Vidas: Let’s start Episode 138 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. This question was sent by Rivadavia. And she writes:
“I am studying at least 15 minutes a day as suggested and have discovered that sometimes laziness or tiredness goes away and I can study for at least 1 hour in all. I love reading your podcasts, because I learn a lot from the difficulties that advanced musicians have. As I said in another email, I am a beginner (some sheet music from Ana Magdalenna Bach's book is still a bit difficult for me…) and I am no longer a child, but I intend to study until the end of my life because I like to learn music more and more. I am also very happy to be in contact with renowned organists, as well as you, since I am in an early stage and, in another circumstance, I probably would not even come close to musicians like you. Reading one of the last podcasts, the name of Bernard Winsemius was mentioned. I had the opportunity to watch a video on YouTube of this organist playing a work by Nikolaus Bruhns and found it very cool the way he played. The mastery over the instrument and the score. Sometimes when I'm too lazy, I'm out of work, I watch this video and I get motivated enough to do AT LEAST the fifteen minutes of practice. I have a piano-type MIDI keyboard at home, and I use free "Grandorgue" software to simulate organ sound. If you have never used it, it is very interesting and there is also the "Hauptwerk", but the full version is paid for. Of course they do not replace the wonderful real organ, but it helps to fantasize a little and learn to use the stops. Well, in that regard, I have a question. I know that there is an infinity of stops, but of the 10 or 20 most important, which could not be missing, which are considered the most fundamental? Is it possible to answer this question? Thank you so much for your generosity in helping so many people around the world, like me.” So Ausra, first of all: ten or twenty most important stops--in your opinion, where do we start? Ausra: Well, I would say the Principal stops are the most important. Vidas: An organ, large or small, should have a principal, right? Ausra: Well, unless it’s a practice organ like the one in our house. It doesn’t have principals because it doesn’t have enough space, and it would be too loud. But in general, yes; the Principal is the most necessary organ stop. Vidas: And those principals can be of various length. Ausra: Sure. You can have Principal 16’ in the pedal; sometimes manual, too, in a large organ; then 8’, 4’, 2’, and even smaller. Vidas: Mhm. Let’s see...of course, we need some flutes, right? Ausra: Yes, definitely; this would be the second most important stop. Vidas: Out of the flutes, what would you like the most, to have? Ausra: Out of the flutes? Well, you know...I don’t know, if I prefer like Chimney Flute, or Gedackt-colored flute. Which one do you like the most? Or organ flute like Flute Harmonique, French style. It depends on the concrete stop; I could not say that, for example, “This one is my favorite.” Vidas: The most interesting stop in the flute family, for me personally, on the St. John’s Church organ, might be Flauto Major, from the first manual. And of course, Flauto Minor, which is one octave higher, at 4’ length. Um...yes, I do like the Rohrflöte, and Gedackts as well. Ausra: For me, my favorite flute at St. John’s Church is the Flute 4’ on the second manual. Vidas: They call it Jula, right? Ausra: Yes. That is my favorite. Vidas: True. And it’s so deep in the organ, so it’s a little bit muffled, and it suits very well to play it alone. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Do we need anything else, or would it be enough, to have just flutes...? Ausra: Well, actually, these would be enough, to have already the sense of organ. Vidas: But you mentioned the Principal chorus with mixtures, imitations… Ausra: Yes, yes, yes, then I said that you can have higher pitched, even than the 2’; so the mixture would probably be the most recognizable organ stop, for amateurs; because if you watch a movie, or any kind of, I don’t know, documentary-- Vidas: Mhm... Ausra: And if you would have organ playing, you would get pleno sound, with mixtures. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: That’s how people in general have recognized the organ. Vidas: True, true. Let’s imagine we have some string stops, also. Ausra: Yes. These are very nice too; but probably not as common as principals and flutes and mixtures. But also it’s important to have them, and they are nice string quality stops. Vidas: Viola, Salicional... Ausra: Viola gamba… Vidas: And undulating stops, too, like… Ausra: Like Unda Maris... Vidas: Viola Celeste. Ausra: Celeste. Vidas: They work very well. Ausra: But also, you can have organ without it, and you still can play a lot of music. And, well, reeds are common, too; but also, not every organ has it. I would say in Lithuania it’s not such an often-encountered stop. Like in Italy, too. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: You would not find many reed stops on historic Italian organs. Vidas: Alright, so...now let’s build a hypothetical organ with twenty stops for Rivadavia. Ausra: Ok, how many manuals? Two? Vidas: I would say with twenty stops, you would need two manuals. Ausra: Two manuals, and pedals. Vidas: Not three. Ausra: Of course, not three. Yes. Vidas: Two manuals. So on the first manual might be...what, seven? Or six. Or eight stops. Six, seven, or eight? Ausra: Hahaha! Vidas: Let’s divide it into the sections. Ausra: Well, ok, let’s do eight stops. Vidas: Eight on the first manual, and then eight on the second manual. Ausra: Maybe seven on the second, and five in the pedal. Vidas: And then five in the pedal, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: We’ll see. So, out of eight in the Great, of course...do you think that it could have 8’ Principal, or 4’ Principal foundation? Ausra: Well, now I’m thinking about it, it’s not too small an instrument for 8’ Principal. 8’, I think. Vidas: I think 8’ would be fine, yes. Ausra: Good. Vidas: That’s one, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Do we need 16’ Bourdon? Ausra: That would be very nice, yes. Vidas: Two. Uh, some kind of flute, of 8’. Ausra: Definitely, you definitely have to have… Vidas: Let’s see, maybe Gedackt? Ausra: Maybe Gedackt. Vidas: Gedackt. Three. Now, four: do you need some strings on the first, or no? Ausra: Well, not necessarily, I would say. Vidas: Ok, so let’s go to the 4’ level. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Octave 4’? Ausra: Octave, yes. Vidas: And Flute 4’. Ausra: Definitely. Vidas: So that’s five. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Ohh...we’re using stops very quickly now! Ausra: I know! So, we have three left, so I would say it should be...Would you put Principal to foot, or Flute to foot? Vidas: Principal. Ausra: Principal. Ok, then we have a nice Principal chorus. And then of course, mixture: what kind of mixture would you add? How many of those? Vidas: Uh...I would say three or four. Ausra: Yes. And then, would you add a reed? Vidas: Trompette. Ausra: Trompette 8’? Ok. Vidas: Mhm. So that’s eight stops in the great. Ausra: Yes. Now let’s move to the second manual! Vidas: Okay. Second manual should be a little bit smaller in size, right… Ausra: Well, since we decided to have seven stops. Vidas: Okay. So maybe it would be built on the foundation of 4’ Principal… Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Which means we could have a Rohrflöte. Ausra: 8’? Principal 4’? Vidas: 8’. Principal 4’. Of course, don’t forget the strings… Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Before the Principal 4’, we could have a Viola, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Viola--just one, or two? Viola, and maybe Viola Celeste. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Two. Ausra: So these would be 8’ stops, both of them, yes? Vidas: Right, both of them. So...and the fourth would be Principal 4’. