Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 366 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Lukasz and he will be visiting us in February so we’re looking forward to it. He is going to try out our St. John’s organ with the very hard key action and he writes now: “Hi, You're touching my favorite problem again ;-). I want to share with you my biggest problem with fingerwork. 1. I cannot use someone else's fingerings - it always is uncomfortable for me. I tried and instead of thinking about music - I'm beginning to think about fingers - and this does not lead me anywhere. I know that I make by this my life more difficult in many situations. But I can not. I think this is more psychological barrier than physical, because from the youngest I was taught to seek more my own solutions and ways in music than to copy someone else's. Well, sometimes it means, that I'm breaking already open doors... 2. I am often not able to use my own fingerings from the start of work with the music. At the beginning of it my fingering is often completely different than when I learn more about structure, accents etc of the music. Therefore I never write fingering, except the places that absolutely require it - and I still write at most one or two fingers. Why? Because even after learning of the music and playing it in up-tempo, sometimes - to my great irritation - my hands prefers other fingers! I discovered that playing slow I use other fingers than playing fast. Sometimes I have the impression, that my hands have too much - autonomy ... I have written use third finger - my hand says - No! You will be playing it with the second finger! In this situation, I start to wonder why. Sometimes - very rarely - it turns out that in the next measure, moving from another finger gives a more interesting musical clue. But most often it's a forcing of my hand to make a movement that it does not want at all ... and this is the most annoying part of the practice! Merry Christmas and All the best... and of course see you in February. Lukasz” V: So Ausra what are your experiences with fingering? Do you write it at the beginning of studying your music or later. Do you write it at all or not? Do you write it sparingly? What’s your take on this? A: Well now I don’t write fingering. Only in very, very few spots because I don’t need it because I have a pretty good notion of it. But I think that is really bad thing if you have one fingering written in and you use another fingering. That’s inappropriate. V: Umm-hmm. It’s better to not have fingering written in than to use a different fingering every time I guess. A: Because if you a using different fingering every time that you play as Lukasz mentions it means that something is not good with it. V: With the fingering. A: Yes. V: Umm-hmm. Maybe I also can share a few things. Like you I also have much experience with playing the organ and don’t need to write in fingering most of the time. Just in a few maybe troublesome places like Ad Patres Sonata by Kutavicius. To facilitate learning process I wrote fingering in one episode, maybe 10 measures, and since this episode is repeated 13 times I copied this fingering 13 times in the score just because it makes the work easier and the time is limited. A: Interesting then I learned that piece I would just, if you are talking about that episode that repeats itself, I would just clip all those pages together and I would know how many times I have to repeat that thing and then I would just turn all those pages all at once and you would just have to write your fingering once. V: That’s clever. You are the smarter one in the family. A: Thank you, I don’t think so but still thank you, it’s a nice thing to say. V: And you know I sight-read music in a very slow tempo and produce correct fingering right away. I’m thinking about what’s the best way to put my fingers and pedaling too and I record it with my phone, put it on YouTube and then our team of transcribers make transcribed scores with fingering and pedaling from this so I have to be good right away. It’s not easy, it requires lots of work and lots of practice and constant development but they say the first twenty years is difficult, afterwards it’s easier. A: Sure. V: You have to constantly sight-read new music then it gets easier and fingers somehow become second nature to you. I have to say that early fingering is much easier for me than modern fingering somehow. What about you? A: Well, actually it really doesn’t matter because I think both are easy for me because before playing organ I played piano for many years so I don’t feel uncomfortable fingering romantic or later music. V: But there are many more options with modern music. A: Sure. So you just see what works for you and in general when you are fingering romantic and later music don’t try to write fingers down right away before even playing the piece. That’s what people often do and I think it’s a mistake. You need to play it through at least a few times and to see what works and what not because if you finger your score without playing through then these problems might happen that you write in one fingering and you are using another one. V: That’s how we were taught actually, our professors in Lithuania at least said practice the piece a few times and get to know it and then write in fingering. A: Sure. In general I think that you need to be able to play both ways, without fingers and with fingers. V: And I guess why. A: Because if you, well… Remember when we studied with Leopoldas Digrys he always forced us to write every single finger. V: That’s because he did it himself. A: Yes, for entire life and after playing with him for some time I realized that I cannot play music without fingering written in. V: Yes, so most of the time for example people sight-read and it doesn’t have fingers written in. What can you do then? You have to guess, you have to… A: I felt sort of like having a disability. That I am incapable of doing something and then I just dropped writing down every single finger. V: What about when you improvise? A: Sure. But of course there is advantage if you have fingered score because it means that you save time and you save trouble fingering yourself and if you go back to the same piece after many years it will be easier for you to recollect it and to play it. V: I guess it depends on the goals of each individual person, right? If we want to learn the piece inside out and come back to it after a decade or so and still be able to play it more or less in a slow tempo of course then writing in fingering is a good idea but then the amount of music that you are going to learn in your life is greatly diminished, is greatly limited actually, because it’s a slow process, you have to write in every finger or most of the fingers in every score. Obviously it slows down your practice so then you will not be able to sight-read as much music, right? So it depends what you want from life for your organ playing activities. A: But definitely if you are in the learning process and you are a beginner or intermediate level still the fingering is very important. V: Umm-hmm. Having great foundation is crucial. Afterwards you have to choose for yourself what suits best your needs. A: And I think especially this is true with baroque music because very often baroque music didn’t have so much right choice, less than later music and I think that it’s very important to get good advice and play from well-edited scores. V: Yes, guys, we hope this was helpful to you. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow as an organist and remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
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Just a quick reminder about the poll we are having where we would like to know your opinion about our new Secrets of Organ Playing Contest. If you haven't voted, please do so by the end of this week in this post.
Also we'd like to congratulations to Nancy and Lev who recently took advantage of 50% Christmas discount of Total Organist. We're sure they will advance faster in organ playing than on their own! And now let's go to the podcast for today.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 362 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent sent by John, and he writes: Dear Vidas, I'm lucky that a former pupil will be playing organ voluntaries for me (i) at Midnight Mass (Widor - Toccata) and (ii) at the Carol Service (Joie et clarite - Messiaen). He's just 17 and has won a place at Chetham's school of music in Manchester. I shall re-learn Dupre's Prelude and Fugue in B major in the New Year. I studied it during my student days, but as you know, it needs constant performance to keep it up to scratch. An enlightened wedding couple have asked me for Mullet's Carillon-Sortie later in the year. A project for 2019 will be to write some short pieces for manuals only as a homage to Vierne's 24 Pieces. I adore Vierne's music and think him a much better composer than Widor. I am at present writing a S. John Passion for a village choir to sing - simple chorus parts, but a good [tricky] evangelist solo line. I shall also learn later in 2019 Bach's "Komm Gott" fantasia, a piece I have never played and hopefully it will be ready for Pentecost. I'll send you the church Spring term's music list when it is finally drafted. