Sight read the pedals
Following my recent moan about sight-reading resources, Mark Ellis of atticbooks drew my attention to Sight-Read the Pedals! by Richard Ellis. Eighty short pieces for organ sight reading: the pedal line starts with just two notes (C and F) and…
The Bulletproof Musician
I have Ruth Brons (@things4strings on Twitter) to thank for a link to The Bulletproof Musician, a blog solely about sports psychology for musicians, from Dr Noa Kageyama. He suggests ways to develop courage and confidence, discusses mental practice, slow…
Playing Elgar – with Dr Christopher Kent
Elgar’s image-consciousness could put many modern celebs to shame. As photography got into its stride at the turn of the 19th century, he posed for the camera as the dapper country gent (above) or the distinguished composer about to dash…
Go away, I’m practising
There’s something about an organ being played – like a traffic accident or a crime scene – that draws a crowd. Some excellent organists simply do not play in public, and I understand where they are coming from. If your…
Joyce Jones – queen of the pedals
Who wouldn’t like to play the pedals like Joyce Jones? I’ve just ordered her book, Pedal Mastery For Organ from Amazon and I can’t wait. The page previews show exercises ranging from elementary to quite terrifying. Joyce Jones is renowned…
Dame Gillian Weir
Do we like pictures of organists in gorgeous frocks and pretty shoes gracing the organ steps? Of course we do – I know Dame Gillian Weir has resisted, rightly, being styled as a lady organist, but the organ world desperately…
Staying put on the organ bench
Here’s my solution to staying put on the organ bench. OK, so I need to develop the posture and muscle tone to perch and swivel with nonchalance, but I’m still finding my feet, and need the trainer wheels at the…
Playing Bach with Professor Peter Williams
Can you be in rapport with an eighteenth century German Lutheran? asked Professor Williams, at the beginning of his study day on Bach in Cambridge last Saturday. All playing is distortion of a kind he said – you are imposing…
The art of concentration with Daniel Moult
Many of the RCO Academy classes are held in St Giles Cripplegate church, which boasts no fewer than three organs. This class was on a rainy London evening earlier this week, topic: concentration, tutor: the excellent Daniel Moult. Daniel was…
Psychology books for organists
The sports psychologists have been putting sportsmen and women through Mental Skills Training (MST) for years, and musicians have only just caught on to the fact that many playing and performance issues are mental rather than physical. So our tutors…
What the well-dressed lady organist is wearing this winter
The default dress for chaps playing the organ is, of course, suit and tie. Women have more options, and to cope with the bone-numbing cold of winter rehearsal and services, the temptation is to opt for layers of miscellaneous garments…
Meeting with giants – Gerard Brooks and the organ of Westminster Hall
An RCO workshop with Gerard Brooks on the rebuilt Methodist Central Hall organ
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