By U Organ Workshop Packet 2017
By U Organ Workshop Packet 2017
By U Organ Workshop Packet 2017
ORGAN TECHNIQUE
24. Pedal Basics for Beginners
25. Pedal Exercises
26. Legato Pedal Techniques
27. Pedal Technique Checkpoints
28. The Six Legato Organ Fingering Techniques
RESOURCES
29. Organ Training Resources Available through Brigham Young University
30. BYU Organ Programs for Off-Campus Organists
31. The New LDS Organist (2-page outline)
33. Internet Resources for Organists
T he diagram below indicates standard positions for the various items. However, organ consoles vary
widely in their design. Some of the most common variations are as follows:
• Expression and crescendo pedals. If only one is present, it is usually an expression pedal that
affects the volume of the entire organ. Crescendo pedals are absent on many consoles.
• Great to Pedal reversible. If present, this is usually located directly to the right of the right-most
expression (or crescendo) pedal. It may also be present as a thumb piston.
• General and divisional combination pistons. Many organs have only one set of combination
pistons. If so, they will be generals, centered underneath one or both manuals. If both generals and
divisionals are present, the generals are usually located to the left underneath the manual(s).
• Stops. These may be present as drawknobs, located in stop jambs on both sides of the manuals.
• Tutti/sforzando reversible. If present, this is usually the right-most and highest thumb piston and/
or toe stud.
Toe studs
Pedals
M ost every speaking stop found on organs in LDS meetinghouses is listed under its pipe category (flue
or reed) and family of organ tone.
F ollowing is an easy-to-use “shortcut” plan for selecting stops in either meditative or jubilant
hymns for congregational singing. It can be used with most pipe or electronic church organs.
IN GENERAL AVOID
1. Support the congregation with confidence, 12. Generally avoid 16' manual stops,
but do not overpower. sub-couplers, and thick, heavy 8' stops.
2. The principal chorus (especially the 8' Princi- 13. Avoid overusing full organ.
pal) should form the basis for registration in
14. Never use the tremulant for congregational
congregational singing.
accompaniment.
3. In meditative hymns, stops from the flute
chorus might be substituted in place of TO INSPIRE MORE SINGING
Principal stops to minimize sharpness, espe- 15. Note the message of the hymn text in general
cially at the 4' and 2' level. and the message of each verse. Let them guide
the registrational plan for the hymn.
4. 8' and 4' pitches are minimum for the manual;
16' and 8' are minimum for the pedal. 16. Use text-directed changes of registration
primarily at ends of verses (or between a verse
5. The Great to Pedal and Swell to Pedal cou-
and chorus). However, a change is not neces-
plers provide homogeneity between all voices;
sary following every verse of every hymn.
avoid them if independence in the pedal line
Occasionally it might even be appropriate to
is desired.
play the entire hymn very simply–with no
6. For clarity, build upward with only one stop registration change.
per pitch.
17. If the text fails to suggest a registrational
7. For fullness, build outward then upward in direction, build upward gradually as the
pyramid fashion. hymn progresses to encourage increased
8. Use economy of means; add a stop only if it congregational singing. Using another effec-
contributes to the ensemble. Celestes, for tive approach, diminish the organ after the
example, are not effective for congregational congregation gains strength, and then build
accompaniment. the organ again for the final verse.
9. Use 8' (and possibly 4') reeds to add fire to a 18. When using solo lines in congregational
bright principal chorus, or 8' and light 16' accompaniment, avoid softer solo stops; use
reeds to add gravity to a more foundational large reed or principal stops or combinations
principal chorus. to lead out. Be sure the accompaniment
combination (as well as the solo combination)
10. The normal position for the expression pedal is supportive enough for the congregation.
(“swell pedal”) is fully open. The normal
position for the crescendo pedal is fully closed. 19. Use manual-only playing as a contrast to
constant deep pedal tone. When the second-
11. If the crescendo pedal and the sforzando to-last verse is played manual only, the impact
("tutti") reversible have been regulated proper- of the pedal entrance on the last verse is
ly, use them when appropriate. If not, either increased.
have them regulated until they are useful or
avoid using them.
