I'm having a look at the hymn 'Paderborn' and could do with some idea of how to approach the bass - the last line, particularly. Must you cross the feet, and if so how do you gauge the interval?
Thanks

I don't think I cross my feet but I cannot go and try it out as the organ is covered whilst they are working on the roof. I think I take the B-D with left foot.

In the last line you could play the first three notes of the arpeggio (G, B, D) with the left foot - toe, heel, toe - but you would need very flexible ankles and I think there would always be a danger of missing the D. It depends how fast you are playing, of course. I do think crossing the feet is the more secure way in the long run. It may help to remember that, on a standard pedalboard, D# or E is the middle note, so your left shin will be well nigh vertical when playing the D. I would also practise the left foot leap GDGDGD... ad nauseam and then interpolate the right foot on the B thus: GBDBGBDBG... Not musically interesting, I know, but the repetition should pay dividends in the end.

The footing for the rest of the pedal part is really quite straightforward, but again you need very flexible ankles. In the third line I'm a little unconventional in that I play all the Gs except the last one with the left foot and everything else with the right. This does involve a momentary crossing of the right foot over the left (to reach the F# with the right toe), but it's easily done if you use your right heel for the A.

You can always cheat and play those notes in different octaves if it makes things easier..

Thanks, some things for me to try. Am I right in thinking that the left would pass behind the right, so that the right can nudge the fsharp to find g securely (rather than have to move back out of the way and then back up to nudge)?

I'll have a look at playing g,b,d with the left foot only, although I'm having visions of tearing something in my knee!

Yes.