It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 9:28 am


Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual]

Playing or learning the organ, hints, tips and tricks, registrations, techniques, fingerings, ...
  • Author
  • Message
Offline
User avatar

JSO

Member

  • Posts: 45
  • Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 1:33 am
  • Location: Guadalajara, Mexico

Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual]

PostSat Mar 22, 2014 7:37 pm

Hey all,

So in anticipation of learning to play the organ I bought a copy of The Organists' Manual. I've been practicing the manual exercises for now until I get a pedalboard. So far they've been great and my hands experience pain in ways never experienced before :lol: but I digress.

In my eagerness I started reading the section about pedal practicing being most curious as to how pedaling is notated in organ sheet music since it's completely new to me, and I found this chart:

Image

So, naturally, when I first saw ^ - u I immediately thought: Play the note with the toe and then change or substitute it with the heel, but the description appears to say the complete opposite. Even though it isn't nearly as common in the piano, finger substitution comes up every now and then and the description on the chart appears to say the complete opposite of what I'm used to do. If I see 2-4 it means that I do the initial attack of the note with my index finger and then substitute it with my ring finger. The same goes for heel / toe substitution of different feet further down the chart.

Is there something I'm missing? I apologize for my ignorance. I only have experience with the piano and I don't have an organ teacher or any acquaintance that could explain this to me.

José.
Offline
User avatar

telemanr

Member

  • Posts: 1576
  • Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:18 pm
  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada

Re: Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual

PostSat Mar 22, 2014 10:45 pm

In each case the instructions are really saying you start with the left symbol (heel or toe) and then change to the right symbol.
For instance, in the fourth row down....
Start with the toe and then change to the heel.

Is this not clear from the instructions?
Rob Enns
Offline
User avatar

JSO

Member

  • Posts: 45
  • Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 1:33 am
  • Location: Guadalajara, Mexico

Re: Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual

PostSat Mar 22, 2014 11:15 pm

telemanr,

If that is what the instructions say then maybe I'm just misunderstanding the actual explanation.

For instance, ^ - u, says: "substitution of the heel for the toe". The way I understand it it says that I have to substitute the heel with the toe... even though the symbol on the left says to use the toe first so in actuality I should be substituting the toe with the heel since the toe makes the initial attack.

I have a decent grasp of the English language but these particular sentences are somewhat confusing. :oops:
Online

jkinkennon

Member

  • Posts: 1208
  • Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 9:43 am
  • Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual

PostSun Mar 23, 2014 12:44 am

My family members who speak English as a second language frequently remind me that it is not the easiest of languages, even though they did all of their schooling in English (in the Philippines). Substitution of "heel with the toe" and "heel for the toe" are actually opposites. Who would guess it?
Offline
User avatar

telemanr

Member

  • Posts: 1576
  • Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:18 pm
  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada

Re: Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual

PostSun Mar 23, 2014 7:06 am

Yes.
"Substitution of heel for toe" means "after using the toe, use the heel as a substitute"

I can see why this might confuse but the symbols are quite clear if you simply realize the left symbol is what you start with and the right symbol is what you use as a substitute.

So just ignore the written instructions if you find them hard to understand.
Rob Enns
Offline
User avatar

RichardW

Member

  • Posts: 899
  • Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:16 am
  • Location: UK

Re: Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual

PostSun Mar 23, 2014 10:44 am

José,

Don't despair. I read it just like you did.

However, Rob is right. The best way is to rearrange the words, so:
"Substitution of the heel for the toe"

is more easily read as:
"Substitution of the toe by the heel"

Even more easily:
"Substitute the toe by the heel"

Yet another possibility is:
"Substitute the heel for the toe"

Or even (my favourite):
"Change the toe to the heel"


All mean the same thing - confusingly! The first one is just perverse. I would not have expressed it that way in a learning aid. It is just too convoluted. The use of the passive ("Substitution of") makes it harder to understand.

With all these of's, by's, for's and to's, when Abraham Lincoln said: " ... of the people, by the people, for the people ..." I wonder if he knew what he was starting!

Regards,
Richard
Offline
User avatar

JSO

Member

  • Posts: 45
  • Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 1:33 am
  • Location: Guadalajara, Mexico

Re: Help with pedal substitution notation [Organists' Manual

PostSun Mar 23, 2014 12:15 pm

Yes indeed! I guess you can learn something new every day. Since pedal notation is new to me I wasn't sure what to think.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. :)

José.

Return to Performance practice

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest