How do I learn to play the Organ? 

It's 1:08am and I decided to learn organ to be able to play Davy jones soundtrack. (Without any knowledge of keyboard instruments or even how to read musical notes)

I’m about to take organ lessons at my college and I’m a little nervous for it. But this made me pretty excited to get on that bench!

Watching this 02.02.2020 and it’s no longer brexit season. Hearty farewell beloved Brits 😔 greetings from Germany

Hi Fraser! I recently discovered you and I want to say, THANK YOU for this English video. I am based in Canada and I'm grateful for your dedication to sharing your passion and expertise in organ playing. You're right, it is indeed a mysterious instrument and I have been feeling called to learn it! Your humor makes it less daunting to learn this instrument! Ha! And those stories about other organists are so inspiring! This instrument has gone a bit out fashioned and I'm so grateful that you are here sharing and passing it to the next generation! I've watched this video and some things I learned: 1. An organ is more than just an instrument, it's a MACHINE - I've never heard of it being described this way. 2. Coordination: Play a note with left hand + play a note with the left foot, left foot + right hand, right hand + left foot, right foot + right hand 3. Legato (not slurring) vs Staccato - learn how to finger substitution! Very important to be a masterful organist I'd love to be able to play the organ like you someday! Total Newbie here but my promise is when I do, I'll pass the knowledge and train next generation organists! I'll be watching Part 2 tomorrow! Keep the music alive! Thank you!

Just added the organ to the list of old, expensive instruments that I will probably never own. List so far: Harpsichord Lute Greek harp Organ

yes PLEASE English and German... more work I know. I took my first lessons on a pipe organ 50 years ago but then went to live where there were no pipe organs just electronic... mostly small. In recent years we came back to the coast to live; and I now have access to a good two manual instrument and I play for a church service once or twice a month and occasional concerts. I never learned good pedal technique or worked up a worthwhile repertoire. However in my retirement I'm learning and fast. RU-vid and Facebook (organist group) are my main teachers... and your videos are invaluable and encouraging! And fun! Please keep your English vids going!!

Ur videos have something special to them

Electrical engineering student 1:45 AM Lets watch how to play organ

Thank you! We went to an open-air organ concert in San Diego the other day and my son told me tonight that he was curious about how one can learn to play the organ so we looked for information and found your video! :-) We're French living in the USA so please continue to post in English! 🙏

I don't play the organs but enjoy your videos tremendously! Very informative and funny!

Thank you for posting videos like this. I play organ at my church but not well. I want to learn to play better but there are no teachers in my area.

Returning to this video because I got the organ lecturing post at university just after I graduated I'm so excited and this channel helped so much for learning about the instrument and techniques

Sir, you're the Sweetest teacher and thus far, this is the best tut I've ever had

Ich finde es cool das du es auf beiden sprachen machst ein lob geht an dich

Thank you so much! This is wonderful! I recently found a small organ at a thrift store and had to have it, so it's now in my living room taunting me. I do play piano, but have had a bit of trouble figuring out exactly how to play this. I'm looking forward to viewing all your videos and working along with your instruction.

You are SO fun!! Thank you for sharing your talents and teaching us!!! I am trying to learn to play the organ for church and am grateful I found you!! Thank you and your wife for taking all of the time to record twice for both languages. Wonderful!

Hello from America :) I’m a musician, and very Glad I tuned in.. So I was looking up on google why don’t I like the sound of the organ... then I looked up how to play and found you. This is amazing. I’ve never heard it like this before! So now I’ve a new respect for organist! I have an inclined ear to it now that I am understanding the components and what all goes into it. Thanks for posting, your sense of humor makes learning this incredibly amusing! I watched the entire video. And now I’m inspired! Lol 👍👍

This guy is way too passionate. I can't bring myself to leave the video

Dear Fraser, I just got back to viewing your great videos or maybe your wife's. I left Frankfurt am Main at age ten to move to the USA. In Frankfurt I was close to my church. My father was the sacristan at our church and we had a door from our flat that led to a corridor directly to the choir loft. I knew the organist. Father died in Crimea when I was three. Mother dated and I was indirectly in contact with the Frankfurt Philharmonic. Had I stayed I would have studied the organ. Creative energy guided me to pursue Art in the USA and I served as a high school art teacher for 40 years. In my next life I will pursue the pipe organ.

