb is looking outward, not inward. And this is because from an early age I was taught to play correctly, but I didn’t pay attention, and today, if I want to correct this finger’s position, I need to do a very conscious effort, and it’s not natural to me. You know, I have to even probably hold my hand a little bit in order to relax it. So maybe Joanna can also see with her left hand, feel if there is a tension on her right hand little finger. Right? A: Yes. V: And then see if she can relax it and place it on the keyboard. Maybe Alexander Technique would be helpful to her, right? A: Sure. V: Okay. 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.
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SOPP548: My goal as an organ player is to be able to play organ for worship services regularly1/28/2020
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 548 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jake. He writes: “Vidas, My goal as an organ player is to be able to play organ for worship services regularly. The three things that are holding me back the most are: 1-lack of consistent practice. 2-lack of knowledge of what to practice. I need help building a practice schedule based on an organ method book. I’m using the red book by Roger Davis. But I do also own the little organ book by Peters 3-lack of access to a working organ.” V: Let’s say, Ausra, you only had those two books by Roger Davis, and by Flor Peeters. Would that be enough? A: Well, I don’t know Little Organ Book by Peeters, actually, but I know that by Roger Davis, we own it as well. So I cannot talk about Peeters’ book because I don’t know it, but I can talk about Roger Davis’ book. It has good repertoire, but actually, I wouldn’t suggest you use the Baroque pieces from this book, because definitely, they are not edited in a historically accurate manner. V: Yes. A: So basically, if you really need a good textbook for your practice and both sides of like Romantic and Modern and Early techniques, you need to get the Ritchie/Stauffer book because it’s very comprehensive, and it has a nice selection of pieces, and it’s a really good book. It gives a good idea how things need to be played. V: It’s like a treatise, basically. Nowadays, people don’t write treatises, but before, let’s say, the 20th century, there were a number of organ performance practice treatises written, let’s say, for playing flute by Joachim Quantz, for playing violin by Leopold Mozart, for playing Clavier by, let’s say, C. P. E. Bach. Those are very thick volumes and are very comprehensive. They encompass a variety of topics—basically everything you need to know as a particular performer, and even creator. They talk about creative issues as well—improvisational issues for performance, practice, styles… So, the same is with the Ritchie/Stauffer book. It’s very complex and comprehensive. I think if you get this volume, you will stick with it for several years at least, until you finish, plus you will regularly come back to it, like a compendium, like an encyclopedia in a sense. George Stauffer and George Ritchie have different personalities. Stauffer did the musicological research, and George Ritchie did the organ exercise parts—performance, practice, research, and they both cooperated really well. A: Yes, I think it’s a really successful book, so I strongly recommend it for anybody that wants to learn to play organ well. Another thing about consistence of practice, well, you cannot succeed if you will not practice consistently. And if you want to play a service regularly, then do it! And this will push you into consistent practice, if you will have worship to play every week, every Sunday. And maybe if you will start to play at the church regularly, you will get to practice on that instrument regularly, and this will solve your problem number 3, the lack of access to a working organ! V: Yes, but you have to still have basic skill in order to be invited to play for services. A: Yeah, that’s true. V: Before you have this skill, maybe you could volunteer. You could volunteer from time to time, like once a month, let’s say, not once a week, it’s too much, but maybe once a month you prepare a few hymns, maybe a prelude and postlude, and that would be your goal for one month. And, little by little, you get acquainted with the congregation this way, you get known in the congregation, you build reputation within that circle, people start to trust you, and sometimes they even ask you to play more regularly. Right? And by the time that happens, you will have acquired a decent skill for service playing, I think. A: That’s right. V: That’s what our student and friend John Higgins from Australia has done. At first, he volunteered just basically… he started from scratch! He didn’t study in the music school or the conservatory, he started studying with us on line, and then became our Total Organist student, was very curious, asked many questions, we created many training programs based on his ideas and struggles, and little by little, not only did he start playing in services, but he started playing recitals, A: Yes! V: And in recent years, he even came to Vilnius to play a recital on the largest pipe organ in Lithuania! A: He published his DVD as well! V: Yeah! This is an example of what you can achieve if you set your mind to it. If you have a, let’s say, a growth mentality, and not a limited mentality. A limited mentality is like you say, “I lack those three things,” or “many things,” “seven things,” “eight things.” And, “I’m frustrated.” And growth mentality says, “Yes, I have those struggles and challenges, but with consistent practice, I can overcome anything.” A: True. Consistency is a very useful tool. V: But, well, let’s be honest, it’s not easy to do it, and because it’s not easy, a lot of people quit half time or haven’t progressed at all. They quit before they even start seeing the results. Right? Because if you start seeing results, you get hooked. It’s easier to continue. It’s easier to continue when you start playing for the church service and people start to compliment your playing in a nice manner, even though you feel you’re not really worth it. But sometimes people see the good side in your playing as well, and even a relative beginner can play very simple things relatively well from time to time. Not always, because many time you will panic or slip or freeze. But from time to time good things will happen, and the congregation will notice! So, it’s important for Jake to have this growth mentality and, I think, to say that anything is possible. And actually, to have a higher goal. Not only to play for church services, but something a little out of reach. I would say it’s very good, because if you reach for the stars and only get to the moon, it’s not so bad. A: Yeah, true. V: What can you add, Ausra, to my long spiel? A: I think you are right! I couldn’t agree more! V: 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!
Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast 558!
Today's guest is Hans Davidsson, Artistic Director of Göteborg International Organ Festival & Göteborg International Organ Academy. Hans Davidsson (born 1958) is a Swedish organist and organ teacher. He was one of the driving forces behind establishing the organ research center GOArt and the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative. He is currently professor of organ at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Davidsson studied organ at University of Gothenburg with Hans Fagius and Rune Wåhlberg. He later spent three years at the Sweelinck Conservatory, Amsterdam, studying with Jacques van Oortmerssen. He began teaching organ at Göteborg University in 1986 and was appointed professor in 1988. In 1991 he became the first doctor of music performance in Sweden, successfully defending his dissertation on the organ music of Matthias Weckmann. From 1995 until 2000 he was the director of the Göteborg Organ Art Center, GOArt, leading research in organ building and performance practice. From 2001 to 2012 he worked at the Eastman School of Music serving as professor of organ and project director of the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative. In 2007 he was appointed professor of organ at University of the Arts Bremen and in 2011 professor of organ at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. In January 2004 he was awarded H. M. The King's Medal for "significant accomplishments in musicology and music, primarily in the fields of organ research and organ education". In 2015, he was awarded the Large Prize by the Frobenius Foundation in Denmark for “significant achievements as musicologist, pedagogue and musician”. In 2016, he was elected member of the Royal Academy of Music in Sweden. In this conversation Hans Davidsson shares his insights about the upcoming Gothenburg International Organ Festival 2020 "The Organ as Mirror of Its Time". Listen to the conversation Related link: https://www.organacademy.se
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra V: Let’s start episode 553 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Agnese. And she writes: Dear Vidas! Your advice is great! My dream for organ playing is to do some improvisation and to be able to sight-read the score. For some practical reasons--chorals within church service, for example. I have seen Your videos about improvisation on Major and Minor chords and rhythmical canon. These were pretty simple and I could try them. I got very inspired afterwards, thank You about that. So, answering question—what is holding me back from my dream—lack of experience (for sight-reading), lack of ideas (for improvisation) and lack of self-confidence—in general. But I am pretty sure, that experience, techniques and ideas I can get from You or some other smart person. So—advice for improving sight-reading and some more simple (easy understandable) improvisation ideas would be really great from You! With best wishes - Agnese. V: I think we could say that some of those videos that I put on Youtube that I maybe share with people from my improvisation experience, might be helpful, right, and Agnes is saying that major and minor chords and rhythmical canon are helpful to her. What can I say? Do you like major and minor chords? They’re the basics, right? A: Yes. That’s a good question. V: Have you ever tried to play a C Major scale, C Major scale, but harmonized only in major chords? A: No, I haven’t. V: But you know how would it sound, right? A: Yes. V: Imagine. A: Yes. V: It sounds very weird but this weirdness is quite colorful. Or minor chords. Imagine—C D E F G A B and C. Instead of playing only with white keys, you would C Major chord on the note C, D Major Chord on the note D… A: Yes, yes, I imagine that. But since I’m teaching the harmony course of the common period it’s kind of strange for me. I wouldn’t let my students do that. V: I actually did exercises with them. We sang in three voices—soprano, 2nd soprano and alto, I think—for kids voices. And we would harmonize the scale up and down this way. Or maybe I think we would sing an exercise like a melody, harmonizing in major or minor chords. That would be weird but they wouldn’t protest. A: I guess that’s why you are not teaching at school anymore. V: Why? A: Because of all these experiments. V: What do you mean? A: Well… V: Say the truth. A: It’s not on the program. V: It’s not on the test? A: Yes, that’s right. V: I know. You know, but what’s on the program might be, might be not always something that I wanted to do, you know. A: But rules are rules, so program is program. V: Do we always have to live by the rules? A: Hmm, well, not always, but, work I guess, yes. V: In our work, yes. That’s very particular school which really emphasizes the rules. But yes, major, minor chords, that would be very simple way to harmonize a melody but creatively, not in tonal harmony, but something that would be weird. I think I’ve written a few compositions like that. In particular, variations on the Christmas tune Adeste Fideles. It was dedicated to our friend Paulius Grigonis. I remembered when he was planning his recital at Vilnius Cathedral, and I offered, ‘Paulius would you like me to create some music for you?’ And he said. ‘okay’, you know. And I was so excited and created six variations out of major and minor exclusively. And of course they were too difficult for him and he didn’t play. A: Yeah. Nobody values your great ideas. V: Nobody from our close circle of friends, that’s for sure. But there are others who live farther away, maybe across the ocean. What about, Ausra, what about canons, rhythmical canons? She means, Agnese means that it’s not a direct canon like, one voice would strictly follow another voice by a certain interval or a certain rhythmical pattern. But I mean that the melody can be similar but a little bit different. Intervals might be a little different but the rhythm has to be strict. Just like Franck would do, would have done, for example, in some of his organ works. It’s not a strict canon but rhythmical canon. Have you seen that? A: Yes, I have seen it. In many cases I think that’s a great idea to improvise on it. But of course if I would be a beginning improviser I probably would choose variation genre. It seems the easiest way for me to improvise something. V: You’re right. Canon requires more focus on two voices. And variations can be quite simple, less complicated that canons. Although when you only have two voices that’s not too many things to think about, right? Two voices. Right hand and left hand. And let’s say it’s in 3-4 meter and right hand starts with three notes in quarter notes and then stops for entire measure. And at that moment the left hand enters and plays three quarter notes. And then stops again but at that moment right hand starts to move, you know. It’s like a dialogue. A: I know but you might get bored after a while by playing only two voices. And if you are doing variations on them, variations might be based on that kind of canon. V: Yes. Just one variation. A: Yes. V: Mmm-hmm. Exactly. If you do canons for a long period of time, let’s say more than two minutes, then it’s very difficult to keep it interesting, right, unless you spice up the meter, or spice up the rhythms, add the more intricate combinations of rhythmical values, syncopations, dotted notes, even rests. Not necessarily all the quarter notes—one, two, three, one, two, three. The interest would be bigger. Of course you can do more interest in tonal terns, right Ausra? You can add different keys, you can add different colors, which might be… A: Yes, yes, that’s possibilities too. V: also interesting. You know there are seven elements of music, right, which generally comprise any tonal musical composition, composed up to, let’s say, beginning of the Twentieth Century. And after that it’s more varied than that. There are various other elements involved in various other techniques when composers got beyond tonal style. But those elements are what, melody, rhythm, harmony—what am I missing—dynamics, on the organ, registration, let’s say texture and then there’s seven for this form. Those seven elements are inherent in any, let’s say, keyboard composition or organ composition that we play today. And if you think about each element separately and keep it interesting, let say, interesting rhythm, interesting melody, interesting dynamics, or interesting form, then in general your improvisation or composition will be more interesting too. A: Yes, but you know, I wouldn’t agree with this sort of point of interesting form. I would say that clear form is better definition for me at least. Because what you mean by interesting? V: By mean, yes, those, are two different things. Clear form could be A-B-A. A: Yes. V: Three part form, right, with recapitulation. A: Usually that’s what I like about the piece of music that I can understand a form of it. Because if it’s too interesting I might not be able to comprehend what it’s about. V: But what if the form is complex enough, but on the edge that you could still understand where the recapitulations are. You know there is like, there are maybe two themes which are reoccurring from time to time and your attention is drawn to them from time to time and you are not lost. But besides that, what composer does, or improviser does, inside of the piece, is quite strange, you know. It’s difficult to analyze but you hear some thematic re-occurrences which you can recognize but it’s difficult too. But that’s what I mean by saying it’s interesting. A: Okay. V: Convinced? A: But I thing for a beginning improviser it would be too difficult to achieve. V: Yeah! The easiest form is probably to deal with A-B-A form, when you present one idea, and then present another idea, and then go back to the first idea. Strictly or a little bit more variation if you want more interest. Yes? A: Yes. V: And never underestimate the value of improvising on just four notes. Pick any four notes and play anything you like on those four notes for let’s say, ten minutes, and see what happens. Of course, try to keep it interesting. A: What else can I say? V: You can say that I’m right! Can you say that? A: Maybe not. V: Not today? A: Not today! But as Agnese talks about sight-reading, lack of experience, I think she just needs to practice more. V: Yeah. With time it will come. And she acknowledges that. She simply needs to focus on the now. A: Yes, yes. V: Not on the long term results which are not visible yet. But on today. A: And I think when she will practice more, she will get more new ideas. They will come up to her during her practice. V: Yeah. It’s like eating breakfast. Before you eat breakfast you might not want to eat breakfast, but once you start eating breakfast, you want more and more. Right Ausra? A: I don’t think that this is such a good comparison, but… V: It works for me because I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten breakfast and it’s early in the morning. So, guys, I hope you will find this conversation useful. Apply our tips in your practice. Let us know how it goes. Keep sending us more questions. We love helping you grow. And I will go to eat breakfast. 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 554 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Sjouke. And he writes, Hello Vidas, It has been a while since I wrote to you, maybe last spring. My memory is not that great anymore, as we get older it seems that is one of the things that seems to stand out more being forgetful that is. My question to you is this, quite a few years ago I was pretty good playing fantasy and choral by Jan Zwart, Translation. A mighty Fortress is our God, you may not know that piece for he was an outstanding organist and composer as well, but getting back to my problem and question, I just picked up that piece again and I found something quite shocking that I have forgotten how to play that piece of music totally. For about a week now or a little more, I am practising this piece but I do not seem to be getting anywhere. Just as I think I am getting it together again I come back the next day, it is as though it is back to the first day again. Now to be fair to you and your wife, I suspect I have had the suspicion of having had a few minor strokes, not noticeable on my speech, but more so I forget so many things as though I am really out of it and