Beginning Organ Dan Miller

Beginning Organ

“Quick! I have to play the organ! What do I do?”

Relax! I’m here to help you! This workshop is designed as a 1-hour “here’s how to get started” coaching session, aimed for the non-organist (pianist or keyboardist) who is requested to play the organ with very little advance notice. This workshop will cover the very basics of the organ and how to play it.

Workshop overview:

1. Quick tour of the organ console

2. Stops

3. Pistons

4. Expression and Crescendo Shoes

5. Basic registration suggestions

6. Basic organ playing techniques

7. Easy organ music suggestions

8. Resources for more information

9. Let’s get acquainted…

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1. QUICK TOUR OF THE ORGAN CONSOLE

1a. Console Map

Stops (organ voices)

Thumb pistons (preset stop

combinations)

Toe pistons, also called Toe Studs

(preset stop combinations)

Shoes

Pedalboard

Swell manual (upper keyboard)

Great manual (lower keyboard)

Choir manual (bottom keyboard)

Great manual (middle keyboard)

Swell manual (upper keyboard)

Stops (organ voices)

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1b. Console Controls

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2. STOPS

Tab stops Drawknob stops

2a. What is a stop? The term stop is used to describe a single voice on an organ, such as Principal 8’, Clairon 4’, Mixture IV, etc. A stop sound will be heard if it is activated and keys or pedals which control it are also activated. For example, the Principal 8’ stop in the Great division will sound if it is activated and notes are played on the Great manual.

2b. How to turn on/off a stop To activate a stop, press the bottom half of the rocker tablet until it lights, and release (or pull the drawknob and release). To silence a stop, press the top half of the rocker tablet until the light goes off, and release (or push the drawknob and release).

! Stops can be cleared quickly by pressing the General Cancel piston, (labeled ‘0’) located on the right-hand side under the bottom keyboard. Simply press and release this piston to cancel a registration.

2c. Stop Families of Sound Character Organ stops are grouped into four main families: Principals, Flutes, Strings and Reeds.

The Principal family is the group of stops which are unique to the organ, they aren’t imitative of other instruments. Principals are often referred to as the “backbone” of the organ and play a strong role in hymn accompaniments and as the foundation of many chorus registrations. Examples of stops belonging to the Principal family are Principal, Octave, Super Octave, Choralbass and Prestant.

The Flute family consists of stops which are generally imitative of orchestral flutes and recorders. This is an extremely diverse group of stops which function in a myriad of ways, from acting as a solo color to serving as the basis of ensemble registrations, either by themselves or in combination with other stops. Examples of flute stops are the Rohrflöte, Flauto Traverso and Spitzflöte.

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String stops do exactly what you would imagine — they imitate the sound of orchestral strings. These ranks are smaller in scale than most other ranks and usually have a lot of upper harmonics and a “clean” or “silvery” timbre. This characteristic makes them well suited to accompaniment and softer ensembles. String stops include the Viole Celeste II. Other stops which are a cross between a String and Flute color are the Erzähler and Gemshorn.

Members of the Reed family are also very diverse and are used for everything from solo colors to the fiery crown in a full organ registration. These stops, also, are often imitative of orchestral reeds. Examples of reed stops are the Trompette, Hautbois and Cromorne.

2d. Other Families The Percussion family contains voices such as the Chimes and Harpsichord. These stops have a percussive attack and gradually grow softer as you hold the note.

Also present in Rodgers organs are voices in the Orchestral and Choral families. Examples of Orchestral colors include the Strings and Slow Strings; Choral voices are represented by SATB Oo and SATB Ah stops.

2e. The number on the stop shows its pitch. The stops and couplers on the organ each have a pitch designation, listed in “feet”, (8’, 4’, 16’, etc.). 8’ refers to concert pitch; a note played on an 8’ stop will have an identical pitch as the same note played on a piano. 16’ represents an octave below concert pitch; a note played on a 16’ stop will sound an octave below an 8’ stop.

This system of designating pitches represents the approximate length of open organ pipes; the largest pipe in an 8’ rank is approximately eight feet long; the largest pipe in a 16’ rank is about sixteen feet long. Other footages and their relationship to concert pitch are listed in the table below:

Pitch Relationship to concert pitch 32’ two octaves below 16’ one octave below 8’ equal to concert pitch (also known as ‘Unison’) 4’ one octave above 2’ two octaves above 1’ three octaves above

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2f. Fraction? It’s a “Mutation” stop. Mutation stops have fractions in their pitch designations. This means that their pitch falls somewhere other than on the octave. (Refer to the table below).