Mr. Fraser Gartshore , When I was 13 years old, I took Organ Lessons, from the Hammond Organ Company. I play in Rock Bands and wasted many years with that venue of style. But at age 66 I am starting again with the Music of Hans-Andre' Stamm. But reading of written music of Bach is now beyond me.

You are seriously one of my favourite people! Thank you so much for this video! I needed a good reason to play again.

Thankyou for making these videos, I’m looking into learning the organ and this has really cleared a lot up for me. Bravo!

You got my subscription.

Very interesting, I like how you make the video lighthearted and informative at the same time. Best wishes from Ireland.

I went to school in Germany when I was young wonderful video. I have the organ of my deceased grandma, I would like to play the organ in my local church.

Thank you for sharing. I play at church. I can use all the help I can get. Legato focus, foot heal toe focus is what I will practice. For me, I play one hand on the swell and other hand on the Great. I only use my left foot for pedals while my other foot remains on the volume pedal. I'm going to try your techniques but my right foot is actually trying to keep me balanced. Lol. I really enjoyed your jazz moment. thank you for playing. I'm in Califirnia USA.

To answer your question what we think regarding your English videos. Well, I do not speak German, so this is a "no brainer" for all of us english speaking people. My school German is not what it never has been :)

Thank you, Maestro, for putting in the extra work for this video! I’m very appreciative that you have and certainly look forward to many more. I enjoy your explanations and instruction along with your performances that are simply marvelous. Please keep up the great work!

I took my daugher (8 years) to the St. Joseph Oratory and she felt in love with the organ. She asked me to take lessons but I have not find a course locally. Should I get an organ and look for online lessons? I do not know how to help her and make her dream come true. Any recommendations is welcome.

Enjoyed this English version. Thank you! It will be fun to see what future episodes in this "introductory" series bring. There is so much mystery involved for non-organists, and your friendly and humorous style will do much good toward general understanding and appreciation. It's been fun for me to explain the workings of this complicated musical machine - and the organ always presents its many new challenges with each different instrument, unlike any other. Wishing you the best of luck in getting your 10,000.

RU-vid recommended me your video, I am really glad I found your channel. I subbed for more interesting organ videos!

Love this. There aren't many good organists who put out videos in English!

Love your charisma, thank you so much for doing these in English!

This is gorgeous... thank you for setting my faith in music.

I love the sound of that organ. It reminds me of the sound that the Big Wurlitzer organ in Casa Loma in Toronto has. I know it was a theatre organ that had all sorts of bells and whistles “ literally “ and the organ came up through the floor in a Toronto theatre way back when. My Dad told me about it and went to the theatre just to hear the organist during intermission and playing during a silent film I think in the 30’s.

this video was very informative, thank you! i am pretty new to music and was highly inspired to start learning the organ. it's truly a beautiful instrument.

This video got my emphatic thumbs up when the “sustain” pedal became “that thingy pedal” Thanks for helping this Yank’ learn to play some proper organ ;D

Thanks for the video! I've just moved to a church with a nice little organ that they're happy for me to go in and play when nobody's around, so I'm starting to teach myself, and this is really helpful. My piano skills are rudimentary (good electric keyboards are expensive) but improving rapidly, and I've actually been instinctively "cheating" in the ways you suggest!

Thank you for English videos because I live in the US and don’t know a lick of German!!

Great video, I actually learnt to play the organ alone by using my ear and can play songs basically but not properly if that makes sense and this video helps out alot in playing the organ in the way it should be played. 👍

I play organ too! I'm From Brazil 😊

An inspiring video sir! Thank you 👏🏼

Thank you for a great video! I'm a newish subscriber and am really enjoying the channel, even more so now that I can actually understand what you're saying. To answer your query near the start, I'm equally happy with videos re-shot in English, or dubbed, or even with English subtitles. Whatever makes your task easier and most enjoyable.

The tune at the end, Bravo.

Eager to see the next video!!! thanks a lot

Ah love this video,thanks for posting Fraser, we like your cheeky humour , lots of fun and interesting as well, thanks again :)

Though ich habe Deutsch gelernt in universitat, I really appreciate the English version. Also, it's fascinating to hear your English with it's Scots and German influences! :-)

An organ student’s feel-good video :-) Thumbs up for the additional English version

Very practical! A must in English, because there's no other distraction. Just me, you and the organ. Love your sense of humour!

