When practicing isn't enough

[Organiste]

I've been playing the organ again for about a year. I had studied as a teenager and was the summer organist at our local church; I took some lessons at Oberlin (not my major). Now 30 years later, I'm the organist at a local church.

I practice 4-5 times a week (while also working full-time) and my technique (and confidence) have shown much improvement. I play for 2 services every week plus accompanying the choir.

Strangely, I feel only slightly nervous in the services. But my playing suffers, especially on the pedals. I don't feel anxious; my hands don't shake. But my fingers seem to stiffen up, get tangled; my feet miss notes I was sure of.

Today I played my first wedding in decades and everything went well...until the recessional (Mendelssohn). I lost my place a couple of times, stumbled, had trouble getting back on track. Of all the times! Afterwards I was miserable. I don't know what else to do except keep practicing. And why am I not nervous? Seems that might even help.

Looking for suggestions...

[Analogicus]

Organiste,

I have had to face this. I play once a month at church, and would not normally have too much trouble sight-reading four parts for the hymns. But 20 months ago I decided to start using the pedals. I had to accept reduced accuracy, with far more mistakes than if I just used my hands. Also, I practice playing hymns twice a week, and this has paid off - this morning I actually enjoyed playing for the service. The one piece of advice I would give is an attitudinal one: you are serving the congregation and doing something they value, especially if there is no-one else to do it. It is far more important to be giving a good lead for the singing, than to worry about occasional mistakes.

Analogicus

[Krummhorn]

Dear Organiste,

Hey, we all make some mistakes every once in a while. Please don't get discouraged by this - we all can't play like Felix Hell or Virgil Fox. In their early days, they too, made mistakes. The nerves before playing will eventually subside ... I only get edgy just before playing a concert, which is why I always pick a very very familiar 'opening piece' as well as something I know well for a closer.

I learned the pedals by "feeling" ... I was admonished (in a meaningful way) for looking down at my feet at organ lessons. My organ teacher would often place a towel between the manuals and my lap during lesson times ... and I'm very thankful for that now. When practicing, I never turn on the pedal light at church ... I don't need to "see" anything, as my feet instinctively know exactly where to go for whatever note.

Think of the organ bench as you would getting ready to drive a car. The seat (bench) must be in the proper position in order to reach the controls (pedals), and the mirrors (your position on the bench) must also be adjusted. Since there are others who use the organ at my church from time to time, I have my "marks" for the bench position well marked on the console platform. I always position myself on the bench so that my legs are straight with my left foot between A# & C# and my right foot between D# & F#. At that point, I am "aligned" and ready to play ... it is from that particular 'reference point' that my feet know where each pedal note is without having to look.

The only time I looked at my feet while playing was this past summer in Denmark ... playing a flat pedalboard with wider spacing between notes than I was accustomed to. When I got home, it took about 3 weeks to 'unlearn' the larger distance - I was hitting wrong notes all over the place.

Bottom line, never give up on yourself ... there are always going to be rotten days at the console ... times when you just can't play two right notes after one another ... it happens to all of us.

[JHC]

I was a Flautist way back in history and although doing only the occasional gig I still had between 1 - 1 1/2 hrs practice per day, you really can't have too much. btw Nigel Kennedy practices 4-6 hrs per day even on tour. (or used to)

[Corno Dolce]

I concur with Krummhorn five ways from Sunday. Also, "real musicians will practice enough so that they never get it wrong". N.B.The previous phrase is adapted from Krummhorn's wisdom

[JONESEY]

Organiste - I think you've hit the nail on the head - just keep practising.
But, how about altering the way you practice? ... I suffer from the same thing - lack of confidence in my pedalling, but I also suffer from nerves when faced with a bigger congregation than normal (our normal congregation is around 50-60, two weeks ago we had 500+!!).

I read a book on practising which suggested words along the lines of "if you get nervous at a performance, try practising the pieces in front of people, so you are used to people listening all the time".

Now, personally I only do this when I'm reasonably confident with a piece - I start out on the Piano to get my LH / RH correct, then on the Organ (with only me there and the door locked!!!!) I introduce the pedals.
When I'm happy that I can get through the piece, I'll practise when there are people in the Church visiting, but keep it very quiet ... it's amazing how well it works to improve your confidence that people have heard it and it went well.