Mutation Common name Relationship to concert pitch 2-2/3’ Nazard one octave and a fifth above 1-3/5’ Tierce two octaves and a third above 1-1/3’ Larigot two octaves and a fifth above

Mutations are most commonly from the flute family and are often used with other flute stops in solo registrations or ensembles used in early organ music. Because mutations often appear in divisions with a number of other flute stops, a great diversity of solo color can be achieved by using various combinations of stops. See the following table for common solo registrations utilizing mutations.

Common Registrations for a Solo Melody Using Flute Stops and Mutation Stops 8’

flute 4’

flute 2-2/3’ 2’

flute 1-3/5’ 1-1/3’

Larger organs may have one or two mutation stops from the principal family. In most cases, these ranks are used to add color to the principal chorus.

2g. Roman Numeral? It’s a “Mixture” stop. Mixture stops are easily identified because of a Roman numeral. Common mixture stop names could be Fourniture, Mixture and Plein Jeu. Mixtures consist of multiple Principal ranks; the Roman numeral following the name denotes the number of ranks contained in the mixture. For example, a Mixture IV stop contains four ranks of Principal pipes. (A “rank” is a distinct set of pipes. Most stops consist of one rank of 61 pipes = one pipe per keyboard note. A four-rank mixture would have 4 pipes playing on each note.)

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2h. Celeste stops Celestes are unique among organ stops in that they are intentionally tuned sharp or flat in relation to the rest of the instrument. Celestes are paired with a partner stop (often called a “unison”) which is similar in color to the celeste stop but is in tune with the balance of the organ. When the unison and celeste are drawn together, the tuning discrepancy between the two stops creates a beautiful undulating quality suitable for lush, romantic textures. Celestes are either from the string or flute family, with the latter usually being the quieter of the two.

! TRY THIS: Listen to each stop on your organ individually. Hold a chord or a key and turn on and off each stop, one by one. Listen for its character (identify which family does it belong); listen for its strength (loud/soft); listen for its pitch. Most importantly, learn and remember which stops are the softest and the loudest.

2i. Tremulants If your organ has no stops on, but you turn on a Tremulant and play a key, you will hear nothing. Tremulants create a “wavy” sound to organ stops already turned on. Actually, tremulants change the pitch (sharp and flat), amplitude (volume) and timbre (tone quality). The use of the tremulant adds warmth and expressiveness to solo or small ensemble combinations. It is not common to use tremulants in larger classical ensembles. In some romantic ensembles, tremulants are used judiciously. In some gospel and evangelical musical traditions, tremulants with a wider and deeper excursion are frequently used.

There are two types of tremulant controls; divisional tremulants which affect only the stops in their respective division and general tremulants which affect all divisions.

2j. Couplers (i.e. Swell to Great 8’) If your organ has no stops on, but you turn on a coupler and play a key, you will hear nothing. A Coupler is a control which allows a division of the organ to be played from a different manual. For example, by activating the Swell to Great coupler, you could play stops in the Swell division from the Great manual. (“Swell to Great” literally means, “connect the Swell division to the Great manual”).

Couplers allow you to control a larger portion of the organ from one manual or the pedalboard and are useful in achieving larger or more varied registrations.

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3. PISTONS

3a. Using Pistons to Select Registrations Combinations of stops and couplers are referred to as registrations.

Obviously, once you’ve found a desirable registration, you’ll want to be able to recall it quickly and easily. This is done through the combination action of the organ.

The combination action is comprised of pistons, each of which can store a combination of stops, couplers and other settings. These pistons are located beneath the manuals of the organ (commonly referred to as thumb pistons) or on the kneeboard to the left and right of the expression shoes (commonly referred to as toe pistons).

Pressing a piston with your thumb or foot will cause its stored registration to be recalled instantly.

Each of the available pistons in the combination action can be easily changed to suit your particular needs and tastes.

3b. Using “0” to Cancel Registrations Stops and couplers can be cleared quickly by pressing the General Cancel piston, (labeled ‘0’) located under the bottom manual on the right-hand side of the keyboard. Simply press and release this piston to cancel a registration.

3c. General and Divisional Pistons Most organs have two different types of pistons, general and divisional pistons. General pistons affect the entire organ, while divisional pistons affect a single division. For example, you could use a single general piston to recall stops, couplers and MIDI settings on every division at once, or you could use a Swell divisional piston to change the Swell alone.

