NEB
New member
My sympathies on that one. If your service is anything like as elaborate as mine then you're gonna be busy and small things like organs being temperamental ya need like a hole in the head...
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Krummhorn
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The Worst Nightmare for the Organist
- Thread starter Krummhorn
- Start date
My sympathies on that one. If your service is anything like as elaborate as mine then you're gonna be busy and small things like organs being temperamental ya need like a hole in the head...
methodistgirl
New member
Even the best organ can have problems. They had to tune up the organ
the other day so that we could have such an event like last night. The
music was beautiful when Paul Harris or organist played the First Noel.
judy tooley
methodistgirl
New member
I had a bad experience like that on the piano. I was only fourteen at
this little church I grew up in and I also had a bad one on the organ
too once. As for the organ which is the reason I don't really care for
Hammond organs is the morning that I was to substitute for the organist.
The day before the janitor pushed back all of the little stops to the
equalizer and at the time I didn't know how to fix one to make the organ
sound better and it took all morning adjusting the equalizer to get even
a sound from the organ. They not exactly pipe organs like the one I
play on now. This was a little jazz organ like for someone's house.
A pipe organ is a whole lot easer than a Hammond to get a sound
on. Pipe organs have stops not a graphic equalizer. All you have
to do is pull about three stops for each manual and you have it.
Hammonds are different so I had a nightmare with it. The piano was
another nightmare. I sit down to play it one sunday morning and
about five little spiders jumped out of the keyboard. I jumped up and
screamed while trying to play Amazing Grace. I cried when I got
through over the deal. That can be bad for a 14 year old girl.
judy tooley
this little church I grew up in and I also had a bad one on the organ
too once. As for the organ which is the reason I don't really care for
Hammond organs is the morning that I was to substitute for the organist.
The day before the janitor pushed back all of the little stops to the
equalizer and at the time I didn't know how to fix one to make the organ
sound better and it took all morning adjusting the equalizer to get even
a sound from the organ. They not exactly pipe organs like the one I
play on now. This was a little jazz organ like for someone's house.
A pipe organ is a whole lot easer than a Hammond to get a sound
on. Pipe organs have stops not a graphic equalizer. All you have
to do is pull about three stops for each manual and you have it.
Hammonds are different so I had a nightmare with it. The piano was
another nightmare. I sit down to play it one sunday morning and
about five little spiders jumped out of the keyboard. I jumped up and
screamed while trying to play Amazing Grace. I cried when I got
through over the deal. That can be bad for a 14 year old girl.
judy tooley
Gosh that's horrible ... that would frighten me too
. I imagine the spiders were equally as terrified ... :nut:
methodistgirl
New member
I was practicing today on the pipe organ. Let me start that right!:grin:
When I practiced on the organ today, I was trying to play a polka on
it by Strause and Fingertip polka and I accidently slipped on the
organ bench and kicked one of the buttons beside the sound pedals.
Every stop on the organ popped out and when I went for the next
chord of the song I got blasted with sound. I automaticly stopped
what I was doing and pushed all back in and picked out my favorites
once again. When I was through with my practice I laughed till I cried.:grin:
judy tooley
When I practiced on the organ today, I was trying to play a polka on
it by Strause and Fingertip polka and I accidently slipped on the
organ bench and kicked one of the buttons beside the sound pedals.
Every stop on the organ popped out and when I went for the next
chord of the song I got blasted with sound. I automaticly stopped
what I was doing and pushed all back in and picked out my favorites
once again. When I was through with my practice I laughed till I cried.:grin:
judy tooley
NEB
New member
It happens Judy.
On new year's day's voluntary after morning mass I accidentally caught one of the general pistons with my third finger LH which pushed a few stops in just when I didn't want taking me back to foundations 8/16'. I suspect everyone thought it was intentional, and at a suitable place in the music I got back to the reg required using the next real crescendo to gradually put the stops back to foundations to 2' plus mixtures.
On new year's day's voluntary after morning mass I accidentally caught one of the general pistons with my third finger LH which pushed a few stops in just when I didn't want taking me back to foundations 8/16'. I suspect everyone thought it was intentional, and at a suitable place in the music I got back to the reg required using the next real crescendo to gradually put the stops back to foundations to 2' plus mixtures.
methodistgirl
New member
Neb, I thought that one was funny. When I was walking past the office
I guess the secretaries thought and paul one of the musicians thought
I just lost it!:nut: Paster Weyman was at the rotery club. He missed out
on the fun! I still laugh about it.
judy tooley
I guess the secretaries thought and paul one of the musicians thought
I just lost it!:nut: Paster Weyman was at the rotery club. He missed out
on the fun! I still laugh about it.
judy tooley
Daniel Palmer
New member
There is a digital piano in my church as well as a pipe organ, with numerous organ voices. I used to play it before I moved to the pipe organ. I was playing some quiet music before a wedding, when I hit the wrong 'sound variation' button. Instead of 'Chapel Organ 2' I ended up on 'Theatre Novelty'
Thankfully the church was quite empty at this point and I escaped only with a couple of surprised glances!
Daniel
Thankfully the church was quite empty at this point and I escaped only with a couple of surprised glances!
Daniel
methodistgirl
New member
I'm living another nightmare as a practing organist. Right now that the
year is still new the top musicians desided not to let me practice there.
They said I could practice at the fireside room. That's a piano and it
stays out of tune most of the time. I feel like my wings have been
clipped where I can't fly no more. What can I do to convence that I
won't hurt this beautiful instrument? There are not many churches that
have a pipe organ here. Other churches have organs like the Hammond.
What can I do?
judy tooley
year is still new the top musicians desided not to let me practice there.