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year, John V: So, Ausra, John is quite advanced in organ playing and also probably in composition, if he is composing Saint John’s passion. A: Definitely, he’s very advanced, because the pieces he mentioned that on his list are really difficult to play. V: One thing that I found interesting is Dupré’s “Prelude and Fugue in B major”, and he will be planning to relearn it in this new year! A: It will take some time! I remember I did that piece; It’s not an easy piece—especially the fugue. The prelude is quite comfortable, but the fugue, you have to put some effort into it, because the subject, the theme of this fugue has quite wide leaps and a very fast tempo, and to play it all legato, it’s quite a challenge. V: Mhm. I also played this piece many years ago. A: Did you? V: As a student, I think. A: No, I don’t think you did. V: I think I played all three of them. A: Really? When? Was it in the United States? Because, I cannot remember you playing any of these pieces. V: Maybe I was dreaming about them. A: Maybe you are getting old, because I know that I have played B major in the Academy of Music. V: Maybe you are getting old! A: During my first year of masters studies. V: Maybe I played it with Pamela, no? A: All three of them? But how come I don’t remember it at all? V: You were focused on other pieces? A: I don’t think so. V: What were you playing with Pamela? A: For my recital? V: Mhm! A: Bach’s “C major Toccata”, “Adagio and Fugue”, then Reger’s “Fantasie 135B” (“Fantasie and Fugue,” of course), then I did Franck’s “B minor Chorale”, and a piece called “Walpurgisnacht,” from Petr Eben’s “Faust.” V: “Walpurgis Night,” right? A: Mhm! V: So, you see, maybe you were so focused on your repertoire that you didn’t pay attention to what I was playing! Is that possible? A: I don’t think so, because at that time, you, I believe, played Reger’s “Ein’ Feste Burg.” I don’t think it would be suited to play together with Dupré’s “Three Preludes.” V: But, I think I played them all. A: Maybe you did, I don’t know. V: But A: Not in a life with me! V: In another life! A: Yes. V: Interesting. I remember those Carillon sounds in B major prelude by Dupré. A: It was beautiful when I played it. I just felt that I’m standing in front of Notre Dame de Paris. Somehow this piece reminded me of this place. V: But you didn’t choose this piece for your Notre Dame recital. A: Maybe we wouldn’t have picked it anyway, so... V: Yeah, as you say, Fugue is more advanced. The theme is sort of tricky to handle in the pedals. Or not? A: Yes, it is, and that is what I was talking about. V: Mhm.. Dupré knew how to write fugues, I think, very well. A: And somehow, I don’t know… everybody says that third one, “Prelude and Fugue” is the hardest one. V: “G minor”? A: Yes. But then, I sight read it, I found that B major is harder. V: Maybe because of the tempo! A: Because of the Fugue. V: Maybe because of the tempo, “G minor” seems very virtuosic. And then the fugue expands into maybe a scherzo like motion towards the end. Maybe that’s what frightens people. A: True, but as we once heard in the Oberlin Conference, where one lady performed all three of them… V: All three of them! We will not mention her name…. A: And she switched the B major and G minor places, so she played G minor first, and she left the B major for the end, and she screwed up totally in the B major one. Although, the entire performance was quite sloppy. V: And she was apologizing before even playing! A: Before playing, yes. So, I guess if you are not ready and something is wrong, you’d better cancel your recital. V: We heard also a very very sloppy performance of Bach’s Klavier Übung part 3. A: That’s right. V: Also will not mention who played it, out of respect. A: But these were high professionals, and they have played them extremely well before, so… V: They are internationally renown organ players. Virtuosos. A: So I guess if you are not ready, you just need to cancel. V: Another thing that stuck from John’s message is that an enlightened wedding couple asked him to perform Mulet’s “Carillon Sortie” later in the year…. Do you know if any weddings that are played when a wedding couple would ask such a piece besides Widor Toccata…. Widor Tocatta is possible, right? But in Lithuania, it’s not even probably known very well. But “Carillon” by Henry Mulet would be even very remote choice. A: Oh yes! But it shows that that couple really knows things about organ music, about organ repertoire, so…. V: I hope that John will enjoy this piece a lot. A: But I wonder how much they are willing to pay for him to do this piece, too, because probably it’s not something that’s very common in every organists repertoire. V: But once he learns it, he can play it for recitals in another occasion. A: That’s true. V: Re-purpose. Recycle. He says that he likes Vierne’s music better than Widor’s. Do you agree… A: Well, actually, he formulates that…. In a different question, he thinks that Vierne is a better composer than Widor. And personally, I like Vierne’s music much better, but I would never say that Vierne is a better composer than Widor, because who are we that we would say such a thing? V: It’s difficult to judge, right? A: Yes, you just can say based on your personal taste that you prefer one composer’s music and not another’s, because they are very different, and I like Vierne much better, and I wanted to find out, to understand, why I prefer Vierne above Widor, and I realized that Vierne’s forms of musical compositions are very classical and easy to understand. And that’s why, probably, he’s my favorite. V: But on the other hand, the forms of Widor sort of are much more free and flexible and spontaneous. Doesn’t it mean that he was more creative than Vierne? A: Well, it’s hard to tell. V: From that point of view. Not looking at the harmonies. Probably the harmonies are stronger. A: Vierne’s harmonies are much more complex and much more complicated, and really, much more advanced than Widor’s. V: True. Well, I guess it’s a personal preference of people, right? A: But anyway, I think they were both great composers and left a significant input for the organ world. V: And one would not exist without the other, probably. A: I think so, yes, because somehow they are always mentioned together, of course, because they both wrote organ symphonies. V: Right. So, let’s wish John a great new year, and a very creative and passionate new year, that he would continue to create and work on his projects and wish him success. A: Sure! V: And everyone else, please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Just a quick reminder about the poll we are having where we would like to know your opinion about our new Secrets of Organ Playing Contest. If you haven't voted, please do so by the end of this week in this post.
Also we'd like to congratulate Nancy and Lev who recently took advantage of 50% Christmas discount of Total Organist. We're sure they will learn a lot and advance much faster than they would on their own! And now let's go to the podcast for today.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 363 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Leon and he writes: “Dear Vidas and Ausra: I had a mild case of the flu from Saturday through Tuesday. Seemed like a cold for the first two days, but "the grippe" was there when I awoke Monday. Thanks to the flu shot in September all was able to be treated with symptomatic meds, and no fever. So when I got back to practice yesterday, I decided to retry the OrgelBuchlein. I was able to do No. 1 at half speed with only two mistakes. And rediscovered that I had done the 15-step method on them all from November 2017 to March of this year. I'd completely forgotten that, but the penciled in evidence is there on the music - computer-printer copies from IMSLP. So, an unexpected early Christmas present thanks to you two. Merry Christmas! Leon” A: Very nice letter. V: Let’s start with the flu. How are you feeling by the way today, Ausra? A: I’m a little bit sick and I have a little bit of fever since last so I might be getting flu as well. V: Let’s hope that it will pass like Leon’s case. A: Let’s hope for it because I also got my flu shot in October. V: Umm-hmm. A: So I’m sort of ready for flu season. V: And then he writes that he practiced OrgelBuchlein No. 1 at half speed with only two mistakes. That’s a good evidence that he’s progressing with his organ playing don’t you think? A: Yes, I think that’s a good sign. V: In general I think that when people are stuck and doing things step-by-step they are not really noticing their own progress and that’s OK. We all are in this situation so then we suggest that after three or six months that you go back to some previously more difficult pieces that you even didn’t play but just played as a sight-reading exercise and try it out now and chances are if you were diligent in your organ playing and sight-reading over the course of six months that this particular piece would go much easier this time. A: Yes, in general I think that when we practice on a daily basis often we cannot notice our progress but if we do a break and then we come back to it then we can see it more clearly as it was in Leon’s case. V: Do you like the 15-step method Ausra? You know what I am talking about, right? Solo parts, then two-part combinations, then three-part combinations, and then four-part structure, if the piece has four parts of course. A: Yes, I know this system, I think it’s excellent if you have patience and if you have enough time. V: But it’s not for everyone, right? A: True. V: For example right now I’m practicing Sonata "Ad Patres" by Bronius Kutavicius, a living Lithuanian composer, and my recital is coming up in January and this is a playable piece, not too difficult except for the middle section, quite virtuosic, but this section is kind of repeating itself sort of like 13 times and if