General pistons are located on thumb pistons under the left-hand side of the Great and Swell manual. In addition, they are duplicated on toe pistons to the left of the expression shoes.

To recall a registration stored on a general piston, you could press either the corresponding thumb piston or toe piston; in other words, to select general piston 7, you could either press thumb piston 7 under the Swell manual or toe piston 7 on the kneeboard. This duplication of pistons allows you to use either your thumb or foot to recall the same registration, depending on what is most convenient.

Divisional pistons for the Great, Swell, and Choir are located under the corresponding manual. For example, Great divisional pistons are located underneath the Great manual near the middle of the keyboard.

Pedal divisional pistons can be thumb pistons but more commonly are only available as toe pistons.

General pistons affect the entire instrument. Use these pistons when you want to affect all stops and couplers with a single control.

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Divisional pistons work well when you want to affect only a single division. For example, if you want to change stops in the Swell without affecting the rest of the instrument, you could use a Swell divisional to change only the Swell registration.

Refer to the next illustration for the location of general and divisional pistons.

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3d. How to Set a Piston

To set a new registration on a piston:

1. Select the desired stops, couplers and MIDI settings.

2. Press and hold the SET piston, located on the left hand side under the Great manual.

3. While continuing to hold SET, press the piston to be programmed.

4. Release both pistons. The new registration is now stored.

3e. Tutti There are times when a full organ registration is needed immediately. The Tutti thumb piston allow you to engage full organ quickly without canceling the registration which is set.

To activate Tutti, press TUTTI. As this is a reversible control, simply press it again to turn Tutti off and return to the current registration.

When Tutti is activated, the Tutti indicator located directly above the Crescendo indicator is lit. Pressing General Cancel (0) will cancel Tutti.

3f. Memory Levels The Rodgers console’s advanced combination action has four (or more) memory levels, effectively multiplying the number of available combination pistons by four. These pistons are labeled M1, M2, M3 or M4. Pistons stored on one memory level don’t affect those stored on other memory levels; each of the memories is independent.

Many organists keep regularly used registrations, such as those used for hymns, on one memory and use other memory levels for preludes, postludes and choral accompaniments, which may change week to week.

To select a memory level:

1. Press the corresponding memory piston (M1, M2, M3 or M4). It will light.

When the organ is powered on, M1 is automatically selected.

! Rodgers SmartCard Memory System™ gives you unlimited memory levels! Over 100 Memory Levels can be saved to a Smart Media Card inserted into the organ. Use individual Smart Media Cards for multiple organists, organ students, etc.

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4. EXPRESSION AND CRESCENDO SHOES

4a. Expression Shoes The Rodgers console has two expression shoes which are used to control the volume of the organ. The left shoe normally controls the volume of the Choir, Great and Pedal divisions and the middle shoe controls the volume of the Swell division.

When an expression shoe is pressed forward, the volume of the division increases; when the shoe is drawn back, the volume of the division decreases. The position of the two expression shoes are displayed on two expression indicators, located on the right-hand side of the coupler rail.

4b. Crescendo Shoe The slightly raised shoe on the right is the Crescendo shoe. This shoe gradually adds a preset selection of stops as it is pressed forward. It does not affect the stops already in use on the organ but merely adds to them as the Crescendo is activated. Closing the Crescendo shoe subtracts the stops in reverse order.

Stops added by the Crescendo shoe do not light as they are activated. A Crescendo indicator which shows the position of the Crescendo shoe is located on the right-hand side of the coupler rail next to the two expression indicators.

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5. BASIC REGISTRATION SUGGESTIONS Listed here are five basic organ registrations for church use, particularly for choral accompaniment and hymn playing. ALWAYS listen to your selection of stops and adjust your registration for proper level of volume and balance. You may wish to set these registrations to General Pistons 1-5.

Purpose Pedal Swell Great Choir

1. Very Soft The softest 16’ stop The softest 8’ stop (no reeds) (celeste stop OK)

Softest 8’ stop (celeste stop OK) Swell to Great 8’ Choir to Great 8’

The softest 8’ stop (no reeds) (celeste stop OK) Swell to Choir 8’

2. Soft Softest 16’ Maybe softest 8’ ? Maybe Swell to Pedal 8’ ?

Two softest 8’ stops (no reeds) (celeste stops OK)

Two or three softest 8’ stops (no reeds) (celeste stops OK) Swell to Great 8’ Choir to Great 8’

Two softest 8’ stops (no reeds) (celeste stops OK) Swell to Choir 8’

3. Medium Two of the softest 16’ stops 8’ stops (no reeds) Swell to Pedal 8’

All 8’ and 4’ stops except reeds and celestes.

