When I learn any instrumt (and especially the pipe organ) there are two things that need my focus and attention.
1. The technichal aspect
2. The musical and compositional aspect
I find that it is easy to focus on the technichal stuff. Most music teacher do that. Some are better teacher than others of course but all focus on technique.
Not too many teachers focus on how to understand music and make up your own music.
Here is an example: I asked my organ teacher how to play Twinkle twinkle little star. He told me that all I really needed was the melody in RH with tonic and dominant in the bass (pedals or LH).
Then I added more voices in order to make it four-part harmony. I would probably need at least the voices if I want to always have the third of each chord played (we want to bear if a chord is major or minor)
This could also be seen as a technical exercices, ie how to play the pedals.
Most of the hymns I have tried to learn is too difficult, both technichally and musically. It seems that the arrangements of hymns found in the books are too difficult for a beginner.
The only thing to do is to compose your own simple arrangement. Even if I could find easy technichal exercices for four-part playing there would still be a problem left. How would I learn how the arrangement works musically without making up my own!? I only learn by trying myself, ie not just repeating what others have already written on a score.
In the example given above it was not too much theory that helped but simple explanations of how the music works. I tried the theoretical way of composing but never really understood how to make a four-part arrangement to the most simple tunes. Also, simple technichal exercices like a three-part Twinkle twinkle little star helped me.
What are your experiences with this? What worked for you?
1. The technichal aspect
2. The musical and compositional aspect
I find that it is easy to focus on the technichal stuff. Most music teacher do that. Some are better teacher than others of course but all focus on technique.
Not too many teachers focus on how to understand music and make up your own music.
Here is an example: I asked my organ teacher how to play Twinkle twinkle little star. He told me that all I really needed was the melody in RH with tonic and dominant in the bass (pedals or LH).
Then I added more voices in order to make it four-part harmony. I would probably need at least the voices if I want to always have the third of each chord played (we want to bear if a chord is major or minor)
This could also be seen as a technical exercices, ie how to play the pedals.
Most of the hymns I have tried to learn is too difficult, both technichally and musically. It seems that the arrangements of hymns found in the books are too difficult for a beginner.
The only thing to do is to compose your own simple arrangement. Even if I could find easy technichal exercices for four-part playing there would still be a problem left. How would I learn how the arrangement works musically without making up my own!? I only learn by trying myself, ie not just repeating what others have already written on a score.
In the example given above it was not too much theory that helped but simple explanations of how the music works. I tried the theoretical way of composing but never really understood how to make a four-part arrangement to the most simple tunes. Also, simple technichal exercices like a three-part Twinkle twinkle little star helped me.
What are your experiences with this? What worked for you?
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