How Do You Learn To Play The Organ?
One of the most interesting and fascinating instruments to play, is the organ. There are many variations of this instrument, from the standard electronic, , to the more refined Church Organ, Orchestral Organ or the Theatre Pipe Organ as they are called. They can have as few as one keyboard (manuals) to as many as seven. Learning the organ can seem difficult but also extremely rewarding, as the musical variety they are capable of is astounding. • The organ is a challenging instrument to play correctly, and there are many ways to play it correctly, both in popular and classical repertoire. However, if you have a good keyboard technique to begin with, you can move to the multiple keyboards and pedals with more ease. The organ, or at least the pipe organ, is not really the place to learn to read music or play a keyboard. You should get this knowledge on a piano. • Find an organ teacher. Ask around at local churches or colleges. Many colleges have undergraduate programs in applied organ, an
• The organ is a challenging instrument to play correctly, and there are many ways to play it correctly, both in popular and classical repertoire. However, if you have a good keyboard technique to begin with, you can move to the multiple keyboards and pedals with more ease. The organ, or at least the pipe organ, is not really the place to learn to read music or play a keyboard. You should get this knowledge on a piano. • Find an organ teacher. Ask around at local churches or colleges. Many colleges have undergraduate programs in applied organ, and music theory in general. You can also check organ-related periodicals for teachers. But the best way is to contact your local chapter of The American Guild of Organists (www.agohq.org) and research getting a teacher recommendation through them. If you choose to talk to a local Church Organist, make sure that they are well-qualified to teach. • There are some great books which can help you get up to speed quickly in terms of keyboard playing.
