Yet Another Boellmann Toccata

[goodchappy]

Pretty good. I would be interested to see what you could do with Hauptwerk 4 and if you voiced it as I have with mine.

[kf6fqd]

Ok, this is fun (I'll be fluent in Czech by the time I'm done with this): "Great! - go on - it has the appreciation. In Notre Dame then you unwrap (unwind?) in peace\tranquility and at midnight in slippers." Skvele = great, pokracuj = command to continue má = it has to = neuter pronoun (the) smysl = meaning, purpose, appreciation V Notre Dame (to?) = In Notre Dame (why is "to" there?) pak = then, next rozbalíš = you unwrap i o půl noci = and at midnight

[Binladinek]

"pohodicka" = tranquility, peace and "bačkůrky" = slippers, shoes, slippers :-) 

[Binladinek]

Skvělé - pokračuj - má to smysl. V Notre Dame to pak rozbalíš v pohodičce i o půl noci v bačkůrkách :-)

[kf6fqd]

@Binladinek Sorry, I don't speak Czech, and I tried to translate it into English and it didn't translate very well.

Je mi líto, nemůžu mluvit české, a nemůžu pochopit překlad do angličtiny. Slova "pohodičce" a "bačkůrkách" se nedá přeložit do angličtiny.

[chichinuli]

I am tired of seeing boellmann´s toccatas played in superb church organs. I almost believed that That piece can´t be performed in a humble home organ. But your perfomance is the best I have heard. I would change "Yet another" in the title for "The best home performance of...". Congratulations from Argentina.

[kf6fqd]

@chichinuli Thank you from California!

I think it sounds better on a large organ with good reverb. I tried playing this piece without my reverb unit and it sounded horrible (reverb hides a multitude of sins lol). I have found that I can't play very well on a dry organ. The organ I used for this performance was actually a small English church organ (very dry originally), but once I added the reverb unit it enhanced the sound immensely.

[kf6fqd]

@chichinuli What I dislike the most is when people play it too fast, as though they have something to prove by blazing thru it at the speed of light. I say slow it down and enjoy it. But I also admit, it is fun to see just how fast I can play it...

[themates46]

Good job man. Plus reverb .

[nozeadinpencizx]

Unbelievable that you were able to put all those electronics and controls together AND play this demanding selection! You restore my faith in the younger generation!

Keep the music playing! FB, OM 73 de K7IJR

[PianoHero1994]

Damn sick. I want that setup in my house xD

[MrContrabassist]

I'm really glad those Llamas got fed...boy oh boy I could imagine how difficult it would have got if those Llamas started a union strike.

[mikedc2020]

You are my hero! To get all that music out of that setup, with ONE manual, a sticking A# on the pedalboard, changing registrations with a computer keyboard, and 2x4's for a bench and a console, is amazing. Someone who can play like you do in that environment is a star! And the credits at the end show that you have the sense of humor to enjoy all of it. You deserve a set of nice CMK-2's from midiworks.ca

[kf6fqd]

@mikedc2020 Thanks. In the two years this video's been up, I've upgraded a bit; I made a two-manual "console" using a couple of M-Audio 61ES's. The only downside to the new keyboards is that the action is heavier and it made playing much more tiring. I don't play as well on these boards as I did my old Yamaha or Casio or whatever it was.

I also haven't been playing much in the last year due to other priorities, but if\when I jump back in and have a few dollars, I'll look into the CMK-2's!

[silverstartrucker]

I will not criticise. I will say well played...

[goodchappy]

Yes I like this, apart from the previously pointed out penultimate chord spoiling the end ;-)

I also have Hauptwerk 3, I find St. Anne's Mosely sounds so much better if you adjust the pipe stereo balance out more for better sound as the default almost sounds mono and also alter the sensitivites to wind pressure and pitch.

[leecollard1]

I like it that you built your Hauptwerk setup on my kind of budget!! For the pedalboard, did you purchase a midi conversion kit? Any suggestions on where I can look to learn how to do what you did? Also, is the pedalboard connected to your computer with a second and completely separate midi cable? I'm having a hard time getting my brain around how you connect both the keyboard AND pedalboard at the same time. I want to be able to show my tech students how to do this. Thanks!

[kf6fqd]

@leecollard1 The pedalboard uses a MIDI card that I bought and wired to the contacts (it's an old Allen Organ pedalboard that already had reed switches). Yes, the pedalboard has its own midi cable that connects to my soundcard. My manuals plug into USB ports. Hauptwerk can be configured to accept input from many places at once, so it's not too difficult to get them all working together. It's quite a versatile program.

[rauschquint]

Love those credits at the end :)

Nice playing.

[JCS22260]

un grand bravo.....

[pw4489]

So much talent here, the production of the video, the construction of the organ, and

the splendid performance. Just wonderful. That Toccata sounded great, and I had no idea the little St Anne (free software) is such a powerful instrument.

Four stars John W Greenstone! Keep them coming!

[kf6fqd]

Thanks! It's amazing what a reverb unit can do to that little organ.

I have long since changed my organ setup. I now have two M-Audio 61-note keyboards that I mounted to a wooden shelf so they approximate a real organ's dimensions. However, the action on those keyboards is much stiffer, making it much more difficult to play well. If I were to re-record this toccata on my current rig, it wouldn't come out as well.

[cflat79]

Amazing sound! Especially the pedal (Never mind with the A#) Nice played. Nice credits. Made me laugh!

[kf6fqd]

I never did fix that A#...

I used to hate the St. Anne's organ, it was very dry sounding. Oddly enough, for some reason I can't play as well on a dry organ. But once I got the reverb unit hooked up, it was like a completely different organ. Reverb hides a multitude of sins. lol

[garyorgn]

Love the credits at the end of the video......your playing is pretty good, too, John.

[aidavdbrake]

not bad at all, but one tip: check the score for the final chords. ;)

[kf6fqd]

Thanks.

Do you mean how on some scores it has the extra final chord? Or is it the timing? I know the notes are correct, but my timing was off.

[aidavdbrake]

i mean, your last chord before the final chord is not what it says in my score (or what i've ever heard anyone play, for that matter). ;) as far as i know, it should be a diminished D-F-Ab-B chord, instead of your more cliché G3\4 chord (D-F-G-B). So, basically it's just your G that should be an Ab. :)

[kf6fqd]

Yep, you're right. I've been playing it wrong all this time... I was just looking at the music and sure enough, the A is flatted all the way over on the LH side of the page. lol

It's too bad I don't have hauptwerk installed on my new machine right now or I'd give it a try.

[richardjones62]

Very nice work John!

[antonio23jan]

enjoyed that very much ! excellent playing ..

[DSM1G90]

Definitely made the "St. Anne's Mosley" sound real good!

[1401JSC]

This is really good, John.

I especially like the exactitude of 1/16 notes in the pedal.

Wouldn't you like to make a recording on a pipe organ for us?

Do neighbours complain about the noise? :))

[kf6fqd]

It's all setup thru the headphones. I don't have any external speakers hooked up, because getting them to sound decent (especially with the lower bass octaves) is difficult and expensive.

I would love to play this on a real pipe organ (or even a digital one for that matter), especially if it had one or more decent 32' pedal stops.

[ShandyHall]

Very very nice.

[DSM1G90]

I've got a RadioShack/CASIO WK3700 to begin with and just picked up a CASIO CTK-671 to use for the swell for my two manual setup. Now, just need to find a decent pedalboard to complete my project and convert it to MIDI. Where would one find a pedalboard and what recommended controller to be used with the pedalboard along with patch MIDI cables since I have just the one USB/MIDI cable to go from instrument to computer. Love your homemade bench and shelf! Also, great work on the Boellman!

