Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 402 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ariane, and she writes: I started with week 3 of my hymn improvisation course and tried to play my current organ pieces at a faster tempo (which I saw on YouTube- St. Sulpice...). But when I play faster it just sounds rushed, irregular and without any real feeling. V: Let’s discuss, Ausra, first, those Hymn Improvisation Course exercises that she is working on in week three, because the first four weeks is created like note against note counterpoint, so against one note of the chorale, the student has to add one note of the counterpoint, and vice versa, and they switch, bass-soprano, soprano-bass. Does this sound reasonable for four weeks in a row? A: Yes, I think that’s very good for starters. V: I think there is no need to rush, because of course, you could do each week, one more difficult set—two notes against note, one note or three notes against one—but that would be, I think, too fast. A: Especially if you are a beginner, because usually exercises like this are done in the written form before playing them and practicing them, so… V: So, she’s in week three, and next week, she will get a set of exercises, too, and then in week 5, we will start practicing improvising the second voice in 8th notes, for the selected hymn tunes, which means two notes against one. And that will be another level. I think by that time, she will have some fluency over the first level, note against note, and she will be ready to jump in and get started with 8th notes. A: Yes, if you go step by step, then yes. V: It could be even a nice introduction for your hymn of the day when you are introducing your hymn, you can play with two voices and improvising the lower part, or improvising the upper part, but just note against note in church. A: Yes, it’s possible, although, maybe you don’t want to play an entire hymn as an introduction. It might be too long. V: To make it sound more appealing, you can add more gravity to the registration. Maybe, I would say, Organo Pleno with Principal Chorus and Mixtures. That’s sounds sometimes convincing. A: Well, that’s possible, yes, especially if it’s an opening hymn. V: And then, Ariane has, I think, a problem of playing faster, her pieces, because she looked at YouTube recordings of her piece, and played at St. Sulpice, and she probably felt that she could also try out at a faster tempo, but she writes “The playing sounds rushed, irregular, and without any feeling.” Why is this, Ausra? A: Well, there might be different reasons. First of all, she did not mention what she thought about that YouTube recording at St. Sulpice, but I guess she might have liked it, because after she listened to it, she tried to play faster, and then it sounded bad for her. So, what that might mean, my guess as a professional musician, could be that she simply is not ready to play faster. V: You know what I wrote to her on Basecamp is that slow practice leads to fast progress, I think. A: It makes sense, of course. V: I like playing pieces very slowly for a long time without rushing. And if I need to rush, I know there is something wrong with my planning. Right? If I’m still playing slowly, and my recital is three days from now, I know there is something wrong with my preparation and scheduling and planning in advance, because as I say, it has to be ready, for concert tempo, two months in advance, I think. That’s a safe zone. Don’t you think? A: True. And in general, I think that picking up the tempo is very individual for each person. Because what works for one could not work for another, and for different reasons, and not only because of ability to play, but also because of the temperament, too. For example, when I heard for the first time how Joris Verdin plays Franck, well, it sounded really impressive! I was basically very much surprised, and some pieces it works pretty well, like in the Finale piece, for example, I think that that tempo worked pretty well, and no ritenuto at the end, but some pieces sounded just ridiculous for my taste. V: And you have to remind our listeners, for which reasons Joris Verdin is famous. A: Actually, for playing Franck very fast. V: Because his theory is that the metronome markings of the day for the 19th century were meant for 19th century metronomes, and those were made a little bit differently, and therefore, the tempi should have been faster. And Franck would sound more virtuosic, then! A: Well, yes, but why I wouldn’t play as fast, is because Franck’s harmonies are incredibly rich and incredibly beautiful. And, when you are playing them so fast, you basically don’t have time to enjoy them, to listen into them. But it’s a matter of taste, too. V: Right. Sometimes you need to lean on dissonances, as our former professor Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra said, and…. A: Well, you know, Americans very often talk about dissonances, and I have heard in Europe, that somebody laughs at Americans, because they always lean on the dissonances, and sort of exaggerate the role of dissonance in music, but the more I live, the more I agree with the Americans, that it’s really very important to lean on dissonances, because why are all suspensions written on the strong beats? It means something to you. V: Right. So, when I’m going to play today, I’m going to lean on dissonances even more. You will hear it! A: Okay! I’m looking forward to it! V: And, you know, I’m playing Ad Patres Sonata by Brunius Kutavičius in preparation of my Notre Dame recital in the summer, and you know, this piece is entirely made of dissonances. A: Well, but that’s another story! It’s a modern composition in minimalistic style, so that’s completely another story. What I was talking about is music written in a common period. V: I will still lean on dissonances, you will hear it! A: Good luck with that! Then your sonata will take forever to play! V: Yes. Thank you guys for sending wonderful questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 399 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And