BWV 598 pedal exercitium

For all the Die Hards who like the majestic sound of the organ pedal. Or just like to watch someones feet. But seriously, do you have tips for playing the pedal?

Category:

Music

Tags:

• organ
• bach
• BWV
• 598
• pedal
• exercitium
• feet

[mmtrebuchet]

What registration are you using? It's AWESOME! It's deep and grand, but I can hear every note clearly. Is the organ in a padded room or something?

Thanks,

MMTrebuchet

[Niekdiehard]

@mmtrebuchet

The audio is recorded directly by my laptop via the audio out of the organ. I am using all the stops, so I think that is called plenum. I now mostly play the piano, so I am not sure that I would be able to do this again.

[mattvwyk]

With those thick shoes and that incorrect position of your feet I don't know how you expect to play accurate pedalling. I suggest that you get tap shoes without the taps fitted. They work like a charm. The organist in South Africa use them as our pedalboards resemble a hand held fan and does not look anything like a keyboard.

[Niekdiehard]

I am wondering about the position of the feet. What is "the correct position"? I am taught to play this way, and as far as I know this is how Ton Koopman plays all the Bach pieces. Only use your toes, use your heels as few times as possible.

I agree about the shoes, but normal shoes schould work as well.

[jtingyz]

Sounds majestic although you clipped a lot of wrong notes. Very good pedal technique. Your'e pro to play in such a poor lighting.

[felix0911176727]

WOW~~~

[mcsw99]

I don't know ... technique seems to be on the right track! Perhaps you could do with slowing it down a bit, maybe thinking through the music more rhetorically (since rhetoric was a major influence in Baroque times) and if possible see if you can get a chance to play it on an authentic instrument. The Grote Kerk in Alkmaar is a good one to explore vis a vis performance practice - its pedalboard is only really suitable for toes-only playing, and it doesn't like to be rushed.

[KoopmansFanGranada]

Oh, and please, don't pay attention to those who say you should be chemist or organist... I play flute, and would like to play organ, and I wanna study Chemical engineering. Your BWV 538 was one of the first organ vids I watched in youtube... and i am still waiting for BWV 543 played by you, on a Baroque organ if it's possible... :P

[KoopmansFanGranada]

I think you should follow Ton Koopman's style not only of pedalling, but of the whole playing, it's the truly Baroque one. Heel wasn't extensively used till Romanticism, and the first times it was used (and not too much used) was in the Galant era (Johann Ludwig Krebs). So with Bach you shouldn't use heel. And don't pay attention to Virgil Fox, he was not a true musician, just somebody who played organ to entertain. Remember: Koopman talks about it and Koopman can't do it better than anyone.

[RLcoolJ9]

you need to keep your toes inward so you don't keep mashing several pedals at once

[cruefan255]

this is an awesome song to play, you did a nice job, but you might try a different register

[cromorne]

Toes is considered standard position for a Bach style of playing. Rotation of the heel and legato motion is more Romantic. My suggestion is it's ok to use heels once in a while, and don't listen to the purists, as Virgil Fox once said "Purists, those who talk about it and can't do it"! Good luck to you.