Well, it’s better to have lobsters on your piano than crabs on your organ.
It’s best to have several years of piano background before you start playing the organ. I found it hard to be a beginner when I started playing the organ because I was so good at the piano, but once you get over that first learning faze it gets better.
There are two main ways the organ is different from the piano. 1) you have to connect the notes with your fingers, you can’t hold down a sustain pedal; and 2) it matters not how hard you play, that will not change the volume. The volume can only be changed by opening and closing the shades with the expression pedals, and as explained before, all the manuals are not under expression. A lot of playing the organ well includes phrasing.
There is also a really cool pedal called the crescendo. As you push it open it adds stops so by the time you have it all the way open most of the stops of the organ are playing. Then there is the sforzando or tutti button which puts just about everything on.
The crescendo pedal is very useful when someone is talking during a performance. You can definitely drown them out. Then you can close that pedal quickly and hear someone say, “I always fry mine in Crisco!” It’s great to catch someone yelling like that in church.
Not all organs have memory levels. In fact, there are many organs that don’t have pre-set pistons (the round buttons with the numbers on them). In that case, an organist will often need help pulling stops, especially for a concert.
I would love to have memory levels. I have only five general pistons. That’s hardly any!
On some organs the stops are knobs you pull, on some they are tabs (as you see in that huge organ at Wannamaker’s).
When I saw an organ for the first time I knew I had to be an organist one day. That’s how it works. I didn’t get to start playing it until age 16. I wish I had started sooner!
And, also, sometimes you do play the odd note or two on a manual while playing another manual. For instance you can play an extra note with your thumb on the last chord or something. It’s rare, but it does happen.
Bach rules! Soli Deo Gloria!
Why did Bach have so many children?
Because his organ didn’t have any stops.
<rimshot>