Secrets Of Organ Playing Podcast

This question was sent by Rolf, and he writes: “Hi Vidas Very good wishes for you both! I want to tell you that I am studying this wonderful Praeludium in C from JS Bach, using your tips. Especially the tip cutting the piece in 4 bars and not making any mistake by playing slower, it’s working! In fact it goes faster and it’s giving me a lot of pleasure, thank you very much!! I will support your beautiful work of course. Greetings from Groningen Rolf”

This question was sent by Miguel, and he is in our Total Organist community plus he takes private lessons with me, and one time he wrote this message: “My back was quite painful, but now I'm fully recovered and practicing again. Part of the problem was sitting for too long, apart from the 8 hours a day I sit for my computer work at the bank. I sit an hour or two on a bench with no back support. The physio also told me that the movements of the legs on the pedals have a toll on the spine. ​So, I've been reintroducing walking that I haven't done for quite a while and also using my height adjustable desk for standing as well as sitting, at least during working hours. Did you have problems with your back due to organ playing, or do you know other people that had the same problem?”

This question was sent by Hubertus, and he writes, Hello Ausra, Heard your demo of the Alessandria organ with interest. Thank you for hearing you play on that. However, I am 75 and do not yet have enough experience to distinguish what those sounds for registrations entail, because I only started playing about 13 years ago, the total overview is missing. I also bought that organ this year, but I don't know what registrations you played the music with. Is it possible to use the "Simple" screen for a next demonstration instead of the Console, so that it is possible to follow your choice of registrations, in order to be able to try them out by myself, because it sounded very nice, but my knowledge falls short. Hope you can/will comply with my request. Thanks for listening to me. Best regards. Hubertus

This question was sent by Stephen, and he writes: “I love the Zipoli Pastorale...!!! Thank you... Zipoli is one of my favorite early Baroque composers!” Vidas: I wrote to him, “Thanks Stephen! What other composers do you like?” And Stephen writes: “In a more contemporary "vein"  I am fond of Dale Wood's music.  There are passages in his work that require a legato technique especially with chords...Sometimes I am at a loss as to how best to play them...finger substitution..but which is best..that sort of challenge. In answer to your question, what composers do I like ....Of course BACH, esp some of the Chorale Preludes.  and I intensely care for the Eight Short Preludes and Fugues attributed to Bach but maybe not ?? I think his pupil Krebs may have had a hand in composing these???  I cannot prove that of course. but I love these pieces and I have always played them from the Wayne Leupold Edition...Sandra Soderland, editor.  I prefer to follow her revelations as to style and reg

This question was sent by Nick, and he answers my question, “What is your dream in organ playing in the next 3-6 months, and what are some challenges along the way?”  So he writes, 1. To be able to play a wide selection of easy to moderate standard organ pieces suitable for service use. V:  and challenges would be 2. Sight reading, sight reading and sight reading!

This question was sent by Maureen, and she writes, I have been working on Christmas carols.  There is a Catholic church 26 miles from my hometown needing an organist. I haven't played in public for a long time. Seeing this advert has given me renewed vigour to play with a definite purpose. There is a huge part of me who would love to play again in public and there is the other part of me trying to be sensible, logical, and practical. I would need daily access to the organ and the energy to meet the challenge. I don't drive; I haven't played in years; I don't know whether to let the priest know I can play a church organ with time to familiarise myself with it.  What would you do?

This question was sent by Gerrit, or, I don’t know how to pronounce it.  If he’s Dutch, maybe “Herrit.”  I would appreciate people maybe giving us feedback how to pronounce their names, right?  Would be nice.  So Gerrit writes: I’ve watched and listened to your performance of Duetto, Op. 156 No. 6 of Joseph Rheinberger. Thank you for that. It sounds beautiful. I have a question, maybe somewhat off topic, but I’ve noticed that playing from a tablet, the pages seem to turn by themselves. For example at 1:04. How did you do that? I am working with MobileSheets with the auto-scroll function, but your method is better. Did you turn the pages by yourself or was it another person? Hope that you can clarify this mystery for me.

This question was sent by Hubertus, and he writes: “Hello Vidas and Ausra, As for getting informed with your very-very good advice etc. I admire your setup, and do respond to your questions as a moral obligation. As you probably remember from the last mail exchange, I’m 75, and do know for myself, the Very high difficulty of remembering my daily study already the next day. 13 years ago I started from scratch in music and organ play. I generally get only 1 to maybe max. Sometimes 2 hrs time to practice a day, some days even less, for all kinds of reasons, concentration is a hot issue in this all. So, on the moment I’m studied in this past holiday season the BWV 721, and after 2 months now I’m able to play the piece as tempi gives, and still make usual remembrance mistakes, and in between I TRY to replay several pieces I studied recently before, with lots of difficulties in reading. Again, I still like to play and do, especially this Bach piece. So to answer your nr 1; My dream WAS, 12 years ago, to play beaut

This episode is very special, because this year we celebrate 10 years of “Secrets of Organ Playing” activities.

