Linda helps us relax

Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Beethoven

Here Linda plays this song on her Kurzweil with an string orchestra backing

Linda merges two great songs: Toccatta in D by Bach and “Up from the Grave He Arose” on the Rogers Organ at Ebenezer Methodist Church in Nassau, Bahamas

Can a piano player play an organ?

Not automatically! The keys and structure and layout of the instrument are the same but that is where the similarity stops! If you can read the music on a piano, you can read the music on the organ EXCEPT there is a whole other staff of music added to accommodate playing the bass pedals with your feet! So if you are not used to reading that bass clef line, you are – let’s say – in deep trouble!

Piano players never have to worry about all the stops to pull and push. You can get a degree in organ stops and registration! It is complex and complicated. Understanding the stops can make your piece powerful, rich and elegant, and missing the stops, or playing the wrong combination of stops can make the same piece dull and life-less!

It takes time to understand the stops. It takes times to get used to reading the notes for the bass pedals and getting your foot to co-operate by playing the right pedals at the right time, while your right hand is using one keyboard and your left hand is using another keyboard!

So can a piano player just sit down and play an organ? uhhhh – NO!!

Can an organ player just sit down and play a piano?

No! Again – not automatically. An organ player does not have to worry about how you apply the art of “touch” to your piano playing. The stops and registers do that for the organ player. Invariably an organist will play the piano keys too lightly and so the piano sound becomes thin and consequently, the organ player’s touch on a piano sounds frail.

Then there is the whole art of pedaling on the piano. The organ player has to hold the keys down if there is to be a continuous sound. The piano player can play the notes and scurry up or down the keyboard and keep the notes sounding with the art of pedaling. That is a learned skill. It is not an automatic skill. So an organist might have to learn that skill if the piano is to sound well when an organist plays the piano.

So can an organist just sit down and play the piano? NO!!

Can you be a good organ player AND a good piano player?

The answer to this question is yes! As stated above, being an organist and playing a piano well is not automatic. Vice Versa is not automatic, but with intention and a desire to understand the intricacies of the two very individualistic instruments, a good organist can become a good pianist and a good pianist can become a good organist!