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: What’s next? Ausra: So now we have three stops left. Vidas: Do we need a flute 4’? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Mhm. What kind of flute? Ausra: Well...what would you suggest? Something like at St. John’s? Or not necessarily? Vidas: This is atypical for a global audience, right? Maybe we could name a more typical stop, right? Something like Flauto Traverso, or something like that… Ausra: Yes. But it would be 4’. Vidas: 4’. Ausra: And then I think you should add Flute 2’, too, not from the second manual. Vidas: Yes, so that’s number 6. Ausra: That’s 6, yes, and now we have to have some sort of treat. Maybe Oboe 8’, or Krummhorn 8’--what would you suggest? Vidas: Oboe or Krummhorn, or Vox Humana? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Hmm. Hard choice. Ausra: Haha! Vidas: Oboe...and Vox Humana or Krummhorn. Would this organ have a swell box? Not necessarily. Ausra: Not necessarily, yes. Vidas: So then, maybe...You go ahead! Ausra: I would have probably an Oboe. Vidas: Ok. That would be probably a more Romantic option. Ausra: Since we have already those two string stops… Vidas: Mhm. Good. So that’s seven. No mixture, right? Ausra: No mixture. Vidas: But… Ausra: But that’s okay, I mean… Vidas: But that’s okay, unless we could sacrifice one of the… Ausra: Pedal stops? Vidas: No. Maybe one string. Ausra: Yes, that’s a possibility, too. Vidas: And have a mixture instead of Celeste. Ausra: Maybe you want to have a mixture on the second manual, too. Vidas: Or sacrifice one pedal stop. Let’s go to the pedals now. Ausra: Ok. Vidas: What would be the lowest Principal based in the pedals? Ausra: 16’, of course. Vidas: 16’? Ausra: Because we have the 8’ Principal in the first manual, so we have to have Principal 16’ in the pedal. Vidas: Mhm. Ok. So that’s one. Ausra: Or...you would not add Principal? I think it’s fair, to have 16’ Principal in the pedal. Vidas: Yeah, let’s have 16’... Ausra: Because our pedal division is not so big, not so large--we have only 5 stops. It would be nice to have a Principal 16’. Vidas: And of course, then, Subbass 16’. Ausra: Subbass 16’, yes. Which is a flute stop. Vidas: What else? You would need, probably, Octavbass 8’. Ausra: Yes, yes, Octavbass 8’. This is a Principal stop. Vidas: And Flautbass 8’. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Right? That’s four. Ausra: And then what else would you do? An Oktave 4’, or…? Vidas: Or reed? Ausra: Or reed, yes. That’s a hard question. I probably would have Octave 4’. Vidas: Or… Ausra: Because you know, you could actually couple the Trompette from the first manual. Vidas: And I would choose the reed, because every division, now, would have a reed-- Ausra: Except pedal. Vidas: And a different pitch level than the manuals. 16’ Posaune. Ausra: And how the Pleno would sound without mixture? Vidas: You could have a manual coupler, right? Ausra: That’s right. Maybe--okay, and which reed would you choose, then? Posaune or Trompette? Vidas: I would go with Posaune. Ausra: Posaune 16’, yes. Vidas: Mhm. So. We have five stops in the pedals, and seven in the second manual, and the first one, on the great-- Ausra: And of course you would add couplers, like you know, that you would be able to couple both manuals together, and to also add the pedal. Vidas: Yeah, second to the first, second to the pedals, and first to the pedals. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: That’s it. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: That’s all we need. Ausra: And actually, with such an organ, you could play a lot of music. Vidas: True. Will it have mechanical action, or not? For you? Ausra: If I would build an organ? Yes. The action would be mechanical. Vidas: Mhm, because the touch would be more sensitive; you could have more connection to the instrument. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Excellent. So guys, this is our sample 20-stop organ on two manuals and pedals; if you like it, you can build it for Rivadavia! Or build it for yourself! Alright; this was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Don’t forget to send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.
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Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #129!
Today is a special podcast. Our subscribers who know me probably are aware that I am quite a spontaneous person, I don't like to plan too much. So yesterday when I received an email from a Finish organist Airi Saloniemi asking for an opportunity to try our largest pipe organ in Lithuania at Vilnius University St John's church, I spontaneously said, "Yes". So now because of this Airi and her husband Tuomas Saloniemi are next to the organ bench besides me. Airi is an organist and cantor in Vantaa which is a city next to Helsinki, capital of Finland. There is an area called Korso and they have a small church (17000 members in a congregation). She works there every week, playing services and leading choirs. Tuomas, like Airi studied at Sibelius Academy and he plays tuba. It was at the Sibelius Academy that they met each other. Recently he decided to switch careers and now works in communications for a healthcare company but still plays tuba occasionally. In this conversation, Airi and Tuomas share their experiences about playing organ and tuba, what are challenging and exciting things to them, about their practice ideas, especially the famous 10000 hour rule. Airi is a connector and she makes things happen because she organizes concerts in her church and Tuomas has communication and marketing skills which are vital for anyone living in today's world. I actually suggested Tuomas to start a podcast about tuba music and tuba players since there is a lack of in-depth conversations in the tuba world. Listen to the conversation And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. If you like it, feel free to subscribe to our channel on Musicoin. By the way, you can upload your own recordings to YOUR channel to maximize revenue. If you have some audio recordings of your organ performances, you can do the same. Feel free to use my invitation link to join Musicoin: https://musicoin.org/accept/MUSICa45e5f26ede2be5dd4411747 Thanks for caring. Relevant links: Airi and Tuomas on Facebook Vidas: Let’s start Episode 137 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. This question was sent by Dan. He writes:
“Hi Vidas, just wondering, as of late, have you moved the podcast feed over to another provider? It looks like you have, as clicking the links to listen for example, on your latest post on your main site, takes me over to a site called musicoin.org. Apparently you can play directly from their site, but that for me, doesn’t seem to be working. I use a Screen reader, (VoiceOver on macOS 10), so I’m not sure if it’s an accessibility issue with their site, whether you have to have an account over there to listen, or what exactly is up with that. I was getting episodes just fine before, in my podcast app of choice, that being downcast, but lately I haven’t been. If a lot of subscribers are still on the old feed, and using apps such as downcast, overcast, iTunes, or Apple’s podcast app, or any podcast downloading apps available on the android side of things, they won’t be able to get your latest episodes. If you could, please provide me with a link that I can stick into my podcast app, to subscribe to the new feed. Doing a search in any podcast app, still brings up the old feed in search results. Thanks, and take care. Dan from Ontario Canada.” Ausra: Well, this is a very technical question; so Vidas, maybe you will answer it. Vidas: First of all, it might be frustrating for old users who have been listening to our podcasts for some time, because we haven’t updated our SoundCloud channel, right? Because we put every new podcast to Musicoin, right? He’s right--Dan is right; we use Musicoin.org. That’s because this platform is built on revolutionary blockchain technology and is dedicated to treating musicians fairly. What do I mean by that, Ausra? Ausra: Well, that, you know, musicians get paid more. Vidas: More? