r/organ

Hi, I’ve got no idea whether this sub is the correct one to ask this but here I go anyway:

My favorite song of all time is A white shade of pale by Procol Harum. I’m no expert but I think it’s a Hammond organ. I’ve always adored this kind of sound but for some reason I can never find something even close to this song.

Im desperately in need of more songs that have similar melancholic organ sounds in them.
Anybody got some gems?
Thanks.

First of all, most organ courses are either for children, a DLC for pianists or extremely expensive

Then, finding an instrument to practice is also hard. In church you would need a permission from the main priest, but even then you may disturb praying people or risk complaints from old people for playing secular music. Concert halls often only allow profesionalists and music schools only allow their students to play

Why is this instrument so gatekeeped??

Greetings fellow netizens,

Ive wanted to play the organ since I first heard Dead Magic by Anna Von Hauswolff at 15 (almost 7 years ago now, im so old). I started taking piano lessons in September and and am finishing up learning Clementi: Sonatina in C major, op. 36 no. 1 and am starting  Burgmüller: Innocence, Op. 100 No. 5. I just wanted to know what songs would be a good marker that I'm ready to switch over or what songs would make someone the most willing to take me as a student.

also side note : most of the pipe organ teachers in my area, at least that I've found are expectedly super religious So.... how queer friendly does this community tend to be?

When I saw I was going to be north of Boston for this series of videos, I turned to the OHS database and it's helpful map function to see what other instruments were close by. Being full of historic instruments that may or may not still exist, the database returned a number of Estey organs. Estey, located in Brattleboro, Vermont. That's just over 100 miles from Boston, which in New England terms is practically another country, but by my Texan and midwestern standards, is just a nice drive. I mentioned to the Andover guys that while I was there I wanted to visit a Estey organ because we'd never featured one.

After they got over their shock and disbelief, we set about narrowing down where we could find a good example. There were some existing organs in Manchester, NH, but we ended up settling on a small instrument in Stoughton, about a half-hour south of Boston. It was out-of-the-way, but it was a great example.

It is also the site of one of the first IKEAs in the country, and the Andover guys like going down there to eat lunch at the store. So, after leaving the Seminary, we went to IKEA and had lunch. We went to the church and met Eric Anderson. He's not your typical organist, but he knows the little Estey at the church and makes it work for their needs. Upon going over the organ, Ryan found that something had fallen out of tune, so he managed to get in and remedy it by removing facade pipes. I wish I had the cameras out and rolling at that point because it illustrates one problem with these organs. Estey didn't expect them to last forever, and they didn't make them easy to work on. The view inside this instrument is brief, because it's just not easy to actually get in to reach anything.

The organ played very well, however, thanks to a father and son team whose name didn't make it into the video. They did a complete releathering of the organ at some point in it's life. The father was a former employee of E. and G.G. Hook when their shop was still operating.

There is a minor sound glitch in this video. I don't remember exactly what happened or didn't happen, whether it was equipment or operator failure (most likely the latter) but the sound track of the organ was recreated using multiple sound sources. It's not a big deal because the sound of this organ is not really the attraction. It's the unique design options that Estey chose, for better or for worse. Because the organ was small and made for a quick video, we also shot some video of Matthew Bellochio talking about the C.B. Fisk organ that we had recorded the evening before. We had to rush that because the sun was setting, and the light in the room kept changing. Another reason why I don't like shooting in the short days of winter!

The video is here: https://studio.youtube.com/video/wuY6viRhWeA/edit

After shooting I drove all the way back up to Manchester, and then got up very early the next morning for a pre-dawn flight back to St. Louis.

Enzo Pedretti, originally from Brescia, Italy, is a name to remember and one we will undoubtedly be hearing much more of in the years to come. His immense talent is matched only by his modesty and generosity. A magnificent concert career is opening up ahead of him!

We hear him here performing in Berlin, opening for Julian Benedikt’s documentary film dedicated to the organ, "The Spirit of the Organ".

Hey all!

Been a pianist for 10 years and too socially awkward to go to a church and ask to learn/play organ for them.

As for some of the consumer prices... it wasnt long looking to see an easy no.

Thus, I set out to build myself a DIY system. I 3d printed and wired up a Midi Pedal board, hooked it up with my two keyboards, and installed grandorgue and a nice setup, all worked great right out of the box.

My issue?

Smart enough to 3d print and wire up DIY electronics:✅️

Smart enough to realize my 400 dollar laptop probably cant voice a building:❌️

So I need some advice on how I cannot spend the entire wallet and still get good sound. I'm the exact opposite of an audiophile, I've never bought more than 15 dollar headphones or speakers...

I'm open to both speakers or headphones, maybe preferring headphones, but I feel like thats a lower ceiling? Figured better to ask here than audio spaces given how wide of a range and demanding these systems can be.

Thanks for all inputs :)

I play a two manual Allen Renaissance, approximately 20 years old. It has 6 toe studs for the pedal division, but these do not include the couplers when saved. What I would really like is to have studs 1 and 2 for Gt-Ped and Sw-Ped, reversible. Is there a secret setting somewhere that allows this?

Hi! I’d like to add MIDI pedals to my ancient Clavinova for practice (I’m sure it’ll work, I’ve researched and read posts on Reddit!) but the Clavinova has three fixed piano pedals and built-in speakers above the pedals. If I place a pedalboard in front of those, the pedalboard will be hard to play — I’ll either be able to reach the keyboard or the pedals!

I was considering the StudioLogic MP 117 or maybe the JG3 Tech 24 but they both appear to have a solid back so can’t be pushed over the piano pedals.

Has anyone overcome this problem, or have any good ideas?

Thank you!

from what i've seen online i really don't like the quality of their work plus i want more range than just 36 keys

Hi, I'm a total beginner who has impulsively decided to buy an organ and start learning how to play. There are a lot of discount hammond organs available secondhand near me, but I don't know where to start.

I want to play soul music, R&B style, and rock mostly. I really like Booker T & the MGs. I think that a real vintage organ would also be cooler than an emulator.

Any advice is appreciated as far as what to look for. Here are some of the organs near me, do any of them lend themselves to this kind of sound?
-Hammond S6
-Hammond A-122
-Hammond M3

I frequently practice at 2 different organs, and every time I put them in my backpack, the corners sometimes get bent. Unfortunately most of my Bach books are softcover, so I fear they will deteriorate over time.

Any recommendations to keep the books in good condition? I usually put them in my car and in my backpack.

Thanks

Hello folks,

I’ve generally played for churches where the sound source (either pipes or speakers) are quite a ways from the console.

I recently interviewed for a church position with a tracker instrument in a freestanding case. The louder stops of this organ are in the swell and the swell shades start right above the music rest. This means that screaming Cymbal III is speaking right at my face!

For those that play instruments arranged like this, do you have any concerns about your hearing being affected? If so, what (if anything) are you doing about it?

For those that may be curious, it’s a II/32 organ built by Gabriel Kney.

I'm in a medium sized church with no carpeting and there is a balcony and a high domed ceiling.

Let's assume cost isn't a factor

Hello! Does anyone know of any reputable companies or stores that make good home organ parts? My budget is $5000, and I am planning for a full sized pedalboard, three manuals, a bench, and any good organ software. Though I don’t know where to start and I’m a bit overwhelmed with the process so any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you!