Now I'm an organ teacher, can it affect my piano technique and studying?

[wilsonl]

I'm asked by my church to teach organ to create new generation of church organist.

But I know that organ techniques are very different with piano techniques. I'm still learning classical piano (8th grade). As a teacher, of course I must give my students examples how to play organ, it means everyday my fingers will 'dance' on organ keys.
I afraid that it can affect my piano skill especially on dynamics techniques and... everything.
Is that true?

Regard,
Wilson L. 

[j_menz]

I'm assuming since you are being asked to teach the organ, you already play it, and presumably to a reasonably high standard. 

If that hasn't affected your piano playing, I don't see how teaching it will.

[wilsonl]

I'm assuming since you are being asked to teach the organ, you already play it, and presumably to a reasonably high standard. 

If that hasn't affected your piano playing, I don't see how teaching it will.

Yeah, but I rarely playing organ on church. But my church know that I'm 8th grade piano student, so I' asked to teach organ. Even I don't know what's the first lesson I must give to them.

[49410enrique]

it shouldn't. i had to minor in organ as part of my piano major (i now see why so many piano students minored in voice, omg organ is so difficutl!..i digress).

some of the most talented pianists i remember from school were graduate organ performance students. no if anything it should help your technique as long as you remain mindful of what you are executing and why (musical reasons for all physical gestures, either instrument).

in particualr your JS Bach and Fugue playing should improve actually do to the special legato touches you much employ on organ.  just remember on piano you have the freedom to let go of tones physically lift and reposition your hand when you need to, so just needless use legato when you don't have to on piano. that's pretty much it. just enjoy it, organ is a wickedly cool instrument to play. king of instruments. you can get so many kinds and total sound! rock on!!!

[wilsonl]

it shouldn't. i had to minor in organ as part of my piano major (i now see why so many piano students minored in voice, omg organ is so difficutl!..i digress).

some of the most talented pianists i remember from school were graduate organ performance students. no if anything it should help your technique as long as you remain mindful of what you are executing and why (musical reasons for all physical gestures, either instrument).

in particualr your JS Bach and Fugue playing should improve actually do to the special legato touches you much employ on organ.  just remember on piano you have the freedom to let go of tones physically lift and reposition your hand when you need to, so just needless use legato when you don't have to on piano. that's pretty much it. just enjoy it, organ is a wickedly cool instrument to play. king of instruments. you can get so many kinds and total sound! rock on!!!

Thanks for the advices!
Yeah, for the first time I learn Bach Toccata and Fugue, it seems to be easy since not have any complex dynamic and tempo, but that piece a little challenging work, but I can play it nicely on small concert at my church (using Yamaha electone organ).
I also love organ, but I my teacher advice me not to much playing organ or it can affect piano skill, I dunno why, but it fact now I'm a organ teacher.

And yeah you're right, I have seen Karl Richter playing Bach Toccata and Fugue on D minor with  orgel on Youtube, it has very various sounds, really a king of instruments! Very beautiful.

[asiantraveller101]

I knew of a marvelous pianist and organist when I was in grad school. She plays both extremely well. I myself am a self-taught organ player, due to the need of my church. The hardest for me to learn and adjust is the foot pedal board 
have fun and good luck!

[wilsonl]

I knew of a marvelous pianist and organist when I was in grad school. She plays both extremely well. I myself am a self-taught organ player, due to the need of my church. The hardest for me to learn and adjust is the foot pedal board 
have fun and good luck!

Wow, she's really a music gift and talented pianist.
Yeah, I have no problem with learn organ notes, except the foot pedal. Combined I have feet, my feet always hit another pedal that can make rough sound. hahaha.... Really really the hard point when I learn foot pedal melody section on Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

Thanks!

[alanteew]

Years ago as a pianist I was given the opportunity to study harpsichord, and was told the technique was similar to organ. My teacher (Mark Knoll) said that it would be fantastic for my piano technique.

It was. It forced me to think about other ways of creating value in a note and the power of staccato and phrasing rather than loudness or softness. It also helped me become far more careful in using the sustain pedal, which I had become very sloppy with. You can get far as a sloppy pianist--there ain't no such thing as a sloppy harpsichordist.

A few years later, I was asked to fill in for our church organist. She told me to wear smooth, hard-soled shoes. And how you sit on the bench is totally different. I never did figure out the foot pedals and was never asked to fill in again.  Really good organists amaze me. Three or four manuals? Stops? Presets? Volume pedals and notes to play with your feet? It blows my mind. (IIRC, Liszt was amazed by organists, too!)

[oxy60]

I'm asked by my church to teach organ to create new generation of church organist.

But I know that organ techniques are very different with piano techniques. I'm still learning classical piano (8th grade). As a teacher, of course I must give my students examples how to play organ, it means everyday my fingers will 'dance' on organ keys.
I afraid that it can affect my piano skill especially on dynamics techniques and... everything.
Is that true?

Regard,
Wilson L. 

The short answer is Yes! Over time it will screw up your piano playing.  The real question is whether the church will pay you properly and employ you as an organist in the future.

[iansinclair]

The short answer is Yes! Over time it will screw up your piano playing.  The real question is whether the church will pay you properly and employ you as an organist in the future.

I respectfully beg to differ.  I was, for many years, a Minister of Music, and my college training was as an organist.  I also, however, play piano; I'm not sure which one I play better, but I still play them both.

Where the problem as regards technique comes in is if you regard the two instruments as somehow the same because they both have keyboards.  They aren't the same.  The technique -- even to the way you hold your hands and fingers -- isn't the same.  Fingerings can be quite different for what looks like the same passage (I sometimes use, for example, right hand 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 3 4 5 etc. for an ascending scale on the organ; a pianist would be horrified!).  The approach to phrasing and voicing is different.  Never mind such details as using the pedal keyboard with equal facility to the fingers, or the subtleties of registration or when (or most often in baroque, when NOT) to use the various swell pedals.

Etc.

If, however, you will approach the two instruments as being completely different, and make no real effort to transfer one to the other, you'll be just fine. 

Further, allow me to point out that there is more to being a church organist than just sitting up there and playing the hymns, although that is a very important (and actually the hardest) part of the job.  There is also the selection of music for preludes and postludes and, commonly miscellaneous service music, such as an offertory (if you don't have a choir).  Then there are weddings and funerals, which can be wonderful but can also be absolute nightmares.  You should have a really solid command of your church's faith and liturgy, and the church calendar (if your church uses one).  And so on...

You mention pay.  You will never get rich being a church organist or Minister of Music.  For that matter, unless you should happen to be in some mega church in Los Angeles, you'd not get rich being the minister, period.  Don't expect to.  On the other hand, you can -- and should -- expect to be paid reasonably for the time you put in.  And that, of course, is widely variable.  It can be a full time position, although that is unlikely without a choir school.  It can also be as little as 5 to 10 hours per week.

[oxy60]

I respectfully beg to differ.  I was, for many years, a Minister of Music, and my college training was as an organist.  I also, however, play piano; I'm not sure which one I play better, but I still play them both.

Etc.

Indeed, I gave the short answer. What it boils down to is whether one can still play a romantic piece, with subtle weighing of the voices after years as an organist. I am still having "organ moments" where I don't press a piano key sufficiently for it to speak at ppp. It has taken some years to where I only get 1% drop outs.

It doesn't matter how much a church pays but THAT they pay. Musicians have spent a lot of time and money to bring a certain level of playing to the table for which they should be compensated.

[j_menz]

Liszt and Alkan were both proficient organists. It does not appear to have held back their piano technique.

[oxy60]

Exceptions always prove the rule. Then there are us common folk struggling with ppp.