Just realised I should have put this in as a 'new topic' and not added it on to the 'favourite organist' part - sorry....I'm a new member, very 'wet behind the ears' yet!

As a new organist, am I just inept, or did anybody else have initial difficulty in making your feet and hands work together? I've managed to master the pedalboard to the extent that I can play what I'm supposed to, without looking down - well, not too much anyway....but when I try and combine hands and feet I seem to 'freeze'. PLEASE, someone, tell me it's something I can conquer - I thought I'd never have the opportunity to learn to play the pipe organ - no sound on earth quite like it - and it's proving a bit more difficult than I thought. I'd love some encouragement before I become too discouraged - thank you!

Hello lilorganannie , and welcome to the forums. You will get plenty of advice here.

Have you tried an easy piece just using right hand and pedals together ? Then when you've done that try just the left hand and pedals togther. Then finally all three .
I know this seems the obvious answer. Most new organists find the main problem is co-ordinating the left hand and pedals, particularly when one is travelling up and the other down. Are you actually having organ lessons, or just trying to work it out yourself from your piano playing ?
Suggest you also try to play some of the easier hymns (eg tunes Ravenscroft and Caswell), using pedal for bass line, left hand for tenor line and ignoring the right hand to start with. The later add the right hand. You will soon get the hang of it !
Hope this helps. Good luck , and welcome to the wonderful world of pipe organs !

Hi LOA,

Been there, still struggling! I can't understand how my left hand takes on a life of it's own at times. I am a pretty competent pianist reduced to an uncoordinated wreck at an organ. However, as you will see from my signature, progress has been made and I am still plugging away. Don't give up.

I'm afraid the ubiquitous advice to play LH and pedals doesn't work for me - once I try to add RH it is as though I am starting from scratch again. I find I have to tackle things in tiny sections - sometimes one chord at a time and learn to do all 3 things at once, a bit at a time. I seem to develop some kinaesthetic memory of the moves required and then I can sort of play something. Sight-reading is a joke...

Best of luck!

It takes about a year to get comfortable playing with two hands and two feet.

I agree with fsharpminor that you should learn the tenor and bass lines of hymns with LH and feet. Before you attempt playing all four lines together, you could take an immediate step: play the soprano and alto lines with the RH on a silent manual. In that way, you could practise the physical coordination while listening to the tenor and bass lines only. When I first started playing, the part that tended to go wrong was the LH as it kept wanting to play the pedal notes.

Good luck. It's always great to see another musician taking up the organ!

(Sneak into the organ forum)

I've always been amazed how organists can manage to play with both hands and feet and thought it's one of those things that you either got it or you don't. Having taken for granted that organists must have superior coordination skills to the rest of us, it's nice to hear that this isn't the case!

(Quietly sneak out)

Just noticed an error in my earlier post. For Ravenscroft read Ravenshaw ! (Lord, Thy word abideth!)

Hi Lilorganannie - it seems from reading on this forum that experienced pianists have more difficulty initially co-ordinating hands and feet but - persevere! Once you've sorted that out your piano experience will stand you in good stead to move on quickly, I'm sure. I'm a different sort of beginner, in that I only started piano lessons three and a half years before starting the organ, and I didn't have co-ordination difficulties, but still have trouble finding notes on the keyboard (I keep at it, however, because I do make progress, albeit slowly.).

Hello fsharpminor....and everyone else who responded - I'm being a bit lazy and trying to save myself some typing (energy saved to be used on organ practice..!) - thank you for your quick reply - I didn't expect to receive so many, so soon (and thank you for the welcome too!).

The piece I've had most success with so far is in Anne Marsden Thomas' book two, 'Zu Bethlehem Geboren' - because there are only two notes with the pedals - G in the left foot, D in the right foot - even I can manage that, and also put both hands with it! I did start off with some hymn tunes, but I was so intent on trying to hold on to notes that you can release on the piano (thanks to the tre corde pedal....)....that was enough for starters. I have tried all combinations - I suppose I have to remind myself that I'm very much a 'sprog' at organ playing yet. Yes, I am taking lessons - at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington DC, across the street from my office. (I come from Lancashire, England, but have lived here for 30 years...) My teacher thinks I'm doing really well, given my very limited practice time; he's really very encouraging. He even managed to acquire a used pedalboard for me which is sitting in the garage at home, awaiting a bench wide enough to go over it....then I might try positioning it as close to the piano as I can and see what happens!

Like SueHM I'm a fairly competent pianist with some advanced rep., but reduced to an uncoordinated wreck at the organ! I'm SO glad to know I'm not alone in the world - everyone's words have given me some fresh hope.

Must tell you of one incident...I was really floundering around one day during my practice...noticed a very well-dressed African American lady sitting in the church....she suddenly appeared at my side, handed me an envelope and said "this is for you". A TIP, I thought? Never...!! She said how much she enjoyed the music (REALLY??....) I was trying to get to grips with Mendelssohn's 3rd Organ Sonata (slow movement) and not doing too well....feet, of course...and said some nice things to me. She asked my name, so I told her. Anne. When she left I opened the envelope; inside was a 'Thank You' card on which she'd written:

"Dear Anne, Thank you for your melodic ministry. Your sounds are soothing to the heart and soul. In sincerity, Sandra Hicks."

Then she was gone - she'd never been inside that church before, and I haven't seen her there since then. Now I'm really pinching myself - if it wasn't for the fact that the card is right beside me I'd think I'd dreamt it.

Thank you again for the warm welcome - to anyone else experiencing my problems, let's stay in touch!
(no organ emoticons, unfortunately!!)

That is a lovely story. Thank you for sharing it.

Sweet!

If you're just 'finding your feet' so to speak, have you seen any of these publications. As the titles suggest, they contain straightforward pedal parts, sometimes just a two or three notes, they will give you a little more confidence.

You may wish to consult the method books by Harold Gleason and Roger Davis, if your teacher hasn't already recommended them. These books are readily available in the US.

I haven't been in the organ forum for quite a while, but this is heartening. Lack of time has got the better of me and I haven't practised much with pedals recently. Must get back at it! I'm with Sue - doing things in sections doesn't work for me either; it's everything, together, slowly, or I'm back at the drawing board when I put it together - and I'm a fairly competent pianist too.

Sightreading?