that usually lasts a short time a couple of hours, but it usually comes back but not in my organ playing I am afraid to say. I had it once that I got up one Sunday morning and had to play, practised all week and got up Sunday morning did not know what I had practised, till I looked at my notes and wonder if I really did practice all that I had written, I noticed in my playing, it was not all that bad, I do not think anyone else noticed it, but I did. But what I want to know is that before mentioned piece of music will I be able to get it back, I am starting to lose hope. ~Sjouke V: So Sjouke...probably this problem is related to his strokes, right? Because memory loss is one of the symptoms, right? A: Yes, yes. V: Could be long term or short term. I’m not a physician of course, but I suspect that might be the case. When a person practices a piece of music one day and completely forgets the next day. A: Well, yes, but when he talked about A Mighty Fortress is Our God, he shouldn’t so surprised, because he hadn’t practiced that piece for a few years. And even for a professional, and even for a good professional, if it’s a difficult piece and you come back to it after a few years, you might have to relearn it at all. V: The real test would be to learn a new piece, not an old one. And then come back to it, a month later, let’s say, and see if he can forget it or can remember it, right? Because Jan Zwart’s A Mighty Fortress, as you say, was learned a few years ago. To me also, it would be very difficult to come back to it, depending on the level of difficulty of course. But if it’s a difficult piece for my own level, then I have to spend let’s say, at least a month for it. Maybe he worries too early about it. Maybe he just needs to spend more time. A: More time. Yes. And what I could suggest for Sjouke, he might record what he’s practicing. And then if he will not remember what he did last time, he might listen to the recording. He needs, you know, he’s taking notes, but I think sometimes I think a recording might be better. Because sometimes you cannot describe on the paper what you have learned and what you have done. But if he would listen to what he can play, let’s say, yesterday - it might make things easier for him. V: You’re right. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so how many words is worth a recording? A: Yes, and he might record the next practice and then compare those two rehearsal sessions, and see how things sound. But of course, if each, we all sort of have to overcome some obstacles. It’s not an easy thing, especially after a stroke. And in general, sometimes people lose their confidence about things. For example, yesterday, my mom threw away the old socks of my father. But she didn’t tell him about it. And then she left, she had some business outside of the home, and my father was left alone, and he is usually not very good about finding his clothes. V: Who is? A: Well, I guess many men are not good at this kind of expertise. V: Including me. A: Yes. But my father started to look for his socks. He knew where he placed them, but could not find them in that spot. So he kept searching throughout the entire place, and finally he decided to look at the refrigerator, maybe he put them in there! V: Really? A: Can you imagine that? V: He looked in the fridge? A: I think it’s hilarious, but on the other hand, it’s very sad. Because he lost his confidence. V: And did your mom confess? A: Yes, she told him after she came back, but I asked her why she didn’t tell him that she just threw them away, and she told, I forgot about it, so. V: Funny. A: What can you do, you know? V: Yeah, it’s funny when you say that. A: But it’s not funny when I’m thinking about my poor father looking for his socks for over an hour, and looking at the fridge. V: Yeah. I was thinking about something to say while you were sharing that story, and I now remember what I was meaning to say. That the fact that Sjouke still practices is very good. That if he stopped practicing since he lost hope, and said, “I’m not making any progress and it’s not working,” then I think his memory might be even worse, right? Even though it seems like he’s forgetting things, it’s still better than not practicing, yes? A: Yes, I believe it, yes. I believe that sometimes not the result is the most important, but the process. And the process of practicing might be really beneficial for Sjouke. V: Mm hm. And when you get into a routine, this routine is something to look forward to every day. It gives sense of security for a person. Sense of meaning, purpose. And at this age in his life, this is very important. A: I think so. V: Ok. This was Vidas A: And Ausra. V: Let us know how your practice goes, guys. If you have similar problems and you keep forgetting things, maybe organ playing helps you or not, we are very interested to know. And keep sending us more of your questions, because 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 550, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by John. And he writes: I believe you and Ausra would have had quite a bit of experience organizing the church music program in the US, including choirs? Would be great to learn some tips from you guys! I would enjoy getting some advice from you on keyboard technique and finger accuracy. V: How should we start, Ausra? A: Well, I guess, yes, we have some experience organizing church music in America. But concerning choirs, I would say we have more experience organizing church music in Lithuania. Because before leaving to the United States we worked with two choirs in St. Johns church in Vilnius. V: Yes, and in America we were organists, not… A: Yes. V: music directors. A: So… V: In Lithuania, if you want to lead the choir and direct the musical life within the parish, within your congregation, you needed to be in charge, not only of the choir, not only of choir rehearsals, but also think about what musical activities you want to do between Sundays. A: Yes. And if we are talking about our choir groups in Lithuania that we had before going to the states, we had two choirs; one was a choir where mostly professionals sang, or at least people who had some professional musical education. And we sang, well, early music mostly. And I mean really early music, like Renaissance polyphony. V: We even early sang the earliest surviving polyphonic Requiem which is by Johannes Ockeghem. A: Yes and we also sang some masses of Jacob Obrecht and other