Hymn Playing:
Polish Mode or Shortcut Mode
O rganists may be called upon to play hymns for congregational singing before they feel ready. If you
find yourself in this situation, make two commitments to yourself:
1. Begin as soon as possible to develop the special skills needed to play the organ “in polish mode.”
2. While you develop those skills that are specific to the organ, do your best to adapt your piano skills
to the organ – “in shortcut mode.”
Polish mode is described in the middle column below, with shortcut mode alternatives in the right-most column. As
you begin serving as organist, allow yourself to operate in shortcut mode in areas where you cannot spend the time to
polish. Set goals to develop skills in specific areas and move over to polish mode one step at a time. For example, in the
area of Pedal playing, you might decide in one hymn to learn to use both feet to play a bass line, using toes and heels of
both feet to achieve legato.
Maintain the integrity of the soprano line (never tie Even if you must break the alto part, never tie between two
between two soprano notes; treat soprano/alto soprano notes.
common tones
Fingering & Add fingering and pedaling in the score as needed to Add some fingering and pedaling in order to produce a more
pedaling achieve excellence (or learn from a prepared score). sustained effect.
Pedal playing Play the bass line of the hymn with your feet Play all four voices on the manual, with or without the
Bass Coupler.
Play selected bass notes with a foot, sustaining them while the
harmonies change and as your ear directs.
Play only the soprano, alto, and tenor parts in the hands Play all four parts with the hands, and the bass line in the feet.
(no bass).
**Use toes and heels of both feet as needed to achieve Use toes only, or use only the left foot.
legato.
Independence Maintain the integrity of each part: a break in one part Maintain the integrity of any part(s) as you are able.
does not cause a break in another where it should be (See also “Sustained Style” above.)
sustaining, and sustaining in one part does not cause a
tie in another where it should be breaking.
Phrasing Make phrasing breaks and holds in the music to help Make breaks at the ends of musical phrases where people
the text clarify the meaning of the text. normally breathe.
• For each step, be sure to: 1. Right hand (including soprano and most of
the alto voice)
1. Practice SLOWLY AND PERFECTLY until
you can play it three to five times perfectly 2. Left hand (including tenor and occasional
without much conscious effort notes from the alto voice)
Key to Markings
Placed in between repeated notes in each voice to indicate that the notes be repeat-
ed leaving half the value of the note in silence (lift on the “and” of the count or the
“and of the and” if 8th notes are involved)
A hyphen indicates either substitution (replacing one finger with another while the
note is held down) or finger/thumb glissando if the hyphen appears between two
of the same finger numbers.
Complete lift between text phrases - all voices (tenor, alto, soprano) as well as the
bass in the pedal.
Break only the alto and soprano voices to effect a partial text lift; i.e.,
“Never leave us, / never leave us” or “Come follow me / the Savior said”.
A broken tie indicates that some verses will not be tied because of text breaks.
Encloses a note that can be ignored in that voice because it is already being played
in another voice
Redistribute the alto voice into the left hand to make it easier to keep a good
legato. Once the bracket starts, all alto notes are played in the left hand until the
bracket ends.
Symbol indicating that the pedal note should be played with the toe. If the toe
mark is below the bass stave, play with your left toe; if above the bass stave, play
with your right toe.
Symbol indicating that the pedal note should be played with the heel.
When one voice in a stave is being held longer than the other voice, these horizon-
tal lines serve as a cue to the subconscious mind to hold the longer notes over the
shorter notes.