today, I’d like to read some of the feedback we received about the Total Organist program, because I asked recently this question of our members: “How do you like Total Organist, so far?” And, Ariane, Jeremy and Ruth replied with their comments. Ariane: I love the program! I feel very much at home with the organist community and feel that my practicing and learning matters. I am working my way slowly through a couple of courses and the nice thing is I can totally work at my own pace. Thanks Ausra and Vidas! Jeremy: It is fantastic to have a community which understands the issues of being an organist, finding practice time, and the work of preparation for services and music. Ruth: Total Organist means a great deal to me. It is putting me in touch with musicians around the world. It is stimulating through its presentations and discussions. I am truly grateful for this experience! V: So, once in a while, people send these feedback to us, and this is really nice. A: Yes, it’s wonderful to know that we are useful to somebody, and we can help people in the area that we love ourselves, and help others to experience it and to know it. V: So, for example, Ariane appreciates the community, and probably she means that she can keep in touch with other members of our program through Basecamp. A: I think that’s a very nice thing, because I saw that in many actual places, an organist by him- or herself might feel quite lonely! Don’t you think so? Because they are playing such an instrument that they are always alone! V: Right. Even if you are leading a choir or accompanying the choir, if you are playing, you are practicing on the organ bench mostly alone! A: So, I guess it’s very nice that there is a platform where you can meet people like you and share your experiences! V: Yesterday, I went to our monthly book club meeting, and you couldn’t go because you felt ill. And, it reminds us also a little bit about this community, and once a month we meet and discuss the books that we read, and we are looking forward to the next meeting. Right, Ausra? So, it’s kind of similar to the Total Organist community. It’s only online, we don’t meet face to face, yet, but the experience is similar. We share common interests and support each other. Ausra, do you think that practicing alone would be slower in terms of advancement? A: I think yes, because it’s always nice to have encouragement from others and to share experiences. That way, you can grow faster, and overcome problems easier. V: And Jeremy also comments about the community, that he appreciates the most, and Ruth appreciates that she is in touch with musicians around the world. So, I guess it all comes down to this community. It’s a rather compact community—we have around 80 people in our group, maybe more—but not all of them are active on Basecamp. Everyone probably receives those questions at the end of the day to report what you have been practicing today, or what you are struggling with, or something like that, but people do, they write, and sometimes I don’t even need to interfere in their discussions. I see that a few people get together under one comment, and support each other. That, to me, is a sign that people care about others in the group. A: That’s a good sign, I think. V: Yes. They’re invested with their time and their energy in this group and want to see other people succeed, and by seeing and helping others succeed, they also succeed faster. A: True. V: It’s a nice feedback cycle to have. Of course, other people are lonely and individualistic, right? For those people, group settings and group environment probably is not as...I would say… attractive as sitting on the bench alone with the music and the instrument and with their thoughts and ideas. What about you, Ausra? A: Well, I always thought about myself as a very unsocial person—very individualistic. But the more I live, the more I understand that really, we are social. V: Social animals! A: Yes, just like dogs. So, I guess that sooner or later, everybody comes to that… V: Understanding? A: ...understanding, yes. V: The sooner, the better! A: Yes. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need our time to be alone, but we still need to communicate with others—to socialize. V: And you know, we are drawing our comics, our Pinky and Spiky comics, and putting them on Steemit, and we also have this little community where people can participate in contests of drawing those animals and comics themselves. And the theme changes every week, and it’s sort of very nice to see people get involved, and also to support each other and comment each other. It’s an open group, not a closed group like Total Organist—anybody can join, but the principle is the same, I guess. Ausra, do you feel excited when somebody comments your drawing? A: Yes, actually I’m waiting for those comments. It’s part of my day. V: So, probably it’s true to say that other people are waiting for other people’s comments as well, and it’s a cycle, as well. So it’s the same with Basecamp and Total Organist here. Kind of people who support each other, care for each other and wait for those comments, and they can count on them, because the questions arrive at the end of each day! And they get automatic questions: “How was your day?” or “What are you practicing today?” and you don’t need to think about what to write; you just document you just document, a little bit, your activities. To me, that’s a very valuable tool to have for people to help them grow. And I hope we’ll see more involvement from our group in the future, too, Ausra. A: I hope so, too. 