nice Renaissance composers. And of course we did some Bach, Bach’s choral music as well. And it wasn’t very easy to keep this group because we were all, of them basically, almost professionals, or professional. And we asked them to come to church to sing each Sunday for free. But we, well, kept going it for a while, for quite a while. But of course when we left to the states, all this group disappeared. And another choir was the youth group. And they sang sort of easier music, like pop, pop, Christian pop music. V: Yes. A: With various instruments, with of course keyboards and guitars and I would play my recorder and we had little girl who would play some percussion. V: It was fun. A: Yes. And it we had some music that we brought with us from Austria. And actually I created the Lithuanian text for that music, so, we sang those. V: In general, if we are talking about directing choral life around your congregation, you need to satisfy three, sometimes conflicting sides—yourself, right, musically it has to be pleasing to yourself. If you are not doing the work you are proud of, I think you will not continue to do it after a while. A: Well, but you know, in this second choir we welcomed everybody who wanted to sing. And not everybody even had to know like good musical pitch. V: Mmm-hmm. A: So, and some would sing out of tune. But because in this second choir we had lots of members. V: Mmm-hmm. A: So we sang loud enough in order to diminish those who cannot sing well enough. V: But what I mean is we were able to do both choirs because we really loved early music at that time. We were able to reconcile two different styles, two different even skill set levels, advancement levels of those members because we really loved early music and we understood if we only sang early music with that, the first choir, we would never be able to satisfy what congregation needs and wants. A: Well, we did hymns too, of course, not... V: Yes, but for the second mass they wanted some light music, right? A: Yes, for youth. V: For youth. By the way, for the second mass right now, they have gospel music, another group, quite well know group in Vilnius. And we’re not in charge anymore of any choral activities in that church. We’re only in charge of organ activities within the university. So, so if John is thinking about leading a musical life, including choral life in his congregation, I think he needs to think about what he wants, what congregation wants, and what his choir members want, also. A: And what they can. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Because you might want to do it but you cannot have ability to do it. V: And you need to do sometimes, you sometimes have to meet them in the middle. If they want to do one thing and you want to do another thing, maybe you can agree to meet somewhere in the middle, like a compromise. That’s possible, if they’re open for compromises. Sometimes not. Sometimes they’re very direct and very specific about what they want. But I guess even in that situation, if you are forced to do something that you don’t want to do, maybe you have, you can have a corner of musical activity that you enjoy doing in that congregation. And because of the opportunity to rehearse with that ensemble for example, or, I don’t what John enjoys, maybe play organ music right? Maybe he can do something else as well, in addition to that, like a compromise, like a service for the congregation. But maybe I’m over exaggerating. Maybe he would enjoy doing all kinds of musical activities, and maybe that’s not a problem for him, right? A: Yeah, sure. V: So then, John was also asking about a couple of other things—advice about keyboard technique and finger accuracy. We could discuss this in another episode, right, because it’s kind of unrelated. A: Yes, unrelated to the first half of the question. V: Okay guys. So stay tuned for our next episode and we will discuss the rest of John’s questions. Thanks for listening. 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 547 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by J. Flemming. He writes, Although my teachers have stressed the importance of articulate legato in playing Baroque music, I was never taught early fingering, so it is very easy for me to lapse into familiar patterns (like crossing my thumb underneath my fingers). I am learning BWV 659 (ornamented chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland) with Vidas’ fingering, and it is taking more repetitions to get used to the fingering. The results will be worth it, though. I expect to be able to play this in a service before Advent is over. It’s been a good exercise in developing the discipline to do it right instead of quickly. So, this question was sent before Advent was over, obviously. A: Sure. V: And now we’re talking after Christmas. Okay, it’s very nice that J. Flemming is using my practice score of Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. In this particular score, I really take advantage of early fingering in the left hand, where you have two voices, alto and tenor voices combined. And also, in the soprano part, where there is one ornamented, highly ornamented melodic line. And in the pedals as well, even though they move slowly, I don’t use heels, I don’t use substitutions, in the hands also, no substitutions, and no thumb glissandos, things like that. A: You don’t need glissandos, because you play everything in detached manner, articulate legato, so… V: At first, it sounds strange, right, Ausra? A: What? V: This type of articulation. Or not? When you first started, what was your experience with articulate legato? A: Actually, it was like discovering America for me. Because here nothing sounded swell while playing baroque music, and sort of half-articulate way or legato way. Because instrument itself wouldn’t speak if you would play legato. V: Mm hm. For me, I couldn’t discover this articulation for a long time. Even though my first teacher sort of taught me this. But, it was very complex explanation. I couldn’t get the basics right. And plus, of course I was very young, and you had to understand something differently. A: I don’t think your first teacher understood the manner of articulation very well, too. Even in the Academy of Music, there was none that taught articulation really well. We had some sort of understanding about it, but incomplete and insufficient. And incorrect in many ways. Because if you would look at the Academy of Music at all