Redeemer of Israel
Sample of Fully-Prepared Score
The following
have been added
into the score:
Text
• Keywords underlined
• Phrasing (given with
slurs, vertical lines,
and verse numbers
in the text)
Fingering and
pedaling
(note changes in the last
two measures to allow for
right-hand stop changing
between verses)
Music—Instructions
for the introduction
• Modified “boundaries”
(marked with double
diagonal lines)
• Idea (soprano and
alto duet, then
accompanied)
• Registration (trumpet
duet alone, then with
flue accompaniment)
Registration plan
• Combination listed
for pistons 1 and 2
• Manual indications
(given at the beginning
of each verse)
• Stop change indications
(given at the end of
each verse)
High
High on onthe the Mountain
Mountain TopTop 5
Simplified for organ in three parts
Simplified for organ in three parts
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2 3 2
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1.High on the moun - tain top A ban - ner is un - furled. Ye na - tions, now look
2.For God re - mem - bers still His prom -ise made of old That he on Zi - on's
3.His houseshall there be reared, His glo - ry to dis - play, And peo - ple shall be
4.For there we shall be taught The law that will go forth, With truth and wis -dom
˙ . œ2
1
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hill Truth's stan - dard would un - fold! Her light should there at -
heard In dis - tant lands to say: We'll now go up and
fraught, To go - vern all the earth. For - ev - er there his
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peace - ful land, On Zi - on's mount be - hold it stand!
tract the gaze Of all the world in lat - ter days.
serve the Lord, O - bey his truth and learn his word.
ways we'll tread, And save our - selves with all our dead.
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Nearer, My
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God,toto
Thee
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organ ininthree parts
three parts
&b c ˙ œ . œj ˙ œ œ ˙. Œ ˙
5 5
œ œ œ œ
3 2 1
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2.Though like the wan - der - er, The sun gone down, Dark - ness be
3.There let the way ap -pear, Steps un - to heav'n; All that thou
˙ œ œ œ . œj ˙ ˙w œ œ
˙. Œ ˙ œ œ
2 2
? c w w w
4
b ˙.
Œ
& b œ . œj ˙ œ Œ ˙ œ œ œ . œj ˙
3 2 4
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be a cross That rais - eth me. Still all my song shall be
o - ver me, My rest a stone, Yet in my dreams I'd be
j
send - est me, mer - cy An - gels to beck - on me
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Near -er, my
j
God, to thee, Near - er, my God, to thee, Near - er to
œ . œj ˙
thee!
œ. œ ˙
? b ˙w œ œ w˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙˙ .. Œ
2 2
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13
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& 4 œœ .. œ œ˙ . œ ˙. ˙. œ œ ˙ œ
1.Now let us re - joice in the day of sal - va - tion. No
2.We'll love one an - oth - er and nev - er dis - sem - ble, But
3.In faith we'll re - ly on the arm of Je - ho - vah To
? # # 3 œœ . œ œ˙ . œ
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lon - ger as strang - ers on earth need we roam. Good tid - ings are
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15
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demp - tion will come, When all that was prom - ised the Saints will be
Sav - ior will come, When all that was prom - ised the Saints will be
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15
BYU Multi-Stake Organ Workshop 17 V2.0 | 03.15.15 | Handout Packet 1
PRELUDE AND POSTLUDE
Church Handbook
Directions for Organist
CHORUS REGISTRATION
Music that is carefully selected and For “chorus-type” registration, in which both
properly presented can greatly hands play on the same manual, try the combina-
enhance the spirit of worship. … tions given below.
Quiet prelude and postlude music Use the handout “Common Stop Names Listed
by Pipe Category and Family of Organ Tone” to
creates an atmosphere of worship
find particular flutes, principals, strings, reeds, or
that invites the Spirit into Church hybrids (as indicated below) on your organ.
meetings. The organist or pianist The following list begins with the softer stops or
usually plays hymns or other combinations, which are usually most effective in
appropriate music for five to ten enhancing the spirit of worship:
ORGAN SHOES
UPPER
snug fit, flexible HEEL
wide, about 1" high
SOLE
thin, slide easily,
not wider than shoe
HEEL
wide, about 1" high
PEDAL EXERCISES
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Continue by learning the pedal line of Hymn 3, Now Let Us Rejoice (simplified for organ in three parts) as found on
page 16 of this handout.
1 GLIDING
The individual foot “gliding” from key to key 3 TOE/HEEL
PEDALING
• Play natural keys about an inch from the • Play the right toe on middle F-sharp, place
sharps, remembering to tip the foot inside and your right heel on F-natural and rock back and
play on the ball of the foot. forth between the two notes.
