Differences in pedalboard standards

[SJMCLAREN]

There are several standards and when buying a commercial instrument or making a virtual organ. I am thinking of purchasing an organ which gives a choice of pedalboard, the most common one is the AGO concave and radiating but in Europe I think the concave parallel is widely used. The few times I have played a parallel note board ( rare over here) I found it easier to play on becoming accustomed to having the notes further apart ie less chance of making mistakes but had to work a bit harder. I would like to hear other views and also is it difficult to move between one type and the other as organists often have to play a variety of instruments.?

[toodles]

I've not played a concave-parallel pedalboard, but suspect I would find it easy to play. I think moving between pedalboards is not very difficult for experienced organists. We go from 25-note flat, radiating on various home organs to AGO pedals without finding any significant difficulty.

Pedalboards have been discussed a few times on the forum before, so do a quick search and you'll see what's been said already.

[andyg]

Yes, it's something that's been discussed many times and there are plenty of interesting threads.

AGO or RCO spec pedal boards are lovely when you find them but there are so many variants. Yes, the straight concave is more common in Continental Europe, I personally find it awkward, certainly in comparison to a radiating concave one. Here in the UK there are many, many churches with totally non-standard pedal boards. Not being the tallest of people, I occasionally find myself sitting right on the edge of the bench to reach the lowest C, C# and D.

As I've said before in these threads, my organ mentors made me play all sorts of pedals, from 32 note AGO to 13 note spinet, sometimes swapping in mid session! Good preparation and I can adapt pretty quickly to a new 'shape', even the awkward ones.

[Larason2]

If AGO specs are the most common in New Zealand, I would buy the console with that. The concave parallel or BDO standard is also very nice, but if there aren’t many around, you’ll find yourself having to constantly adjust when playing outside the home. It’s true many organists are able to adjust easily, but I feel that is a skill that is developed with time, and isn’t that easy to develop. While you’re working on getting there, it’s nice to not have to adjust as often.

[jbird604]

... I am thinking of purchasing an organ which gives a choice of pedalboard, the most common one is the AGO concave and radiating .... The few times I have played a parallel note board ( rare over here) I found it easier to play on becoming accustomed to having the notes further apart ie less chance of making mistakes but had to work a bit harder....

Like Andy G, I've played a lot of different pedalboards, mostly out of necessity and not choice. And after 50+ years of playing, I can pretty readily adapt to just about anything I'm asked to play. But after all is said and done, I've not found any design as fully comfortable as AGO. It's a seriously well-thought-out spec, works perfectly with the "typical" human body, leg length, foot shape, etc.

While a parallel board can have wider spacing of the keys toward the rear end, underneath your bench, the AGO board (and the RCO/BDO/etc) are designed to provide generous spacing at the playing point, at the ends of the sharps. Unless you have very unusually wide feet, you shouldn't find the AGO spacing difficult to play on. But then, that's just my opinion, and your needs may vary.

A major advantage to getting an AGO pedal is that you'll instantly feel right at home almost anywhere you might be asked to play. But then again, if nearly all your playing is going to be on your own organ, you should choose your pedals based on your own needs, not strictly on the basis of compatibility.

I do notice in videos made by some of my favorite organists in Europe that they frequently play on parallel boards, even flat and parallel, which to me would seem quite awkward. But those pedalboards were built with SOMEONE's preferences in mind. So you wouldn't be the first person to want something different from the AGO standard.

[andijah]

Parallel flat is very common over here, especially with historical organs (and we have quite a few of those).
In my experience, adjusting becomes easier over time. It doesn't really matter which one you choose for your own practising but I agree with those who said that it might be a good idea to use one that seems to be fairly common in your area.

[SJMCLAREN]

Thanks everyone I am new to the forum and still finding my way around. Yes I am from NZ and almost all are AGO standard. I will search other threads on this topic.

[myorgan]

SJMcClaren,

Welcome to the Forum! I enjoy receiving input from those who have different experiences than I. I look forward to your contributions.

Michael

[Larason2]

I have a parallel flat Hammond XPK-200L, and I only recently obtained an organ console that is AGO standard. I like the parallel flat, but I also found the AGO very easy to get accustomed to and very comfortable. Before that I had a console with 25 flat radiating pedals Hammond style, and of the three my favourite is the AGO.