Happy New Year to everyone!
Hey we don't appear to have a section about playing the organ??
Anyway maybe one can be created, or an administrator can move this thread to the most appropriate place.
My question to everyone who plays the pipe organ is about the issue of playing in shoes or in stocking feet
I have always played in my socks. I don't know the exact reason why, but possibly down to the type of shoes I was wearing when at the age of 13 I began to play the organ. I would have thought if it was a deadly sin, then my organ teacher would have insisted that I wear shoes?
The reason that this question has arisen is that I have asked for and received a wonderful pair of organmaster shoes for Christmas in a vain attempt to alter my thinking about pedal technique and whether to wear shoes or not. I think in the back of my mind that it is a little amateurish to play in socks (may be incorrect?), but I am trying to undo 25 years of "bad technique" by forcing myself to play in shoes.
My thoughts about playing in socks are
1: It was maybe easier to learn quickly how to play the pedals?
2: I can cheat and actually use my toes to help play consecutive notes (bad technique?)
3: My feet are more sensitive when feeling for note position (I should really not rely on this)
4: I doubt Marie C-Alain, Jonathan Scott or Wayne Marshall ever played in their stocking feet!
My thoughts on playing in shoes are
1: The feeling of being an amateur would hopefully be overcome
2: I may never be able to play as well in shoes as in socks (could this just take a lot of practice, or is it so ingrained in my technique that I will never be able to do this?)
3: Would my pedal technique be forced to improve due to lack of being able to cheat?
4: The organmaster shoes give me 2 inches in height (always a bonus)
This topic is a little in jest, but I thought after forcing myself to try and use shoes that maybe I was incorrect and that there is nothing wrong with playing in socks
Your thoughts would be most welcome
Hey we don't appear to have a section about playing the organ??
Anyway maybe one can be created, or an administrator can move this thread to the most appropriate place.
My question to everyone who plays the pipe organ is about the issue of playing in shoes or in stocking feet
I have always played in my socks. I don't know the exact reason why, but possibly down to the type of shoes I was wearing when at the age of 13 I began to play the organ. I would have thought if it was a deadly sin, then my organ teacher would have insisted that I wear shoes?
The reason that this question has arisen is that I have asked for and received a wonderful pair of organmaster shoes for Christmas in a vain attempt to alter my thinking about pedal technique and whether to wear shoes or not. I think in the back of my mind that it is a little amateurish to play in socks (may be incorrect?), but I am trying to undo 25 years of "bad technique" by forcing myself to play in shoes.
My thoughts about playing in socks are
1: It was maybe easier to learn quickly how to play the pedals?
2: I can cheat and actually use my toes to help play consecutive notes (bad technique?)
3: My feet are more sensitive when feeling for note position (I should really not rely on this)
4: I doubt Marie C-Alain, Jonathan Scott or Wayne Marshall ever played in their stocking feet!
My thoughts on playing in shoes are
1: The feeling of being an amateur would hopefully be overcome
2: I may never be able to play as well in shoes as in socks (could this just take a lot of practice, or is it so ingrained in my technique that I will never be able to do this?)
3: Would my pedal technique be forced to improve due to lack of being able to cheat?
4: The organmaster shoes give me 2 inches in height (always a bonus)
This topic is a little in jest, but I thought after forcing myself to try and use shoes that maybe I was incorrect and that there is nothing wrong with playing in socks
Your thoughts would be most welcome