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: With SoundCloud, they don’t pay at all, actually. You pay a subscription for an entire month-- Ausra: That’s true. Vidas: Or a year (around $100 USD). And you don’t get anything in return. So, it’s almost the same with any other podcasting services. You, too, might host your videos on YouTube, and you could have an advertisement, and you could get a little bit of revenue; but that’s actually basically nothing compared to Musicoin. Ausra: Yes, so Musicoin seems the most fair for musicians. Vidas: So, right now, for example, looking at my Musicoin profile, I have...right now, earned after about basically more than 1 month, I have earned something like 3,600 Musicoins (currency symbol is $MUSIC). And one $MUSIC is worth about 4 or 5 cents right now. So you can do the math. That really is a beneficial way for any musician to try out, I think--this platform. And for blind listeners like Dan, I think the solution will be very simple: in the new year of 2018, the Musicoin team is planning to release their app for phone. And they will be easily listened to on the phone, then. And not only Dan, but anyone who uses phones for listening to audio on the road. So, that’s why we’re doing this, because it’s a good experiment for any musician, and we would like to report how it works. And after one month, I have reported, in some place--in one post--that it was like $110. So it’s a good start I think, for people--it’s just the beginning of this platform. If you join early, you would do, I think, quite well in the future. You can use our invitation link to join this; and of course, feel free to subscribe to our channel at Musicoin. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Right? So yes, this was a technical question, but we have explained the reasoning why we are uploading our audio content. Not only this podcast, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: We are uploading other music that we perform, and older podcasts from other platforms, too. So it will catch up to the current state, and this will be a very robust and comprehensive platform and channel for future reference, too. Oh, and by the way, you can divide your revenue between up to 8 people! For example, if I have a guest on my podcast, I can divide my revenue and share with that guest, if he simply is on Musicoin, too. If I have an ensemble of up to 8 people, I can easily divide that revenue between the members, and they automatically get their share. Whenever somebody is playing back the audio content, whether podcast or instrumental music or vocal song, then currently this platform gives you 1 $MUSIC. As I mentioned before, this $MUSIC is now worth about 4 or 5 cents. And the value of that $MUSIC is likely to increase over time, because as this platform gets traction, more and more people will start using it. And as the value of the $MUSIC gets to 10 cents, then they will start giving the artists only a fraction of a full $MUSIC, but not less than 2 cents--that’s their promise. And for 2 cents, it’s a decent amount of pay--a very fair amount of revenue for every musician--for every independent musician. You will not get better treatment for musicians anywhere, on any other platforms. And it’s of course free to join, for listeners, free to listen, and of course, free to upload your music--you don’t pay any fees at all. And you get $MUSIC instantly, directly, automatically, to your account; and then, once you get enough $MUSIC, you can transfer them to your desktop wallet; and then from there, you can exchange them to the currency which is called Bitcoin; and then from Bitcoin to any other currency including dollars, euros, pounds, anything else. So it’s an intermediate way of storing your $MUSIC in a wallet, if you want to cash out in the future. Wonderful! Thanks, guys, for listening. Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas! Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 136 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. This question was sent by Bruce. He writes:
“Hi Vidas, I'm trying to download BWV 578 (little fugue in g minor), but I don't see it in the list of directly downloadable items on the Total Organist web page. Is this piece available to me with my total organist subscription? If so, I would like to take it with me on my travels. How can I get a copy of it? I would really like to review and understand your recommended fingerings while I'm on the road.” So, Bruce is a traveler, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes. That’s what I understood from his question. Vidas: And he doesn’t always have access to a real organ. Ausra: That’s right. Vidas: Is it okay to study your music on the road? Ausra: Yes, I think so. That’s a very good thing to do, because this keeps you sort of still connected with the music that you are playing. Vidas: Somehow, I sometimes see people miss their practice because they don’t have access to an instrument--somehow either their church is far away, or they travel too much, right? Ausra: Yes, that’s right. Vidas: So...but it’s okay, probably, to simply take your music with you, and practice...let’s say, on the table. Or not? Ausra: Yes, you know, I still remember while studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, with Professor Leopoldas Digrys, I remember him talking about practice time, and he would strongly recommend to divide your practice in three stages-- Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: Three periods. And he would suggest to do one part of your practicing on the organ, another on the piano, and the third one--to do mental practice just looking at the score. Vidas: Of the same piece? Ausra: Yes, of the same piece. Vidas: How interesting. So, Bruce should then divide his practice time in three ways, right? Ausra: Yes, I don’t do it so much nowadays, but I did a lot of practice this way when I was still a student. Vidas: Let’s talk a little bit about each stage. While talking about organ practice, we all know it’s very beneficial, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Because it’s organ music, and you adjust to your instrument. What about the second stage, basically piano practice of organ music? Ausra: Well, you know, it sort of helps you to develop technique, especially in Romantic and late music. It’s very beneficial; I remember when Bruce Neswick at Eastern Michigan University--he came to visit our school at the improvisation symposium that Dr. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra hosted-- Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: And was initial leader of it; and he came to teach, to give some master classes on improvisation, and he also had to perform a recital at Pease Auditorium. And I remember he was playing the symphony by Louis Vierne... Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: And I remember that he did some of his practice on the piano. Vidas: Do you remember which symphony it was, by Vierne? Ausra: I think it was the first symphony. Vidas: The first symphony, and the famous Finale? Ausra: Yes, yes. I love that Finale, it’s so nice. And so, he found it very beneficial to practice that music on the piano. So, it will never hurt, you know; it’s a good way. Plus, most of us have access to piano much more often than organ. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: Than access to the organ. So I think it might be beneficial, too. It might sort of give you more time to practice in general. And you know, let’s say if you have access, you don’t have a home organ, and you really need to work on your fingering and on technical stuff, you really don’t want to do that at church. I just can’t imagine doing that at church. Especially like in our church, at St. Johns, where there are tourists coming all day round...I would not want...it would be sort of like washing your underwear in front of all people! That’s the same, when you are working on those details, and working on the text. Vidas: Except I would think that a lot of people wouldn’t even understand that you’re washing your underwear. Ausra: I know, but I would understand that. I would not want to show that, you know, my sort of kitchen, in front of everybody. Vidas: Just in case Bruce Neswick comes along, right? Ausra: I...you know, I remember once when I was working on Vater Unser from Clavierubung Part III at Cornerstone, and I thought I was perfectly alone, and nobody was listening to me; and then I just heard that somebody actually is in the chapel, and was listening to my playing! And it was Olivier Latry. And I just felt so embarrassed. Vidas: And why? Ausra: Well...I wasn’t at the concert stage at that time, with my playing. I was just simply practicing. Vidas: But that’s okay, isn’t it? Ausra: Yes, that’s okay, but...you know...that’s not the best feeling. Vidas: You wanted to appear superhuman, in front of Olivier Latry? Ausra: Yes, yes, yes! Vidas: And what did he say to you? Ausra: Well, nothing, you know...but then he played himself, too, and I sort of had a private recital, played by him. Vidas: On the old, ancient organ? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Mmm, how interesting. Ausra: It was wonderful. Vidas: A lot of people think that Olivier Latry is a master of French symphonic music, but that’s not really the case. Ausra: Well, he’s master of all French music, too, but not only all French music. I think he played Sweelinck, too--“Mein junges Leben hat ein End” from memory and it was wonderful. Vidas: Yeah. These people are masters of everything. So yes, guys, remember that sometimes the master himself, or herself, might be appear to be listening when are alone in your practice room. And don’t neglect your piano practice. Ausra: Yes, it’s very important. And also, you know, if you travel a lot, then just look at your score; you may play on the table, or you may just sing the lines in your head, or out loud if you can. Vidas: From my perspective, I can remember that whenever I have trouble with my technique of the manual parts, whenever I play them repeatedly on the piano--especially in a slower tempo--my technique really improves on the organ, too, of the same piece. It really helps. I remember practicing this of the concerto of Handel--one of the concertos, I think it was...this it was in... Ausra: G minor? Vidas: F Major. In Nebraska. Ausra: Mhm. Vidas: So yes, this helps. And whenever I travel, sometimes there is not enough time on the real organ, to practice for you. I remember practicing in my hotel room on the table, putting those thick pillows underneath me so that it would be like the organ bench height, and practicing my recital pieces. This was in Paris, in Le Madeleine Church, and the recital was quite, I think, normal...It wasn’t a scary feeling at all, even though I had like maybe 45 minutes or so to prepare. Ausra: Yes, because that mental preparation is very important. Vidas: Mhm. You can even prepare for a recital at home, while looking at the specifications, and prepare those registration changes in advance; and when you get to the real organ, you will be almost ready. Ausra: That’s true. Because it’s the most important thing how much time you will spend with the actual piece. Either way, playing on any instrument, or singing it, or just looking at the score. Vidas: So, mental practice is one of the ways, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: I wouldn’t even say it’s less important than instrumental practice. Because, remember that experiment with basketball players? Have I told you about this before? Ausra: I think you mentioned it, but you can tell it to our listeners, too. Vidas: Some of our subscribers know this story, but I think I will remind you, because it’s appropriate right now. There was an experiment with a control group of basketball players--it was in America, I think. Some of them were divided into parts, and one part was directed to play basketball, and shoot the basketball from one position for one hour every day for 30 days. So basically, for one month, they shot the basketball from one position for 1 hour. And the second group did this only by imagining: imagining the ball, imagining picking up the ball, and targeting the basket, and releasing the ball and imaging, visualizing, the path of the ball, and imagining the ball hitting the target--and so forth, basically, for one hour every day. And the third group, they were directed not to practice basketball at all--just forget about it for one month. And do you know what happened, Ausra? They afterwards compared the results… Ausra: So, how were the results? Vidas: Okay...This group which practiced with the real basketball, right, physically--they developed their technique, results, by...I would say like, something like 28%. I might be wrong, but somewhere around there. Ausra: What about the other groups? Vidas: The group which didn’t practice basketball at all--they sort of, after one month, stayed more or less the same. It’s interesting, right? Imagine not playing the organ at all for a month, and your level will stay almost the same, approximately, according to this basketball study. But the most surprising result was for people who only visualized playing basketball. They developed their technique...by 25%! Ausra: Wow. Vidas: Almost the same as those who practiced real basketball, physically. Ausra: But I hope you’re not suggesting to our listeners to just, you know...practice mentally! Vidas: No, but you could do the same experiment, if you don’t believe me. For example pick three pieces of approximately equal length, and equal importance and equal level of difficulty, and do this experiment for yourself for one month, right? One piece you play physically; the second piece, you do it mentally while looking at the score; and the third piece you simply...heh, forget it for an entire month! Right? Don’t look at the score, don’t practice it on the organ at all. So...And then report to us after one month--we’ll be eager to find out. It will be very interesting to report the results, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: Wonderful. And please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And we might be right about this experiment on the organ, and we might be wrong--right? So if anyone is brave enough to try, please send us the results. Ausra: But I think the combination of these three things--practice on the organ, practice on the piano, and mental practice--this is a good combination, so I strongly recommend you try it. Vidas: Excellent. And of course, BWV 578 Little Fugue in g minor is now available on the Total Organist dashboard, when you sign in as a member; and you can easily download it and start practicing, whether physically or mentally! Thanks, guys, this was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #128!
Today's special guest is John Higgins, who is the organist at St Andrew's Presbyterian church in Morwell, Victoria, Australia. John has been a guest a while ago on our podcast. We talked when he was living in another state of Southern Australia, in a small town called Whyalla. He has a tradition of playing Christmas concerts for his former congregation at Victor Harbor. John has been our loyal subscriber since the very beginning of this blog in the early 2012 and has since resurrected his passion for music and specifically for organ. He's an engineer by profession but through these years of organ practice, he's grown so much that now he has the skill to play for liturgy as well as recitals. Currently John is living in Traralgon, Victoria where he has moved with his family and I'm very excited to be able to talk to him about his recent Christmas concert that he played at Victor Harbor. Make sure you listen to the very end because you will get a lot of inspiration from John for the New Year. By the way, John will be coming to Lithuania! Yes, it's NOT a typo. He's scheduled to play a recital at Vilnius University St John's church this April. Ausra and I are very excited about being able to welcome him in Vilnius. Listen to the conversation And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. If you like it, feel free to subscribe to our channel on Musicoin. By the way, you can upload your own recordings to YOUR channel to maximize revenue. If you have some audio recordings of your organ performances, you can do the same. Feel free to use my invitation link to join Musicoin: https://musicoin.org/accept/MUSICa45e5f26ede2be5dd4411747 Thanks for caring. Relevant links: You can reach John Higgings by email: john dot eliza dot higgins at gmail dot com and on Facebook. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 135 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. This question was sent by Mike, and he writes:
