Let’s start episode 711 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Spencer, and he writes: Hello Sir, Please do you have materials and videos on creating last stanza reharmonization for organ accompanying a choir singing unison with or without descant? This podcast is supported by Total Organist - the most comprehensive organ tr…

This question was sent by Susanna, and she writes: “Vidas, Currently my goal is to become a reasonably competent and confident organ player in the small local church and the local church community. I like your idea of a “course” - a guide to how/ what to study to achieve this - I don’t want to take exams - but with an exam course there is a syllabu…

Let’s start episode 709 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Thinh, and Thinh writes ​Hello Vidas, Just let you know that I'm new to the organ. However, I had 3+ years studying classical piano when I was young. I have been working on playing foot pedals for a few weeks (first lesson of Pedal Virtuoso Master Course and not …

Let’s start episode 707 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Fanie. And she writes: Dear Vidas, I am an adult beginner, so I have different needs. 1. What is your dream for organ playing? To play chorales in the church and play music which I love, like Bach, Buxtehude, Bohm, Franck, Mendelssohn, Guilmant, Vierne, Widor etc…

Let’s start episode 708 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dawn, and she writes: “Hi Vidas, I’m finding your advice very helpful. I’ve started to approach my pieces like my scales, ‘from memory’ and I’m definitely making progress. I’m recognising finger patterns are better too, which I normally don’t. So thank you for yo…

Let's start episode 706 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. Today we decided to discuss a little bit about our last summer organ trips. So we hope you will enjoy our conversation about all the recitals that we played in various countries. You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQq…

This question was sent by Matthew, and he writes: “Hello Vidas & Ausra, Thank you for all that you are doing to encourage and coach organists! 1. What is your dream for organ playing? Be able to accompany any song without losing the mood of the song. Rich bass and appropriate chords. 2. What are 3 most important things that are holding you back fro…

This question was sent by Leo, and he writes: Good morning, Which of your studies do you recommend for learning repertoire within a short period of time? Thanks, Leo You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/joinIf you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: https://www.buym…

This question was sent by Pamela, and she has a dream to be the best organist that she can be. And holding her back is playing anxiety, physical stamina, and lack of concentration. You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/joinIf you like what I do, you can buy me some coffee: h…

This question was sent by Leo, and he writes Good evening, Thanks so much for the fine work that you and your staff render. I am currently moving into a new position as organist for the Second Presbyterian Church here in Memphis. I am ecstatic about this amazing opportunity. Are there any secrets or nuggets of wisdom as it pertains to learning diff…

This question was sent by Richard, and he writes: “Hey Vidas, I just watched your video of 4 movements your Nun Danket Suite - VERY nice. Question: how do the tablets with the music score know when to switch as they do? Thanks! Richard” You can support this channel by becoming a member here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4K3_6QVJI_HlI5PCFQqtg/…

This question was sent by Pedro, and he writes: 1. My dream is to improve my improvisation techniques. I think this goes through more music analysis, and trying to write down small pieces. I would also like to be more confident when choosing the appropriate registration. And finally I would like to change my finger touch, that is still one of a tra…

This question was sent by Rien Schalkwijk, our friend from YouTube, and he wants to know how Rorate caeli, ornamented chorale prelude by Jeanne Demessieux is constructed.

This question was sent by Rebekah, and she writes: 1) My dream is to be able to sight-read hymns well enough that a last minute change to a hymn in a church service doesn’t worry me. 2) What’s holding me back is time - I just started playing the organ a little less than 3 months ago, and I can only get to the church to practice 3 days a week. I do …

Today, we’d like to talk about how to teach in an organ studio where one student is playing with one finger only, and another rather well.

Today, I would like to talk about what to do when you come to practice and there is a funeral in the church. It has happened to us many times before. We had our Unda Maris Studio rehearsal planned, but before that, we were going to record some organ music on our church organ. But before entering the church, we noticed widely opened doors which mean…

Today, we’d like to talk a little bit about how and why Total Organist Community has migrated from Basecamp to Discord.

This question was sent by Ed, he is one of our Total Organist students and he writes: You asked me to get back to you about what I’m practicing, and I had to wait a few days to figure out how to explain this. As I mentioned in my prior email I have a masters degree in organ performance from many years ago, and then let it lapse for several decades.…

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #693! Today's guest is harpsichordist Alina Rotaru. Alina studied piano and choral conducting at the music academy in her hometown of Bucharest. After moving to Germany, she studied harpsichord with Siegbert Rampe and Wolfgang Kostujak at the Folkwang University of the Arts Essen, with Bob van Asperen at …

This question was sent by Martin, and his response is to the question, “What are his goals in organ playing in the next 3-6 months?” So he writes: “Improving my pedaling technique, independence of hands and feet”.

This question was sent by Steven, and he writes: “Vidas, Here are my responses to your questions. 1. What is your dream for organ playing? My dream is to improve my playing with the most effective way to practice and get the most out of my practice time. 2. What are 3 most important things that are holding you back from realising your dream? A. Eff…

This question was sent by Andrew, and he writes Dear Vidas, My answers to your recent questions: 1. My dream is to be able to play the organ confidently in the liturgy and perhaps in recitals occasionally. 2. The 3 most important things holding me back from this are: - Poor sense of timing and rhythm - Lack of focus and concentration in practicing …

This question was sent by Rita, and she writes: I am learning a lot from your episodes. I am a trained pianist but also play organ. The main problem with being an organist is that you usually can't practice at home because most people don't own organs and even so...probably not a pipe organ! There are many true organists that utilize all the stops …

This question was sent by Odubiyi, and he writes: “My dreams for the Organ is to be a master on the Organ. Things holding me back: light, faulty pedal notes, spending too much time without getting much progress. Art of performance” Find out more at https://organduo.lt

This question was sent by Robin, and she writes: Hello, I am a singer first and a pianist second. . . and an organist very much third! I was asked last September to serve as a short-term substitute pianist for a church whose organist had fallen and injured herself. The piano playing was easily accomplished with my existing skills. After a short tim…

This question was sent by Gena, and she is our Total Organist community member. She has sent me her answer to the question what is her dream in organ playing for the next three months and also what are some of her challenges. So she writes: “Thank you! 1. Full public organ recital on fine instrument here in FL. Program pieces have been gradually pr…

This question was sent by Dimi, and he writes about his dreams and the challenges that he is facing. So: “1. I dream to play at my future organ romantic and baroque pieces, but not only that. 2. I plan to buy a used electronic organ (Ahlborn DS series, 2 manual+pedal) and I haven't found the owner manual and the service manual online, I looked on s…

This question was sent by Scott, and he writes My dream is to be able to play well enough that what I'm playing is recognizable. You see, I was once a church organist for 20+ years, until I had my first stroke on January 1, 1999. Two more strokes followed in 2013, so I have had 2 strokes paralyzing my dominant right side and 1 stroke weakening my l…

This question was sent by Martin, and he writes Dear Vidas, I really enjoy receiving your emails and watching your Youtube channel. From early childhood, I always admired organ music and organists. In church, I would always go up to watch how the organ was played. I grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia, and listening to the organ in the big Lutheran chu…

This question was sent by Rolf, and he writes his answer to my question, What is his dream in organ playing right now, and also what are some obstacles in reaching this dream? So, 1. Playing Buxtehude and Bach reasonably well and being able to improvise simple but beautiful melodies for the church service. 2. Earlier there were three things: time, …

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 plea…

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 …

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 mis…

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 req…

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 …

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 p…

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 be…

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 st…

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…

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 o…

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 nec…

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 enjo…

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 contrapunta…

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 B…

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 pr…

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 g…