[kf6fqd]

Hi, I bought my pedalboard (a 32-note AGO pedalboard from an old Allen organ) off of E-Bay. One happened to be for sale in my area at the right time, so I bought it.

I used a Doepfer CTM-64 midi card which I bought online from a place called AnalogueHaven in Pamona, CA. I had to wire each pedal's reed-switch to the appropriate contace (computer ribbon-cable works great for this).

[kf6fqd]

My pedalboard attaches to the MIDI-IN jack on my computer's sound card. My two manuals are USB powered, and simply plug into any available USB ports. Hauptwerk can then be configured to assign the manuals to Great, Swell, etc.

If you have to combine your MIDI outputs into one Input, you'll need a MIDI-Merge box or something similar. The Hauptwerk website can explain this better than I can.

[DSM1G90]

Oh, forgot to also comment - GREAT WORK for someone, like me, who didn't study organ-just a lot of piano. Good luck as always!

[kf6fqd]

Thanks! I never could play the piano very well. It's a totally different animal.

[qivory]

Great work with such a setup.

[kf6fqd]

Thanks!

[kf6fqd]

Bimjales, sorry I accidently deleted your comment. For some reason, when I try to answer your question about getting started with Hauptwerk, it won't post.

[kf6fqd]

Crumhorn Labs has a website for their Hauptwerk program. Google those names and you should find it. I'd post the link, but for some reason that causes Youtube to mess up and not post.

[bimjales]

I think I was asking about what I would need to do this with my Yamaha PSR85.

It is Midi compatable.

[kf6fqd]

You have to run a MIDI cable from the MIDI-Out port to the input for the computer's sound card. You'll have to have a sound card that has MIDI ports. Mine has mini MIDI ports, so I have an adapter plug that allows me to plug in the normal size.

[bimjales]

Ok, Thanks.

[kf6fqd]

test...

[stephen4355]

All from memory! No thumb pistons! One manual! A separate qwerty keyboard to manage!

Awesome. Brilliant. A sticking pedal to contend with as well.. Thats what I call laid back..

Just shows what can be done even against the odds..

Most enjoyable. Thanks!

[JustinHEMI05]

Indeed!

[RobtheKappelmeister]

Amateur?!? You've gotta be kidding!!! You're WAAAAAAAAAAY better than you may think. Better than me at least-also an amateur organ student. AWESOME!

[dominich4962]

do u need a pedal board

[kf6fqd]

Your question is a bit ambiguous, so I'll answer it both ways... :)

1. No, I already have a pedalboard from an Allen church organ which I have wired for MIDI.

2. Yes, a pedalboard is needed for the Hauptwerk program in order to properly play the organ.

[towertooth456]

I was laughing during the credits especially when it said llamas trained by John W. Greenstone

[kf6fqd]

you must be a Monty Python fan! :)

[towertooth456]

yea I love monty python!! and one question, did you buy the pedalboard or did you build it yourself?

[jcapistr]

Thanks for posting this! Memorized -amazing! Looking forward to more. You sure appear to be an interesting fellow - hauptwerk organ builder, aircraft mechanic, refurbished boat, former altar boy gone Baptist (big leap - what's that about?), excellent musician! What else? Best wishes!

[kf6fqd]

What else? Well, I sing 2nd tenor in a large gospel choir, drive buses now and then... pretty much anything I set my mind to do. lol

As for the catholic\baptist thing, I consider myself non-abominational, I mean, non-denominational. :) I like to consider myself as simply a follower of Christ who happens to presently attend a baptist church.

More organ music is forthcoming, once I learn Widor's 5th. I'm about half-way thru it so far.

[kf6fqd]

Oh, and thank you for the kind words!

[jcapistr]

Well . . . Go for it, Boy!!!! Are you doing the organ thing on your own or do you have a teacher? Music major?