All 8’ and 4’ stops except reeds and celestes. Swell to Great 8 Choir to Great 8’

All 8’ and 4’ stops except reeds and celestes. Swell to Choir 8’

4. Medium-Loud All 16’, 8’ and 4’ stops except reeds

All 8’, 4’, 2’ stops except reeds and celestes.

All 8’, 4’, 2’ stops except reeds and celestes. Swell to Great 8’ Choir to Great 8’

All 8’, 4’, 2’ stops except reeds and celestes. Swell to Choir 8’

5. Loud All 16’, 8’ and 4’ stops except reeds. 32’ stop if available. Swell to Pedal 8’ Great to Pedal 8’

All 8’, 4’, 2’ stops except reeds and celestes. Mixture.

All 8’, 4’, 2’ stops except reeds and celestes. Mixture. Swell to Great 8’ Choir to Great 8’

All 8’, 4’, 2’ stops except reeds and celestes. Mixture (optional) Swell to Choir 8’

A louder level of registration above #5 would be the TUTTI piston, which means “full organ.”

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6. BASIC ORGAN PLAYING TECHNIQUES

It is presumed that you already have a basic foundation of music reading, keyboard knowledge and skill. The techniques below are quick helps for a situation where a non-organist (pianist or keyboardist) is requested to play the organ with very little advance notice.

6a. Posture Sit in the middle of the bench. The bench should be positioned (forward or back) so you can reach the expression shoes and pedals comfortably. Make sure the bench is positioned evenly straight with the organ console. If the bench has a backrest, you should not lean against the backrest as you play the organ.

6b. Keyboard technique Playing the organ keyboards is similar to playing a keyboard (synthesizer). Unlike playing a piano, the notes most often should be more connected. However, if the music is rhythmic, detached playing could be more appropriate. “Breathe” with the music. For example, lift the keys momentarily when a singer would breathe (especially for a hymn).

6c. Pedal technique Play the bass note of the chord or harmonic structure on the pedal, using your left foot.

! Of course, the best organ training is to have one-on-one lessons with an organ instructor.

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7. EASY ORGAN MUSIC CHURCH REPERTOIRE SUGGESTIONS

These are some suggestions. Browse thru easy organ music offered at the exhibits and workshops at this convention!

He Leadeth Me Dorothy Wells Lorenz 70/1247L

Hymns for the New Organist Gayden C. Sikes Genevox 0767317416

Music for Manuals – General & Fall Festivals compilation MorningStar Mus Pub MSM-10-558

Music with Minimal Pedal – General & Fall Fest. compilation MorningStar Mus Pub MSM-10-559

Our Faith Eugene McCluskey Lorenz 70/1243L

Unending Carols Tim Doran Lillenas MC-276

Unending Comfort Tim Doran Lillenas MB-687

Unending Hymns Tim Doran Lillenas MB-653

Unending Love Tim Doran Lillenas MB-756

Unending Praise Tim Doran Lillenas MB-652

Unending Praise II Tim Doran Lillenas MB-693

Wedding Music for Manuals Ed. Charles Callahan Concordia Pub House 97-6427

Anything published by Frog Music Press! See www.frogmusic.com

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8. RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Websites • Web chat group, resources for Rodgers organs and the PR300S sequencer/sound

module: www.frogmusic.com • American Guild of Organists – educational resources: www.agohq.org • Organ Historical Society – www.ohscatalog.org (see below) • Search the web for books, videos, computer educational programs, etc.

Books Suggestions from www.ohscatalog.org: Wayne Leupold (ed.): First Organ Book For a First Encounter with the Organ! Concise and entirely accessible, this excellent book presents an introduction to the organ, a beginning organ method, and a collection of easy organ music. Designed as a primary teaching resouce for the AGO Pipe Organ Encounters, the compositions enable the keyboardist with minimal technique to sound well immediately, after three years of traditional piano study. 97 pages, softbound.

Joyce Jones: King of Instruments: A Short Method This 72-page, short, easy organ method for pianists "will get them playing as rapidly as possible." Study pieces can be used in church, and hymn playing is emphasized.

