Hi everybody. This is my first post. I have been baptised Orthodox but I am currently in the process of becoming Catholic. I am going to lessons with a Catholic Priest and am studying the faith and the catechism. I have been a musician most of my life - mostly with the classical guitar. I have a merit in grade 8 classical guitar.
I told my Priest that I want to start playing music in the Church, to accompany the singing. I wanted to play guitar, like they use a guitar in the service of another Catholic Church I used to frequent many years ago but he told me that they do not need nor want a guitar being played at the service and instead, a new organist because the current organist is very old, and will stop playing the organ during Mass within maybe a year, I was told by the Priest.
Some years ago, and although I have not been playing the piano in my life, I totally and utterly fell in love with the piano. And I started writing music on the piano. Before that, I was writing music and songs on the guitar.
When it came to the piano, I just used to write music - basically. I did learn a couple songs on the piano and I sang them in concerts a couple years ago in my old band that I am no longer a part of and I learned the first 45 seconds of the first movement of Beethoven's music sonata by hearing and replaying the music constantly and then finding the notes on the piano but that was it. Everything else I play on the piano is music I've written.
Although I can read music on the guitar, without a problem, (it's been a while though!) I cannot read music on the piano as I am unaware of the bass clef. For me, the piano was a way to be creative and write music. I took a few lessons, learned a few things with regard to harmony and just kept on writing music. The piano for me is my greatest love and when I write music on the piano and when I play the music I've written, it gives me such joy, such love and such happiness, that it makes me complete. The piano, for me, is a grace unto itself. It is so beautiful. The first time I walked into a Catholic Church, I totally fell in love with the music and the singing, the Church organ was something I had never heard before, it was so beautiful and I fell in love instantly.
I told the Priest that I do not know how to read music on the piano, and also that I am not so comfortable on the piano as I am with the guitar (because of my lack of expertise and experience on the piano). I explained all this to the Priest and he told me to consider and give it some thought, whether or not to play the organ in Church. He told me that I can meet up with the musicians in the Church and the lady who plays the organ in the Church, and they can help me and guide me. I also told the Priest that I can take lessons, learn how to read music on the piano, and learn the music played by the organist in Holy Mass, with the help of a piano teacher. But I have a few concerns.
How difficult is the church organ music played during Mass? Is it mostly chords? And how much music, and how many songs are there to learn? Given my situation, do you think I can manage to learn everything I need to learn, and be able to succeed in this, with the help of a piano teacher? I do not wish to get paid for playing the organ at all, I just want to contribute to the Church, in any small way I can.
Please advise. God bless you all.