you learn one or two repetitions you learn the entire thing. So what I’m doing now I’m not playing 15 step combinations but I’m gradually expanding the fragments by starting every quarter-note, every half-note, every measure, every two measures and so on, doubling the length of each fragment. A: I think that this approach of 15 steps I think it’s very worth trying if you are learning pieces by J.S. Bach. V: Polyphonic music. A: Polyphonic music, yes. V: Umm-hmm. A: Because for some pieces there might be other things you need to work on. V: Right and plus it depends on your level of advancement. A: That’s right. V: Maybe I would do 15-step method on a very complicated fugue but not necessarily on a Orgelbuchlein chorale. A: But if you are a beginner then I think this approach would be useful to probably any piece. V: Obviously. Yes, definitely, 100 percent correct. And if the piece is not polyphonic but has a few layers, right-hand, left-hand and pedals, three layers, then we need to look at it from a different perspective, maybe work one hand at a time, that would be right-hand alone, left-hand alone, and pedals alone, also in fragments and then two-part combinations would be right-hand and left-hand, right-hand and pedal, left-hand and pedal and only then the last combination all parts together. So 7-step method here would be possible to do if the music is not polyphonically created but again it depends on your level of advancement. A: That’s right. V: Umm-hmm. So it seems like Leon is having a great time practicing, hopefully next year will pass without flu. A: Yes, let’s hope for that and let’s wish everybody good health because it’s sort of a mean thing to everybody. V: Umm-hmm. And when we receive messages like that when he writes “an unexpected early Christmas present thanks to you two” it’s really very pleasing to read, right Ausra? A: Yes, then I feel like Santa. V: You are Santa? A: Yes. V: Oh no, I thought Leon was Santa. Maybe you are right and I am right too, maybe you both are Santa’s to me (laughs.) Again, we give presents all the time, right? We give advice freely and for people who take the advice and apply them in their practice this becomes a present. Not only advice but something that they can apply in their lives and improve their lives. A: True. V: Hopefully sometimes not even organ playing but sometimes other things. So those people like Leon who practice diligently will I think sooner or later reap results, don’t you think Ausra? A: Obviously, yes. V: If you are just banging your head against the wall then sooner or later something will break (laughs.) A: You are making rather funny comments. V: That’s good. A: That’s usual. V: So wonderful, thank you guys for sending those questions and please continue to do so even in the next year because next year maybe will be a new beginning to you. Maybe you will start to look at your own organ playing activities from a different perspective. Maybe you will have something like New Years Resolutions but I don’t really believe in New Years Resolutions don’t you Ausra? A: Well, me too because usually it doesn’t work. V: Yeah, it works for two weeks. A: Because when we attend our gym we always notice that before New Years and right at the beginning of New Years there are so many people attending the gym but then in the middle of January they are disappearing. V: Yes, they say “Oh I will start losing weight” or “Oh I will start going to the gym every day” or “Oh I will lift the weights every day” and this is too much. It’s better to say “Oh I will practice for 15 minutes a day” whatever it means practice, doing push-ups, or taking a walk or running or swimming. For organ playing the same, you don’t need to practice for 3 or 4 hours like some of our students do obviously at the beginning, maybe later you will have the strength to do that but first you have to get the stamina and the best way to do that is step-by-step maybe gradually increasing the length of practice time by ten percent a week. A: And if you want to watch something funny for New Years Resolutions you can watch Bridget Jones movie, the first movie. V: Bridget Jones Diary. A: Yes, where she gives New Years resolutions. V: Oh, (laughs) we will not say anything more. A: True, I hope you will enjoy it. V: No spoilers. Thank you guys for listening, for applying our tips in your practice, please keep sending us your wonderful questions, we love helping you grow and remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Just a quick reminder about the poll we are having where we would like to know your opinion about our new Secrets of Organ Playing Contest. If you haven't voted, please do so by the end of this week in this post.
Also we'd like to congratulate Fidelma, Danielle, Emogene and Andrei who recently took advantage of 50% Christmas discount of Total Organist. We're sure you'll learn a lot! And now let's go to the podcast for today.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 361 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Lisa and she writes: “Why is it bad to double the bass line in the pedals? I don’t notice much difference in the sound. I’m a new organist, having played the piano for church for 30 years.” V: That’s a nice question, right Ausra? A: It is. V: And we have talked about it a few times but for people who come to the organ from piano background it’s not so apparent. A: True and it’s like a regular kitchen and dishes is comparing to gourmet kitchen and dishes. That’s what it is when you double pedal with your left hand and then you don’t. You need to develop a keen sense of what you are playing and you really need to develop your ability to listen and to hear things. It comes with experience. V: Umm-hmm. I wrote to Lisa that if you double the pedals you won’t be able to develop left-hand and pedal independence. That’s the main thing and independence is needed when playing real organ music. But if organists work at church don’t have any interest in real organ music and they only stick to hymns then what we’re talking about is not really understandable to them. It sounds well, it really does and there are organ pieces like that where pedal bass is doubling the left-hand bass, for example right now I am playing Priere by Juozas Naujalis and throughout this piece somehow he wrote this doubling in the pedals and in the left-hand maybe because he didn’t have in mind a big enough organ, I don’t know, but he had many instruments at hand … A: Look if you have let’s say big organ you are adding big registration, what happens when you double bass and left-hand. That’s already each organ stop, if you pull out 8’ stop and 6’ stop and then you put let’s say 4’ and 2’ and blah, blah, blah, and mixtures, how many already sounds do you have for each single note, it’s above all imaginable. V: In the pedals, right? A: Yes. V: Umm-hmm. A: And in any also in the manuals because no, you rarely play with one stop pulled out . V: Umm-hmm. A: It already doubles in itself in that single voice. It already doubles itself and triples and quadruples. V: Huh, I see. A: So why do you need to do that unless it was composers’ wish. V: But I don’t understand why this wish was Naujalis position. A: Well I don’t care so much about it, maybe he really didn’t have a big pedal. V: Or maybe he wrote this piece for organists who couldn’t really play pedals and left-hand independently in Lithuania. A: That’s more possible because he worked for many years as organ teacher too so maybe he noticed this problem as well. V: And that’s why he wrote those wonderful organ trios. A: But anyway, when a composer does that he probably wants to give more gravity to the pedals and to the lower parts of a piece. But I don’t’ think it’s so much stood for him, that’s my opinion, and do whatever you want, you know you are free person. V: So for Lisa and others who are wondering why we do not double the bass line in left-hand… I was just reading this question one more time and she is asking backwards. “Why is it bad to double the bass line in the pedals.” In the pedals it’s good, but in the left-hand it’s not good. A: Yes, that’s what happens to you because when you have a hymn it’s four voices most often and what people do is they play all four voices on the manuals and then put the lowest voice on the pedal part and what we are meaning is that you need to play three voices on the manuals, so soprano, alto, tenor and then to play the bottom line with your pedals. V: I think Lisa needs to try this technique, right? It’s rather new to her and rather uncomfortable probably at the beginning and she will struggle with those hymns and that’s OK. It will just mean that if she’s up to the challenge, it is a challenge for beginners. A: It’s just that I did not understand her question right from the beginning. V: I understood the question but she is writing it backwards. In her mind probably it’s normal to play the bass line in the left-hand and then why do we need to double the bass line in the pedals. A: We need to play the bass line with the pedals and not with your left-hand. V: Exactly. If you play without any pedals then obviously play the bass line with the left hand. But that is the point, if you always play without pedals you will never learn to play the pedals and then it will be hard to call yourself a real organist. A: True, then better stick with the piano if you don’t want to play the pedals. V: Charles Tournemire once wrote that organists who cannot improvise are just half organists. So what would he call people who play the organ without pedals? One-third organist or what? A: One-fourth? V: One-fourth probably. We are not making fun of Lisa or anyone else of course. We’re just suggesting to try out this technique and not to play as it’s written right away but just play it and treat it as a real organ piece. It’s very small maybe one page long, one minute long, right? And you first master it probably voice by voice, and then two voice combinations, and then three part combinations and only then tackle four-part texture. For Lisa if she has played piano for church for 30 years maybe she doesn’t need to play separate voices at first, maybe she can do two voices but definitely she needs pedal line separately. A: Sure and why pedal, the bass line on the pedalboard sounds better than on the manuals, that’s because you have more 16’ stops on the pedal and you give it gravity which is very nice for hymn accompanying and congregational singing. V: Yeah, it’s like having double basses in the orchestra. A: You will not have that effect if you will only use manuals even if you put the 16’ on the manuals but will not use the pedal the effect will not be as nice. V: I haven’t thought about that for many times but now it’s very obvious, if you omit double basses from the orchestra it’s not just the 16’ is missing it’s the entire foundation is missing. A: That’s right. V: The same is for organ too. A: I don’t think you would be able to listen to the violin for such a long time without double basses. V: Exactly. Well, people need to try those challenging things, right? That’s why we are learning. That’s why we are trying to get better at things we couldn’t do yesterday, right? There wouldn’t be a point of practicing and spending hours on the organ bench if all we ever wanted to do was to play the hymns in way that we always play. A: That’s right. V: Even playing the hymns are maybe ten or twenty or thirty different ways and that’s another challenge in itself, but that’s the theme for another Podcast. Thank you guys for listening, this was fun, and please keep sending your wonderful questions and we hope to help you grow and remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 360 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent sent by Rob, and he writes: Hello Ausra and Vidas, Enjoyed the story featuring pointed high heel shoes and what Anders said in today’s post about his organ shoes. So, let me share my organ shoes (well, not literally, of course) with you, Anders and all other readers of your posts. Nobody plays the organ wearing gloves, it wouldn’t make sense. Yet, in a way, we do wear “gloves” on our feet. (I remember that Rhoda Scott played her Hammond organ pedals with bare feet). Just as much as we need to feel the manuals in our fingers/hands, we need to feel the pedals in our feet. My organ shoes are supple (i.e. not too thick or sturdy) leather shoes with thin leather soles, almost (but not quite) like moccasins. The soles are “slippery” and without patterns or anything like that. These shoes are a snug fit on my feet so my feet can’t move about in them. They are not too tight by any means. They are round shaped where my toes are and have a normal, round heel (certainly not high heels, haha). These shoes enable me to slide over the pedals and dance when required. In shape, as I said they are round (slightly pointed is also an option) so moving from one black key to the next (adjacent) black can easily be done without getting stuck between black keys and white keys. Heel-to-toe movement is natural and without effort. The thin soles allow me to really feel the pedals, and there is the similarity with fingers feeling the keys on the manuals. In these shoes, my feet know the “topography” of the pedal board so it is rarely necessary to look down to direct my feet on sight. These, all in all, are the characteristics of my organ shoes. They are now more than 35 years old (my second pair of organ shoes) and I only wear them when playing the organ. I will never ditch these shoes of course (unless my feet change in future or when these shoes fall apart). Hope this helps when folks think about/need to select organ shoes. And so, with good organ shoes, pedal miracles will happen! (to put a little twist on your tagline). Best to both of you and Merry Christmas, Rob V: That’s, I think, a very interesting story, Ausra. Right? A: Yes, it seems like Rob is really in love with his organ shoes, because he describes them so carefully and in great detail. V: Couldn’t they be so flexible and sensitive because they are very old? A: I think that adds to that, as well, to this quality of being flexible. And of course he loves them, because he has played with them for so many years! V: Mhm. A: I guess when you wear some kind of shoes for so many years, you don’t feel them! You can get a feeling that you’re barefoot, as well! V: Right. So, playing without shoes, barefoot, is quite tricky, and not practical at all, actually! A: Well…. V: Because, the pedal board is messy and dusty. A: You may have to vary your playing socks! You come to church and bring your socks, you know, and change them! V: With socks there is a possibility, but then I think you damage your socks pretty easily and soon. I think if you have leather soles on your woolen socks, that might better. But you still need the heel! A: Sure. And let me talk a little bit about comparing the manual part with that pedal part. I don’t think it’s a fair thing to compare these two, and to put an equality sign between them. Because, look at the score—how many notes you have to play with your hands, and how many with your feet—and you will notice a great difference. So, I don’t think it’s comparable, you know, the difficulty of the pedal—playing pedals—and playing the manuals. I think in general that the problems with playing pedals are greatly exaggerated. That’s what I feel about it. And also, that problem of finding the right shoes is also greatly exaggerated. Because, I think that hitting the right key in the pedal board is not so much of having the right shoes as it is having the right muscle memory. V: And it also depends on how many organs you have played. If you’re playing just one organ, than you can really play with your eyes closed! A: True, because that muscle memory develops. V: If you have played five organs, and you have to switch to the sixth organ, then I think the problem is apparent right away. But, it reduces with each new instrument that you try, I think. A: True! And let’s say you are a beginner and you play on one instrument, only, and you get fairly comfortable with that pedal board, and then you move to the next organ with the same shoes, actually, and you see that you cannot hit the right keys, and you have to look. V: Yes, I have experienced that many times! A: Have you changed your shoes? No! If you just changed the pedal board, that’s where the problem is. V: Exactly! If you have a problem with playing pedals, change the pedal board! A: I don’t mean that, but that’s a great idea! V: Yeah, until you find the perfect one. A: True. And also, I wanted to comment a little bit about that Rob said that you don’t play organ with gloves on your arms, and that’s not exactly true, because sometimes you use the gloves when you are playing in Lithuania in Winter in the middle of a no-heat church. You use gloves. Of course, you just have to cut off the tips of the fingers. V: I’ve played in them many times. They’re quite good for keeping the fingers warm. A: Maybe you will not be able to play a very virtuosic piece with things like this on your hands, but still, you will be okay with hymns or simple pieces. V: Simple pieces, yes. Improvisations. Some churches now are heated, luckily. A: Some. Way too few, I think. V: Right. Just a few days ago, organ builder Janis Kalninš, from Latvia, came to visit our church, and he brought a colleague organist from Poland, Andrzej Szadejko, who wanted to try out our instrument in our church, and he played there for about one hour or so, and then we talked. He was surprised that it was so warm in our church. A: Well, it’s heated! V: And I asked him if many churches in Poland are heated, and he said, “no.” A: And it’s a big country, so it has many churches. V: Right. Of course, our situation is different, because our church is owned by the university. A: Well, but also, you know, I don’t think that the university first installed the heating system, it happened during the Soviet times, because the church was converted into the museum of science, and that’s when they added those radiators. Plus, this year, this last Summer we had such hot weather all the time, and even in September, so the temperature got pretty high. V: And with each degree when you have a rising in the Summer, the temperament and the pitch level rises, also. Approximately 1 Hz per one degree, I could say. So, if you have about 440, in 18 degrees Celsius, then you will have 441 when you have 19 degrees. When you have 20 degrees, 442, something like that. In the Winter it’s lower, then. A: True. V: Okay, so, I guess Rob’s points are very valid here: You need to think carefully about how to select organ shoes, and sometimes your first choice is not the most fitting one. A: That’s right. V: And that’s okay, right? You have to look around and try out several organ shoe pairs. And one final advice would be probably to look at dancer’s shoes. Right? A: And, I think we have talk about it before. V: Dancer’s shoes are very similar to organ shoes, and there are more dancers than organists in the world, I guess, so therefore, dancer’s shoes are more popular and easier to find. A: Well, not every dancer’s shoes will fit for the organ. V: Exactly. And, the feet are like the third hand to me. Right? You need to treat your feet playing like one additional hand. Don’t you agree, Ausra? A: Well…. V: Say “yes!” A: So, still, I think hands are more important. V: Yes, but together, you have in one hand you have five fingers. With both feet, you have 4 options to play the pedals. toe toe, and heel heel. A: So you have 10 fingers in your hands, yes, and 4 fingers in your feet? V: Exactly. That’s what I was trying to say. A: Nice. V: Okay, guys, thanks for sending these questions. We’re hoping to help you grow, so please keep sending them in the future. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 357 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent sent by Jeremy, and he writes: Finding time to do the work I want to do. As we approach the end of the semester, my own interests begin to move into the background and I become swamped with work for other people. V: That’s a common struggle, Ausra, right? A: It’s very common. V: Probably one of the most frequently sent in of people’s questions about finding time to do what they love to do. A: True! I still struggle with finding time, especially for practicing the organ, but I remember my study days, and it was a really had time, because usually when we would have academic breaks on Christmas, or on this break at Easter, we would have to work doubly as hard at church, because we always would work at church at that time, so it was really hard. It was, as Jeremy says, that he has to do work for other people, so I guess my advice would be to learn to say, “no!” to others, and it doesn’t sound nice. Yes? I sound like an egoistic, selfish person, but that’s a way to survive! V: It doesn’t sound nice, because he is on our team who transcribes fingering and pedaling! A: Well, yes, but sometimes you have to think what is more important for you right at that moment. And if the work is absolutely overwhelming, you just have to say, “no!” V: Obviously…. A: Well, and it’s not true if you get paid, or if you get something for doing something. That’s a normal thing. But, I’m talking about people who are using other people and giving you nothing back. V: What if they are giving you something, but not enough? A: Well, then negotiate. And if you will not succeed, then just quit! V: I wonder if there was ever a time when we had more things to do than right now, and less time, or vice versa. Which time in your life, Ausra, was the busiest? A: Well, I think that my studies in the US. Yes. And, I remember that the closer to the end I would go with my studies, and sometimes I would get a free half hour, and honestly, I would be so surprised, I would be shocked, actually! I wouldn’t know what to do with that free half hour. V: I think if you are always doing something during your day, this 30 minutes that’s just for you to relax, sit down, or take a break, or take your walk, that would be ideal. Not do something, not do anything, actually! A: And I remember those times, doctoral studies time, when I would go to the gym, usually I would go to swim or to run, or to do both, but not because I wanted it, but I knew that after that I would get more energy, and I could work even more for my studies, or practice, or do something else—write some paper. V: Right. Physical activity obviously gives more energy. A: Well, but yes. It doesn’t mean that you need to exercise in order after that to just exhaust yourself. V: To me, with finding time, there is another problem. I have too many wishes. I have too many interests and curiosities. In a sense, it’s very good, really, but when you have too many things you want to do, then you cannot really focus on several or a few that really matter, and then I have to limit myself, and this is hard. A: Well, yes. V: I could probably list 30 things I’m interested in. And the list is growing! A: Well, you know, I could easily cure this kind of problem of yours! V: In which way? A: Switch jobs with me, and I’m sure after teaching for so many hours, you will have no energy left whatsoever, and you will limit yourself to maybe, I don’t know, 2 or 3 things! V: That’s right. A: Work. Sleep. Eat. V: “Eat, Pray Love.” Do you know this book? A: I heard about it, but I haven’t read it. V: There is a movie, also, and a wonderful book. Three things are really important in life. So talking about Jeremy and others who are struggling with finding time, especially for organ playing, what we can say is just, probably not give advice, but share our experiences, how we are dealing with this. Right Ausra? A: Yes, and like this first semester I was teaching for church organists, teaching harmony class, and also giving some organ lessons. And I just found it overwhelming, because I started to have health issues, and I just said, “that’s it. that’s enough.” And what I really didn’t like about it, I like teaching itself, but what I didn’t like at all was that I could not find time to practice myself, because I was teaching on Saturdays and on Wednesdays, and these are two days when I’m not teaching at the school of art, where I usually teach on Mondays and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. And then on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I practice myself. So I just had to quit that. And I’m not doing that since the second semester. V: And nothing happens! A: Nothing happens, yes! In stead of that, I will resume my own practicing, because I have recitals coming up. So, I really need to do it. Plus, I enjoy much more playing organ myself. V: Doing things that you love is, in this case, much more beneficial to your long term health and success than doing things that they love from you. A: That’s right. V: They can still find another teacher, I think. A: Good luck with that! It’s not an easy task, knowing what they want! V: And what do they want? A: They want quality! V: Quality? A: Yes. V: In teaching harmony? A: Yes. V: And what do they give you in return for that quality. A: Well, almost nothing. V: Mhm! That’s why they will struggle to find someone with quality. A: True. It’s a very interesting approach, because right now, I’ve been teaching for three months, already, and I haven’t received any money yet! V: Maybe you will see double money! Dividends! A: Ha, yeah, I wish that would be true. V: Well, for me, I also agree with you that I have to say, “no” to many things, and I limit my interests to just a selection of activities that I really enjoy, and I feel myself doing for a long time to come, not for a month or so. For example, creativity is important to me, so that’s why I write, and that’s why I draw. That’s why I improvise. And there are other things that I would like to do, like learning a foreign language, right? But that’s something extra. If I had more free time, yes, that would be nice. But, you have to sacrifice something. A: Well, you already know some foreign languages, so….. V: For example, there are instances that they have to say, “no” even for professional activities. If somebody asks me to accompany a soloist... A soprano just recently from the Internet, they saw me sharing my organ improvisation on line, and said, “very nice,” and this improvisation reminded her of the days when she was a soprano, and she asked me if I wanted to collaborate. So, of course, I said, “no” because I don’t have the time. You know? A: Yes, I think on one hand it’s maybe nice to make music with somebody else, but if you are a keyboardist you will always be just a workhorse for a soloist. V: Exactly. And you have to think, “where does it lead?” If you continue doing this… if it’s just a one time activity, then you don’t even need to bother one time. But if you continue 3, 5, or 10 years, where does it lead if you collaborate with this former soprano…. Former soprano… A: That’s an interesting story. V: It doesn’t lead anywhere. A: Is she now Mezzo-soprano? V: I think she is not a musician today. A: I see. V: So that’s the the trouble with Internet. You post something, and people respond, and you have to be open for their responses, all kinds of responses, and sometimes you have to ignore them. A: True. So I guess the best advice would be to choose wisely what you do with your time. V: Because, otherwise others will choose for you. A: That’s right. 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.