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 396 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dianne. And she is our Total Organist student, and she answered my question of what she is struggling with this week. So, she writes: This week I’m making stupid mistakes (and different ones every time). The difficult passages I practice go well, and I mess up on the simple parts. Focus, maybe? I am also getting over some virus thing, and I feel a bit foggy - brained. (More so than usual, anyway. Haha!) V: Ausra, do you sometimes feel that you are making stupid mistakes in simple places? A: Sure, and it means that I cannot focus, or that I focused too much on difficult passages and then I could not play any easy ones. V: Do you think that Dianne might be doing this because of her virus? A: Definitely. If she feels foggy, I think this is an indication that she should not be practicing. V: She should wait it out. A: Sure. It surprises me, actually, how little consideration people give to their health. V: I played a recital once while sick. A: I remember that. It wasn’t a smart thing to do. V: It was draining my energy, and I just couldn’t cancel. You know? A: Well, you could cancel. You always can cancel. It’s better than to play when you are sick and have a fever and then damage your health permanently, because you can injure your heart by doing that. V: What do you mean? A: Well, even kindergarten kids know that! V: So I am stupider than kindergarten kids! A: Sure! Nowadays the Internet is full of all kind of information about that. V: What do you mean “sure!” A: There is all kind of information out about what a virus can do to you if you will not treat yourself and take consideration. V: So you don’t suggest Dianne practicing now. A: Definitely not. V: You know, by the time she hears this conversation, she might be already healed. A: Sure! I hope! V: Because we have a backlog of podcast conversations, and some files are waiting to be transcribed. A: Well, sometimes I’m thinking that people in general think that they are heroes. That they are feeling bad, but they still do what they do on a regular basis. That’s like my students come to school while sick, and they feel almost like heroes, “Oh, I came to school although I have a fever.” Or sometimes I get things like, “I feel so bad, I have a fever, but I came just because of the Harmony...” or “...of the Solfège,” and I’m just thinking, “just go back home. Don’t spread your viruses and your bacteria here.” V: Well, Ausra, to be fair, have you ever gone to school or to your work while sick? A: Yes, but that was earlier, when I still had a good health. And now, after I ruined it, I know what it is! V: You have life experience. A: Sure. V: And nobody can take that away from you. A: That’s right. But nobody listens to me. V: I do! A: I doubt it! V: So… yeah... A: But everybody has to decide for themselves. Like, last Friday for my senior students, I was sort of preaching that, “Oh, you need to watch for your hygiene, especially in Winter time when everybody sneezes or are sick all around. You need to wash your hands, or to cover your nose when you are sneezing,” and things like this. And then, I got a stomach flu during the weekend. So, I did everything in my power to go back to school on Monday, because if I would not, and my students would find out that I had the stomach flu, then they could tease me! “What about…” You know…. “Don’t you wash your hands?” So, I didn’t want to advertise something or preach, but I’m talking from my own experience. V: I think it’s wise to always share your own experiences, because you never know what other people go through, and what is their experience. Even though Dianne wrote something, it’s just an excerpt of her life, right? We don’t know everything. But you know about yourself, and how you would behave and how you have behaved in the past. Right? A: Well, because in general, I think if you want to do well on the organ that your practice would be productive, you need to have good health condition, because it takes a brain, and it takes a body, too. V: So, we need to stay in shape, we need to be active, moving, and then eat healthy, probably, what else…. Sleep well… A: Sleep well, yes. V: Eight hours, probably… A: Well, seven hours, at least. V: Seven? I would prefer eight, but… but not everybody can sleep that long. And then, of course, heal their short term illnesses, like viruses. A: Because if you’re feeling foggy and you’re still practicing, what good would such a practice do? You will not improve your organ performance quality with such a practice, and you might damage your health—ruin your health. V: So, when you’re sick, Ausra, for example you, with your stomach flu, or bacteria infection that you had at the beginning of the year, is there anything that you can do besides lying in bed? A: Listen to the radio. I don’t know, it depends on the person, but really, if you have a fever, you cannot practice, you cannot read, you cannot watch TV. Maybe you can listen to radio. V: Listen to audio A: Yes, listen to audio. Not with your headphones. I don’t think that would be good. V: Listening to audio books is fine. A: Yes. You could listen to organ recordings. That way, you would still be in touch with organ. V: Organ world, yeah. Okay, lots of things to think about when you are sick, but I guess organ playing shouldn’t be the first on your mind when you are sick. A: Sure, because next time when you will feel good, you will do double as much, and I think it will compensate for what you missed. V: And, sometimes, when I say that, for example, I have to practice, practice, practice because my recital is coming up in a week or two, and now I’m sick and I don’t have time to be sick, I think it’s just poor planning. A: Yes, and that’s why I’m always telling people that you need to be prepared ahead of time, that if something will happen, you would still feel fine. You would still feel calm, that you still have some time, and you will be okay. And you wouldn’t need to practice with a fever. V: Yeah, be ready two months before, at least, to play your run-through of the recital or public performance. Then, you will have plenty of time to improve, and even if you get sick, you will be okay, I think. Right. And then, of course, improvisation helps. Imagine if your recital is coming up and you don’t have time to practice, but you constantly practice improvisation, you feel calmer, because you know that if you feel okay on the day of the performance, you can just sit down and play from your fancy. Right, Ausra? A: But that’s if you are an improviser. V: I mean, that could be the goal: to become an improviser. One of the benefits to become an improviser is that you have this freedom. Okay, thank you guys for sending those wonderful questions; we love helping you grow. We don’t always have the answers that might be suited for you personally, but we certainly can share our experience, and we hope this is helpful in some way. Okay, 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 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.
