Organ & Sheet Music Blog

An organist's feet in dark shoes playing the wooden pedalboard of a church pipe organ, lit by warm light

How to Practice the Organ When All You Have Is ...

No organ at home? How a ward organist can practice for Sunday on a piano — building legato, finger substitution, and pedal habits that transfer.

How to Practice the Organ When All You Have Is ...

No organ at home? How a ward organist can practice for Sunday on a piano — building legato, finger substitution, and pedal habits that transfer.

An organist's hand pressing the keys of a church organ console, stacked manuals softly blurred in warm light

Which Stops Help the Congregation Sing? An Orga...

New ward organist unsure which stops to pull? A church musician's guide to organ registration that helps your congregation actually sing.

Which Stops Help the Congregation Sing? An Orga...

New ward organist unsure which stops to pull? A church musician's guide to organ registration that helps your congregation actually sing.

A grand pipe organ with gleaming silver pipes and an ornate case in a church sanctuary

The Boldest Stop on the Organ: Meet ‘Dance of t...

Most organists avoid the trumpet stop. ‘Dance of the Trumpet’ is an energetic intermediate organ solo written to let that bold, brassy voice finally sing.

The Boldest Stop on the Organ: Meet ‘Dance of t...

Most organists avoid the trumpet stop. ‘Dance of the Trumpet’ is an energetic intermediate organ solo written to let that bold, brassy voice finally sing.

An organist's hands playing the stacked wooden keyboards of a church pipe organ

Learning a New Piece Before Sunday: A Practice ...

A calm, week-long way to learn a new organ or piano arrangement before Sunday: read it through, drill the hard spots, and rehearse for the room.

Learning a New Piece Before Sunday: A Practice ...

A calm, week-long way to learn a new organ or piano arrangement before Sunday: read it through, drill the hard spots, and rehearse for the room.

Come, Come, Ye Saints: The Hymn Born on the Trail

All Is Well: The Story Behind “Come, Come, Ye S...

The story behind ‘Come, Come, Ye Saints’—written in a muddy Iowa camp in 1846—and how to play this pioneer hymn like you mean it.

All Is Well: The Story Behind “Come, Come, Ye S...

The story behind ‘Come, Come, Ye Saints’—written in a muddy Iowa camp in 1846—and how to play this pioneer hymn like you mean it.

A pipe organ with tall golden pipes set among stone arches in a cathedral, lit by soft warm light

Be Still, My Soul: The Story Behind the Hymn Th...

The story behind 'Be Still, My Soul'—a German text, a Scottish translation, and Sibelius's Finlandia—plus how to play it with reverent restraint.

Be Still, My Soul: The Story Behind the Hymn Th...

The story behind 'Be Still, My Soul'—a German text, a Scottish translation, and Sibelius's Finlandia—plus how to play it with reverent restraint.