our professors, and you would look how we play the pedals, how we are pedaling Bach, it’s just horrible. Remember when we went to Eastern Michigan University, and our professor, Pamela Reuter-Feenstra, saw our score that we brought from Lithuania, and it was with the fingering and pedaling, by your professor, Leopoldas Digrys, she just thought to throw that score away right away and never come back to it. V: Or put it into a museum of incorrect fingering! A: Yes. So, basically, so I guess the right understanding of why this articulate legato and fingering and pedaling is needed, came to me when I tried, basically historical instruments, and especially the pedal clavichord. V: Yeah, instruments themselves can teach you a lot. Probably more than any teacher can. Although, I understood the basic articulate legato principle easier, I think when I started studying fromRitchie/Stauffer method book. Because he gives this exercise to play with one finger, as legato as possible. But since you are only playing just with one finger, it’s not really legato. And then repeating the same articulation with all the fingers. Sort of imitating. And then it clicked for me. All the voices have to play this way, even though you are using all the fingers. But if you are not sure, play with one finger only at first. A: But developing this technique, it takes time and patience, of course, too. I think every time when you practice organ, you need to have patience and you really need to listen to what you are doing very carefully. Because it’s basically an art to be able to play baroque, romantic, and modern music, especially if you have to do that all in one recital. V: And if you’re a beginner, those three styles can mix in your head, right? But it’s very, I think healthy to work simultaneously in three different styles: early music, romantic music, and modern music. Because the more you do it, the more easily you can switch between them. A: Sure. V: Right? A: That’s right. V: And the longer you play with one style, the more difficult it is for you to switch, right? Especially if you are a beginner. You get used to one particular style. Let’s say you’re playing Bach chorales all the time. Or let’s say short preludes and fugues, from the famous Eight Preludes and Fugues collection. And you don’t play anything else, and if you suddenly start playing a romantic piece or a modern piece, it doesn’t feel natural, right? A: Sure. V: You have to switch, like between having three different cars, or five different cars, or twenty cars...the more the better! A: I would say it’s probably not switching a car, but like switching from a shift stick to the automatic. V: But cars are also different between themselves, between mechanical and mechanical - different models, right? So how your foot feels on the pedal is different. The wheel also is different. And the gears shift differently a little bit in each car. But car mechanics don’t have any trouble because they have tried them all. A: Yeah. V: Ok 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 546 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Diana, and she is our Unda Maris organ studio student. She is practicing only the second year, and she writes that she struggles the most in coordination. Is this, Ausra, a common struggle for new organists? A: It is, I think, very common. V: More than pedal playing? A: I think it’s all connected in between themselves. V: When you were a beginner, or first started playing the organ decades ago, do you remember what was the most difficult thing for you? A: Yes, I remember that it was playing the pedal together with the left hand. Especially if the direction was different for pedals and the left hand. Then I would want to play in the pedals the same as what was written in my left hand. V: It’s basically the same thing that Diana is talking about, probably. A: Yes, and I guess the only solution is to practice more in combinations, because you have to overcome this obstacle. Otherwise, you will just have to say goodbye to the organ. V: Not to practice all parts together, but separately. A: Yes. V: One voice at a time, then two voices at a time… A: Well, I don’t think that one voice at a time would help, you know, unless you really are a very very beginner. But if you need to work on your coordination, it means that you have to practice two voices at once, because otherwise it will not give you any benefit to your coordination. So, I guess it would be right and pedal, left and pedal mostly. V: And left and pedal is the most difficult to do. A: Sure. So maybe if you are practicing one piece like five times through with your right hand and pedals, you need to do at least ten of that with your left hand and pedals. V: If your main hand is your right hand; if you are right handed. A: Yes, that is right. V: If you are left handed, then maybe the left handed combination with the pedals is not so difficult. Ausra, when did you discover that you no longer struggle in coordination? A: Well, to tell the truth, I never did. Of course, it became easier with years, but still, I wouldn’t say I feel as comfortable with my left hand as I feel comfortable with my right hand. I guess that’s just a thing with the brain. Of course, after practicing for many years, you can play anything smoothly, but I still don’t feel that my left hand is the same as my right. Do you? V: No. My left hand is also weaker than the right hand, but it doesn’t stop me from practicing, or playing the organ, or improvising. Right? A: Yes! V: It just takes more practicing. A: Yes. Like we say at the end of each conversation, “When you practice, miracles happen.” It means it’s really to practice a lot in order for most miracles to happen, because all these things that we are talking about take time and they take patience. So you just have to stick with it. V: Yeah. I guess people often lack patience, right? Because they want to achieve things fast. But with practice, it’s nothing fast. Sure, you can maybe get some quick results here and there, but in general, I think you cannot cheat yourself. A: Sure. V: But still, I want to know the time frame, if Diana is struggling in her second year—in the middle of her second year now, do you think that in, let’s say, two more years, she would feel much more secure? A: Well, I think so, but you know when you’re saying she’s playing the second year, it doesn’t say anything, because it depends on how much do you practice each day, and