[kf6fqd]

I'm self-taught, and definately no music major (although I have a decent grasp of music theory), just simply an amateur with a passion for organ music. There are probably a thousand things that a pro organist would see me doing wrong in this video. lol But whatever works I guess...

[jcapistr]

Undoubtedly you've seen the videos posted on YouTube & Crumhorn by stefanussen. Talk about inspiration! (I see that he made a very nice comment on your playing!) Which organ is your instrument taken (sampled) from? (Is that the right way to say that?) I look forward to seeing what you can do with two or three manuals, seeing what you have accomplished on just ONE manual, particularly being self-taught! Amazing.

[kf6fqd]

Can you post the link to the video you mentioned?

The organ is sampled from the St. Anne's Mosely church organ in England.

[Organsk8er]

Have you ever considered being a music major?...lol...if not, I think you definitely should! :) Nicely done!

[kf6fqd]

Never really considered it. Music is more of a hobby for me. Going back to school isn't a very appealing idea at this point in life... lol

[kb7dqh]

The WHOLE of Widor's 5th, or just the Toccata?

The Toccata must be one of the most technically difficult pieces of organ music I have yet experienced. Have you viewed Latribe's Youtube channel? Might give the BeFrSc channel a looksee also, and some of my favorites:-)

73, Eric

[kf6fqd]

Just the Toccata. I know most of it, but still have a long way to go before it would be good enough to post. I also haven't played in several months due to other aspects of life taking my time.

I actually enjoy the toccatas over other styles, and after some practice, find them not too difficult. My mind functions well with patterns and repitition, and the toccata is just that.

73's to you as well!

[RationisCausa]

Forget about the pedal problems - you really did a fantastic job!

And as far as I could see, you're quite handsome too... :-)

[kf6fqd]

Indeed I am. Thanks for the compliment! (hopefully you're female) lol But if not, thanks anyway. :)

I'm an aircraft mechanic and I recorded this late at night after work in my grubby work-clothes. Next time I'll wear my choir tuxedo.

[RationisCausa]

Female? Not really... :-)

Furthermore, I usually play the organ in Roman-Catholic churches in Germany - I hope this will not add to my depravity... lol

[kf6fqd]

Well, I used to be an altarboy in the Roman Catholic Church, and I turned out ok. lol

Now I go to a southern-baptist church and we have an nice Rodgers 4-manual organ that I'm hoping to get my hands on soon.

[darthsentinel]

Just curious, what stops did you use at the very end when you pulled almost all of them? I haven't quite been able to replicate that on my Hauptwerk, so I'm very interested to know what gives you that sound.

[kf6fqd]

Hi,

All stops were pulled except for a couple of the quietest ones on the Swell and the Pedal divisions. Also, I had all the Swell and Pedal couplers pulled.

I use an external reverb unit, so that may account for part of what you hear being different.

[darthsentinel]

Thanks. That helped me allot. Oh, and by the way, wonderful job!

[denovemportem]

The only amateur I´ve heard was that A# pedal of yours :P, otherwise I rank this interpretation among the absolute best I´ve heard of this (so unjustly) forgoten masterpiece...

Keep up the good; sorry, excellent! work and...

BRAVO!!!!!!!!

[kf6fqd]

Thanks for the compliments. That A# is a constant thorn in my side. One of these days I'll fix it...

[kf6fqd]

Thanks for the comments. I have since upgraded my keyboards with two M-Audio 61ES's. I'm currently learning Widor's 5th tocatta which is even more fun than this one.

I have the highest regard for the professional organists. Ours at church can sight-read anything on the fly in any key. Although I can read music, I have to memorize the music I play because I can't sight-read.

[theremin137]

What fun! Fine job!! Your status as an "amateur" means nothing -- you can play as well [better, even] as many "professional" church organists! Looking forward to more from you!

[JustinHEMI05]

I have to say, that is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. Well done for a pieced together instrument! Looking forward to more.

Justin

[stefanussen]

Excellently played!

[bishfan]

My thoughts exactly!