Before we go to the podcast of today, I'd like to thank people who gave feedback about my 6 compositions which were last weekend performed by an orchestra.
Anne wrote: Thanks for sharing these. I love the lush harmonies in these compositions. I listened to all of them. Congratulations – your organ pieces translated well to the orchestral format. Leon wrote: Saw and heard your FB post. Very nice piece of music, and use of the flute. Thanks for these additional details! Irineo wrote: Hello back there, maestro. Thank you so,much for these videos. No. 1 = sweet/tender/interesting (splendid arrangement as well). No. 2 = soft/discrete. No. 3 = serene/laid back. No. 4 = odd/uncommon/for the mind (instead of the heart). No. 5 = ethereal. Noe. 6 = dynamic/fleeting/playful/interesting contrasts (very nice as well). Keep at it, maestro If you missed this post or want to watch the videos again, here it is. And now let's go to the podcast for today. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 404, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Sally. And she writes an answer to the question, ‘What did you work on today?’ At the end of each day, students from the Total Organist program, they all get this question, and some of them choose to reply on BaseCamp. So Sally wrote: Unfortunately, nothing. I work during the day as a Software Engineer, and when I got home I was cold and tired. Instead of practicing I ate and slept on the couch all evening. Let's hope I feel more motivated tonight. I need to work on my prelude for this week, and continued work on the pedal studies I started. V: You know what I wrote to her? I wrote... A: No, I don’t know. V: I wrote, I will quote, “rest is good”. Three words only! Would you agree, Ausra? A: Yes. V: Shorter answer, right? A: I think this winter I also rest more than I practice. V: Yeah. If you return home from work really exhausted and tired, I think it’s best to take a rest or take a walk or do something, not too strenuous, physically and mentally too. And plus, since working as a Software Engineer is presumably mental work a lot, in most cases, right? Then organ playing is also mental work. It’s also similar so maybe physical, doing some physical activity is better than continuing mental activity without interruption. Ausra? A: Yes, I think you need to find balance in things because if you do only mental work, only physical work, it won’t be good. V: What would happen if you only did mental work, without any physical activity? A: Well, you muscles would… V: Atrophy? A: Yes. Plus I think you might develop some serious mental problems, too. V: Mental or physical? A: Mental because if you’re doing to much mental work, it might damage your mental health. V: Oh, I thought maybe if I only did mental work then my brain would expand and I would very wise. A: Because I think that physical activity helps to clear your mind. V: Mmmm. I see. A: And to pump blood into your brain too, which is crucial if you do mental work. V: What if I did only physical activity during the day, and no mental work? What would happen then? A: Well, I think it’s healthier than otherwise. V: Yes. A: But, well, if you would do only physical work I think you would forget how to count, how to read, and then you would be in trouble too. V: Right. I would be like hunter-gatherer. Ausra and I, we are listening to audio book called ‘Sapiens’. And it’s like a commentary on the history of civilizations. And yesterday evening we listened to the chapter about the life of, in the day of Adam and Eve, basically, prehistoric times. And those people moved a lot. But they say that they didn’t work too hard, like sometimes people work today—ten or twelve hours a day, in some countries, in the factory for example. In those days, like maybe thirty thousand years ago, they would just work for several hours until they gathered mushrooms and berries and edible roots. A: Snails and frogs... V: Uh-huh. Maybe hunting would require more time, I guess. So, of course, it’s safe to say that I will never become a true hunter or a gatherer in the 21st Century. A: Well, you never know. V: Why? Why? A: Things might change. V: Like internet would disappear? A: Sure, and then you will have to go to the forest to pick up berries and mushrooms. V: And how will we record our podcast conversations then? A: Well, then there will be no podcast conversations. V: The end of SecretsOfOrganPlaying. A: True. V: So, I hope this time will never come, when electricity and internet will disappear, Ausra. A: Well you never know. We might get some strong magnetic storms and internet will be down. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And everything will be down. But anyway, we are just making fun. I think that it’s very important for everybody to find the right balance in their lives, because I think it’s time to work and it’s time to relax. It’s time to practice and it’s time to lay down on sofa. V: You[’re] like citing the bible now. A: Yes. It’s very good actually, story, from Ecclesiastes, yes? V: Mmm-hmm. Cohélet, I think. It’s the same thing but… A: Well, anyway I think, everybody who go to church, knows this story and knows what I’m talking about. V: So, I hope Sally can practice whenever she feels rested and after sleeping and eating, maybe she will get more energy and feel more motivated to practice, right? And maybe tomorrow will be easier day, even at work. You never know how you will feel. Maybe she will have a better rest at night. A: True. V: And then next day will be easier to practice organ as well. Thank you guys for listening and sending your wonderful questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Before we go to the podcast episode for today, I'd like to remind our listeners that less than 24 hours are left to participate in our Secrets of Organ Playing Contest Week 7. The details are here. Don't have a Steem account? No problem, just let me know your desired username and I will create one for you very quickly.