Joyce Jones: Pedal Mastery for Organ a method book for pedal study with technique clearly explained and reinforced with exercises, many taken from standard organ works. OrganTutor Organ 101 by Don Cook. An interactive, multi-media, computer-based resource for classical and traditional sacred organ instruction. OrganTutor serves as a “teaching assistant” for basic organ playing in 62 lessons, making use of old technologies and the new technology of your computer. Movies and/or sound examples are included in most lessons. The sound examples may either play through the speakers of your computer or through a MIDI interface to the organ. You’ll need a Power Mac or Pentium with PC at least 16 MB RAM, sound card with MIDI interface, and CD-ROM 4x or better. The “Tutor” is an aid to instruction and not a replacement for an organ instructor. Dr. Cook is organ instructor at Brigham Young University. Includes software and instruction book.

Roger E. Davis: The Organist’s Manual Scholarly and user-friendly, this method has much to offer the beginner and the experienced professional. Included are sections on manual technique, pedal technique, interpretation, and useful appendices: hymn playing, a well-illustrated and clearly-written description of the organ, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. Exercises and examples are practical, interesting, and drawn from established organ literature. Extensive and very helpful sections address principles of fingering and ornamentation. Sixty-six compositions are progressively arranged according to difficulty in a superb anthology by 42 composers representing a broad variety of styles and periods. Registration suggestions are provided for each work. A thoughtful selection of hymn tunes for study completes this highly recommended and versatile book. Hardbound, 209 pages.

James Engel: An Introduction to Organ Registration The author builds a foundation for understanding the classification of organ stops both by pitch (16', 8', 4', etc.) and by timbre (principal, flute, string, reed, etc.). He also deals with mechanical devices such as swell shutters, tremulants, crescendo pedal, etc. An appendix shows the shape of each type of organ pipe. The concepts presented are applied to specific musical examples. David M. Cherwien: Let the People Sing! A Keyboardist’s Creative and Practical Guide to Engaging God’s People in Meaningful Song by David M. Cherwien. Useful to the most and least experienced church organists and everybody in-between, this practical manual is an extended masterclass in leading congregational singing from the keyboard. Many good observations and suggestions are followed with plentiful examples, creating a manual that you will return to again and again if you seek to improve your performance as an accompanist and the congregation’s role as singers. 179 pp.

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9. LET’S GET ACQUAINTED… In considering the scope of Dan Miller’s gifted career, one finds it embraces the entire gamut of musical artistry. He is internationally renowned as a pianist, organist, harpsichordist and keyboardist. He has taught music, conducted choral groups and orchestras, led and facilitated worship in many different settings, and managed large concert productions and music conferences. He is also respected as an innovative leader in handbells. A professional member of ASCAP, Mr. Miller is renowned for his composing and arranging, and has several published works to his credit. He has been seen and heard live in concert and through recordings on radio, television, and the internet. He has been the featured solo organist with several Symphony Orchestras. He is a past-dean of the Ft. Lauderdale chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Mr. Miller holds the distinguished position of Product Manager and Design Manager of Four-Manual Custom Organs at Rodgers Instruments LLC, one of the world’s leading organ builders, in Hillsboro, Oregon.

A church organist since age fifteen, Dan Miller has served at several notable churches. At Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, he presided over the world’s thirteenth largest pipe organ; at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he served as assistant organist to Diane Bish. Currently Dan is the Organist for two churches in Beaverton, Oregon: St. Matthew Lutheran Church and Beaverton Christian Church. He also serves many churches nationwide as Guest Organist for their worship services.

Mr. Miller holds a Church Music Diploma from Moody Bible Institute. He majored in organ performance at the American Conservatory of Music, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University, and a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from Winthrop University.

Mr. Miller has recorded eleven organ compact discs, of which some selections have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Pipedreams.” His first CD, The Calvary Organ Dedication, was chosen as “The Organ CD to Die For” by Stereophile magazine in its February 1994 issue. He continues to enjoy his work with teams and committees as consultant and advisor in designing heroic grand organs of world-class significance and preeminence.

Dan and his wife live in Hillsboro, Oregon. They have two daughters.

For more information about Dan Miller, please visit his website: www.DanMillerMusic.com

“. . . There is the added joy of having [the Calvary Grand Organ] presided over by one of the finest of the young organists of the generation. Dan Miller is not only vastly musical and superbly gifted, but he understands this magnificent new instrument and uses it to its fullest potential. I urge you to hear this unbeatable combination . . .”

The American Organist, April 1991

www.DanMi l le rMus ic .com dmiller@rodgers.rain.com • 503.681.6544 • Rodgers Instruments LLC • 1300 NE 25th Ave, Hillsboro, OR 97124

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