Registration is the art of selecting stops to create the right sound for a hymn or piece of music. In this lesson, you’ll learn about what the numbers on the stops mean, the families of organ tone, how to choose stops for various types of hymns, and how to save your combinations. The action items in red provided in this lesson will help you understand and internalize the material as you work through it.

These numbers refer to pitch level, based on pipe length:

• 32’ (two octaves lower)

• 16′ (octave lower)

• 8′ (concert pitch) – sounds as written

• 4′ (octave higher)

• 2′ (two octaves higher)

• 2⅔′, 1⅗’, etc. – mutation stops (see below)

Tip: Congregational hymns will ALWAYS use at least stops at 8′ and 4′ pitch in the manuals and stops at 16’ and 8’ pitch in the pedals.

Action Item: Retire any stops that may be engaged on your organ. Play and hold down middle C on the Great manual. While holding down middle C, find and engage any single 8' stop and listen to its pitch. Then retire that stop and replace it with a 4' stop while still holding down middle C. Continue this activity until you have listened to at least one of all the different pitches of organ stops on the Great. Do the same for the Swell, especially noting the pitches of the stops with fractions on them, which are called mutations, in relation to the stops that play at different octaves. Last of all, do the same for the pedal. Remember that middle C on the pedal board is the highest C to the right.

Mutations are stops that have fractions such as 2⅔′ or 1⅗′. They sound at pitches other than octaves. They add color to stops of unison pitch and should not be used alone. They can be used to create colorful solo combinations or used in hymns to add color. They are most often used in the following pitch combinations as a solo for soloing out the melody in a prelude:

• 8' and 2 2/3'

• 8', 4', and 2 2/3'

• 8', 2 2/3', and 1 3/5'

• 8', 4', 2 2/3', and 1 3/5'

• 8', 4', 2 2/3', 2', and 1 3/5'

Action Item: Create each of these different combinations on the Swell manual one at a time and play a short melody to hear the various colors each of these combinations make.

Mixtures are compound stops identified by the Roman numerals printed on them, usually “IV” or “III.” They are composed of multiple, very high-pitched ranks of pipes, which reinforce upper harmonics. They are intended to be used in conjunction with a chorus of stops featuring pitches of 8’, 4’, and 2’ in the manuals, and 16’, 8’, and 4’ in the pedals, to create a brilliant sound. They can be used in jubilant hymns or postludes.

Action Item: Engage the following stops on the Great division of your organ: Diapason or Principal 8', Octave 4', Fifteenth or Super Octave 2'.  Then play a short passage of music and listen to the sound this combination of stops creates. Now add the Mixture IV or Fourniture IV on the Great. Play the same short passage of music again and listen to how the mixture makes the sound more brilliant and majestic.

• Principals (Diapasons): Clear, foundational sounds and unique to the organ. Common names of stops for this family are as follows:

  • • Diapason

    • Principal 

    • Octave

    • Prestant

    • Fifteenth

    • Super Octave

    • Choral Bass

    • Mixture

    • Fourniture

    • Plein Jeu

• Flutes: Light, gentle, or breathy tones. Common names of stops for this family are as follows:

  • • Bourdon

    • Subbass

    • Gedeckt

    • Any stop with the word “flute” or suffix “flote”in its name

    • Nachthorn

    • Piccolo 

    • Nazard

    • Tierce

• Strings: Thin, warm, soft, and ethereal. Common names of stops for this family are as follows:

  • • Viola

    • Salicional 

    • Voix Celeste 

    • Gamba

    • Violone

• Reeds: Bright, fiery, brassy, and sometimes nasally. Common names of stops for this family are as follows:

  • • Tromba

    • Trumpet

    • Trompette

    • Oboe

    • Clarion

    • Waldhorn

    • Posaune

    • Bombard

    • Fagotto

    • Krummhorn (solo reed)

    • Cormorne (solo reed)

    • Clarinet (solo reed)

    • English horn (solo reed)

    • French horn (solo reed)

    • Tuba (solo reed)

• Hybrids: Combine characteristics of two families of organ tone, usually the flute and string families. The most common hybrid stops being the “Gemshorn” and “Erzahler.”

Click HERE to find out the tonal families of the stops of your church organ.

Action Item: Engage each stop on your organ individually, one at a time, and listen to the tonal quality it creates. You may need to play in different ranges of the keyboard or pedal board to better hear the tonal quality of an individual stop. Identify which of the 5 families of organ tone it falls under according to the descriptions and possible stop names given above.

Celeste stops are tuned slightly sharp to create an undulating effect when paired with a stop that is in tune. A Celeste is always meant to be paired with the stop directly to its immediate left. Celestes should never be used by themselves; however, if the Celeste has a Roman numeral “II” printed on it. In that case, it means the Celeste rank is paired with a rank of pipes that is in tune and will automatically create the Celeste effect with a single stop. Therefore, in this case, the Celeste can be used by itself. Celestes can be used for gentle preludes, postludes, and sometimes choir accompaniments. Celestes should not be used when accompanying a congregation.

Action Item: Go to the Swell division of your organ and look for a stop labeled Celeste. It may be called Viola Celeste, Viole Celeste, or Voix Celeste. Check whether the Celeste stop has a Roman numeral II on it. (A Roman numeral II means that two ranks are already sounding together.)

If the Celeste has a Roman numeral II:

1. Engage only the Celeste stop.

2. Play a short musical passage.

3. Listen for the soft, wavering, “undulating” effect the stop produces.

If the Celeste does NOT have a Roman numeral II:

3. Look for the Celeste’s string companion stop, usually located just to the left.
   Common names include:

   • Viola 8′

   • Viole 8′

   • Salicional 8′

   • Viola da Gamba 8′

   • Gamba 8′

4. Engage only the string companion and play a chord.

5. Disengage the string companion. Now engage only the Celeste and play the same chord.

6. Notice that the Celeste sounds slightly out of tune compared to its companion.

7. Finally, engage both the string companion and the Celeste together.

8. Play a short musical passage and listen for the ethereal, gently pulsing effect created by the two stops sounding together.

Couplers allow you to connect one manual or division to another or to the pedal. Examples:

• Swell to Great

• Swell to Pedal

• Great to Pedal

Action Item: Find and identify all of the couplers of your organ.

1. Registration:

   • Great: Principals 8’, 4’, 2’

   • Pedal: Principals 16’, 8’, 4’

2. Add a Mixture for brilliance in the great and pedal

3. Add an 8’ Reed in the great (Trumpet 8’ or Tromba 8’) and in the pedal a 16’ Reed (Waldhorn 16’ or Fagotto 16’) for “fire.”

Action Item: Play one phrase of a jubilant hymn using only the principal chorus as shown in step 1. Then add the mixture as shown in step 2 and play the same phrase again. Finally, add the reeds as shown in step 3 and play it a third time. Note what changes each addition makes.

• Registration:

  • Great: Principals 8’ & 4’

  • Pedal: Principals 16’ & 8’

Action Item: Engage the stops above and play one phrase of a meditative hymn.

• Registration:

  • Great: Principal 8’ & Flute 4’

  • Pedal: Principal 16’ & Flute 8’

Action Item: Engage the stops above and play one phrase of a meditative hymn.

Use the memory levels and pistons of the organ:

First select an unlocked memory level. For more information about memory levels, refer to the owners manual for your specific organ.

To Save:

1. Choose your stops

2. Press and hold the “SET” piston located underneath the great manual on the far left side.

3. While holding the “SET” piston, press a general or divisional piston (e.g., General 1, Swell 2)

To Recall:

• Press the piston where you saved the combination again, but do not hold the "SET" piston this time.