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 359, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jeremy. And he writes: Speeding up fingerwork. For some reason, my fingers feel sluggish. I have practiced with high fingers (a technique I use in piano) and shortening and lengthening the note values (like swinging or reverse swinging rhythms), but still seem to get stuck at one tempo. Also, have tried Vidas suggestions of stopping on every beat, then every other beat, etc. V: Ausra, do you have problems with speeding up, up to concert tempo, sometimes? A: Well, yes and no—because usually speeding up is not my main problem. V: Slowing down, right, is your problem. A: Well, keeping steady tempo is bigger problem, sometimes. V: Uh-huh. Right now I’m starting to practice Sonata Ad Patres by Bronius Kutavicius, a living Lithuanian composer, and it has a middle movement—very fast. And the style is minimalistic, and lots of repetitions, with minimal adjustments are going on, so have to constantly be aware of those changes. But my fingers are not ready to play fast, so I’m playing really, really slow, and then stopping at two, every two notes—not every beat but every eighth note, actually. Because every beat would be second step, I guess. What do you think about this technique, Ausra? A: Well, I have played this sonata many years ago. I don’t think I had any problems to play it in a fast tempo. V: Mmm-hmm. A: It’s quite comfortable, actually. V: But it takes a while to get used to the melodic motives. A: That’s true, but after you get used to it, I think it will be easy to do. V: Do you think it has something to do with writing in fingering? A: Well, obviously, yes. V: I’m playing from your score, so it doesn’t have any fingering somehow. A: Really? V: Mmm-hmm. For some reason. A: Does it have any pedaling. V: No. Maybe... A: Maybe it’s not my score? V: Maybe you played from another score. A: Well… V: Could be. A: I’m not sure, but I’m not used to write every finger. V: Actually, it’s a clean score, no… A: So, so it’s not my score. V: No registration. A: It’s not my score. V: Mmm-hmm. We could ask Jeremy if he is writing in fingering in his, let’s say, Dorian Toccata that he’s playing a fugue. Or if he is actually working from our score, right? I hope so. A: Well, I think if he still has trouble with speeding up his fingering, I think he needs to play more exercises, more skills. V: Mmm-hmm. A: More arpeggios, more chords, more Hanon exercises. V: Yeah, Hanon is a nice collection, I guess. It takes in a fast tempo to play, only one hour to play, all three parts. But if you can do it then you basically can play any type of organ repertoire as well, and majority of piano repertoire too. A: Yes, because I think that being able to play up to a right speed is question of how well your technique is developed. V: Mmm-hmm. Yes. Well, what could Jeremy do besides what he’s doing? I think he’s on the right track—gradually lengthening the motives. But it takes more than one day for one stage. Let’s say step one would be to play and stop every beat, or maybe every eighth note. But it takes just more than one day, I guess, maybe three days to do this comfortably. And then second step would also take several days. Right? A: Of course! I think all of us, we want that immediate result. V: That would be nice, Ausra. A: Yes. V: What would you give if you had this ability in exchange? What would you sacrifice if you could play any type of organ music at sight, without any problem, in a concert tempo, perfectly, right now? A: Huh! V: Your pinky finger? A: No, no. But I could, I can sacrifice one of my meals today—let’s say, breakfast. V: Oh, I know why. It would actually be very healthy, too. A: Well, yes. V: But not easy to do. I would probably sacrifice my second breakfast. A: Are you having two breakfasts every morning? V: Not every day. A: Funny. V: Yeah. It’s interesting what Jeremy would sacrifice if he had this ability. A: Unfortunately, I don’t think we have such a choice, just to decide to sacrifice something and get some special quality. V: I know, like golden fish from sea would come out and say ‘I could grant you three wishes’. A: And one of your wishes would be to play any piece, at the concert tempo right away? V: Choose wisely, you say! A: Yes. V: Because only two will be left. A: That’s right. V: Hmm. A: So I guess you need to work on your pieces at your pace, as fast as you can, and don’t want to rush things right away. V: Maybe you are right, because practicing things slowly takes a lot of time, but it also gives much more satisfaction. Remember how we watch movies how we read books. Reading books is much more pleasurable, I think, than watching movies because this pleasure lasts longer. A: Well, then I wonder why are you asking me, begging me each week to go to movie. V: (Laughs.) I know. A: You never begging me to read books for example with you. V: If I did, would you read with me? A: I don’t know. V: Let’s read tonight and see if we can survive without movies—just one night. A: Yes. V: Nice! What about playing excerpts of that piece, Ausra, but exercises—maybe transposing in various keys? A: That’s a great idea. I think we have talked about it already quite a few times. If you don’t want for some reason to play additional exercises or don’t have time to do that, then you need to make exercises out from your own repertoire. V: I did once, and actually from memory. This was Magnificat Primi Toni. Magnificat by, I think Heinrich Scheidemann. A: Did it work for you? V: Absolutely. Because, you know what happened? I think practiced this piece in short excerpts—maybe one measure at at time—but went through the circle of fifths, in ascending number of accidentals, and then going back to the flat side. So what happened; I memorized this piece in fragments, and those fragments became my language too. I could actually improvise like Scheidemann sometimes. A: Excellent. V: But then, I thought, ‘well there was Schiedemann once, we don’t need the second Schiedemann, but there wasn’t any Vidas before so we need Vidas now’, right? A: That’s true. V: But it works for people who are interested in copying the style of certain composer in their improvisations. They could actually memorize just one measure and go up the ascending number of accidentals, and then going backwards through the circle of fifths. It’s really helpful. Plus it’s very healthy for technique. A: Yes, but if we are talking about Scheidemann, I don’t think he would be writing his compositions for the keys with many flats or many sharps. V: No. Because obviously… A: Not that style, not that time. V: Obviously the type of keyboard was different—it had split keys. A: Sure. V: It had mean-tone temperament so keys with more than probably two flats or sharps would sound harsh or too harsh. Right? I guess now, for just educational sake it was work right, to let’s say take Bach’s Dorian Toccata and practice fragment by fragment in various keys. Even for Jeremy it’s a good technique, especially those places which give him trouble. A: I think it might be quite beneficial. V: Should we ask him to report to us in a month or so? A: If he will do that, yes. V: Mmm-hmm. A: It would be very interesting to know how it went and if he had succeeded. V: Good! Thank you guys. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: We hope this was useful to you. And please keep sending us your wonderful questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 358 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Paul and he writes: “Thank you Vidas. That pedal harpsichord is 3 meters long and takes up a lot of my living room. How would you rate the "Fanfare" by Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens for difficulty? Thank you again for such quick responses. You provide much valuable information. Thank you, Paul” V: And you know Ausra it was my response to his question, I think he sent Dorian Toccata performed on the pedal harpsichord which is located in his living room. Very interesting instrument. I see if I dig up this video that he sent and put into the description of this conversation, into the transcript, so that people could click and watch. And this was Dorian Toccata for Halloween I think, he was dressed in a Halloween costume, maybe Dracula or something very scary, but it was actually very funny and in a good way funny so this is a 3 meters long pedal harpsichord. A: Well I have a question. Do pedals take so much space? V: Probably because the strings are double probably length, 16’ length. A: But pedal itself. V: Pedal itself, no, it’s just like a regular harpsichord. A: Oh, OK, because I thought the pedal itself was 3 meters long and I thought how long legs should you have or how you had move on the bench in order to play such a pedal. V: You know Dracula has long legs. A: I know. V: How long is your car, Imprezza? A: I don’t know. I've never measured it. V: Probably 5 meters or more. A: So long? Maybe less. V: Less, probably less. A: I think less. V: So it’s like a little bit longer than your car, imagine. That’s a long instrument but very fine instrument, I was impressed. A: Excellent. V: Maybe Paul can write the history of this instrument, how he got it, who built it, and his experiences with playing it. A: Yes, I’m really looking forward to hearing it. V: Because you know that might be an option for people who want an instrument at home. A lot of people are amazed with digital organs at home and their simulations virtual organs. A: Now it’s a digital, yeah so… V: Umm-hmm. So people play pedal clavichords, right? Some people play pipe organs with 2 stops like we do and Paul and others have pedal harpsichords. Why not? So he asks about Fanfare by Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens. It’s a very famous piece like a toccata and it is in that red method book that we have too. A: Uh-huh. V: One of the easier pieces but festive sounding pieces. A: Yes, I think it’s very nice because of that. You don’t have to put so much into it but you get a nice result. V: And it has lots of repetition. A: We all need pieces like that in our repertoire list. V: Umm-hmm. A: Just in order to be ready anytime. V: And for people who don’t improvise, this is particularly useful because you can stop in many places of this fanfare. A: True. In general I like Lemmens music because most of his pieces, he was known as organ teacher and he wrote a lot of repertoire for beginning organists and sometimes when I am talking about beginners and beginners’ repertoire we are thinking about really primitive sounding pieces but it’s not the case with Lemmens. I think his music is very musical and very nice. V: His method books start with very easy trios like 4 or 8 measures long. A: True, but they are beautiful. They are beautiful pieces actually. V: But then they expand into complete etudes or other pieces. A: I think it’s a real talent how to do things simple but beautiful at the same time. I think he was a real master of that. V: You know