Lesson 4: Polishing Your Hymn Playing
Lesson Overview
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Lesson Overview
In this lesson, you will learn how to refine and polish your hymn playing. Topics include the treatment of repeated notes, how mark fingering and pedaling for a hymn, independence of line, and adapting pianistic hymns to the organ. These concepts will help you develop a polished playing style that supports clear, expressive, and confident congregational accompaniment.
Because the tone of the organ does not naturally fade away like the piano, but instead sustains continuously, repeated notes must be handled carefully to prevent hymn playing from sounding either choppy or muddy.
The Common Tone Rule Between the Soprano and Alto Voices
The common tone rule between the soprano and alto voices should be the first principle an organist applies when adapting any hymn to the organ.
Repeated Notes When the Soprano and Alto Move Together Through Common tones
If the soprano and alto share the same note and then both move upward—while the alto moves to the pitch previously sung by the soprano—the repeated note should be tied to the new alto note.
However, when both the soprano and alto move downward, and the alto voice becomes the new soprano note, the repeated note should be played again rather than tied.
This preserves the legato flow of the moving soprano line and ensures the melody is clearly heard.
Tie Notes When Leaving a Unison
If the soprano and alto begin on the same note (a unison), and then the soprano moves upward while the alto remains on the same pitch, the alto note should be tied.
This is the primary exception to the general rule against tying across a bar line.
However, when the soprano and alto move into a unison, and the alto repeats its note, the repeated note should be played again rather than tied. This preserves the clarity and legato of the moving soprano melody.
Tying Notes to Create a More Legato Sound
After applying the common tone rule between the soprano and alto, an organist should generally begin by playing all repeated notes exactly as written in the hymnbook without adding any ties. This helps preserve the independence and clarity of each voice.
If the hymn still sounds too choppy, ties may be added selectively to create a smoother, more legato sound.
Keep the following principles in mind:
Repeating a note creates a natural accent.
Tying a note smooths the musical line and removes the accent.
If tying is needed, tie two of the three lower voices selectively while preserving the hymn's natural rhythm and meter.
In general, ties work best when moving from strong beats to weak beats rather than from weak beats to strong beats.
Avoid tying across bar lines unless applying the common tone rule between the soprano and alto when the soprano moves upward, and the alto repeats its note.
Above all, the soprano melody should remain clear and prominent, as it carries the hymn tune sung by the congregation.
By thoughtfully applying these principles, an organist can adapt any given hymn to the organ. The examples below demonstrate how these principles can be applied by adding ties to create a natural and effective organ setting for any hymn, while preserving its meter and rhythmic character.
Carefully planned fingering and pedaling are essential for playing hymns well on the organ, so your fingering and pedaling should never be left to chance.
As you continue developing your organ skills, you will need to begin making your own decisions concerning:
Fingering
Pedaling
Repeated notes
Phrasing
Registration
Tempo
A thoughtful approach to these decisions will make your hymn playing more accurate and musical.
General Principles for Fingering
When planning fingering, keep the following principles in mind:
Use the basic organ fingering techniques
Good organ fingering often depends on using the following techniques effectively:
Finger crossing
Finger substitution
Finger glissando
Thumb glissando
Redistributing inner voices between the hands
These techniques enable smooth legato playing.
Redistribute the alto voice when helpful
The alto line can often be divided between the hands to simplify difficult passages and improve legato.
Keep your hand position stationary whenever possible
Place the hand so that as many notes as possible can be played without unnecessary motion or repositioning.
Use consistent fingering patterns
If a musical pattern repeats or appears sequentially, try to use the same fingering each time whenever practical.
Avoid unnecessary fingering markings
Only write in markings that will genuinely help you remain consistent later. For example:
In five-finger patterns, it is often enough to mark only the starting finger.
Clearly mark:
Finger crossings
Substitutions
Finger glissandos
Thumb crossings
Consider tempo when choosing fingering
Some techniques take longer to execute than others.
At faster tempos or on shorter note values:
Finger glissandos from black keys to white keys are often very effective.
Substitutions and some thumb glissandos may be more difficult because they require additional motion.
Choose fingerings that feel secure and natural at the intended tempo.
General Principles for Pedaling
Good pedaling should feel smooth, efficient, and comfortable.
Learn the basic pedaling techniques
Most pedaling problems can be solved through careful use of:
Alternate toes
Toe-heel combinations
Heel-toe combinations
Pedal substitution
Pedal glissando
Crossing the feet
Assign feet thoughtfully
In general:
The right foot plays higher notes
The left foot plays lower notes
Minimize unnecessary motion
Plan pedaling so that each foot moves as little as possible. Always consider the notes before and after a given pedal note when deciding which foot to use.
Use stepwise pedaling patterns efficiently
Stepwise passages are often easiest when played with alternating toe and heel movements of the same foot.
