I have a dumb question about playing the organ
  • AbbysmumAbbysmum
    Posts: 106
    I have a dumb question and I won't see my organ teacher again until the New Year. For context, I'm a piano player who has made the transition to organ a few years ago, and started semi-regular lessons earlier this year.

    How does one know when to stop playing?

    (I told you it was a dumb question lol)

    In piano, I was taught to listen to the sound decay - it creates plateaus as the sympathetic frequencies meet and interact. You try to catch those plateaus to make the sound "complete". This is especially relevant when you have a bit of rubato, or a fermata, or something else that makes the time count less relevant.

    But I never seem to know when to make the sound stop on an organ. I know it needs to be clean i.e. pick up all my limbs at the same time, and sometimes it seems desirable to lift at the same time as the choir, but other times I feel like I want to go a bit longer. But how long is too long??

    Can someone(s) give me a few pointers in this regard?
  • francis
    Posts: 11,177
    I think this is a question of relativity, musical artistry, emotion of the moment… perhaps can you give a few specific examples?
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • davido
    Posts: 1,151
    For hymn playing and congregational service music, I like to hold the final note a little past whe. The congregation ends singing.
    For choral pieces, it is sometimes good to end with the singers, depends on the anthem.
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