one day I was practicing my pieces from the collection of Juozas Naujalis, he wrote trios and preludes and Priere and fughette. I’m playing Priere now and G Major Prelude, this will be part of my recital at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris next summer, so I was amazed started to say those trios, I never actually explored these pieces, they have three voices just like Lemmens trios have but they also are very, very beautiful, chromatic, maybe a little bit too much for beginners to start with because of intricate lines and length a little bit, longer than 8 measures to start with, but still once you get this kind of skill to play three lines maybe after two, three months you can actually easily tackle these tasks so Lemmens is like that too. Alright, and Paul asks how would we rate, what is the degree of difficulty of the Fanfare, beginner, basic level, intermediate level, advanced level, what’s your rating Ausra? A: Maybe basic. V: You read my mind. A: Ha! That’s because I’m living with you for so many years and we have the same education. V: Maybe that’s because I am living with you for that many years. A: Of course. V: For how many years? A: Well, I believe for almost 22. V: 22. For how many years are you playing the organ? A: 24 probably. V: Really? And we are living for 22 years. A: Almost 22. V: Umm. So that’s a long time, two decades. A: Time to split up, don’t you think so? V: I think every marriage has some weak points every seven years so we had ours after 7, 14, and 21 years, now it’s a golden age. (Laughs.) A: I don’t remember all those times, so… V: So everything is fine now. A: Yes, as always. V: Seven more years, or six. OK guys, that’s about Lemmens. It’s interesting what other pieces would you recommend to play to Paul if he can play basic level Fanfare by Lemmens. A: I don’t know what his wishes are and what he is inclined to play. V: On the pedal harpsichord at home. A: Well if he is good at playing Dorian Toccata which I think is quite advanced piece… V: He is good. It is more advanced than Fanfare by Lemmens. A: Definitely by no means, it’s more advanced piece, so he could do any other piece by Bach. V: Maybe Dorian Fugue. A: Yes that would be a good step. It’s always harder to play fugues than toccatas. V: It’s so canonic and polyphonic, it takes a lot of time and I think Jeremy from our team of transcribers and also who is on the Total Organist, he plays Dorian Toccata right now and Fugue and he always at the end of the day describes his progress with his organ playing activities and other activities that he does on BaseCamp and it’s very interesting to observe how he progresses because at first he couldn’t play the toccata, now he can even play the fugue a little bit slower than normal but he advances and each day his skill increases. That’s the beauty of communication on BaseCamp. A: That’s wonderful. I just thought about C Major Toccata by J. S. Bach. I think it might be fine for Paul to play on his pedal harpsichord because it has that long and nice pedal solo. V: Oh yeah. You mean the Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue. A: That’s right so I’m meaning toccata right now but of course if it’s a little bit too hard he could work on Adagio, it’s a beautiful piece. V: F Major Toccata probably a bit too difficult? A: Mmm. Yes, probably too. V: But if he can play Dorian Toccata I don’t see particular difficulty of mastering F Major too, in time, not right now, but maybe in a few months. A: Yes, but if he would start to work on F Major Toccata then I would say he has to start playing cadences first in that particular case because they are quite tricky. V: And also trio sections. A: That’s right. V: Wonderful. So if Paul is listening please write to us what other pieces would you like to learn or not only pieces but maybe categories of music maybe, styles of music, romantic, baroque, maybe schools of musical compositions, which country you are interested in, maybe which composer, and we can provide some feedback from our own experience of course. OK, thank you guys, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow and remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 354 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent sent by Marion, and Marion writes that the goal is mainly learning to play hymns, and the time for practice is the hardest thing. V: Ausra, when you see that people are writing about finding time, what do you think they really mean? A: Well… V: Because it’s a deeper, I think, question than… A: I think it might mean two things. One that they are very busy and it’s hard for them to squeeze organ practice into their schedule, but I think it also might mean, well, laziness, a little bit. V: Why do you say laziness, specifically? Because, I have another theory. A: Well, because I think it’s in the human nature that sometimes we don’t want to do something, and then we find ourselves excuses for not doing that, and usually, the best answer to it is, “I don’t have enough time.” V: Oh, so you mean like running is easier than flying, walking is easier than running, standing is easier than walking, and then sitting is easier than standing, and lying down is easier than sitting! And, we would be lying all day long. A: True! And what is your theory? V: My theory is that when a person says that they can’t find time to do something is that they don’t want it badly enough. As you say, you need to sacrifice something, right? And this sacrifice is not worth the trouble—not worth the result, maybe, for them. For example, why do you keep practicing organ after those 25 plus years? You’re busy, right? You’re teaching etc., but why do you keep finding the time? A: Well, I wish just to say that I have that need in my blood to keep practicing, V: Your DNA A: but it’s not always true! Sometimes I’m just having a recital coming up, and that’s what pushes me to practice. V: Deadlines! A: Yes, deadlines, although I really hate them. I hate this forced motivation, deadline, duty… ooh! V: Your favorite words from American college education! A: Yes. I remember that! It was horrible! Horrible! V: Would you be motivated to keep finding the time without those external deadlines? A: It would be much, much harder, and I don’t know how long I would be able to keep practicing. But anyway, since Marion wrote that she needs to learn to play hymns, obviously she works at church, so she has a goal, and she needs to practice, because if she plays at church, probably she gets paid, and so… V: She didn’t write that she works at church, and maybe we are just speculating. A: Well, but maybe she wants to become a church organist. V: Aha, that could be her priority, then. To become better at playing the organ, and you can’t become better unless you practice everyday. A: Well, and I think everybody in their schedule might find time to do that. You just have to sacrifice something. Maybe you don’t have to watch TV, maybe you don’t have to surf your Internet in your smart phone… V: Like you did when I was posting a blog post, right? A: True! Yes! V: Nice. I do that also, sometimes. A: I think that’s a bad habit that everybody has—almost everybody. V: Except when you did this on your phone, you were not looking on Facebook, you were at least doing something productive—helping people on the Steam blockchain. A: True. V: So, I think it comes don’t to managing your priorities, not managing your time, actually. We all have 24 hours, not more and not less. How we spend our time is up to us. At least, I think so. Sometimes people think that it’s not up to them, that they don’t have the choice. Other people force them to do something. What do you have to say about that? A: That’s true! You might find somebody who will push you real hard to play. V: I mean no, no, no….not play, but exactly the opposite, that your day is filled with activity that other people want from you. And then you don’t have time for yourself. A: Well, but that’s so true for so many people, because you have real responsibilities that you must do. If you have, let’s say, a family, have kids, so you probably have to take care of your kids. V: What about…. A: If you have a job, you have to go to a job and do it! V: What about doing this totally, with neglecting your own needs. Is this, okay? A: Well, it’s not okay, but that’s what happens in so many cases, especially for women. V: And, are there any hacks or shortcuts to this, to go around and maybe not do everything at 100%, top notch quality, but maybe 95%. Would this work? A: Maybe, I don’t know. I think it would be really nice if people who are around us would think about our needs, too, and maybe they could do some things for themselves, and that would save us some free time, and we could practice more. V: That’s a lot to think about, right? A: Let’s say you have a dog, and you have to take a dog for a walk twice a day. So maybe if you do that twice, maybe you could do that once, and somebody in your household could do it another time. So for that time you could practice. V: But what if…. A: It’s just one example. It could be doing dishes, doing laundry, doing whatever domestic… V: I would prefer doing dishes and other errands, because walking the dog is healthy! Movement! A: That’s true. V: I think even twice a day is really good, and it depends on how active a person is. If he or she is already active, then maybe, as you say, once a day would be enough. But for a person who would work in a sitting position all day long, then it’s healthy. And if you sit down on the organ bench, during that time, it’s even more stressful for your body, right? So, it’s a constant