Test your pedaling at the organ
Pedaling that looks good on paper may not always feel comfortable in practice. Always test your pedal plan carefully at the organ and make adjustments when necessary.
Marking Fingering and Pedaling
Once you determine an effective fingering and pedaling:
Write it in the score clearly
Use a pencil so changes can easily be made later
Remain as consistent as possible
Careful preparation will save you significant practice time and improve both your confidence and accuracy in hymn playing.
Begin by practicing each voice of a hymn one at a time, listening for perfect legato when notes move and precise releases when notes are repeated:
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass (in the pedals)
Next, practice all two-part combinations while listening carefully for smooth legato, clean releases, and clear independence between the voices:
Soprano and bass
Alto and bass
Soprano and tenor
Alto and tenor
Tenor and bass
Soprano and alto
Then practice all three-part combinations:
Soprano, alto, bass
Soprano, alto, tenor
Soprano, tenor, bass
Alto, tenor, bass
Finally, practice all four parts together, beginning slowly enough to remain fully in control and maintain clean independence of line.
Isolating Independence Challenges
As you practice, identify and mark all the places where one voice repeats a note while another voice moves. These moments are where independence of line problems occur.
To overcome an independence of line challenge:
Stop and hold all the notes at the beginning of the independence challenge.
While continuing to hold down the voices that will move, release only the repeated note or notes.
Exaggerate the release of the repeated note or notes by completely lifting the finger, hand, or foot off the keys so you can both feel and hear the independence between the voices.
Then move carefully to the next beat or subdivision while keeping the non-repeated voices smoothly connected.
Practicing this slowly and deliberately helps train both the ear and the hands and feet to maintain true independence of line.
The score and demonstration video below show how to mark, execute, and practice this technique in the hymn "Redeemer of Israel" with all four parts together.
The organ is the most effective instrument for leading congregational singing, yet not every hymn translates easily to it. There are many hymns that are written with the piano in mind and do not automatically sound natural on the organ. Because the organ sustains tone continuously as long as the keys are held down, pianistic textures often need to be adjusted to sound idiomatic to the organ.
The goal when adapting a pianistic hymn is to make the music sound as though it truly belongs on the organ rather than being uprooted from the piano keyboard.
Step 1: Move the Bass Line to the Pedals
One of the most important adjustments is to play the bass line in the pedals just as in a standard 4-part hymn. This allows the hands to focus on the upper voices, giving the hymn a fuller, more characteristic organ sound.
The pedals should generally play the true bass foundation of the harmony, which is not always the lowest written note in the piano texture but rather the root of the chord being played. The bass note you should play is indicated by the guitar chords above the staff. For example, if a guitar chord above the staff says “Bb,” you should play Bb on the pedals. However, if a guitar chord symbol uses two letters with a slash in between them, such as “C/E,” it indicates a chord inversion, meaning this is a C major chord with E in the bass. You should therefore play the note on the right-hand side of the slash on the pedals, which in this case would be E.
Step 2: Simplify When Necessary
Some pianistic textures may be too dense or awkward to transfer directly to the organ. Do not hesitate to simplify passages when needed.
This may include:
Omitting unnecessary notes
Redistributing notes between the hands
Reducing thick chord textures
Or simplifying large arpeggiated figures
The goal is not to preserve every note exactly as written, but to preserve the musical character, rhythm, and natural flow of the hymn.
Step 3: Preserve Musical Motion
When adapting pianistic writing, avoid reducing everything into blocked chords. Pianistic figurations create movement and energy and should be preserved on the organ.
For example:
In ascending arpeggios, sustain each pitch as the chord ascends.
In descending arpeggios, release previously held notes to avoid blurring.
This creates a smooth, flowing sound similar to the sustaining effect of the piano’s damper pedal while remaining clear on the organ.
If an arpeggiated figure is part of the melody itself, it may be helpful to:
Play the moving figure on one manual, while sustaining accompanying harmony on another manual.
Step 4: Preserve the Musical Character
Even while adapting the texture, continue to observe the important musical details of the score, including:
Rhythm
Phrasing
Articulation
Accents
Expressive indications
The organ adaptation should preserve the spirit and character of the original music while allowing it to function naturally on the organ.
Step 5: Use Clear and Balanced Registration
Registration should support clarity and balance.
Choose bright and clear registrations.
Avoid muddy or overly heavy combinations.
Select registrations appropriate to the style and character of the hymn.
Any pianistic hymn can be successfully adapted to the organ when an organist understands and follows these principles. A thoughtful adaptation of a pianistic hymn will help to inspire enthusiastic participation from the congregation. The examples below demonstrate a pianistic hymn before and after adaptation, illustrating how these principles can be applied to create a natural and effective organ setting.