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About a year ago I started playing the organ, probably a bit late in life but I'm only playing for my own enjoyment not to become a professional. Found a good used electronic organ so now I can practice at home and do not need to drive over to the church.

Found a program online the other day called "hauptwerk" lets you use a keyboard connected via midi to your computer. You can then load various pipe organs from around the world and played through your stereo it sounds pretty realistic. Bit like flight simulator but for the organ. Having a great time with all this. Any other players out there?

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I was, slightly, many years ago.

When everyone else of my age was into guitars, I was different and more interested in keyboards - the influence of people like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. So we had an upright piano at home for a few years; I was partly self-taught, although I also had some real lessons from a school music teacher, I also did quite a bit of "practising" on the organ in the local church. I could sight read to a degree, and could even use the foot pedals on the organ. Bit of a party trick, that one.

But as with many things, as I got older my interest waned. I haven't touched a musical keyboard or tried to read music for years so I don't know how much I might remember. Perhaps I ought to find out.

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Yes, left and right hand plus pedals does get interesting at times, but well worth it. Maybe you should give it try again Cliff, you might remember more than you think. Our church only has an old electronic organ, but the church where my teacher is music director has a really nice pipe organ and I get to play that every week. Just love it.

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  • 4 years later...

Thought it was about time I posted another video.

 

Still into Bach more than most other composers.  A guy on the organ forum I am on commented the other day that, "Learning Bach as a new organist is like trying to learn arithmetic by starting out with calculus."  Don't know if I'd go that far, but he does have a point.

 

Main problem I find is that I am a bit slow tempo wise.  As I try to increase speed the mistakes increase with it, or my feet get left behind my hands.:biggrin:

 

Anyway as they used to say don't shoot the pianist / organist he's doing his best. :rolleyes:

 

Edited to add.  Headphones will allow yo to hear the pedal notes better than most computer speakers.

 

 

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Sounds very good Dave, out of interest our church recently ripped an old pipe organ out & scrapped it. Originally donated to our church in 1929 it;s former home being the Albert hall in London.

Massive thing but not worked in years.

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#5

 

I wouldn't worry about tempi, Loppy. Bach rarely placed any dynamics on his scores. Mr Gould made two versions of the Goldberg variations, at wildly differing tempi, in the 50s and the 80s. I greatly prefer the latter, which is much slower.

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6.   Hate to see the old pipe organs ripped out, Mick.  I can understand it though.  Not so many pipe organ techs around anymore and those there are cost a pile of money.  Still love a real pipe organ though, even though electronics are very good in these days.

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St Peters Cathedral in Adelaide is repairing and refurbishing its pipe organ at a cost of $AU 2 million and parts are being shipped back to the UK to be worked on.  This Cathedral is probably best known to cricket fans as part of the backdrop to the Adelaide oval.  Photo from the Advertiser Adelaide

St. Peter’s Cathedral in North Adelaide is in dire need of restoration.

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Biggest problems with pipe organs is that they are quite temperamental.  They will go out of tune due to changes in the temperature or humidity of a building.  That means leaving heat or air conditioning on for some time before you intend to play.  It's not too bad if only the organ is being played but if another instrument is being played with it things can sound off.  Before telephone exchanges etc. the pipe organ was said to be the most complex machine invented by man.

 

Electronics rarely go out of tune.

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Thirty two pedals, Melissa. From low C to high A.  Four octaves.  Music written for the organ has three lines of music.  Right hand, left hand and pedal.  That's where things get interesting.  Not so much difficult, as just demanding a lot of practise.  Good for us old timers to keep the brain active.

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It's not difficult for me - it's impossible. I've bashed my keyboard to within an inch of its life but it seems any connection in my brain between left and right hand is pure rumour. Adding feet to the equation would almost certainly cause a melt down.

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Melissa. go to the What Are You Listening To Now thread. The first entry on page 1 has a superb example of organ pedal work, especially near the end of the piece. I know it is not your style of music, but you will admire the dexterity of the player, who is younger than you.

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