“When and When NOT to play the "Amen" of a Christmas Song/Carol? This has been a discussion. Some Christmas songs have an Amen at the end of them, some don’t. When playing one during a regular Church service, that has it at the end, I believe you play it. However, if you are playing this as a Christmas Carol, say for a choir to sing, then you don’t play it. Is this correct or not? Thank you very much.” Ausra, do you think that this question applies to any hymn or chorale--not just a Christmas song with pedal? Ausra: I think you may say so, because often, church songs/hymns have “Amen” at the end of them. But I think it’s sort of a broad question, because I think it depends on the denomination that you’re playing in; it belongs to the tradition. Vidas: What do you mean? Ausra: Well...the more liberal churches are, I think, the less they use the word “Amen” at the end of any hymn. Vidas: Oh, that’s right. Remember, we played from the Lutheran hymnal that is in the Missouri Synod, right-- Ausra: Yes. Vidas: --From the 1940s, I believe. This hymnal always had “Amen” at the end of every hymn. Ausra: Yes. But that’s because the Missouri Synod is sort of, you know, of the conservative lot. Vidas: Yes. Ausra: Not the most conservative, but on the more conservative side. Vidas: And what about, for example, more liberal Lutheran hymnals, like ELCA? Ausra: I think they don’t have Amen at the end of...at least of Christmas carols...so… Vidas: Yes, you’re right. It depends on the tradition of your congregation. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Normally, I would say, more and more denominations don’t use Amen at the end. I would say. Ausra: Although I don’t see anything wrong with this word; you know, it’s a nice word. It doesn’t mean anything bad; it just confirms whatever you said before. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: It’s like confirmation of what you sang, what the words were about. And that’s it. Vidas: It’s like at the end of the prayer, we would say, “Amen.” Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: So I don’t think it’s a word that you need to avoid; but in order to do things right, you just need to figure out what the tradition is in your particular church--your denomination--and how people accent it. So maybe just talk with your priest or pastor, and find out about it. Vidas: And this is true when you play hymns for, let’s say, concerts, or other non-liturgical occasions. Then you don’t actually need “Amen” at the end. Ausra: Yes, and if you sing an original composition with choir, for example, even if it’s based on a Christmas tune, then just look for what the composer suggests; if there is no Amen at the end, then don’t add it. Vidas: Let’s say there is a situation when you have no Amen at the end in your hymnal, but you would like to add it. Do you know how to do it? Ausra: Well, yes, that’s very simple. Vidas: What chords would you suggest? Ausra: Dominant and tonic. What about you? Could you suggest something else? Vidas: Dominant and tonic...On which scale degree in the melody would those two chords go? Ausra: On the fifth scale degree. Vidas: So, if the hymn ends on the fifth scale degree, you normally use dominant and tonic. But if the melody ends, let’s say, on the first scale degree, what would you do then? Ausra: Then you would use subdominant and tonic. Vidas: Subdominant and tonic. Do you know any hymns that end on the third scale degree? Ausra: No, I don’t recall. Vidas: So most often, still, it’s either tonic or dominant in the melody. Ausra: So, if the hymn is a Christmas carol that’s more from ancient time, and based on modal harmony, then you probably want or need to use subdominant and tonic. But if it’s more modern, then probably dominant and tonic would fit better. Vidas: And depending on the mode, too. Ausra: Sure, of course. Vidas: If, let’s say, the hypothetical mode is in C, but ends on G, which is the dominant note, it’s actually not C Major mode, but G mixolydian, I would say. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Right? So then, dominant G Major chord, right… Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And the tonic chord, C Major, would not even be considered, I think, as a dominant in that mode. Ausra: Yes, it would be more like subdominant function. Vidas: Subdominant. In any case, look at the mode, and choose the chord or two chords which have one common note in them--usually it’s like a perfect fourth or a perfect fifth apart. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Good, guys. So try this in your practice, if you want to add your own Amen at the end of any type of hymn. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: What kind of position would you usually do: closed position or open position, in those chords? Ausra: I think I would do closed position. It’s easier, and I think more convenient, really. What about you? Would you play it in open position? Vidas: I would say...I would look at the range of the melody. If it’s a high note, let’s say first scale degree but one octave higher, then I would use open position. And if it’s a low first scale degree, then closed position. Would that be ok, Ausra? Ausra: Yes, I think it would be excellent. But now, thinking about that--if you would do Christmas carols with choir and maybe the congregation would join you, I don’t think the sopranos would sing so high that you actually need an open position. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: But that’s probably just my way of thinking, because I am an alto voice. Vidas: Most of the hymns end on the low first scale degree. Ausra: And when I was doing that workshop for church organists, hymn harmonization seminars, I looked closely at the ELC hymnal; and what I discovered was that most of the hymn tunes are written either in F Major or in G Major. I found some in D Major, but basically F Major and G Major--these are the two main keys that hymnals use. Vidas: And what do you want to say? Ausra: Well, that it’s a very comfortable range to sing, in these two keys. Sort of middle range. Vidas: Especially if you end on the lower first scale degree. Ausra: Yes, on the F or on the G of the first octave. Vidas: And no congregation member would sing higher than… Ausra: I think so, yes. Vidas: Higher than, let’s say, triple C or D. Ausra: Of course, if it’s an original composition written for a choir, then of course it might be high. But in that case, you probably would not add an Amen at the end of it. Vidas: Ah, I see. If it’s a congregational hymn, then yes; but if it’s a choir setting, then probably Amens are not necessary. Ausra: But yes, and of course it’s always a good idea to consult your clergy about these things; because some may not even think about it very closely, but for some it might mean a lot. So you better check it out. Vidas: Thanks, guys! We hope this was useful to you--right, Ausra? Ausra: I hope so. Vidas: And send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. Before we go to the podcast for today, I wanted to remind everyone that today is the last day you can buy any of our practice scores and training programs for half price (until 9:59 PM GMT).
