gazman

Oh yes!

Unfortunately, of course, it's probably the on-line shops which is causing such CD shops as the one you mentioned to close.

Well, that's the first one....!

I may just give it a miss..... *ducks*

Yes, indeed.

The old ones are always the best. Thanks MM!

Yes, having played some Weitz in the past, I concur with this endorsement. However, I wonder why I've not played any in the past few years....

Thanks for that correction and clarification Nigel. I guess my memory isn't all it could be at times! If my memory of last going into the instrument about 18 years ago is correct, it is evident that the organ was originally of one manual and that the Great was the original organ although, interestingly, the Gamba 8' would appear to be an addition due to the location of the stop knob for this which is placed at the top of the Great jamb, above the Mixture. But, as observed on the NPOR site, the Gamba forms the case which faces into the chancel.

See http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=B00089 Incidentally, although this organ is probably by Dicker of Exeter, there is no documentary evidence as such. One local writer and organist believed it to have been by J.W. Walker and printed such in one of his books. Certainly an unknown builder seems to have enlarged it to a two-decker at some time in its history.

All at the same time?

Don't get me wrong - I do very occasionally use heels in Bach where they help provide a more fluent performance. But I find in pedalling in organ works of all periods and schools that a technique which favours toes works better at giving more accurate control.

Yes, agreed, to a point. However, you have better control with toes. Say, for example, there was something on the floor which you wanted to move with your foot. Would you try and move it with your heel, or with your toe end of your foot?

Oh, THERE! Bad luck, mate!

Ok then, following your reasoning, why not take the pedals up to Treble C, and have each manual the same compass as a piano? No, actually, I don't! Indeed!

58 or 61 - agreed! But I can't ever recall needing top F# or G on the pedalboard, so am quite happy with 30!

Yes, but only in an intimate setting though!

And you wonder how they could afford to be so choosy.... Or perhaps they were scared of being asked to build tracker action.

That reminds me of an old joke: Q: "What are the six most useful words for a music graduate to learn?" A: "Would you like fries with that?"

I wish I had the money to afford a boat such as Morning Cloud....!

I don't think my geography teacher would have let me do A-level! There again, they were desperate, so they might have done. Nah, this was RYA Yachtmaster theory in order to help me point my little sailing boat in the correct direction.

Several years ago I did a course in advanced navigation techniques. I was late for the first lesson.....I couldn't find the correct classroom.

Sorry, not a wealth of imagination from here at the moment..... Well, as long as I can keep my three-decker toaster and headphones for fun, I'd be happy with a two manual and pedal organ with a responsive mechanical action and one beautiful 8' Stopped Diapason (that on the Great at Queen's College, Oxford springs to mind along with several others). This would be very useful indeed for practise, especially as I don't get as much opportunity as I'd like to practise on good tracker action organs nowadays.

I don't feel that those of us who play transcriptions need to defend ourselves! I'm quite happy to stand up and say that I enjoy playing and listening to transcriptions. Of course the organ can't provide the nuances that a number of orchestral instruments played by a number of performers can, but I enjoy them on the organ as a separate genre. Indeed, why should orchestras have all the best tunes?

Indeed. Coincidentally, I've had a letter from HM Revenue and Customs come through the post this morning as they've chosen to audit my accounts. They state that "....I have information to suggest that you have been performing organ recitals on a professional basis....". Well, I'm glad that they reminded me of this, as I can add various recitals to my losses for last year's accounts. :angry: