I have a 3 manual Viscount digital organ at home, on which I practice daily. However, 2/3 times a year I have to play on a church, or chapel pipe organ - in order to enter a Music Destival or play in one of my teacher's Pupil Concerts.

Even when I get a good mark, and I recently won the cup in the solo organ class, I still lose at least one point because the pedal doesn't sound with the manuals. Of course I apply it at the same time but the delay makes it sound as if I have pressed it a fraction too late .... more than a fraction in some venues. My teacher tells me that it will "come with practice" BUT I don't get any on a pipe organ. Maybe 10 minutes or so for a run-through during a tea/dinner break, prior to having to play, which isn't enough to master the technique.

I bought my 3 manual second hand Viscount so that it would be easier for me when faced with a 3 manual pipe organ 3 times a year. That has worked a treat, as I'm now used to playing using all three manuals, and can now switch quite comfortably and play a pipe organ - less comfortable on the old tracker organs, although not too bad if I don't do any coupling. All I need now is some advice on how to get over the pedal sound delay problem. I know the technical reasons for this, and just need practical advice on how to deal with it.

After all, I can't be the only classical organ pupil to enter such events but who hasn't otherwise, got access to a pipe organ.

I think that deep down, you know the answer is to somehow obtain access to a pipe organ. Having said that, the few pipe organs I've played haven't had such a delay that playing is a problem.

It really seems to me that you are decribing an instrument with an inherent defect somewhere. If there is a delay between the pedals and the manuals then it can't be the acoustic in the building? (I'm talking beyond my knowledge here ). OTOH your posting implies that this is happening in more than one venue, in which case, we are back to the original thought that regular, frequent access to a pipe organ is a must.

On some pipe organs the speech of the large pedal pipes is slow, or even the action is slow. Often, the pedal pipes are located at the back of the organ and the sound does nto get out as quickly as that from the smaller pipes on the manuals. On some organs one can hear the sixteen feet flue stops speaking later than the eight and four feet pedal stops.

I suspect that it will all come down to much more practise on the instrument in question.

It is worth while recording your playing on the organ you will eventually perform on. This will certainly let you hear the sound in context - more or less as the adjudicator hears it.

Barry Williams

No - in fact, when I think about it, it has only been remarked on when I have been 'judged' and the adjudicator has made comment. The 3 Festivals I have entered, over a 3 year period, have been at the same venue, so maybe there is longer accoustic delay in that venue ?! The last time was 2 weeks ago so it's still fresh in my mind, and has become something of a frustration as I want to enter there again next year. The venue is a good 1 hour drive from me, plus it's a bit of a pain to get access to the instrument other than 'on the day.

Many thanks for your response. Either way the answer is in my own hands I suppose (or is that feet !!).

Any chance of trying an organ nearer to home? Most churches that I've come across (I'm not an organist, but I like organ music and a fair few people I know are organists) like to have their instruments played. That way you'll be able to assess if it's a general issue with your technique or specific to the one you've been using. The usual problem with an organ is delay between choir and organ, which is a timing/accoustic issue.

If the whole of the Pedal sounds 'delayed', how about coupling down one or more of the manuals (in addition to using the Pedal stops)? It may not produce exactly the sound you want, but at least things will be 'in synch' - or perhaps they won't if the coupling action isn't ideal!

I wonder whether this isn't an adjudicator problem rather than a playing one. As Barry says, pedal pipes tend to sound slightly late because of their size (= slower speech) and placement. However... I assume you have the pedals coupled to the manual on which you are playing - I don't personally know of any organ in Cornwall with a totally independent pedal. Therefore, if you go to all the bother learning how to play the pedals slightly in advance of the manuals in order for the pedal pipes to speak in time, all that is going to happen is that the couplers will simply make the lowest manual note sound too early. In short, you can't win!

I take it you couple the pedals to the same manual on which your hands are playing? If you don't that is a potential source for the problem.

Another possibility is that you are playing the pedals so fast that the pipes are being given sufficient time to speak. I can get away with much faster pedal speeds on my electronic organ than on the average pipe organ. But in this case, the adjudicator would presumably have identified the problem as one of speech, not timing.

Edit: John posted while I was composing this. We're obviously thinking along the same lines!