Frank Fowler

John, Buy yourself a 3 stave organ arrangement of a `rhythm' piece of music, most modern music shops have these available in the home organ section, and play it exactly as written as you would a `classical piece'. Everything should then work for you. A good start for you would be a Sousa march. Happy marching, Frank

Sorry - I pressed the wrong button. To play light music on the organ means that some knowledge of light orchestra orchestration helps and the ability to be able to `orchestrate' from a piano copy essential, also means that you need to know a bit about basic theory and construction of chords. Forget about playing every note as written but think of the Double Bass line for the feet, correct harmonised accompaniment chords for the 2nd Violins etc. to establish a left hand rhythm, a `cello' counter melody also to play with the left hand at the same time, (takes a bit of doing until you get the hang of it) and the melody as a solo and you are there. Start with something very simple and basic such a "Now is the Hour" or possibly stick to what you can do well. FF

I have always wanted to have one stop connected to a trap door in the pulpit. Like many things in this life I never managed to do, this is one of them. FF

Try the Wurlitzer in the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. A Tibia Quint 5.1/3 helps create the famous "Reginald Dixon Blackpool sound" but it needs a tremulant and might not go down too well in church! FF

I remember someone asking an eminent recitalist what stops they should use for a certain piece. The reply was "The ones that sound right" - sound advice too! FF

Fan tremulants I have found to be a disaster. If sited too high in the box they are pretty (sorry, very) ineffictive, if lowered closer to the pipes they work after a fashion but the position of the fan, depending where it stops, can seriously affect the tuning. I have never found one with the fan not being placed parallel to the pipework. They can also affect access for the tuner to the pipes for tuning, especialy the mixtures, and if a keyholder accidently pulls the tremulant out during the tuning can clout the unfortunate tuner on the head. Yet another reason that I am glad I have retired. FF

If you want to make some exciting music, fit the Cymbelstern, if powered by a D.C. electric motor, with a speed adjuster. Set the tempo of the bells to the tempo of the music and try playing some of the appropriate Bach Chorale Preludes. FF

There are Tubas & Tubas. I found that Hill Tubas were among my favourites as they did not always come on like a ton of bricks. En Chamades are usually far brassier and thinner in tone and to me can change the tone of an organ from British to Spanish if added as a climax on the last chord, or on occasions used as a solo reed. F.F.

Being a West Country lad, I grew up knowing and loving this instrument even before I was capable of appreciating the finer points of organ design and tone. I too hope that nothing major is contemplated and potential fears can be laid to rest. FF

A little while back I was asked to play `In a Monastery Garden' as a request before Evensong. I happen to have a couple of orchestral bird whistles and with the help of two of the choir was able to give an effective performance to the extent that our then elderly Churchwarden, who had suffered from birds getting into the (sorry - his!) church in the past and had taken great precautions to stop them, spent some considerable time after the service looking for real birds until I realised what he was up to and put him right. I did not have time to find a suitable piece of scaffold pole for the tolling bell `bell'. FF

I see with somewhat wry amusement that some modern digital organs have `unsteady wind' as an option. I spent much of my life trying to get rid of unsteady wind in pipe organs. FF

Congratulations MM. FF

I don't know if J.W.Walker & Sons or anyone other builders were actually kept alive by subcontracting Compton's work, but they had a massive cinema work load and in order to keep to delivery dates work was farmed out which undoubtedly topped up other companies order books. It has always been difficult to find out exactly what the situation was but I was always told, rightly or wrongly, that much of the old Compton BBC Theatre Organ was manufactured by Walkers. FF