– With the right foot, play back and forth from • Use your ears to get a perfect legato between
C to D (steps), expand from C to E (thirds), the two tones. No over-legato, and no breaks.
now C to F (fourths), and C to G (fifths)
[farther if you wish] • Now heel/toe it from F clear up to B-flat and
back.
• Now play some sharps, using the pad of the
– Center the heel on the natural key.
big toe. Cover no more than half the sharp key.
– Keep your toe covering no more than half
– Left foot play C to B-flat (steps), down to
the sharp key.
A-flat (third), now to G (fourth), and F
4
(fifth). CROSSING
The toes and heels can cross over and under
2 ALTERNATE FEET
Place the feet in contact with one another,
measuring the distance from one key to another.
one another in many ways.
• The easiest way: using the sharps to cross
On natural keys, play either the right or left foot over. Play left toe on D, right on E, and cross
slightly forward so that the feet fit together like over with the left to F-sharp.
puzzle pieces. On sharps, this is not necessary.
• A more complex way: using heel and toe
• Place the toes of the two feet on C and D crossing. Place left toe on A-flat, right on
(a second), with either right or left foot slightly B-flat. Keep the feet close together. Play left toe
forward, the feet in contact with one another. A-flat, right toe B-flat, swivel around to plan
Play C and D alternately. Make sure you are left heel C, (keep feet together) right heel D,
keeping contact and that your knees are cross left toe over to E-flat, right toe on F.
comfortably together as well.
• Now scissor the right foot out to E, keeping
the two feet in contact. Knees still together!
5 SUBSTITUTION
The toes or heels can substitute for one
another while the key is being played. Play left toe
This is a third. C, right toe forward on D and immediately
• Now scissor the right foot out to F, keeping substitute left toe underneath on D, right toe plays
the two feet in contact. This is a fourth. Now E and immediately substitute left toe.
6
break the contact and move the right foot one TOE GLISSANDO
key out to G. That is how we measure fifths: The wider foot can rock the toe back and forth
a fourth plus one. on sharps to achieve a legato connection. The more
• Now take the right foot up to C. Keep the narrow foot must angle the foot over the two keys,
knees together. That’s the octave. The muscle and then lift the heel while using a flexible toe to
tension you feel is valuable: this kinesthetic achieve the legato. Try both methods on your
sense eventually helps us find keys without imaginary keyboard.
looking.
7 PRE-LOCATE
Simply prepare any free foot over the next key
to be played as soon as possible. This “buys” peace
of mind
S killful and confident use of the feet in organ pedal playing can be developed in a short period of time if
you are able to internalize a few simple “checkpoints” so that you follow them AUTOMATICALLY when-
ever the feet play. When all the checkpoints operate subconsciously, a dependable reference system is activat-
ed that directs the feet to the right keys. Precision, ease of execution, and habit building—NOT SPEED—are
of the essence. Observe, as usual, the cardinal rule: Always practice slowly enough to stay in control.
✔ POSTURE AND RELAXATION. Keep your back and head ✔ HEELS. Center the heel over the key. Place the heel carefully,
in straight but relaxed alignment—as though being “feeling” the key before playing. As the heel pivots on the
suspended at the crown by a string. Relax shoulders, elbows, key to allow the toe to move right and left, keep the heel
and wrists—“float” over the manuals. Curve fingers well, centered.
with a sense of pulling inward rather than pressing ✔ CONTACT. Keep the feet together when the toes play on
downward when playing a key. For pedal solos or exercises, natural keys that are separated by a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. When
hands might either rest on the bench, grasp the “key cheeks,” both feet play natural keys, OFFSET the feet (place the heel
or remain suspended above the keys. of one foot in the arch of the other—“HEEL/ARCH”).
Usually, place the RIGHT foot forward (unless the left foot
KNEES AND ANKLES Checkpoint 2 plays a sharp).