how sufficient your practice is. Because you know, some people practice for ten years in a row and they don’t make any progress. V: You mean practice has to be efficient! A: Yes, that’s right. And it has to be regular practice. If you will practice once a week, you won’t make any progress, either. So it’s basically very important to practice every day, especially for beginners. V: Alright, I hope Diana can take advantage of our tips, and other people, if you struggle with coordination, as well. There is no workaround for this basic problem except playing in combinations of pedals and separate hands… A: And in a slow tempo at first, too, which is also very important. V: At least twice as slow as you would normally play. A: That’s right. V: At least! It could be even slower. Most likely slower than twice as slow. Maybe at 30% of tempo, let’s say. That would be kind of an achievable tempo for starters. Alright 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 544 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Emmanuel. He writes, Hello Sir, I thank God and you for your kind support to me indeed it's helpful as I can now play well some pieces, music chords and compositions, my request to you is to let me know if I can get a free music notes software that will guide me in composing songs. Regards, Emmanuel V: Well, what do you think, Ausra? What is this question about, about software like Sibelius? A: Yes, I think so. V: But Emmanuel doesn’t want to pay money, right? A: Sure. V: Or isn’t able to pay money. Mm hm. So what we can do is to type into Google, “free music notation software,” and what we come up with, the first hit is MuseScore, free music composition and notation software. Musescore.org. And yes, it’s written, “Create, play, and print beautiful sheet music. World’s most popular notation software.” Which is free download. Works for professional music and for amateur music, easy to use, but powerful in its open source. We can input via MIDI keyboard, and transfer your music to and from other programs, via music XML, MIDI, and more. So if you want to write piano, guitar, orchestra, jazz choir, band, marching band, organ music, and much more, you can check it out. Do you think that’s a good place to start, Ausra? A: Sure, of course. V: I think this is more than a beginner composer needs, actually. A: Yes. V: It’s really comprehensive, it’s open source, many developers are contributing, there are many guidebooks, videos, handbooks, forums, tutorials, how-tos. It’s very, very comprehensive. Why we don’t - why we choose to use let’s say, Sibelius, Ausra? A: Well… V: Because Sibelius started first. A: Yes, and when we started to print out music, we didn’t have this kind of good, free software, so we just had to buy it. V: Mm hm. A: So there were two, at that time, it was Finale or Sibelius. And Sibelius had this much more beautiful graphic design, at least for my eyes. V: Right. Sibelius, yeah, for me too, it’s much easier, much more easy to understand than Finale. But I like another feature that Sibelius has, and to my knowledge, only one other software has, which is called Composer. I have that, too, but don’t use it that often. Sibelius has the opportunity to input music in real time. Play your music as you, let’s say, improvise and listen to a metronome beating, and your playing appears as a score right away. And you can just edit the score with plug ins, various, or by hand, and make it a beautiful composition. But this way it’s very practical for me, because my method of composition is based on improvisation primarily. A: So, this is a very handy feature for you then. V: Yes. A: Another thing what I thought while reading Emmanuel’s letter, his question, was, Why do people not try to Google things nowadays? How many words do you have to type to find this kind of problem? V: Let’s see, I think four - “free music notation software.” A: Well, that’s it. V: 1-2-3-4 exactly. Four. A: So, I think nowadays it’s really easy to find information. V: But, MuseScore was only the first hit on the top of the page. But for example, Sibelius First has also a free version. It’s called Sibelius First. Basically, free music notation software for composing music using the same tools professional composers use. Let’s see what it has to offer. It is much more simpler version, probably. Start composing music with free music notation software and get many of the same tools that pros use. Sibelius First is a new streamlined version of Sibelius that makes it easy for beginners and hobbyists to create simple, professional-looking scores. If you’re just starting out, it’s not necessary to invest a lot of money. A: Sure. V: Because you don’t know, perhaps, if your passion will… A: Continue, V: Exactly. Just like playing the organ. You don’t buy the most expensive model right away. You maybe start with a keyboard, even without pedals. Like a... A: That’s right. V: An electronic version. And then after several years, when you outgrow this version, then you search for something else. After Sibelius First, there is a hit for NoteFlight. NoteFlight is online music notation software. You basically don’t need to download anything. You just write your music in the browser, right? And you can sign up for free, but it has a premium version. So, they have a free version with limitations, again, but also a premium version. This free version, again, can be quite enough for starters, right? What else? Score Cloud. I’m not familiar with this one. A: So I think… V: You think… A: I got an idea that there are more than enough to… V: Yes. A: To go around. To look around. V: And I think Finale also has a free version. A: Yes, I think it also, yes. Like Sibelius. V: So guys, please look into those - basically, type those four words, “free music notation software” into Google, and you will find many options to choose from. I suspect people also cannot sometimes invest money into decent program, because they have limited resources, right? Living in underprivileged societies, and every penny counts that way. Right, Ausra? A: But if you have an access to the internet, you can definitely search for free things. V: Right, of course. A: You don’t need our permission for that. V: Yes. Maybe they only need a nudge, like push toward being more active, more proactive, let’s say. Ok 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 540 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by May. She’s our Total Organist student. And she writes, Thanks Vidas. We just returned from a 2-week Europe trip yesterday. Now I almost fall asleep (because of the jetlag) practicing BWV 659 Nun komm der Heiden Heiland as the prelude for tomorrow. I should be very comfortable with this piece for I played it quite a few times at the Church in the past Advents. However, I am now very nervous about my ability of getting everything right tomorrow. I haven't practiced for 2 weeks and I am very tired. What is your advice on how I should proceed with my practice in the remaining hours of today? It is 4:05 pm here in Eastern Canada now. May And I wrote to her: Thanks May! It's 11:31 PM here in Vilnius and going to bed. So I'm keeping this message short: Go to sleep first. No use of practicing when you're exhausted. Then if you have time to practice BWV 659 do that. If not, play tomorrow several verses of the same hymn tune instead on different registration. 