struggle, right Ausra, finding courage and motivation to find time—to make time. A: True! And I think that through life, always what suffers first is practice time when you have other needs. V: Do you think, Ausra, that playing organ is a creative activity? A: Of course it is! V: And then, if it is a creative activity, would it make sense to do it first thing in the morning? A: Of course, if you can do that, I think this would be the best thing, to practice in the morning. But… V: And then you can do everything else, right? A: Well, but since, let’s say myself, for example, I start teaching at 8 A.M., I get up at 6 A.M. I cannot imagine myself getting up at 5:00 or even earlier, just in order to practice before my school day….I think I would be dead in half a year after living like that. V: But if you could play the organ from 8 A.M. to 10 A.M. and start teaching at 11… A: It would be ideal, but not in this life time, probably. V: So, we leave our listeners to figure out for themselves what’s the ideal time for them to practice, and how to find motivation, actually, to do this more often. What works for us obviously is to find some external motivation like playing in public once in a while at least, regularly. Then you’re forced to get on the organ bench, because you know that other people will depend on you. And actually, you will be ashamed to play in public without preparation. Right Ausra? A: I hope so! V: But not everybody, right? A: I know! V: There are people who schedule public performances without practicing! A: I have heard so many sloppy performances, and it seems like people have no shame! V: And we have friends like that, actually! A: True. V: I hope they are listening. A: I hope not. V: Okay guys, this was Vidas, A: Ausra, V: And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 351 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent sent by Lev, and he writes: Hi Vidas, Thank you for the hints. Maybe it is a good idea to make a particular podcast or a course about "optimal hymn pedaling for beginners" if one doesn't already exist. Best regards, Lev V: Ausra, Lev has sent me a few of his pedaling choices for a few hymns that he is working on to correct for him. And at first, he made, in my view, some choices that need to be changed, but then little by little, I think in the third hymn, he already started to do this very efficiently, and almost like I would do it. So, people are progressing, and I’m very glad. A: Yes, it’s very nice to know. V: If you were a beginner, imagine yourself like 25 or 30 years ago, and if somebody asked you to play a hymn from a hymnal in church, remember, you worked at Holy Cross church, but not necessarily as a beginner, but still close, I think. A: But sometimes I just think that you don’t know how old I am, and how old I was when I started to play organ. V: Oh, please, reveal! A: Because if you said, “30 years ago,” I definitely hadn’t played organ yet. V: So, when? How long was that? A: Well, never mind, but yes, I remember when I worked at the Holy Cross Church, and it was my second year of playing organ. I was almost 19 years old at that time. V: 90 or 19? A: 19! Okay, stop teasing me, because I lost my thought. So, when I was just a beginner organist at Holy Cross Church, not the pedal part was that hard for me, but understanding all the liturgy and knowing the Mass so well that I could follow it, and come right on time, with all those answers that are not as easy in the Catholic Mass, at least for a beginner. V: The order of the Mass was more difficult for you than pedal playing. A: True! And it’s really funny, because in general, I knew the order of Mass very well by that time. But since I knew it from, let’s say, downstairs… V: From the listener perspective. A: Yes. It was a very different thing to be upstairs and to play for it. V: To lead. A: Well, yes. But of course, I played with the pedal, and I don’t know how well I pedalized… was it right or wrong? I had no idea, at that time, what I’m doing. V: I thought once that left foot should play the notes on the left side of the pedal board, and the right foot should play the right notes on the pedal board. A: Well, at least you played some with the pedal, because as it’s often in Lithuania, organists don’t use the pedal at all! V: Church organists, you mean. A: Yes. V: Ok, so I think we talked about it, and have written quite a few posts about hymn pedaling, but not only hymn pedaling, in general pedaling, because we have to treat hymns as real organ compositions, I think. A: Of course! They are real compositions! V: But they’re very short, like maybe one minute long, one verse, and relatively easy to learn. And I think we could remind our listeners of some of the more important points about choosing the best pedaling. For me, it’s first of all looking at the date of the hymn. When was it created? Why is it important, Ausra? A: Because, I think, the date determines what type of pedaling you need to use! Either you just need to use toes, or heels as well! V: Yes, and starting from 19th century, we could start to use heels, but not always, right? Still, I think whenever possible, alternate toe works well all the time. But in Romantic hymns, 19th century hymns and 20th century hymns, we have more options. Okay, so if the hymn is created in the early days, before the 19th century, what’s the most common technique, Ausra? A: The same as playing Bach, or any Baroque composition. V: So, you mean alternate toe pedaling? A: That’s right! V: Left-right-left-right or right-left-right-left. But then there are exceptions, obviously. You can’t apply this technique all the time. A: Sure, of course there are, as in any composition. V: And exceptions are that you need to play with the same foot when the melody changes direction, when there are very long note values—in hymns there are not very many instances like that—but the third instance is, I think, when notes are very far in the edges of the pedal board, either in the base or in the treble. A: Of course, because they are very hard. In the bass, you definitely want to play it with your left foot only. V: For your physique, what’s convenient to you? What’s the lowest note that you could play with the right foot? A: Well, probably… maybe I could do G. V: Me, too. G is still okay. And after G, I play with the left foot, most of the time. I could do somethings with the right, but also as an exception. And in the top range, what do you do then? A: Well, probably A is the highest note for my left foot. V: So it depends what’s the highest note on the pedal board. A: Sure! V: We almost always have the lowest note of the pedal board as C, but the top note varies. So from G to C in the bottom octave—it’s a perfect fifth. I suspect that also we need to look at the interval of the perfect fifth in the top range, and play the fifth below that top note with the left foot. And above that, only with the right foot. Conveniently, I mean. A: Well, yes. I’m talking about these extremes. V: Yeah. A seems like a doable thing for a lot of people. And then, of course, there is an instance when you could repeat the same foot before the strong beat, in order to articulate. A: True. V: Agree? A: Yes, that helps. V: Okay, so that was for early type of hymns. If you have modern hymns, I think you have more choices, but also more freedom. Where would you start, your method? A: Well, it’s as you know, you just pedaling it as you would pedal any Romantic composition. V: And, what would that look like? A: You could use legato technique in the pedal. It means you use not only toes, but also heels. So, it gives you more choices. V: Obviously, when you have sharps, you play with the toes. A: Obviously, of course, because that’s how our physiology works. And I don’t think anyone could do vice versa. V: In legato technique, normally we could play with heels and toes, and vice versa, two adjacent notes, which are one step apart. A: Yes, and in these types of hymns the organists shoes are very important, too. As you know, in earlier music we can play whatever, but here we need real organ shoes. V: With about 2 inches of heels. 2 inches or 3 centimeters, something like that. In our organ studio, Unda Maris, there is one older student who has now acquired special shoes, but they are not organ shoes, but he uses them for playing organ only. And they’re a little bit too long for him. So, he’s struggling with hitting the wrong sharps. A: That’s, I think, a very bad idea to play with those shoes that are too big for you. They need to on the edge, actually. V: And when he’s placing his toes on the edge of the sharp keys, then the end of the shoe is actually in the middle of the key. A: That’s horrible. V: Maybe he will find something else, too. So that’s the general observations, and I think the more you play, the more variety you practice, I think the more experience you’ll get, too, and the process will become easier to you. A: That’s right, I think everything comes with experience and with practice. V: And it’s natural to be bad before you get to be good. It’s at anything. A: Well, I still think that it’s not pedaling that’s the hardest thing in hymn playing, but the left hand. The tenor voice. That’s my opinion. V: That’s why I think too many people play bass and tenor in the left hand, and they double the bass line in the pedals as well, which is not good. A: Yes, I noticed that quite a few times. V: Okay guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions, we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, 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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