Ive played organ for nearly 25 years and worked on them too. Ive used both Socks and even organ masters. I've always had problems with Organ masters because the people there are RUDE and will not make a custom shoe required for my feet size. I haven't found a good shoe from anyone yet. My mentor could play in any shoe though. LOL. No, Im not talking about the actual shoe itself, but the dimensions. What I learned for hymn playing was to draw the 16' Bourdon, get an 8' Diapason on the pedal and use the bottom 13 notes of the pedal board for hymn playing, and unless a person could not reach a note fast enough, to use the 2nd E on the board at MOST. However on Classical music, you play it AS written. Another tip for pedaling is to learn 5ths. You can make that last measure sound BIG. So if you end on a C. Use C and G. Key of D. Grab for D and A. It produces a BIG massive sound that fakes the effect of a 32' stop.
I always got Leather Soled Dress Shoes from the Thrift Store. I also got a pair of Capizio Tapless Dance Shoes, though I rarely use then because I hate dealing with laces.
@@craigbrowning9448 Capezios are a good pick for me. Mine are E series Jazz "Oxford" lace-ups but they also make them in slip-ons that work as well as the lace-up style. I actually prefer mine to my Organmasters.
I use that trick of using 5ths above or 4ths below to make for a BIG pedal sound on that last note. Of course, if you already have a 32' stop or even a 64' stop set on the pedals and you try that, that's a good way to shake the building off its foundation with a really ugly and muddy sound (lol).
I have developed anterior femoral gliding syndrome over the years which means that certain works have pedaling that exacerbate the problem . Solution: chiropractor and figuring out alternative pedal choices( difficult but not impossible to do)
All very well for you as you are tiny. Heels together for me is over an octave. Teachers in the UK Aus, and Europe teach to keep KNEES together always until for extreme stretches such as double or triple pedalling (see some of the the works of Dupre)
Dear Jim: I think you have more learning to do.......the word is NOT "peddles".......it is "pedals".......Ps. stop playing music and learn how to spell.
@@actuallywhatimeant2583 thanks. I've kept learning. But I should take the time to learn how to read notes. I only play hymns how I hear them in my head. So most hyms I do play I've transposed or just play in a different key. I'm not educated in music or Organ playing. I just love the instrument and the beautiful bass notes that you can hear.
The Rodgers organ at church has a "bass coupler" for those who don't play pedals (such as pianists). I only use it after I had surgery and couldn't use my right foot for a few weeks.
Dear Joe......This is the technique you learn while taking organ lessons from a qualified teacher.......more to the point, you will NEVER gain this working knowledge by "hearing/seeing proper feet positions on a video". This is exactly why learning the organ correctly is equivalent to earning a four-year degree from a university. This cannot be learned from a Utube video.
Wow, that was a great video ... I don't play any musical instruments but I do love organ music ... and I did understand everything you explained ... now when I watch an organ video especially when they show foot pedaling, I'll certainly have a better understanding of what they are doing ... thanks for sharing!
If you listen to what she said, she said to find the C and "COUNT" 4 notes to the left to find G.... not that G "is" a 4th note in the chord.... she said clearly that you are playing the I and V chord. She was just giving a useful explanation to find the G quickly for a beginner organist.
I've been binge watching these videos for a while to get a sense of proper technique and stuff, but tbh I'd rather just stick with programming it on my laptop.
The comment about substituting a base note which is not the tonic note of the chord being played is an atrocious idea musically speaking. I understand that you are trying to help a fledgling organist BUT.......this is bad advice which could lead to one playing any base note as long as it appears in the chord being played whether it is the tonic note or not.
If the pedal technique of a virtuoso organist can be likened to either a contrabassoonist, a string bass player, or a tuba player, then the pedal technique of a fledgling organist can be likened to a timpani player whose part only calls for two or three drums to be tuned at a time.
It's bad advice too because 95% of hymns don't have droning pedal notes and aren't all sung in unison so your pedals are playing the notes your bass singers have to sing.
sovereign254 That's why I am planning on using the bass coupler so that I can play the pedal part on the great manual. At least until someone, let's say you, teaches me proper technique and allows me to buy organ shoes.
Paddy Fanning I've only ever heard of electric organs having bass to manual couplers and even at that you won't find many that do. In truth, everyone develops their own pedal technique, it's not 100% like the fingers that have very specific fingering depending on the key. This video isn't the worst video in terms of technique it's just the point she made on substituting bass notes that should never be done.
