How much study on piano is necessary before studying organ?
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,296
    Thanks, CharlesW. Do others agree? An organist friend said it could be problematic and said I shouldn't get it. He seemed to think it would harm my development. I have a tendancy to agree with Charles, but I would appreciate more input.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    My first two practice instruments both had flat-radiating 25-note pedalboards. They were good enough for me to begin developing a basic pedal technique. Even my current practice organ doesn't have an AGO standard pedalboard. It has 32 notes, but I think that it is a slightly "compact" version (My organ is a Baldwin Cinema II from 1974 which I'm about to replace with a home-built midi console, rebuilt from a Schober Church Organ.)

    You may indeed find that many historic pipe organs don't have an AGO pedalboard, but may also have parallel or flat pedalboards. The organ which I do about 80% of my playing for masses and other liturgies has a 20-note flat parallel pull-down pedalboard:

    http://www.sydneyorgan.com/Campion.html

    Get something other than a spinet, and get pedalling is the real key to it. Your second or third (or in my case, fourth) practice instrument will probably have an AGO pedalboard, but it isn't an absolute necessity at first.
    Thanked by 2irishtenor R J Stove
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Walker, you say? That looks like a fine little instrument.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    I only have played one organ with a radial pedalboard. The dozen of other organs I played, including a historic instrument from 1714, had a parallel pedalboard. I find it very hard to play on a radial pedalboard since I am so used to parallel pedalboards I almost certainly will play wrong tones when using a radial one.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    "Walker, you say? That looks like a fine little instrument."

    Indeed it is. 3 ranks: 8' Stopped Diapason, 4' Open Flute and 8' Keraulophon (common bass) and makes a fine and merry little noise for such a tiny instrument.

    It works particularly well with a lot of that English Manuals-only music. the Keraulophon in combination with the stopped diapason gives a lovely sound almost like a horn diapason, which in the upper registers sounds like a soft oboe and with a bit of juggling fakes a double-manual instrument for trumpet voluntaries.

    It does present a challenge to people who are used to 2-manuals and a full 32-note pedalboard though!
    Thanked by 1R J Stove
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