Discount code Christmas2017 is applied automatically at the checkout in our Secrets of Organ Playing Store. Total Organist is half price also! Happy practicing! Vidas: Let’s start Episode 134 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. This question was sent by Bruce, and he writes: “Thanks for extending my review period of Total Organist - it will be a help. I will be traveling most of December, taking care of family, and won't be able to get to the organ much. Thanks for asking what I'm currently struggling with. My main initial goals will be those of a pianist who wishes to extend into the organ. I'm thinking some things will be especially new to me: Pedalwork, of course. It's a real mind twister for me, to play pedals while keeping my left hand doing what it is supposed to do. It's weird, how getting my brain to accept that footwork is necessarily independent of bass lines as processed by the left hand. Fascinating, actually - I'm hoping it will be fun to work this out. From your inventory of teaching aids, I expect I'll start with your pedal course, and also look into your course in left hand skills. And l welcome your advice on how to get started with pedals.” First of all, let’s congratulate Bruce, Ausra, right? Ausra: Yes. That’s a challenge--to switch instruments from piano to the organ. Vidas: A lot of people are afraid of pedal work. And I was afraid, too. Were you afraid, at the beginning? Ausra: Yes, I was afraid of it, yes, very much. Vidas: Have you ever cried because of pedal passages which were difficult to learn? Ausra: Definitely. Definitely, yes. That was my biggest struggle at the beginning. And only later on I understood that Baroque articulation is actually much harder than playing pedal. Vidas: I’m always amazed, somehow, when I see younger students today playing pedal lines without much effort at all; in our Unda Maris studio, for example, or in Čiurlionis School, we had very gifted students, before. But it was not the case for me. It was really, really frustrating. Ausra: Neither for me. I think it depends on how good your coordination in general is; and it’s sort of a thing that you just either have or you don’t; and if you don’t have it, then you have to develop it. There is no other way. Vidas: Do you think, Ausra, that it’s part of human evolution, of the human species, that the next generation can play pedals better than the previous one? Ausra: I don’t know. That’s a good question, that’s a question for scientists. Vidas: Yes, they should compare our DNA, and think if they could isolate the gene for pedal playing. Ausra: But actually, you know, I’ve realized, now, by working at the Ciurlionis Art School for 12 years already, that nowadays kids are much more gifted than we were, actually. And so many have perfect pitch. In my days, when I was studying at the same school, we were lucky if in one class we would have like 1 or 2 students with perfect pitch; that was something. And nowadays, you can have like half of the students in your group that have it. Vidas: Absolutely. So, the human species is really, definitely moving forward, at least in pedal playing! Ausra: But that’s not the case with logical thinking. So I don’t think the human mind is developing as fast as their bodies. That’s my observation, from my experience. Because if you give them, like, logical assignments...they don’t come up so easily. Vidas: I know. For me, mathematical exercises, and verbal exercises, are more difficult with every passing year, I think. And 2018 will be no different. Ausra: Yes. So, what I could suggest for Bruce would be that he would not be afraid of playing pedal. That’s the main thing. It will come in time--maybe not as fast as he would wish, but overall, if he will practice daily, I think he will succeed. Vidas: Do you think, Ausra, that Bruce could think about pedals--his two feet, basically--as an additional third hand? Ausra: I never think about it, myself; but that’s a possibility. Why not? Vidas: Because usually, people play a solo line on the pedals, not double intervals--although there are pieces which require octaves and parallel intervals and double pedal lines--right? But even then, it’s really possible to play two voices with one hand. Right? It’s possible. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: So I think it’s not far from the truth to say that your pedal work should be treated as an extra hand. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: What that means, then, is that you simply look at pedals from the perspective of your hand playing. Imagine if you spend time developing your hand technique for several years as a pianist, right...And then, suddenly, you discover, “Oh, by the way, I have a third hand here. And I can use it!” So at first, it’s really difficult, right? Playing with your feet. Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: But little by little...It’s like going back to the first grade of piano playing, for your feet. Ausra: That’s right; but you know, my suggestions would be to find the right spot on the organ bench, to play in a slow tempo, and to work in combinations. Never play--especially if you are a beginner, and you have trouble playing pedal--never play all the voices together. Because in that case you will not have good results. Vidas: Do you think that the Pedal Virtuoso Master Course pedal scales and arpeggios would be beneficial to Bruce? Ausra: Sure. I think they would be beneficial to any organist. Vidas: Even for beginners? Ausra: Well, yes...maybe he could not do all the exercises right away, and maybe not play them in a fast tempo, but definitely he would find some useful stuff. Vidas: I think he has to combine exercises with repertoire, too. So, in order to feel the progress and a little bit of joy, too, because out of exercises, not too many people can stick with them for a long time and still feel joy, right? Ausra: That’s right. Vidas: So you have to supplement them with, like, additional treats--to give treats for yourself, like beautiful music, in addition to bread and salt and butter. Ausra: Yes, and for that repertoire, maybe that could be pieces at the beginning where it just has a pedal point. There are some pieces like this, especially in Italian music. Think about such composers as Domenico Zipoli, for example. Vidas: Yeah, 2 notes for the entire piece. Ausra: Yes. Like tonic and dominant, and back to tonic. Or you know, there are also other pieces that don’t have such a hard pedal part, but have some beautiful melodies. Vidas: If you were starting today, Ausra, playing pedals and organ, and going back in time--and now you know so much, right? How would you learn differently, or would you learn differently or not? Ausra: I don’t know. You know, for me, I realized that if you come to the organ after playing piano for some time, it’s easier to start with Romantic and later repertoire, where you use basically legato technique, which is so similar to what you did on the piano, or more similar. But you know, because I started with Baroque music, it was very hard--I found it very hard to grasp and digest all that Baroque articulation, together with pedal part and playing polyphonic music--that’s a challenge for beginners. Vidas: Maybe it’s because your teacher was so demanding, and gave you quite advanced pieces right away. Ausra: Yes, that’s true, too. Vidas: Well, that’s understandable, because you studied at a higher institution, right? And institution of higher learning--the Lithuanian Academy of Music. So above that it’s only heaven, right? So basically they needed you to push forward. But for people who are studying for their amusement: you don’t have to play Bach’s Toccata and Fugue right away--or even any type of fugue right away. You could play a small chorale prelude, just like “Ich ruf’ zu dir” by Bach. Ausra: Yes, that’s a nice piece. Beautiful, and not that hard! Vidas: Mhm. Exactly. So please, guys, apply our advice in your practice--it really helps when you do the steps, when you take it to the next level, and try to incorporate that in your daily routine. And send us more of your questions, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Do you have fun answering them and helping people grow? Ausra: Yes! It’s really fun, and especially it’s fun to receive responses to our answers. Vidas: When somebody has applied them, and it worked out well, and they have progressed, and see success, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Feedback. Ausra: That’s the most gratifying thing. Vidas: Excellent. And guys, don’t forget, because when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 133 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. And this question was sent by Bruce. He has a challenge with finger substitution to improve line. He writes:
