Why Tracker Action?

[Guest]

In reading The Diapason magazine, it seems that tracker action for new organs is now fashionable. For many years, the action of choice was electro-pneumatic. The advantage of the electric action is that the console can be placed so that the organist can hear himself play and be able to hear the registrations selected. The tracker console is usually placed under the organ so that the organist gets only very indirect and reflected sound. To select registration, the performer must have someone else play while he/she is walking around to get an idea of the actual sound. </p>

The disadvantages of tracker action in large organs seem to out weigh the advantages. Why has this become so popular today? I hope that this is not a fad like the building of neo-baroque organs was in the 70's and early 80's and that the tracker organs will be rebuilt in 25 years to the new fad.
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[Guest]

Re: Why Tracker Action?

Tracker is said to be sensitive to the musical intent of the performer versus the on/off option of all electric actions. Is tracker fashionable , prestigious and of greater general interest? Perhaps. If there are some areas of disagreement between advocates of tracker versus electric then simply get two organs: a tracker for the gallery and an electric action for the chancel and make them both available from the electric console. There are advantages in both systems so if possible get them both and be done with it.

[pipecutter]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



In theory, it has the advantage over electric actions in that it connects the performer directly to the instrument, The reality is that most mechanical actions don't come through on this promise.</P>


As an organist, I have probably spent equal time on mechanical and electric actions. I playa mechanical action instrumentevery Sunday. I don't find them to be practical service playing instruments. You can have a detached console, but then you immediately lose the advantage of the touch. </P>


As an organbuilder, I have not seen much proof that they are as maintenance free as often described. Imight agree that they require a different type of maintenance.</P>


Bottom line: a fine mechanical action instrument is hard to beat for playing organ literature. Mechanical action, for its own sake, is not the panacea that some would like us to believe that it is!</P>

[arie v]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



Pipecutter,</p>

I agree with a lot of what you wrote.</p>

I find that the intimacy of playing tracker action makes me much more involved in the music making aspect of playing. A good tactile action responds to your finger inputs quite different from an electric action or an electronic organ.</p>

A good mechanical action though means a very high degree of workmanship. Sloppy workmanship in the chest and action means likely the action to be unpleasant to play. A good action should be pretty much trouble-free and should also last for decades, even when played regularly.</p>

One other thing. A mechanical action organ will utilize slider chest action, and all the benefits that tone channel chests give as well as for pipe speech.</p>

Trackers (mechanical action) works best in small to moderate sized organs, and tend to work best in the vertical dimension, rather than horizontal.</p>

I personally like playing mechanical actioned organs over any other type of organ. I think it is the directness of the contact between the finger, the key and the pallet.</p>

AV
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[mpsnknox]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



unless your striving for some kind of academic asthetic, electro-pneumatic, eletric, etc... is so much more versital I do not understand why you would consciously sell yourself or your congregation short. </P>


The artistic freedom created with non-tracker action out weighs any precived benefits from tracker action. IMO</P>


And is it not true that the acoustics to a given room can all but erase the differance in touch? If so... whats the point?</P>

[Stefanussen]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



Just the other day, I was fortunate to get some bench time at the Lively-Fulcher organ in Libby Gardner Hall at the University of Utah. It has a mechanical action.</p>

This organ has some of the most beautiful and colorful stops I have heard on an organ. The specification is French, and can be found here. The action is very heavy, and if you don't use the assisted coupling, you will be totally spent after playing the Widor Toccata on this organ.</p>

I think that mechanical action has a certain novelty value to it. I feel more connected to the instrument when playing on a good tracker action, and I think the overall experience is more visceral. I couldn't tell you if this novelty wears off or not since I don't have the opportunity to play on a fine organ such as this one on a regular basis. Having said that, I don't see any big advantages to using Mechanical over Electric. From what I've experienced and what I've been told by other organists, mechanical action does give the organists a little more control over the organ, but this amount of control is very slight, and certainly not enough to mean the difference between a good recital and a bad one.</p>

As has already been discussed, the organist of an organ such as the one pictured below does not hear the organ the way the audience hears it. Not even close. You will need a helper with a seasoned ear to get the most out of the registration. The difference between a good and a bad registration often CAN mean the difference between a good recital and bad recital. </p>

While I get a kick out of playing mechanical action organs, I'd be hard pressed to say they offer any considerable advantages over an electrical action.
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[soubasse32]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



Tracker action certainly feels nice, and I almost always have more of a sense of being connected with the instrument. But there are caveats...</P>


I don't likemechanical action if it is too hair-trigger sensitive - itfeels like walking on eggshells; when this happens I feel tension creeping into my hand, arm, shoulder, neck, etc.</P>


The other thing I don't like is when the instrument is large; the bigger the instrument, the less I like tracker action!</P>


I've knownquite a few trackers that are way too big, or that would have been much more pleasant to play if only theyhad a differentaction. I wouldn't dream of putting a tracker in a concert hall - I think that is definitely a fad, since there have been so many built in recent years.</P>


The best of both worlds is to have two consoles; unfortunately the organs that tend to have these are so large as to make the tracker console a dubious proposition.</P>


I'm not saying I don't like tracker organs (I do) - but I also never forget getting tendonitis from practicing on a particularly heavy-actioned instrument. [^o)]</P>

[Havoc]

Re: Why Tracker Action?