✔ KNEES TOGETHER. When both feet are involved, keep
knees as close together as is comfortable through the octave. IN GENERAL Checkpoint 5
✔ MOTION LIMITED. Use a quick, decisive attack. The sole of ✔ PRE-LOCATE. As soon as a foot finishes playing a key,
the shoe stays in contact with or very close to the key prepare (pre-locate) the foot over the next key.
surface. Heels also stay close to the key surface. When ✔ EYES UP. Train your mind more quickly by avoiding
playing toes, use ONLY ANKLE MOTION (knee does not glancing down at the feet except to check on details of
move up and down). Allow minimum knee motion when technique during practice. Develop the “reference system”
playing heels. Note: heel playing involves the whole leg, so techniques (knees together, heel-arch, heel-heel, gliding
when choosing between toe and heel, if other factors are from key to key, gaps for large skips), rather than depending
equal, use the toe. on the eyes to locate pedal keys.
✔ KEEP FEET REASONABLY PARALLEL TO THE KEYS. This
is made easier when the knees pivot around WITH the feet
in extremely high or low ranges. Divide up the angles
between the feet when using heel/arch or heel/heel
contact—do not let one ankle do all of the scissoring out.
Finger Glissando
Finger Substitution
Thumb Glissando
SOFTWARE
OrganTutor (Cook)
visit organtutor.byu.edu and then follow the specific links
OrganTutor Organ 101 Complete
Computer tutorial on CD-ROM (for PC and Mac) and
Workbook ($70.50 + shipping)
Computer tutorial and printable Workbook (pdf files)
for high-speed Internet connection ($20-$30 per year)
Computer tutorial only (no Workbook)
On CD-ROM (for PC) ($50 + shipping)
Online ($25 per year; $15 per 6 months)
Workbook only (no computer tutorial)
Printed ($20.50 + shipping)
Printable online ($6)
Organ 101 Introduction (free selected lessons)
On CD-ROM (for PC) or online
ONLINE RESOURCES
The New LDS Organist Creative Hymn Playing Techniques
A free “quickstart” organ course in Music 116R podcasts — audio lessons visit
12 podcasts & packet organ.byu.edu/116podcasts.htm
Visit organ.byu.edu/newldsorganist
Course introduction for priesthood leaders 3. Playing Prelude Music that Invites the Spirit
(written form only—see the website) • Play prelude music in a manner that will help the
• Desired outcomes and overview of the course. congregation to begin worship.
• What might be expected of a new ward organist • How to build a repertoire of prelude music—find
going through this course. Needs of the organist playable hymns or other appropriate music.
who is going through this course. Registration: flutes, strings (incl. celestes), hybrids;
• How to encourage the organist to continue mutations, soft solo combinations, tremulant Draw
training. a single viable registrational combination, branch-
ing out to others as able.
1. Welcome to Organ Playing! • Set the volume (expression pedal[s]) appropriately.
• Challenges facing pianists who are new to the • Play the music with confidence (either manual only
organ. Distinguish between shortcut mode and or with pedal).
polish mode. Course summary; how to make the
most of the course. Introducing the organ console. • Know when to begin the prelude, and create a
smooth transition as the prelude ends and the
• Registration: get to know some of the main sounds speaker begins.
of organ stops (principal, diapason, and octave 8', 4',
and 16'). A challenge to make three commitments. 4. Effective Hymn Playing—An Overview
• Play in a manner that will “invite the spirit of the
2. First Steps in Pedal Playing
Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as
• Knowing when the feet should play. Organ shoes. members, and provide a way for us to offer praises
• Position at the organ for good pedal playing. to the Lord.”
• Registration: 8', 4', 2', and 16' pitches; basic pedal • Learn when and how to become involved in
pitches; chorus registration as a basis for hymn choosing the hymns. Work effectively with the
playing; building for clarity. Playing repeated notes director.
with the toe of each foot (including notation), • Registration: building for richness.
alternate toes, heels.
• Playing very simple pedal lines in combination
with two simple manual parts. Pedaling in polish
mode.
Organ Department
School of Music
Brigham Young
University
C-550 HFAC
Provo, UT 84602
V2.0 | 03.15.15