Is It Hard For a Pianist To Learn The Organ?
Many pianists, either from a place of musical curiosity or because they want to increase their professional prospects at a keyboard, decide to learn the organ. This is not uncommon, and many musicians have done so successfully.
But just how challenging is it? Do you need a teacher, or can you figure it out on your own? Furthermore, how long will it take before you are playing confidently? I will discuss these questions below, and please get in touch if you would like piano lessons in Freehold, NJ, organ lessons, or if you have any questions about a career at the organ. I am also happy to work with pianists and organists online with Zoom, Skype, or other video conferencing platforms.
Is It Hard For a Pianist To Learn The Organ?
To a degree, yes, it is hard to learn how to play the organ if your background is on the piano. The organ takes different coordination, and you will have to get out of the habit of using a sustain pedal, playing with both hands on the same plane, and you will need to develop foot pedal coordination. There’s much more to it, of course.
But that said, a competent pianist will have no trouble whatsoever making the switch. Here are some of the specific areas that require adjustment.
Organ Scores Look Different From Piano Scores
Pianists generally read a score with two staffs, one for the right hand, and one for the left. Every once in a while there will be a sparse third staff that asks you to play a chord in the left hand that you sustain with the sostenuto pedal before continuing on with the two higher staffs.
On the organ, you will often need to read three staffs, with the bottom staff intended for the pedals. This will certainly make sight reading more challenging, and it will take some getting used to. Of course, playing hymns on the piano translates fairly seamlessly to the organ — both musicians will traditionally use the same hymnal.
Your Hands Often Operate On Different Keyboards
As you are probably aware, your right and left hands will often play on different keyboards on the organ (the “manuals”). This can certainly be confusing for pianists, and when you go back to the piano, you may have to make a “mental shift” there as well. But most organ students report that this adjustment really isn’t that daunting. Besides, the organ keyboards are not far apart, and this may be the easiest adjustment you make when switching to the organ.
Learning To Play Music With Your Feet
Playing tonal music with the feet is a foreign concept to pianists, and you will need to practice your foot movement often during the early stages of your switch to the organ. After you’ve become acclimated to the pedalboard, you will need to practice just one hand at a time with the pedals (playing the left hand with pedals, then the right hand with pedals). Skipping directly to both hands + pedal will only lead to frustration, and I do not recommend it.
The Organ Console Is More Complicated Than a Piano
The coordination curve goes beyond operating the feet and hands at the same time - you will need to learn how to use the various other facets on the organ. You will need to pull out stops, use the swell pedals, use expression pedals, and much more. Your piano lessons instructor will be able to help you layer these techniques in over time, but if you try to jump directly into advanced organ music, you may become overwhelmed.
Organ Playing Is Practical in Nature
Many pianists choose music, practice it for a period of time, and only perform after they are familiar with the score. This can be different for jazz pianists and accompanists at times, but generally speaking, you are reproducing what is printed on the page.
Organists who wish to take a post in a church or synagogue must learn to accompany congregational singing, transpose on the spot, “compose” introductions, modulations, and interludes, and do much more. You must become much more comfortable with improvisation, and as a result, learning the organ can actually make you a much better musician.
The organ is an incredibly rewarding instrument to learn whether you choose to play it professionally or not, and you don’t have to master every intricacy of the console in order to play intermediate organ music. If you have any questions about adding the organ to your repertoire or piano lessons in Howell, NJ, please let me know.