Beginning Organ Playing Tips for Pianists

Almost every pianist who can play hymns in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will at some point be invited to be a ward organist. Unlike many church organists, this responsibility is unpaid and often comes with little training.  

Although I learned to use the foot pedals in my college organ class, the coupler button has become my best friend as I play the organ for church services! It allows me to play the organ much like I would the piano but transfers the sound of the bass line to the deeper foot pedal stops for a richer sound and a less stressful playing experience for me since I am not an organ foot pedal pro!

How is the organ different than the piano?

Watch How to Start Playing the Organ up to 4:45 to learn about the different parts of the organ or refer to page 5 of the printable organ playing packet.

As an amateur organist the steps I use each week are:

Press On/Off (usually on the left) to start the organ.

Select the Preset #  plus the bass coupler (that were chosen by a more experienced organist for prelude, calmer hymns and jubilant hymns). 

Adjust expression pedals for the feet on the left that adjust volume levels.

Choosing Organ Stops

Learning which stops or organ pipes to turn on is definitely helpful since each organ is a bit different and you might not be familiar with the preset options in different church buildings.

Choosing Organ Stops up to 2:41

Legato Playing Tips on the Organ

The main feature that I miss the most on the organ is the sustain pedal! 

Since notes can't be sustained with the foot pedal, sometimes you have to use ties, glissandos and subs to help the melody line be legato without awkward breaks in the accompaniment. While practicing on the piano I find it helpful to play hymns without the damper pedal and instead use "sticky fingers" (finger legato) and focus on holding notes within a phrase a bit longer than I might if I had the help of the damper pedal to blend the sound.

Watch excerpts from the following videos to see additional tips that help keep the melody line legato.

Repeated Notes: To Hold or Not to Hold? (Start @ 5:16)

Finger and Thumb Glissandos and Subs (Start @ 6:34)

Additional Tips

• Make sure that the placement of your music on the music stand doesn't block your view of the conductor. It's definitely hard to follow someone when you can't see them!
• Discuss beforehand how many verses of the hymn the conductor would like to have played 
• Choose a signal to help you know when to stop the sacrament hymn or add a mini mirror to the organ so you can see the priests without turning around while playing.
• If you change the stops or preset, be sure to hit the coupler again.
• Compile a binder with appropriate prelude hymns arranged by key signature. This makes it easier to flip to the next song instead of having gaps in the music where you are fumbling to find the correct page of the next hymn.