As a pianist, I'm rather used to the sostenuto pedal, to the extent that I probably overuse it and it can be a bit of a crutch. Nothing like this pedal on the organ, of course, so I expect it's all about finger substitution, learning how to do this in a natural way. I expect there are exercises for me to pursue, and could use recommendations and support on this. On my own, for starters, I have been looking at BWV 639, as you and Ausra suggested in podcast #85. I am looking forward to looking at Ausra's analysis of this piece. I am also working on BWV 578 (g minor fugue) and BWV 659 (Nun komm der Heiden Heiland). And I have fooled around with Contrapunctus 1 from the Art of the Fugue a bit. And sight-reading some of the easier pieces from the Orgelbuchlein, without being too hard on myself over my current pathetic pedal ability. In the short term, it would be nice to see your first week of pedal work (from your pedal virtuoso master course) - or something you think would be more appropriate for a novice - and to download your fingerings for 578 and 659, and to look at Ausra's analysis of 639. Thanks again, and I'm eager to get started, in earnest, after the beginning of the new year. And look at the above items while I am able during December. Thanks! Cheers, -Bruce So basically, Ausra, he struggles to play legato lines, right? And he feels that he needs to learn to apply finger substitution, because unlike on the piano, organ doesn’t have sostenuto pedals. You have to do legato simply by applying fingers. Is it right? Ausra: Yes, that’s what I understood from his question. But actually, also, there is another side of this question; because the pieces, actual pieces that he mentioned in his question were all Bach pieces--all pieces written by Bach. So I don’t see how the first half of the question is related to his repertoire. Because I don’t know about you, but I never substitute fingers while playing Bach, because the technique when you use finger substitution is required for later music. Vidas: You don’t play legato--Bach? Ausra: No, you don’t play Bach legato. So you don’t have to use fingers substitution, because you play articulate legato, or quasi-legato, or non-legato. And you have to detach each note--not to play staccato, of course, but to detach each note, so you don’t have to substitute it. Vidas: I don’t know if Marcel Dupré would agree with you. Ausra: Well, it’s how things are nowadays. And it’s based on playing on historical instruments. So basically, what I would suggest for Bruce is to improve his finger technique in general; because I have seen many piano majors who cannot play well on the organ because they don’t have fingers muscles developed enough. And that’s because of overusing the sostenuto pedal. So even while playing piano, I would suggest for him to take some Scarlatti sonatas, and to play them without any pedal. Vidas: It would sound like harpsichord. Ausra: Yes, yes. Then it would improve his muscles. Then it would be easier for him to play on the organ. But definitely, when playing Bach or any other early music, don’t play legato; don’t use finger substitution. Vidas: I agree, too. I kind of tend to articulate perhaps even too much, and whenever I write down fingerings in my pieces, or for other people in early music, I tend to use the system which allows them to play with correct fingerings and correct articulation without even thinking about it. Let’s say, in one hand, you have a line of ascending parallel intervals, like parallel thirds or parallel sixths--that would be often the case, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: So, a lot of people try to play one three two four, one three two four, one three two four, or one four two five, for the six. It’s very inconvenient, and sometimes even use fingers substitution. But it’s not necessary, because parallel intervals--the rule is that they normally are played with the same fingering. And then you don’t have to think about articulate legato. Ausra: Well, unless there is like a special sigh motif, that is often used in Baroque music: then you have slurs where you have two notes attached-- Vidas: Exactly. Ausra: Then you would play with that kind of fingering; but not so many cases, you know... Vidas: There are always exceptions, right? Composers sometimes notate their own articulation, like legato, because it’s an exception to the rule of ordinary touch--that’s what they called it back in the day. And if a composer wanted smooth legato, they would notate a slur. Ausra: Yes. And you never should forget that organ is actually a wind instrument first of all. And while playing polyphonic music--and all music by J. S. Bach is basically polyphonic music--it just sounds bad when you’re playing it legato. Pipes don’t speak in that way. So, and even if you practiced on the piano in that way or on the electric organ, you still should keep in mind that your final goal is to play a pipe organ. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: To perform it on a pipe organ. Vidas: Exactly. Ausra: And to articulate as if you would be playing it on the pipe organ. Vidas: And don’t use dynamics on the piano, as if in a normal piano composition. Piano, forte, mezzo forte, crescendo and diminuendo--it doesn’t work on the organ, right? Ausra: Yeah. Vidas: The touch should be always kind of a soft mezzo piano, I would think-- Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Without any accents, or too much force. Ausra: Yes. But of course, if Bruce will pick up some compositions by Romantic composers or later composers, then yes, definitely he will have to learn how to do finger substitutions. And that might be tricky, too, at the beginning, especially when you have thick texture. Vidas: I agree. And for closing advice, I would think that playing like string instruments--imagining how a violin would play this line--is also helpful. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Not only flute, not only oboe, but also string instruments. Imagine there is a single melodic line in the Baroque style; and violins, would they play it like 4 notes legato, with the bow downward, right, or 8th notes downward? Of course not. They would do down, up, down, up, down, up--especially in a faster tempo, if it’s an allegro character--a fast-moving piece. Then, what that means is that at the moment of the bow switching direction, there is an almost imperceptible rest. Right? And that means there is articulation. For us organists, we can also leave a very small, insignificant amount of silence in between the notes, then. That’s how they played it on the wind instruments--by tonguing, and also with string instruments. So keyboard is no different, actually. Ausra: Yes. You have to listen to some good recordings of for example, Bach cantatas, where you can hear string player playing, or woodwinds playing. That might give you some idea what this style is. Vidas: Mhm. And for later music, as Ausra says, of course apply finger substitutions, but not too much. I don’t think you ever need to use fingers with finger substitution on a single melodic line. Ausra: Definitely not, but if you have thick texture, then yes you have… Vidas: Thick chords, maybe intervals, then maybe yes. We mentioned earlier the thirds would be easier to do: 1-3, 2-4, and here substitute 1-3 again, and then 2-4 to the next interval. Ausra: And then you can do 3-5, too. Vidas: 3-5, if it’s convenient, right? The same is for 6ths: 1-4, 2-5, substitute to 1-4 again, and back to 2-5. And vice versa. Ausra: Yes; and then substituting in later music, you have to learn everything in a slow tempo. That will help you. Vidas: I think one of the best exercises for Bruce, if he really needs to learn finger substitution, let’s say for later music, is to play scales with double thirds and sixths. Slowly at first, of course, in many keys, in all major and minor keys. This is part of the Hanon pianist virtuoso routine. It’s already in Part III, I believe, so it’s quite advanced technique; but it’s indispensable for later Romantic and 20th century and modern organ music, too. Right? Ausra: Yes! Vidas: So, do you think that people will find this podcast conversation helpful? Ausra: I hope so! Vidas: Excellent. Please, guys, send us your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. SOP Podcast #127: Dina Ichina And Denis Machankov On Trusting Your Ears And LIfe-Long Study12/31/2017 Before we go to the podcast for today, I wanted to remind everyone that until January 2nd you can buy any of our practice scores and training programs for half price.