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 401, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jack. And he writes: Dear Vidas, Today I received "Week 3 of Menuet, Polonaise and March Training". And last week I received "Week 2" But I never received "week 1", so would you send me that? (Frankly, I can't remember ordering this particular course but I welcome it: I am so much enjoying organ playing again thanks to your instructions that I play for hours a day now, really making some progress!) Thank you very much, Jack V: Of course, I send the missing week one, to Jack from Menuet, Polonaise and March Training. I guess this week one is not sent separately. But it’s a part of the registration process. As soon as a person confirms his or her email, a new welcome email is being sent to them, and week one material is presented right away, so maybe it got lost somewhere. And because Jack writes that he can’t remember ordering particular course, I checked and he is our Total Organist student so maybe this is part of his Total Organist training too. A: I guess so, yes, because he’s a Total Organist student. V: I want to focus now our discussion on his final words: “I am enjoying so much organ playing again thanks to your instructions that I play for hours a day now, really making some progress!” Do you think that our instruction and advice is helpful and motivating for some people that much that they can sit down on the organ bench and play for hours a day? A: It seems like it is. It’s sort of when organ really catches you, there is no way to get out. V: It’s like a bug. A: Yes, like that. The deeper you go in, the more you enjoy it and you miss it. V: It becomes part of your life. A: That’s true. V: The way of life you tend to think about the organ during the day, not only when you play it. So then you try to arrange your daily activities around your organ practice too, so that sometimes it might become more integral part of the day, and you try not to miss the days that you practice too. A: True. Because it’s real privilege to be able to play such a marvelous instrument as organ, and to such [a] great compositions, of let say, J.S. Bach, and others. V: And I guess our conversations here as a podcast, also serves this purpose, right? Because we answer questions from people from around the world, and people who listen or read the transcriptions of our conversations can feel connected to the people who ask those questions, sometimes, right? It’s also part of the community. Not only Total Organist community which is smaller, but in larger sense, we have thousands of people who are in our Secrets of Organ playing community. It’s just too bad that they don’t have a reliable way to communicate with each other, as Total Organist people have. Because they sometimes want to discuss or get a score that somebody from the community played, but they then send an email to me, and ask me to ask another person—I’m like a middle man, and I don’t want to be that middle man, right? Because it’s not efficient sometimes because it takes time for me to ask this question and then a person to respond to me and I respond to the original question. It might get even a few days after, before the answer is being sent, right? So, what I created is this Telegram Group for Secrets of Organ playing community. And people who are interested in, can join into the discussions, and chat and connecting to each other. That’s part of the community service too. A: Yes, technology can really make life easier... V: Mmm-hmm. A: To some degree. V: Right. It will not replace email I think and still people will get our podcast conversations through email but it’s just as, it’s another channel to contact each other, people from the community. Right? A: True. V: Right. So, we wish Jack and others who are thinking about sitting on the organ bench for several hours a day, success, but also some patience, because sometimes you get immersed in organ music so much that you forget to breathe, forget to walk, forget to take, to have a drink, or take a pause, right?, to forget to eat. Did I say that before, already? A: Somehow I cannot imagine that you would forget to eat. V: Right. You cannot play with an empty stomach. A: True. V: Not you, I mean, I. A: I know. I know that. V: Can you play with empty stomach? A: Yes, I can. V: You’re different. I’m not saying you are better, you [are] just different. A: I’m not saying I’m better, either. V: Good. Let’s be different then, because our listeners are different too. I appeal to one group of people who like to eat and play, and you appeal to other group of people who like to play without eating. A: Well, I eat but I rather do my work first and then eat. V: But sometimes I also forget to eat, especially when I’m immersed in online activities. When I for example, write a blog post, I sometimes skip lunch too. So maybe I’m changing too. Okay guys, we hope this was useful to you. We really enjoy your wonderful questions and developing this community further. And I guess our newer initiative that started in January, Secrets of Organ Playing Contest, is also part of that, right? Because, Ausra, let’s face it—when you play the organ without any external pat on your back, is one thing, but when you get mentioned and honored in front of everybody for winning the contest, that’s another thing, I guess. We already have two entries for our next weeks contest, and I will see those girls in our Unda Maris Studio on Monday, and I’ll ask them, what was their experience. I’m really curious to know because they seem to be progressing in organ playing much faster now. A: True. Because they have new goals every week. V: Mmm-hmm. So guys, if you want to join Secrets of Organ Playing Contest too, but don’t have account on the Steem Blockchain, just send my your desired username. It could be a combination of letters and numbers. And I will create it for you very easily and send the generated password to you, which you have to keep safe because it is the only way to recover your account. So, and then, we, Ausra and I, will be very curious to know what you come up with in your organ playing entries. We really want to see you succeed in organ playing. And contest like this is part of the plan. Thanks guys. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen! SOPP397: I have purchased several of your fingerings of old music and find them extremely useful2/16/2019