This question was sent by Chad, and he writes, Hi Vidas, A few years ago, I bought a roll-up piano hoping that it would provide a means for me to practice on my airline trips. I desperately wanted to like it. But I HATED it! There was no tactile feel… No way to tell one key from the other. And the contacts didn’t work very well, so it was difficult to play the notes without tapping them pretty hard. But maybe there has been progress in their construction? Which one did you buy? You must be somewhat pleased with it if you can get it to work well enough to make videos!

This question was sent by Mike, and he writes: “I would like to master a variety of organ music to be able to give a performance. The most important hurdles to overcome are: Being able to work on a consistent fingering to make passages flow smoothly Interpretation of music, registration, Developing and knowing how to make a piece artistically “my own” instead of just playing notes. Many of your podcasts and notes are extremely helpful. Thank you for providing them.”

We have to take this saying with a grain of salt, because a lot of people today play at home with some kind of electronic instruments or virtual instruments, and in virtual instruments, the sound might be quite realistic, but the touch might be plastic. And it’s quite different from tracker touch in a real pipe organ situation. People might not necessarily discover on their own when they play their home organs.

This question was sent by Bob, and he writes: “I have read in several places that using the thumb on the black notes is kind of frowned upon. The "Organ Playing Master Course" routinely calls for the thumb on a black note, can you please clarify when it is or is not proper fingering.”

This question was sent by Justin, and he writes, Hello, I am currently subscribed to the Pedal Virtuoso Course. My materials for the week usually arrive on Wednesdays around 11:30 am local time, but for some reason, I didn't receive my materials for Week 5 (not in either my inbox or my spam folder). Could you arrange to have it sent? I've been enjoying the course. I'm an advanced organist, but in all my years of studying and playing, none of my teachers has ever taught pedal scales or arpeggios. So I'm grateful that this material is filling in that gap! Thanks, and all the best,  Justin

This question was sent by Daniel, and he writes, Hello Vidas, My ultimate dream in regard to organ playing would be to gain the technical facility and coordination necessary to perform the masterworks of the Baroque repertoire (e.g., BWV 582, HWV 432, the entirety of BWV 1080). Beyond that would be to gain the ability to improvise/think contrapuntally. The three areas that are impeding these goals would be detailed as: Development & understanding of physical technique/coordination.I come from a piano/composition background, and have a well-developed hand technique, but encounter difficulty cultivating the coordination between limbs, while maintaining a balanced position. I have also studied the literature available regarding coordinate technique, such as the writings of Abby Whiteside and the work of Dorothy Taubman/Edna Golandsky, and have been trying to apply these principles to organ technique, which has been a process of  gradual integration. There are other methods of body re-education such a

This question was sent by Bob, and he writes, I was just wondering if articulate legato applies to all keyboards or just organs?

This question was sent by  Irineo, and he writes: “Hello there, dear maestro. Thank you for your latest SOPP about Unda Maris. I really enjoyed it. But I have a question: who's the composer of that fantastic G-Major piece you played from 21:00 until 23:17? It sounds early baroque to me, but I can't really say whether it's Bach. And what an AWESOME Bombarde 16' does that organ feature! Where is it located? Sounds just as beautiful as that Jacek Siedlar instrument where Maestra Motuzaite also played a recital for which I congratulated her a while ago, if you recall. Keep rewarding us with those great treasures, maestro. Say hello to Maestra Motuzaite for me, will you? Very truly yours, Irineo.”

This question was sent by Vidas! By me! And, I've been struggling with mastering Part I of Trio Sonata No. 4 by J.S. Bach. For some reason it's harder to do than I imagined it would be.

This question was sent by Manfred, and he writes: “Hello Vidas, I was not a novice on the pedal, since I played the church organ for a couple of years. When I started to look into nicer and more demanding pieces for organ, I felt I need a better technique at least for playing scales. Fortunately I found your Course in the internet, signed up and practiced the lessons every day over 12 weeks. It is amazing: My feet find the right keys without looking. Now I can play with both feet to both edges of the pedals, even with my heels. How did I play before? I tried to play an new piece. It is amazing how easy my feet play the notes almost automatically. Thank you very much! Manfred.” Manfred is talking about my Pedal Virtuoso Master Course: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/pedal-virtuoso-master-course?_pos=1&_sid=b1b20c5b1&_ss=r

This question was sent by Louis, and he writes: “Hello friends: I have read all about your Pedal Virtuoso Master Course. I would like to answer one important question for me. I have seen that there are many scales and arpeggios. I think that this is very good but I need to practice how to find any pedal without looking at the pedalboard. Have you got any special technique for this? Teachers in Spain use to say the same as some of your teachers: there isn't any technique, you only have to repeat many times while looking at the pedalboard and your brain will memorize the movements. I think that is the problem. I want to find any pedal, any interval... without looking at the pedalboard and with a technique. Please, tell me if you explain this in your course. Thank you very much. I hope to find what I need in your courses. Regards, Luis”