How to Play Church Music on an Organ

An organ may seem like an intimidating instrument, but it can be learned with a little coordination and diligent practice. Once you learn a few basic techniques, you can begin playing alongside your church pianist and help give the hymns layers and depth.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Church hymnal
• Coordination

1. Set middle foot pedal to desired volume level.
2. Play the bass notes of the sheet music with your left hand on the lower keyboard.
3. Play the treble clef melody with your right hand on the upper keyboard.
4. Using your left foot on the foot pedals, play and hold the note--for four counts or fewer, depending on the rhythm of the music--of the chord from the bass clef. For example, if the chord is B flat, play the black B flat key.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient. Playing the organ takes a lot of coordination.
• Learn to read music.