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 397 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Rob and he writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I have purchased several of your fingerings of old music and find them extremely useful. When I learned to play the organ in the 60s, I was taught a legato style that, for example, discouraged using the same finger consecutively for different notes. It’s liberating to see you doing this all the time, and your method makes my playing feel more natural and more musical. I have two questions. First, is your fingering method standard for 16th-18th c. organ music or is it to some extent personal? Would you and Ausra, for example, come up with essentially the same fingering for any given early piece? Second, following on from that, how important do you think it is for a student to stick closely to your fingerings? Right now I’m learning Bach’s Passacaglia with your fingerings and I like them a lot. But occasionally they lead to my making mistakes that I wouldn't ordinarily make using a more modern style. For example, in mm. 204-7 during the fugue, the left hand has a pattern of arpeggiated 16th notes at intervals of a third, with three descending groups per measure. You finger all three groups 4-2, 4-2, 4-2, which I find hard to play without hitting wrong notes and becoming choppy. It’s much easier for me to use 2-1, 4-2, 5-3. In a case like this, would you recommend that someone try to master your fingerings, as being more authentic and conducive to a better interpretation in the long run, or is it legitimate to adapt them to one’s personal comfort? With thanks and best wishes to you both, Rob V: That’s a very thoughtful response Rob gave us right Ausra? A: Yes, it’s a very nice letter. Answering Rob’s question this fingering that we create, Rob asked if Vidas fingering and my fingering would be exactly the same for the same piece. V: You say it would be exactly the same. A: Well, it would be very similar. That’s what I want to say, that it would be very similar. Maybe they could be different in some particular spots. There might be slight differences but in general I think it would be almost the same or very similar. V: Even though our personalities are different our fingerings are similar. A: Yes, because that’s what baroque music requires and yes, this type of fingering is suited for pieces written between the sixteenth through eighteenth century. Of course you know the more complex music is, Bach for example, the more new ways you have to introduce into your fingering. V: Modern fingering. A: Yes. V: But still avoid finger substitution I think. A: Yes and sometimes if you find a spot which is completely difficult for you to play you might do slight adjustments. About that particular spot in the Passacaglia I think what Vidas meant by making those groups 4-2, 4-2, 4-2 it is that the same intervals are played with the same fingers. In that time it was sort of like a general knowledge because it helps you to articulate because why we need this fingering in order to make Baroque music sound like Baroque music it’s just all based on articulating each note and you could get exactly the same effect with playing and using modern fingering but then you would really have to control yourself very hardly in each measure, in each note. V: Umm-hmm. A: When you are using early fingering then it helps you to do articulation without so much thinking about it. It becomes more natural. V: Yes. A: I don’t know if it makes sense. You can continue my talk. Do you agree? V: I’m looking at this passage in Passacaglia where there are sixteenth note triplets and I write 2-3-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-4. I think this is the spot that Rob refers to because we don’t have measure numbers. A: But it seems like that spot, yes. V: Umm-hmm. The reason I do 2-3-4 is to avoid using the thumb on the sharp keys of the flat keys but in fast tempo you need to be very precise and it’s not very easy. A: And also because you start each triplet with the same finger you have of course to articulate there too. V: Maybe Rob could try the trick that I think is applicable to all organ music in general. Not to lift the fingers off the keyboard. Basically keep them in contact with the keys at all times and therefore the movements will be more economical and maybe more precise, right? What do you think Ausra here? A: Yes, I couldn’t agree more but actually in this spot, yes I would exactly the same fingering that you wrote in. V: Umm-hmm. 2-3-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-4 for the right hand ascending or for the left-hand descending and vice versa. 