1. Principal 8' 2. Cornet in the soprano, alto and tenor on the flutes in the left hand. Pedal with 16' and 8'. 3. Principals 8' and 4' etc. Off to bed now. Hope this helps, Vidas And she wrote to me her answer: May: Thanks Vidas for replying to my email late in the night. My biological clock was also like in your time zone when I composed this email yesterday :) I did practice until 10 pm last night. Good that I didn't feel as tired this morning. We didn't have that many people attending the morning service because of a winter storm in our area. I did play BWV 659 as a postlude in a very relaxed manner for I saw and I thought many people had left. Actually many did stay and listen to my playing. I was not aware of their presence until they applauded at the end. This turned out to be my best performance of BWV 659 and it was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps psychology plays a significant role in terms of the result of a performance. It is also the biggest obstacle to overcome. How could I perform in public without being nervous? That always the biggest issue. Thanks again Vidas for your advice. May V: So, Ausra, I already gave her advice. Now it’s your turn. About probably performing in public without being nervous. A: Well, when I was young, especially back in the high school, I would really get performance anxiety. At one point, I thought I need to give up at all performance in public, because made me feel too nervous. But as the time went by, I realized that it’s not good to think before recital, “Oh, I wish that less people would come, that this person wouldn’t show up, and oh, I wouldn’t survive if that would come to my recital.” That’s not the right way of thinking. V: Mm hm. A: And of what I’m thinking now, I’m thinking how many hours I spent preparing for this recital, and actually that I want people to come, and I want people to listen. Because we are not playing just for ourselves, we actually are playing for our public. And you need to learn to enjoy to play for public, because this is your final goal as a musician. V: As an artist. A: Yes, as an artist. V: Probably musicians can practice in their practice rooms and at home, but artists really need to show their art. A: True. And you will need to learn to enjoy it. V: And the way to enjoy it is to do it more often. A: That’s right. V: Because 20, for the first maybe 10 times it will be a very stressful experience, but after the 10th performance, you will get a breakthrough some sort. Maybe it will not become very easy, but you will start feeling a change in how you feel during performance after the 10th, after every 10th performance, I would say. A: Yes, because look. Even a piece like this was BWV 659, which I’m actually also working on now. Of course, it’s not a hard piece, but it’s not an easy piece. It’s not sight-readable piece, you know. V: Not really. A: Yes. So let’s say it’s sort of a middle, somewhere in the middle. You still need to put a lot of time in order to learn this piece well. V: At least a few weeks. A: That’s right. And if you are holding this attitude that, “Oh, I wish people would leave, nobody would listen,” then why would you learn it? V: But it’s nice that she sort of deceived herself, trying to talk to herself that nobody will stay, and therefore she doesn’t have to be nervous. And then when people did stay and applauded at the end, she was already done. And it turned out the best performance of this piece for her. A: So maybe she can apply this feeling that she had during this performance during another performance. V: Yes. A: To have this sense of calmness. That might help, too - and look, people applauded. They really liked it, they appreciated it. So it needs to give you some pleasure actually, to be admired and to be applauded and to be respected. V: Yes. And record yourself. I think that is another dimension of stress, right? Because if you record yourself, you know you cannot stop. The clock is ticking, and you cannot fix your mistakes while you’re playing. And at first, it’s really stressful, but again, after 10 recordings of your playing, it will become easier. And again, you will discover something new about yourself, about the piece, about the instrument that you’re playing. It’s worth doing that. And if you have recording, submit to our Secrets of Organ Playing Contest. A: Yes, Vidas always promotes it. V: Yes, because it quadruples your results. People who participate can testify this. Ah, wonderful. Hope this helps. The main takeaway is of course to do it more often. A: Yes, of course that’s a very good suggestion. I think this is the best advice. And be happy if people come to listen to your performance. That’s the best thing, the best way to share your talent. V: It’s a privilege actually, yes? Think about how many thousands of musicians, probably, would give up so many things in order to have this opportunity to play in public. And church organists have this built-in opportunity to play in public every Sunday. A: That’s right. V: When you do this, let’s say, every day, that is sometimes very difficult to bear over time. But if you do this every week once a week, then this routine is bearable and can be quite enjoyable, I think. You can have enough time to prepare, and plan ahead. Perhaps practice, not only for one Sunday in advance, but several Sundays in advance. Ok guys. Thanks for listening and applying our tips in your practice. They really work. 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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