Nothing beats mechanical action and the sharper they are the better. Apart from a reading lamp electricity has nothing to do in an organ. (there is a case for a blower a slaves are hard to get these days)

[davidecasteel]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



Slaves are high-maintenance items, too. [H]</P>


David</P>

[pipecutter]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



While it is true that mechanical action utilizes the slider and pallet chest, electric and electro-pneumatic organs may also use them. That only leaves you with a mechanical connection between the player and the pallet marking the difference. Mechanical action tends to dictate upward limits on the air pressure so that "low pressure" quality to the sound can often be behind the difference people percieve in the sound...particularly with the reeds and capped flutes.</P>


As mentioned by Soubasse32, there is often a drastic difference in the touch between the keyboards controlling the various divisions. That tends to be more of the rule than the exception. And then there is the effect of coupling that causes the keyboards to become increasingly heavy in their touch.</P>


All of these facts take me back to my original assertion that mechanical instruments can be great for academia and maybe concert venues but not so good, or practical, for service playing instruments. I feel that there is where the problem arises in that consultants and organists often push a church to purchase a mechanical instrument for reasons that have nothing to do with what isin the best interest of the church.</P>

[Guest]

Re: Why Tracker Action?

Personally I'd never have anything else if tracker was possible. The difference to me is immense, and I would even go as far as to say that I detest playing non-tracker instruments.

[pipecutter]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



[quote user="SimonS"]Personally I'd never have anything else if tracker was possible. The difference to me is immense, and I would even go as far as to say that I detest playing non-tracker instruments.
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And there lies the problem in this debate. There are extremely fine and extremely wretched examples of all types of pipe organ actions. Personal tastes aside, no one type of action is best suited for all situations.</P>

[Guest]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



I disagree in general, but you'll note I said where "possible". If you're talking about an organ that is simply too big to work successfully as a tracker, then fine. I don't generally like organs of this magnitude, but that's just me. I have NEVER played what I consider to be a really successful electro-pneumatic, and while I agree that I've encountered lots of difficult trackers, for me the balance is definitely swayed in their favour.</p>

Of course it's true that there are good and bad organs with either action, but I don't see how that's relevant to this discussion. At the highest level, trackers are better as far as I'm concerned -- more musical, more responsive, and with greater possibilities. The fact that there may be good and bad trackers doesn't change this. All IMO of course. </p>

I should also say that I've never been in a situation where it's been THAT difficult to figure out balance and registration. Maybe I'd feel differently if I experienced that on a regular basis (although I still think it unlikely).
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[Austin766]

Re: Why Tracker Action?

As the nut case who went around Cleveland documenting and playing all sorts of different instruments (I continue to do so, just much less actively), I have played a fair number of both electric/ep, tracker, and mixed action (electric stop, mechanical key) I would say that no action is necessarily better or worse than any other, just different. While I do like the feel of a good tracker, and each tracker feels a little different, I also like electric and/or electro-pneumatic action, but ultimately, what makes one organ "better" than another is the quality of its sound (and maybe its spec). If an organ sounds good to my ear, then generally I would say that that organ is successful, and even more so if it has a well balanced spec (I have regular access and regularly play an organ which has a great division of 5 stops, against a swell of almost double more than double its size, and a positiv of 7 stops. I am not a terribly big fan of this organ sonce about half of its pedal is borrowed from the swell (or at least enclosed in the swell) and in general, I don't think that the instrument lives up to what it could have been.)

Again, I enjoy a good tracker, I like the way that a tracker feels, and it can feel strange to go from electric type actions to a tracker, but it also feels strange to go from trackers to electric. I distinctly remember I had just finished with my project for a while, and I was at a boy-scout function. I went into the sanctuary of the church and sat down at the Holtkamp (I have the chief organist's permission to play at this church) and I remembe it felt sort of strange to play an electric action. The last organ I had done I believe was a two manual Hillgreen-Lane, but the day prior to that organ I had played a Noack and a Wilhelm (which were actually right next door to each other). I just remember that it felt sort of odd to sit down and play an electric action organ, so much so that I turned off the Holtkamp and went up the the gallery organ, a Hradetzky, and felt much better.

P.S. I'll give anyone who guesses the particular Cleveland area church I'm talking about a hundred points, fifty more points for correctly guessing the name of the chief organist at the church.[:D]

[jbird604]

Re: Why Tracker Action?



Here in the uncivilized hill country we're lucky to have organs of any kind, much less fuss over what kind of action. An "electric" organ here is a Hammond CV with a Leslie.The only tracker I know anything about is the old pump organ that Yvonna used to play at church. The perceived benefits of tracker action were not used to full effect by Yvonna, of course, though she did learn to produce some really weird effects by holding a key part of the way down. No one knew she was doing this, though, because Aunt Minnie's piano playing so overwhelmed the pump organ.</P>


The last time we had this discussion here on the forum, I unwisely mentioned it to Yvonna and Aunt Minnie. I think it was early fall of 2007, because I remember that I happened to driveby their placeand saw them out picking the last of the tomatoes, and pulled over to talk. It was then that I told them about all the hullaballo you guys were making over tracker action, and Yvonna had that "eureka" moment when she realized the old pump organ was a tracker.</P>


You probably remember the rest -- Aunt Minnie nearly had a stroke trying to find out what happened to that old organ after it was removed from the church to make room for the new Allen. Fortunately, the old organ was found, but alas cannot be brought back to the church because the dear old soul who laid claim to it is probably not going to let go of it until they pry it from her cold dead hands.</P>


Now Tay tells me that he has in fact played a tracker with pipes (not pumps) at one of the Episcopal churches in Memphis,and that he agrees with some of the things that are being said here. I tend to trust his reports, being family and all, and someone I can sit down and talk to. But he still says he'd rather play the Allen at church (when he gets a chance now and then) because the tracker is just so quirky and dinky.It doesn't even have a card reader!</P>


Well, that's the view from here in mid-America. Hope that shines a little light on the subject.</P>


John</P>
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