Can't beat German humour! 😂😅 Really informative video. Regards.

Great video. The design of that organ looks great

You funny with a whole lot of knowledge. A magnetic combination. I'm glued to the screen, listening and I don't even play a piano.

Amazing video 👍🏻 I love the pipe organ ♥

First video and I already love this channel! Hope to play one of these babies before I croak

This is great! Thank you!

I like the fact that you do both languages :) Thank you.

Great video! Having English videos may allow for more people to feel included and get something out of them, whether English is their first language or not. That said, I was able to follow your German versions and I found them very interesting. Looking forward to your future posts! :)

Great video, it was very interesting and informative, thanks for making an english version! I am also a new subscriber, related to the english dubbing vs reshoots, I don't mind as they were both easy to understand and watch. Go with whichever you feel is better/easier.

Great stuff. Sounds like there is a Fats Waller influence in there. His recordings were what got me playing organ many years ago. By the way Claudia Herschfeld who is an excellent organist plays in high heels. Enjoyed your video please keep them coming.

Great job again, Fraser! While I did like the previous "dubbed" video, I must say, I have enjoyed this way a lot more. Definitely a nicer experience to have the audio levels consistent, rather than the "German video" audio turned down for your voice over in English, and then when you start playing, turn the German audio back up, and so on. HOWEVER, as much I as I like this format of this video, I MUST agree with a lot of other people who have commented as well.... Do WHATEVER format is EASIEST, and most comfortable for YOU to make these videos. You're not obligated to cater to us, who don't speak German, so do it how YOU want! Cheers!!

Great video again. This is definitely better than the overdubbed video! ;-)

Ok but how do you practice it without having an electronic one and just waking into the church and playing it.

Do you have any videos on how to play the organ badly because that's how i play and i want to know if i'm doing it right. Love your videos.

Wonderfull!!! 1000 times

I enjoy very much this video😊😊 Greeting for you from egypt😁

Bravo and Bless You for your good work in spreading interest in the organ! Thank you especially for your "anti-dogmatic" approach to making music. We have more than enough "prescriptive academics" out there drying up the organ scene. So thank you. Now, if I may be so bold - two suggestions: (1) Begin and end every video by introducing yourself. I've been watching your videos for several months via the youtube app on AppleTV. The problem with the AppleTV app is that it only shows the full screen view of the video (all the surrounding info like SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, etc.) are off screen. So for months I've had no idea who you are or where to find your channel. And (2), when visiting different organs please take the time to show the organ as viewed from the floor of the church. You seem to have many videos, including those filmed at your home church, in which we only see the console. Thanks again and please keep up the good work!

I love the humor in your videos

Apart from all the other things you mention in the video, I noticed the delay between the keyboard and the sound. As someone playing the piano, I think I would find that very difficult to wrap my head around :D

Excellent 👍🎹

You are AMAZING!

Very talented and cool

Idk who you are, but you are awesome, lol. This is my first video of yours that I have watched, and I will definitely be watching more

im gonna learn how to play it because the way it sounds and how much sound you can make that sounds good'

Nice lectures Sir 💥

Thanks Fraser - l look forward very much to your videos - German or English! My German teacher (many years ago) was Scottish and your German accent makes me very nostalgic!! I also love the organ!! If you ever get a chance to do a video on some good warm up exercises ...that would be excellent!..and no, I don't know why we're doing the whole Brexit thing either :)

" , , , if you practiced enough, anything is possible . . . "

I wonder if this guy kept his passport.

Loved this. Greetings from Bangladesh!