They said I could practice at the fireside room. That's a piano and it
stays out of tune most of the time. I feel like my wings have been
clipped where I can't fly no more. What can I do to convence that I
won't hurt this beautiful instrument? There are not many churches that
have a pipe organ here. Other churches have organs like the Hammond.
What can I do?
judy tooley
Corno Dolce
Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
Hi Ms. Judy,
You might consider taking organ lessons from the music director. He/She might feel that you should be making progress in your playing and surely He/She would love to help you play even more beautifully and help to increase your knowledge of different organ repertoire.
Humbly yours,
Corno Dolce
You might consider taking organ lessons from the music director. He/She might feel that you should be making progress in your playing and surely He/She would love to help you play even more beautifully and help to increase your knowledge of different organ repertoire.
Humbly yours,
Corno Dolce
Judy,
Actually, the more a pipe organ is played, the better it stays in tune and remains in better mechanical condition. Were any reasons given to you for their change in policy?
Not knowing the physical layout of your church campus, but if the parish offices are attached to the church where they can hear your practicing, maybe that is disturbing them, especially if you are there every weekday for endless hours. I have this similar situation - I can't practice much during the daytime hours ... if I do, I have to limit my registrations to 8' & 4' flutes and no 16' in the pedal. The office staff has to wear earplugs when the organ tuner comes ... lol. Maybe this is the reason for them not wanting you to practice for hours on end many days of the week?
You mention other churches with Hammond like instruments. Are any of those full size consoles with 32 note pedalboards and 61 note manuals? If they are, that might work - granted not the same sound, but as the late Virgil Fox once told me "it's not the sound that matters - it is the fingering and pedaling practice ... the sound follows what the fingers and feet are doing, so the real importance is what you practice, not on "what" you practice on."
I frequently practice organ pieces on my piano at home ... sans the pedal of course ... but once the manual parts are learned, the footwork comes along nicely. It's amazing how much better my articulation is on the organ after practicing on the piano ... it really works.
You might also check with a local music store - maybe they would let you practice a few hours a week ... I did this in my early student years before my folks bought me a full sized organ to practice on at home.
There is always a solution for every problem - sometimes the search takes longer than what we think it should.
Actually, the more a pipe organ is played, the better it stays in tune and remains in better mechanical condition. Were any reasons given to you for their change in policy?
Not knowing the physical layout of your church campus, but if the parish offices are attached to the church where they can hear your practicing, maybe that is disturbing them, especially if you are there every weekday for endless hours. I have this similar situation - I can't practice much during the daytime hours ... if I do, I have to limit my registrations to 8' & 4' flutes and no 16' in the pedal. The office staff has to wear earplugs when the organ tuner comes ... lol. Maybe this is the reason for them not wanting you to practice for hours on end many days of the week?
You mention other churches with Hammond like instruments. Are any of those full size consoles with 32 note pedalboards and 61 note manuals? If they are, that might work - granted not the same sound, but as the late Virgil Fox once told me "it's not the sound that matters - it is the fingering and pedaling practice ... the sound follows what the fingers and feet are doing, so the real importance is what you practice, not on "what" you practice on."
I frequently practice organ pieces on my piano at home ... sans the pedal of course ... but once the manual parts are learned, the footwork comes along nicely. It's amazing how much better my articulation is on the organ after practicing on the piano ... it really works.
You might also check with a local music store - maybe they would let you practice a few hours a week ... I did this in my early student years before my folks bought me a full sized organ to practice on at home.
There is always a solution for every problem - sometimes the search takes longer than what we think it should.
Contratrombone64
Admiral of Fugues
I agree with Krummhorn on this topic, for the other organists to banish you to the clapped out old piano is pure idiocy. You can NOT hurt a pipe organ by simply playing on it as it was designed to be played upon. In fact, the monster at my town hall has been out of bounds then ok, then out of bounds, then ok so often as to be just risible. Our current City Organist (the wonerful Robert Ampt) lets any organist play it so long as they book their time.
methodistgirl
New member
Thanks guys that makes me feel better.
judy tooley
judy tooley
musicalis
Member
the beast
My worst nightmare was not a piece of music but a living creature of God. While I played at the office, alone in the stand, something ugly creeped very slowly in my back. I could not leave the score from my eyes, nor stop playing because the priest and the crowd were singing.
And the horrible thing continued advancing towards me. I was scared.
By instant it was like a big ball with two kinds of pointed arms.
I saw also two huge eyes which seemed to fix me. The thing was only at 2 feet from me when the song ended. I spring up then far from the console to look at the thing with fear. After several minutes of observing the strange movements of the beast, I understood finally what it was. It was only an old bat coated with dust, fallen from the ceiling.
Not easy for me to tell the story in English. I hope you have understood.
My worst nightmare was not a piece of music but a living creature of God. While I played at the office, alone in the stand, something ugly creeped very slowly in my back. I could not leave the score from my eyes, nor stop playing because the priest and the crowd were singing.
And the horrible thing continued advancing towards me. I was scared.
By instant it was like a big ball with two kinds of pointed arms.
I saw also two huge eyes which seemed to fix me. The thing was only at 2 feet from me when the song ended. I spring up then far from the console to look at the thing with fear. After several minutes of observing the strange movements of the beast, I understood finally what it was. It was only an old bat coated with dust, fallen from the ceiling.
Not easy for me to tell the story in English. I hope you have understood.
Jean-Paul
methodistgirl
New member
That would have me scared and I probably would be doing some screaming
when I got up and then have to change my cloths afterwords now! That
was awful Musicalis.
judy tooley
when I got up and then have to change my cloths afterwords now! That
was awful Musicalis.
judy tooley