4-3-2, 4-3-2, 4-3-2 for the right hand descending and left hand ascending. That’s kind of natural to me but if Rob has trouble I think it’s appropriate to change some things to their own hand position but try to avoid finger substitutions, that’s my point. As you said with Bach you can add more modern fingering because he using modern keys and modern figures but still… A: And textures, you need to use almost all fingers at the same time. V: But most of the time you could get away without finger substitutions, most of the time. A: That’s right. Finger substitution in general is not a good thing in Baroque music. V: I have encountered a few places even in Bach where you had to use finger substitution because the texture as you say was like maybe five voices in the hands at the end of the piece you know, not in the middle… A: In cadences where he adds extra voices. V: Then yes but that’s an exception I would think. A: Sure, that’s not a rule. V: Excellent, so that’s the second part of Rob’s question. The first part of his question asks us about if we would use the same fingering for any early piece. I would just add that it depends on the school of composition. The geographical area basically. If it’s Spanish it’s one way, German it’s a little bit different, Italian different, French also should be different because ornaments are different and strong fingers are different. In one area they used 2 and 3 as the stronger fingers and in the left hand they also used 2 and 3. A: But sometimes 2 and 1. V: 2 and 1. A: And actually if you are interested you could study some of iconography related to portative organ. It was very common to paint either Saint Cecelia or angels playing portative organs and sometimes you can see hands very closely and you can even figure out what fingers angel or Saint Cecelia used and it’s a bizarre looking thing. V: I wonder how come there is no iconography of piglets and hedgehogs playing portative organs? A: Probably we never did. V: Maybe they don’t have enough fingers. A: Yes, if you are a pig you only have two fingers so not much of a choice. So natural pair fingering. V: Right. 2 and 3 or 2 and 4. Wonderful guys, please send us your wonderful questions in the future. 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 398, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Hanna, who is our Total Organist student. And, she wanted me to send missing emails for some of the courses—Organ Playing Master Course Level 1, and Pedal Virtuoso Master Course, several weeks. And I’m wondering how that could have been. Sometimes, our MailChimp service that provides emails service to us and sends those messages to the subscribers but they end up in the spam folder. But, in Hanna’s case, she writes that she has checked her spam folder, and then she asks me to send them manually. And sometimes it happens. I’m not sure why, but it’s good that people write to us, right, Ausra? A: Sure. You always can contact us and this will help you. V: Mmm-mmm. Those emails are always setup in advance and the system sends us, for us, automatically, and I just have to go in and fetch some weeks, some contents from these emails, and send it to you manually. Then if you miss a week or two, it doesn’t, it’s not a big deal. And don’t wait for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight weeks, Hanna misses mainly… A: Yes, you need to contact us sooner. V: Sooner, yeah. If you have a, if an email is supposed to come on Tuesday, and you don’t get that email on Tuesday next week, then maybe on Wednesday you could write us. A: Sure. Because even technology is so advanced nowadays, we still mess up things... V: Yes. A: Time after time, so, sometime. V: Mmm-mm. But it’s easy to fix because we can manually send them to you. A: Sure. V: So I will do that after we record this conversation to Hanna, but Hanna also wants to know something else. She writes: When you send a music score by email, it says it is free to Total Organist students, but doesn't let me download it. Do I have to go into Total Organist after signing in, and find the music score on the list of available music, then download it there? V: And that’s a good question, right, because when, for example, we publish a new organ composition with fingering and pedaling and people get this message in their email inbox, they click on the link, and they are directed to the page that asks them to buy, right? A: Yes. V: It’s our Shopify store. But it’s free for Total Organist students, which means that people who belong to Total Organist students, have to just simply sign in either to their Total Organist profile, or Basecamp profile, and then fetch the scores from there. A: Sure. Seems very simple. V: If it’s total organist profile where they should sign in, then it’s very easy because those scores are listed in the dashboard right away. But if it’s Basecamp they prefer, because for some people Total Organist is problematic to login because of browser issues—I don’t know, sometimes why. So they should go to Basecamp as a backup source, and go to place called ‘Message Board’, I think. Let’s see…yes, when they sign in, you will see their dashboard, and the first thing they see is ‘Message Board’. But in Messages, there are several folders, and on the list downward is ‘Total Organist Training Materials’. If they click there, it’s a backup file for all those training programs and practice materials that we have in Total Organist. So they could click and subscribe and download easily from Basecamp too. A: So I guess it would be smart thing to have both those accounts, on the Basecamp and… V: Yeah. That’s what I’m doing... V: On the Total Organist. V: For Total Organist, for people who prefer to do it on our website, and for people who like Basecamp and communication channels like answering questions and checking with other members, supporting each other, motivating each other—and then it works on Basecamp too. Wonderful! Very specific question and I guess very specific answer is needed here too. A: True. V: So if you have any other questions like that, don’t hesitate to ask us. We will be glad to help you out. 