Hi Fraser, Thank you for this lovely thoughtful demo on the real stuff behind organists. I have been interested in pipe organs since I went to church as a child. I played A diatonic Accordion when I was 2 1/2 years old and still play today. I was a child prodigy. BIG DEAL RIGHT, not really, I was never taught to read music as all the teachers I was sent to didn't teach me how to read she just collected the money and pulled on her hair saying I don't know how I am going to teach this child.. So that was the extent. I wish I could play like you and I have played professionally duel manual console organs with an octave of bass pedals. So I am not far away but today I play a Geno2 just purchased at the end of April this year. My point is do you have any suggestions as to how I can teach myself how to play by note without using a teacher. I don't know maybe it is impossible. Well, that's it for me and again thank you so much for the demo I quite enjoyed the music at the end. I have played the pipe organ in our church that looked the same as what you are playing even the different colors from the piano on the board. White where black is on a piano and brown where white is. So I am familiar. Our organ was newly built in our church at the time and there were no switches I recall there were still pull stops and some preset switches you could program below the keyboards. So I was asked to play Lord of the Dance on the organ in our church when I was about 10 years old I used pedals and all and the people in the church applauded me and the only person who seemed to be upset with my performance which by the way was not bad. Was the organist himself. He said as I passed by to go back to the choir. "Don't come back until you learn how to play." He tried to discourage me but I just ignored him because I knew I played the lord of the dance to the best of my ability and it sounded amazing on the organ. I think he was jealous because he had years of study and still made mistakes. LOL Any Anyway please refer back to my question this was just a bit of information about me and yes I did play every instrument by ear even the bagpipes. LOl I also belonged to a pipe band. But couldn't play for competitions because my grace notes and doublings may have not been correctly done. I didn't read notes I listened and played what I thought was right. LOL, I am 67 next month and love music so much I can't get enough. Thanks for listening.

Thank you for your videos, playing one of these machines is a talent above talents. I have to say if you master this machine ( the focus on where each finger and foot is and what it's next move will be can be compared to monitoring gauges and display panels) the connection between your fingers and feet and ears at all times seems like you play it with your ears your fingers and feet are just the slaves to make it come together. I can predict you would have no trouble operating a helicopter, and/ or flying a jumbo jet with your eyes closed using your ears to keep watch on sounds signals and alarms, or to avoid alarms just use one eye from time to time to keep a check on the display panels. Being able to play this machine you should get a pilots license with just a 15 minute briefing on what to keep in check, which is 1/20th of what an organ seems to require.

Great Video!!! 😁

Great !!! Grazie; Maestro.... All the Best from Ireland. :-) The Italian guy: Renzo * New subscriber...

1) The music, in the beginning, isn't classical organ repertoire. That kind of music is best suited for a theater organ 2) Organ shoes provide better technique. They are near essential for beginning organists. Organ shoes are not expensive (roughly 60 usd for name brand) or 20 usd for dance shoes (the same thing) Organ shoes need a thin sole to better feel the pedals and the felt to slide on the wood Odd choice of music (especially for the instrument). Well played but I prefer the classical works. You earned a new sub.

Your english videos are my favourite. I like this one a wee bit more than the german video and the other one a week before. Because in my opinion english is the better language to learn things. All my abilities in painting come from learning in (american) english. I learned there way more than in german. Please go on like this.

Excellent Sir....... Braaaaavooooo!!!!!!!!

Sheet music for the "Organ Donor Blues"? I LOVE it!

mmm. Hi, there. love your videos. when you played the organ donor blues, i noticed you used another cheat. for the staccato, you slide yuur fingers off the keys. nice... love it. and you also said you will make videos in german. how about in afrikaans also, which is another german language. lol. sorry for not using the correct capitalisation. just feeling a bit lazy tonight.

I think I read Bach did not play legato as standard but in between staccato and legato with a quick lift of the fingers between the notes.

Another good video. Enjoy your videos and series. What are the black switches above the stop tabs?

I love the organ. It is truly the king of instruments!

Fun! "Sustain" or "Sustenuto" pedal.

We at Taylor and Boody Organbuilders in Virginia have decided that you are the greatest. Hope you don't mind.

Nice video man

i just found an electric organ for $25 and i'm going to learn to play

Thank you!

Have you got sheet music for "Organ donor blues"? It sounds awesome and I'd love to learn it!

I’m not here to learn to play the piano, just enjoying your personality bro, good vibes

Wait, what??!! You speak English??Wunderbar!!!.... though my German comprehension is getting veil besser!

Enjoyed your video. Coordination is very difficult! The German organ book you showed seems to be out of print. Neither does it seem to have been uploaded to IMSLP. Have you considered scanning & uploading the book to IMSLP?

Can you talk about hymn playing and its techniques on the organ?