Discount code Christmas2017 is applied automatically at the checkout in our Secrets of Organ Playing Store. Total Organist is half price also! Happy practicing! Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #127! Today's guests are Dina Ikhina and Denis Makhankov who are a family duo of young organists from Russia. Yesterday the organists have performed for the first time in Vilnius St. Johns’ Church Organ and presented before the New Year's Eve a concert entitled "Farewell to Old Year", in which the audience enjoyed the works of J. S. Bach, P. Tchaikovsky, A. Chekalin, A. Pärt and other composers. Dina was born in 1986 in Saratov, Denis – 1988 in Ivanovo. Both studied organ music in St. Petersburg under a well-known Russian Federation artist prof. D. Zaretski, later harpsichord under prof. I. Rosanov and have acquired postgraduate degrees in Music. Since 2014 these organists perform together. The duo concert program consists invariable of pieces by modern composers. Currently, the organists perform in Russia and throughout Europe, also teach at the St. Petersburg N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire and at city music schools, organize organ music festivals in Russia and Estonia. At the same time, the organists work in the famous Arts Palace in Kondopoga, Karelia, and also organize the annual “Grande Orgue” International Organ Music Festival. Dina and Denis are among the founders and organizers of the project "Organ Concerts in Pechory". The project collects funds for the restoration of the historic Pechory (Pskov Region) organ of the St. Peter church. They were awarded the State Prize "National Recognition 2015" in the Initiative category (Pskov, 2016) and the Pskov Administration Award for this project. In this conversation, Dina and Denis talk about their organ playing adventures and give such wonderful advice as not being afraid to try new things, trusting your ears, life-long study, consulting with experts and trying out many instruments with different acoustics. We had this conversation at the restaurant so the environment is a bit noisy but since my guests talk rather slowly in English, I hope you will be able to follow it. Listen to the conversation And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. If you like it, feel free to subscribe to our channel on Musicoin. By the way, you can upload your own recordings to YOUR channel to maximize revenue. If you have some audio recordings of your organ performances, you can do the same. Feel free to use my invitation link to join Musicoin: https://musicoin.org/accept/MUSICa45e5f26ede2be5dd4411747 Thanks for caring. Relevant links: Dina and Denis on Facebook Vidas: Let’s start Episode 132 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. This question was sent by David, and he writes:
“Thank you so much for producing the sight reading course (and for having a cyber Monday sale on your course---I waited a year to get this discount so that I could afford the total organist course). I feel like this is such a basic question.... but on week 1, day 2 of the sight reading course, how does one subdivide, counting out loud, beyond the 8th note in 2:2 time signature? It would be the same as 32nd not in 4:4 time signature, which I have never learned to count aloud.... I have thus far used the 1 e & a 2 e & a method of counting out loud, but that really only works as far as 16th notes in common time or 8th notes in 2:2. How does one vocally subdivide farther than that? If you have already answered this elsewhere, I would be happy to be pointed in that direction. I don't want to ask you to repeat yourself if you have already addressed it.” I don’t think we have talked about it, yes Ausra? Ausra: Well, we talked maybe a little bit about subdivision, but not as complete, like for example how to count 32nd notes. So we might give some tips. Vidas: First of all, we want to say that this course, Organ Sight-Reading Master Course, is based on Bach’s Art of the Fugue. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And in this particular case, the contrapunctus from the Art of the Fugue--it might be too fast if you count in alla breve time, in 2/2 time. Right? So...do you think that David and others who are taking this course need to play in 2/2 time right away? Ausra: Well, not necessarily; you can do it twice as slow as it is written, and it would still be okay. Vidas: So, 4/4? Ausra: Yes. I would suggest that they would do this in 4/4, at least for starters. Vidas: Because Bach wrote a lot of fugues this way, in his cycle, in which there are only 2 or even 1 beat per measure, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: One, and three--yes, 2 beats, in 2/2 time. And when you practice slowly, you need to have more--four, for example. Ausra: Yes. And what I notice about Bach’s pieces and other Baroque composers is that 32nd notes often appear in slow movement pieces--like you know, slow movements of the trio sonatas, or other sonatas, and chorale preludes that have this really slow tempo and ornamented cantus firmus. That’s how he uses it most of the time, in 32nd notes. And like in fast tempo pieces, he uses basically 16th and 8th notes; but 32nds very often appears in the slow movements. So there is no way you need to rush that, that contrapunctus. Vidas: Do you think that people could write in the parts of the measure themselves, in pencil? Ausra: Yes, that would help, I think, especially for beginners. Vidas: Mhmm. Ausra: And you know, how to subdivide, you actually have to do it, the best way to do it, I think, is to do it with your tongue--that you would do it mechanically, and that you would really feel that you are doing it. You can do it on any syllable which is comfortable for you. Vidas: But, to do it out loud? Ausra: Yes, yes! At least for starters. Vidas: Have you seen students playing rhythmically incorrectly, but saying to you that they’re counting inside their minds? Ausra: That’s very often the case, but it means that they don’t count. They deceive themselves. Because if they’re only doing it loudly at first...then you can maybe do it quietly inside. Vidas: What happens when you do it quietly is that you might THINK you are counting equally… Ausra: But you will not do it! Vidas: Yes. Because there is so much to do with your hands and your feet, that sometimes your mind wanders, and your counting rhythm and pulse also fluctuate. Ausra: Yes. And you know, I remember learning a piece called Icarus by Jean Guillou, that I had to prepare. That’s a challenging piece to learn, rhythmically and technically, because this was actually his original improvisation which was written out later by somebody else, I believe. And it has lots of fast passages. And what I did then when I learned the piece was, actually, I subdivided out loud first, and I subdivided 32nd notes. Because usually you look at the piece of music, and you choose the smallest note values, and you subdivide in them first. And that will help you. So, if you know, the smallest note value is 32nd, you subdivide 32nd. If it’s 16th, then you subdivide 16ths. Vidas: This is especially true in modern music, in rhythmically advanced music, right? Like the music of Messiaen. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Like in his pieces, he uses, I think, additive rhythmic value technique… Ausra: Yes, he adds a little bit with each figure. Vidas: Like for example, you might have a normal 4/4 measure, but with an added 32nd note. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Or plus 1/16. And this is additive. So you need to keep counting based on that lowest or smallest note value: 32nd or 16th. Ausra: Yes. Yes, and especially when you are learning the text. Maybe after a while, when you know the music very well, you can stop doing that in that particular piece; but for starters, you definitely have to do it. Vidas: So the same as David says in his Contrapunctus from the Art of the Fugue, we recommend subdividing and playing with 4 beats, not 2 beats per measure. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: What would happen if he played right away in 2/2 time, counting just 2 beats? Ausra: Well, probably he would not be rhythmically correct on those... Vidas: Not precise. Ausra: Yes, not precise. And rhythmic precision is very important, especially while playing organ. Vidas: Do you think that people can play not precisely, and think that they’re playing pretty well? Ausra: Hah! That’s often the case, I think. Vidas: They don’t even notice how sloppy their rhythm is. Ausra: Sure, yes, yes. And rhythm is so important; because you know, we all have a heartbeat, so each person who does not even have musical pitch, still has that sense of rhythm. And let’s say if something happens during a performance, if you will keep a steady rhythm, it’s possible that some people even will not notice that you made a mistake and hit the wrong note of a wrong chord. But you know, if your rhythm goes out of the way, then everybody will notice it. Vidas: How interesting! Are you saying that rhythm is more important than melody? Ausra: Well, yes; in some cases I believe it’s more important. Vidas: Why? Ausra: Well, you know, because everybody can count. Everybody can count. Vidas: Do you think that dogs can count, too? Ausra: I don’t know! I mean human beings, all people can count. Vidas: One, two, and three… Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Four. But the melody is sometimes complex, and they don’t necessarily grasp the fluctuations in melody or mistakes in melody-- Ausra: Yes. Vidas: You’re saying that the rhythm is always noticeable? Ausra: Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Especially in the music of common periods, you know...in Messiaen, I think nobody would notice if you are playing something rhythmically incorrectly. Vidas: Or melodically incorrectly. Ausra: Yes, definitely. But I’m talking about music written in the common period. Vidas: With Messiaen’s modes, people might have a feeling that something’s wrong with the notes, if you play the wrong note, because then it’s a foreign color. Ausra: Well yes, but you have to be advanced, I think, in music, generally. Or you know, to have very good musical intuition. Vidas: Thank you guys, this is getting really fun! And send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. PS Kae who transcribes these podcasts for us, wrote that her professors at SPU taught her to say "One-ta-e-ta-and-ta-e-ta" (for 8 32nd notes, or 1/4 of a measure). Hope this helps. |
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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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