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 384 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Pauline. She writes: Good morning! I’m more or less a self learned pianist & organist. I play in church & function. Congregation says my playing is inspiring because my style is different from the standard pianist which is conventional type. Is it important to use correct figuring to play piano or organ when already get used to our own figuring? Is it compulsory to follow every notes or beats from the music sheet? Can we just be more creative? V: I think, Ausra, this question is about how you play your accompaniment from the hymnal, right? Or not? A: I guess this question is broader. V: Broader? A: Yes, you know, the similar problem I encountered last semester when I was teaching at that organists school, and I had two organ students, and one of them, she graduated from the music school, her studies were seven years long when she was in a high school. She was a violinist, so she could play piano, too, since it’s a required instrument in Lithuania for everybody who enters a music school, or almost everybody. But, she didn’t like to sight read music and to play it from the musical score. She would rather do everything by pitch, and we had quite an argument with her, because I tried to convince her that this is not the best way to learn music. Of course, you could do that, but I think that if you don’t want to study music professionally, I would say then you are sort of going to reach a dead end—that’s my opinion—at some point or another. You know, to be an amateur is very good for home musicians, because their music is created in a completely different setting and it serves a different purpose. But if you are a church organist or pianist, or in any way a church musician or choir conductor, it means that you are working with people, with a congregation, and as I told my students that maybe some day you want to have an ensemble or a choir or group of people who would love to help you, to create music together for church, and then, if you are an amateur yourself, and you don’t want to follow the score, and do things in a professional way, how will you teach others to do it? So, I think it’s probably good that some people are more creative than others and they want to add their own stuff, and create their own stuff… that’s ok. And if you’re accompanying hymns, then it’s not bad if you know you will add something to your accompaniment. It’s fine, unless you won’t keep your tempo steady, and the congregation will not be able to sing, leading your accompaniment. But, otherwise, of course you can be creative and add things, but if you are playing living or dead composers’ compositions, then I think you pretty much need to follow a score, because if you would do otherwise, it would be highly unprofessional. V: You cannot improve on Bach, for example. A: Well, what could you do when playing Bach? What I would allow myself to do, sometimes, if the chorale has a repetition, repeated section, which is often the case with German chorales, because it’s written in Bach form, which has A, A, and B sections, so A repeats A, on that repetition, you might add different ornaments. That’s the most of what I can do with Bach. V: What about adding figuration on the repeats? A little more than ornaments. Stylistically appropriate. A: Well, that would still be just an ornament. V: Embellishment. A: Yes, that’s perfectly normal. But, other than that, let’s say you are playing music by Franck… V: Right… A: Would you try to alter something? V: No! A: So, I guess that is my answer to Pauline. V: I guess the melody could be altered, right? But the accompaniment has to stay the same. If you are embellishing a baroque melody, there might be some other options, but they are more technically advanced, which is beyond the scope of this conversation. So, what you are saying is that to add stuff is ok as long as you are still adding value and not playing musically without meaning. It should be meaningful. A: That’s right, because look, if you want to do something different than what is written in a hymnal, you really need to be knowledgeable as to why you are doing this. Is it appropriate to that style? To that hymn? Because otherwise, it would be like, I know in America these beauty competitions used to be popular, which is in itself, I think, a very silly thing. For a grown up woman, yes, it’s ok. But when they do it for little girls, I think it’s ridiculous! I think they look just horrible. That’s my feeling and my opinion about it. V: Like dolls! A: I know! What kind of mother would you need to be to do to your daughter like that? I don’t know what’s the problem with those mothers, but I think they really need to see a shrink! V: Maybe there is a problem with their fathers, too! A: Well, definitely! So, I think it’s in some sort, those little girls that are dressed up like grown-up women with all that makeup and all that stuff, I think they look ridiculous, and it makes me feel so sad! And it’s the same when I listen to music performed with whatever added. V: Without meaning. A: Yes, without meaning. V: So, advice for Pauline and others who may want to add their own creativity to the accompaniment is to do this from the sense of understand what you are doing. Right? Mentally understanding. That would be more appropriate than just rather playing from your ear, whatever sounds good to you at the moment, right? A: Yes, that’s what I would suggest. And you know, you always need to study things, so… V: And you always try to improve yourself. A: Sure, because there are so many opportunities in America to get hymnal accompaniment. V: We don’t know if Pauline is in America. A: Yes, true. But for example, if you could get at least one example of how things are made up, maybe it would give you an idea of how it should be done or could be done. V: But I guess there are many hymnals in other countries, too, and accompaniments. Yes, so, study, improve yourself, and don’t just trust your taste and musical ear. It just is not necessarily developed enough. Right? You have to compare your own work with other written down compositions, and take what’s best from their style, and make it your own. Adapt it. That’s advanced art, I think, we are teaching. But in the end, it’s worth the effort to improve. A: Sure, maybe this road, this way that we suggest is a longer way, and it seems harder at the beginning, but it pays off at the end of it. V: Thank you guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please keep sending us your wonderful questions, we love helping you grown. 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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