How To Play The Organ?

Did anyone ever play the electronic ORGAN? With the pedals and all?

• Don't you find that it's hard to make the transation from playing the organ to playing the piano? Any tips/advice to pick up on my piano skills coming from an organ background where most of the time, you play chords???

• Answer:

  I started playing the organ when I was 6 yrs. old & I learned to play piano in high school at 17. At first, I had a difficult time resisting reaching for the foot pedals while playing the piano but soon learned that the bass notes you play with your feet on the organ had to be covered with the left hand on piano. Piano requires an amidextrous approach. The best way to accomplish what you're looking for is to practice scales with your left hand using the proper fingering. Once you get the scales down you can move on to playing some pieces that require both hands playing independently. Unfortunately, I did not follow this advice and I struggled for years trying to improve my left hand skills. Some simple pieces I can recommend to start with, when you're ready, are J.S. Bach's 'Two Part Inventions'. These are simple yet complex little pieces that can improve your ability to have both hands play independently. Then move on to his 'Three Part Inventions' which are more complex in nature. Both these pieces were originally written for harpsichord but translate perfectly to piano. Maurice Ravel wrote several pieces for left hand including 'Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major' (written for Paul Wittgenstein after he lost his right hand in World War 1). Camille Saint-Saens also wrote several Etudes for the left hand which would be good practice as well. Then move on to more difficult pieces like Tchaikovsky's 'Piano Concerto #1' and George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' (one of my all time favorites). Experiment with early rock songs too. While a lot of songs from the 50's and early 60's are relatively simple to play, the bass lines often walk or have broken chords which would be the same type of chord playing on the organ but you're not playing all the notes of the chord at once. Like getting to Carnegie Hall, the best way to get to where you want to go is practice, practice, practice. Get your left hand skill and independence built up as it is the key to a great piano player. I hope this helps. Now go out there and make your mother and I proud. (heh-heh......just a little humor). :)