Anyway, I'm rambling, but this method seems to be working for me - I wish you the best of luck with your pedalling confidence - I'm right there with you!.

[Organiste]

Thanks to all for your support and suggestions. The services Sunday went well, after all. I appreciate the specifics on pedal work. I don't look at my feet (I had a good teacher) but it is so important to be positioned correctly. I have to remind myself to confirm a pedal by feel even if I feel sure...because sometimes I'm wrong. I don't have the opportunity to play for other people (except on Sundays) but I've found that timing a piece, or recording it, can help recreate that bit of extra pressure. I try to select pieces that have an appropriate level of difficulty: e.g. give myself lots of time to prepare those that are more challenging, and not worry about using pieces that are "too easy". There's nothing wrong with playing a simple piece well.

[Contratrombone64]

Getting up and back on the horse once it's bolted is really the best thing to do. I concur! As to pedalling, they give me the horrors, too. I wish I had Lars' instinctive feel for them, I just don't trust my own (weak) judgement of where my feet are headed. Most vexing!

[Krummhorn]

. . . and not worry about using pieces that are "too easy". There's nothing wrong with playing a simple piece well.

Precisely ... there are many times when I pull out the spurious works of Bach (the Eight Little P & F's) and use those for preludes or postludes. My congregation absolutely loves them them.

Getting up and back on the horse once it's bolted is really the best thing to do. I concur! As to pedalling, they give me the horrors, too. I wish I had Lars' instinctive feel for them, I just don't trust my own (weak) judgement of where my feet are headed. Most vexing!

David,

You'll get the hang of it eventually. Of course, as we age ... erm ... get older ... it's more difficult to change the manner of playing in which we are the most comfortable. I learned pedaling technique from the Gleason method book ... knees together, lower legs straight, pivot ankles, etc. Later in life, I 'unlearned' Gleason and adopted the John Stainer method, which 'allows' crossing over/under and other fun things for the feet to do. It really helped my pedaling technique overall.

Now then, when playing on non A.G.O. consoles, like I experienced at the Jørlunde kirke (Denmark) with a flat pedalboard .. and .. wider spacing between notes, that took some extra adjusting for me. The console at Wimborne Minster in the UK was concaved, and 'felt' slightly different, but not enough to throw off my 'learned feel' of the toes and heels.

[Contratrombone64]

*Nods knowingly at Lars!* I recently started ringing church bells - at the stage now of "plain hunting" and learning to "dodge". Boy, they ARE a bloody challenge, for sure!! Epecially a mental challenge, which I need to stave off dementia!

[JONESEY]

CT Ha ha ... I first started out ringing bells and when I joined the choir and then a server I stopped ringing.
Many years later I was getting ready for a service and the vicar said to me "ahh, yes, you used to ring didn't you - can you just ring this one up for me?" (or whatver the term is). After a nearly shot up into the bell tower he said "or not ... back to the console"

Never gone near a bell tower since!!!!!

[Corno Dolce]

And then you have the "piquant problem" of Russian Bells, which are not like an English peal or a carillon with a chromatic set of bells. You have to think almost like you are playing a set of African "Djembe" drums(talking drums, I believe) - Polyrhythmic sequences are the order of the day - A Russian Bell ringer is called a "Zvonar" (Звонар).

[Ghekorg7]

Hallo brCD !
Same here.... similar Byzantine bells BIG and small in polyrythmic sequence. Never go close to !

[Corno Dolce]

Hey Braddah,

Good to chat with you. Ya know, once you get the hang of playing a "Zvon" its actually quite fun. There is a "Zvonar" at one of the smaller Moscow parish churches(Church of Archbishop St. Gregory) which has quite a set of bells. He is such an expert at a multitude of many different polyrhythmic sequences that lots of people stand still and listen with rapt attention. He is a monk who has studied composition, orchestration, arranging, piano, and voice. When you see him play the zvon in the belfry, its as if he is jumping around like a chimpanzee, and you notice that he really enjoys what he is doing, but he is absolutely professional but humble in his demeanor.