Advice: wanting to get my first organ

[Guest]

<div><div>Background:</div><div>I just turned 30 and am on goverment disability. I rent a room (20x10) and I really want to learn how to play the organ properly. Every time I hear the pipe organ I fall in love, I loved it when I was a kid at church (Shawnecee United in Vancouver), and got to fool around on it sometimes (of course it was just the entertaining the only song I wanted to learn then). I've taken Piano lessons, but no proper training. I am legally blind so reading music is out, unless I rigged up a nice 20" LCD with each bar scrolling by, it might work.</div><div>
</div><div>Since I am on permanent disability, money is tight, but I also understand that getting something for free vs. a small token amount changes your perceived value of the item.</div><div>
</div><div>I am completely new to organs and seeing them in the $25,000 range at Noteworthy Music…well just didn't make sense at all. Here is my "Dream Wishlist" for my first home organ so I can start to learn. I also want to go the more classical pieces, and do improv (really excercise the swells :D).</div><div></div><div>What I want in a "Dream Home Organ"
</div><ul>[*]APO Spec (I just learned this term) what does that exactly mean?[*]3 61 key manuals but I can settle for 2 manuals[*]Full pedal board (32 key?) as those spinels are worthless in my opinion[*]Focus on the Pipe Organs of the worlds sounds, since that's what interests me the most and so I can learn the classical pieces and learn how a real pipe organ works, so that when I get a chance to try one out, I can really let loose (Already I am good for improv. when I tried once a couple years ago).[/list]</div>

[soubasse32]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ



[quote user="Mac Write"]APO Spec (I just learned this term) what does that exactly mean?[/quote]</P>


I thinkyou might mean "AGO Standard". This is a set of console dimensions and layout recommendations made by the American Guild of Organists in 1933, in order to get a bit more consistency and standardization between organ builders.</P>


What you refer to, most likely has to do with the pedalboard. The most important features of an 'AGO-standard' pedalboard:</P>
<UL>
<LI>32 notes (sometimes 30)</LI>
<LI>Concave - the bass and treble keys are increasingly higher from the floor than those in the middle.</LI>
<LI>Radiating - the keys are closer together at the rear of the pedalboard than at the front</LI>[/list]


The first bullet has to do with organ literature; the last two have to do with ergonomics (although anyone used to playing a flat, parallel pedalboard may disagree with the benefits).</P>

[myorgan]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ

[quote user="Mac Write"]What I want in a "Dream Home Organ"

<DIV>
<UL>
<LI>APO Spec (I just learned this term) what does that exactly mean?</LI>
<LI>3 61 key manuals but I can settle for 2 manuals</LI>
<LI>Full pedal board (32 key?) as those spinels are worthless in my opinion</LI>
<LI>Focus on the Pipe Organs of the worlds sounds, since that's what interests me the most and so I can learn the classical pieces and learn how a real pipe organ works, so that when I get a chance to try one out, I can really let loose (Already I am good for improv. when I tried once a couple years ago).</LI>[/list]</DIV>


[/quote]</P>


Welcome to the club!</P>
<UL>
<LI>AGO = American Guild of Organists</LI>
<LI>At your price point, you'll probably have to settle for 2 manuals unless you are incredibly lucky.</LI>
<LI>I agree with your estimation of the educational value of a spinet. However, I did learn on one.</LI>[/list]


The recommendations below are based on the assumption (made from your post), that the disability is visual and not physical (i.e. not able to move the organ or physically play it).</P>


I would suggest checking out eBay Canada to see if you can find a used Rodgers analog instrument. They will sell right around $1,000 (give or take $500). If you get a used Allen, I'd suggest going for a MOS-2 or ADC digital instrument. They should be in your price range as well. It took me 3 years to find an instrument for me to use for practice and performance because I was holding out for a 32' pedal reed, 3 manuals, and digital. The only one of those three I got for $2,000 was the digital instrument. That was a steal! The others I gave up because I finally figured that having something available was better than having nothing at all.</P>


Don't know if this has helped, but hope so.</P>


Michael</P>

[FrenchHorn8]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ

What is your budget? You could probably find a nice little pipe organ for under $1000.

[Austin766]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ

Mac, as far as reading music goes, there are large format, large print scores. I suggest you look up Louis Vierne and Alfred Hollins, two of the most famous and successful blind (or "legally blind" in the case of Vierne, later turning into near complete blindness) organists. Vierne composed many pieces for organ and wrote them out on large paper with, if I'm remembering correctly - and if I'm not someone like Soubasse32 will correct me, a large crayon or perhaps it was a large pencil and a bad translation (crayon is French for pencil).

[davidecasteel]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ



[quote user="FrenchHorn8"]What is your budget? You could probably find a nice little pipe organ for under $1000.[/quote]I think the limitation here is space. He is living in 200 square feet--he'll need a fairly compact, self-contained unit (perhaps with one or 2 smallish external speakers). Even then, the organ will take up at least 10% of his total living space.</P>


David</P>

[telemanr]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ

[quote user="Mac Write"]
<DIV>
<DIV>What I want in a "Dream Home Organ"
</DIV>
<UL>
<LI>APO Spec (I just learned this term) what does that exactly mean?</LI>
<LI>3 61 key manuals but I can settle for 2 manuals</LI>
<LI>Full pedal board (32 key?) as those spinels are worthless in my opinion</LI>
<LI>Focus on the Pipe Organs of the worlds sounds, since that's what interests me the most and so I can learn the classical pieces and learn how a real pipe organ works, so that when I get a chance to try one out, I can really let loose (Already I am good for improv. when I tried once a couple years ago).</LI>[/list]</DIV>


[/quote]</P>


I don't know how much you can spend but with your focus on "Pipe Organs of the worlds sounds" I'd suggest looking into Hauptwerk which is a software program which runs on PC or Mac (which you might already have). It handles sampled organs from around the world (there is everything from one manual practice organs to 4 manual monsters available). The smaller organs only need a relatively modest computer. You need to buy keyboards and pedals whichoutput MIDI data but these are available. Anyway you should check it out.</P>


http://www.crumhorn-labs.com/</P>

[playerfix]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ



Just to stick with the budget I have found in alot of charity stores very good organs for next to nothing in price a tech fx5 was selling for $150.00</P>


,kawai sx 7 for$300.00 (baby to the sx 70) a lowery (not sure of the model but it had alot of bells and whistles) for $200.00 and it was only 2 years old a general music shapphire for $50.00 all have midi and you could pipe in sounds Good Luck</P>

[Guest]

Re: Advice: wanting to get my first organ



First I live in New Westminster beside Vancouver. With "Sounds of the wordl" I mean I don't want one man band, but just the Pipe Organ sounds (Reeds, swells, etc). I have a Technics SX KN1200+Garageband for the rest of the stuff. I also want a full 32 key pedal board and 2 61 key manuals. 20x10 is my room but I can make space easily. </p>

Where are these places that have cheap organs that aren't for profit stores that cvharge high-way robbery prices? Any in the Vancouver area? I have an RSS feed running for Craigslist, but nothing is popping up or is way out of my budget. Anyone here from Vancouver who either knows someone or has a spare organ meeting my requirements oro can help me go looking?</p>

</p>

Thanks all</p>

Trevor
</p>