Subject: Adventures in Creative Futility: Organ Lesson 30 (Wow! 30!)
Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 09:13:00 -0700
From: "James H. H. Lampert" <jamesl@hb.quik.com>
To: {The Adventures in Creative Futility Network}

Ladies and Gentlemen, Maestras and Maestros:

    I'm sure you're all waiting for news of how I did on my Piano 2
Final, so I'll simply say that the Bach wasn't nearly ready to rescue my
A; I will therefore, so far as I know, be getting a B for the class. But
I'll get a chance to redeem myself with it in my first student organ
recital.
    My thirtieth organ lesson was yesterday morning. Finally freed of
the burden of cross-training for my piano final, we did not devote the
entire lesson to the Bach; just the first three quarters of it. The
rest, along with most of the hour of practice time I had after the
lesson, was devoted to the other piece I'll be playing at the student
recital, for which I've selected Beethoven's Ode to Joy, transposed to
G, with chord roots doubled on pedal. Absurdly simple, yet it should be
a crowd pleaser (as well as a way of making it VERY OBVIOUS that I can
get both hands and both feet going at the same time). Boy, did it feel
good to play something with a pedal part again! I think my last two
lessons were spent with both feet simply dangling, unused! It was
probably in reaction to that that, towards the end of my practice time,
I tried playing it as a pedal solo (with results I found remarkably
good! I could even manage a decent enough tempo!)
    After that, and an errand that took me to Culver City, I paid a
visit on fellow PIPORG-L member Art Nisson's garage, where he has (in
the office, where it's fairly safe from flying grease!) a small EP or DE
chamber organ he's been reconditioning for sale. It could use a bit of
fine tuning (the action, as well as the pipes), some sort of casework,
and a facade rank (I note that it has one spare stop, currently
unlabeled), but it was fun, and I suspect that it will be rather nice,
when somebody actually buys and installs the thing.
    During my lesson, I received another compliment from the same Altar
Guild member who has twice before complimented me; this time she told me
that every time she hears me, I sound better. During my practice time,
the Rector showed up with two women and a man who were taking a tour of
the church. I introduced myself as one of Maestro York's students, and
told them I hoped my practicing wasn't disturbing them; one of the
ladies replied that it was beautiful, and I shouldn't stop. I thanked
her, and said that either I was better than I thought I was, or she'd
been listening to too many bored housewives. That got a laugh out of
her.
--
James H. H. Lampert
http://www.hb.quik.com/jamesl