In this episode of the Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast (SOPP791), Aušra and I dive into the technical and physical challenges of organ keyboard actions. Inspired by a comment from Dan about the notoriously light touch on Rogers organs, we share our personal experiences with everything from heavy tracker actions to the frustrating "latency" found in some pneumatic and virtual instruments.

We also recount some of our "nightmare" performance stories from churches across Lithuania, including a memorable (and challenging) recital where the accidental keys played deeper than the naturals!

In this episode of the Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast, Vidas and Aušra dive into a listener question from James about accompanying Gregorian chant. They explore whether it's better to double the melody or keep the accompaniment simple and unobtrusive.They discuss different traditions, including the style at Fontgombault Abbey, the importance of text in chant, and how to handle congregational singing vs. a schola. Whether you're a novice or an experienced organist, you'll find insights on harmonization, modal coloring, and leading your congregation.

Have you ever met organists who seem to look down on everybody else, who take others for granted as if you only serve their purpose. Today Ausra and I will discuss how to deal with arrogant organists. Hope you will enjoy it!

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 788! Today's question was sent by Nicolo and he writes:

Dear Vidas,

I'm an avid listener of your podcast and always enjoy the conversations that you and Ausra have.

I'm a beginner located in Colorado (USA) looking to invest in a small practice organ like this residence organ that Bedient makes. I think you know this builder well, so I wanted to get your opinion on this configuration as a practice instrument.

Is having an independent pedal necessary for practicing trio sonatas? This organ requires the pedals to be coupled with one of the manuals.

Also, are manual couplers useful in a practice instrument or not strictly necessary if one accepts the limited tonal palette?

Thank you,

Nicolo

Hope you will enjoy our conversation!

You walk into a dark church, you've never seen this console before, and the audience starts arriving in exactly 30 minutes. Is it actually possible to be ready? Today, we’re breaking down the emergency checklist.

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 786! Today Ausra and I would like to share our discussion on the emotional and technical considerations when choosing music for funerals and memorials, exploring Bach's and other composers' best contributions to the genre.

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 785! Today Ausra and I will talk about my unsuccessful trip to Aland Organ Festival last week when due to multiple flight cancellations and delays I would have missed my own recital and therefore had to cancel it. It was the first time in my 26 year career as international concert organist. There were some lessons learned from this experience too so we hope you will enjoy our conversation!

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 784! On June 11 Ausra and I went to the organ recital of Olivier Latry who visited Vilnius for the first time. This event was part of the Vilnius Festival and took place at St. Casimir's church. It was one of the most amazing recitals we have ever listened to in Lithuania! Hope you will enjoy our conversation!

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 783! Today Ausra and I will be giving some practical advice for organists to handle common mechanical issues like loose keys and ciphering, empowering them to maintain their instruments (with some words of caution, of course). Hope you will will find it useful!

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 781! Today Ausra and I will discuss the question of learning modal organ improvisation for beginners. We got inspiration for this topic from the comment by our good friend James Flores who said he should try modal improvisation. Hope you will enjoy it!