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RAMBLINGS OF A MAD WOMAN

I'm delighted to be writing this column for Organfax. When it was first mooted, it was with the working title of "Ramblings of a Mad Woman". Whether it makes it onto your screen with that title remains to be seen, but it certainly appeals to me!

In case you don't know me yet, I am a fairly mad woman living in South Wales with a sane and serene husband and a houseful of organs, pianos and keyboards. I retired as a circuit organist in January 2005, though I still get out and have a little play when the opportunity arises. After all, old organists never die, they simply diminuendo...

That's dealt with the mad woman side of things. Now for the ramblings, which imply a certain amount of spontaneity, a patch-work quilt of topics and a degree of grumpiness as well. Perfect. I'm going to enjoy this, and I hope you do too.

For future editions, I would be pleased to hear from anyone who has an issue to raise or a story to tell. This time, you're stuck with me...

MORE ABOUT YOU

I've introduced myself, so now it's over to you. Are you a listener or a player? What made you interested in keyboards and organs in the first place? How long have you been 'hooked'? Do you belong to your local keyboard and organ club? Do you have some organ and keyboard CDs in your collection? Which are your favourites? Have you introduced any of your friends to the happy world of organ music?

If you have a moment spare in amongst all the playing and listening, drop me a line and introduce yourself. A picture would be great too. And then I can feature a few of our readers in the column each time and we can really get to know one another. You can email me at penny@organfax.co.uk.

THE FEEL OF AN INSTRUMENT

I had a big birthday this year, and my husband gave me a sheet of card as a present. No, not mean at all, as he had printed on it "One piano voucher to be redeemed for the instrument of your choice." I went to Swift Music in Bristol (well worth a visit if you're over that way) and tried a line of very fine electric pianos.

None of them clicked with me, simply because they all made my playing sound beautiful, even when it wasn't! Any un-evenness of touch was ironed out by the machine, and I was left with nothing to strive towards.

I popped back a few weeks later and the shop was rather busy, so I went along the line again, 'playing' the pianos without switching them on. At the end of the line was a newcomer, a Casio Privia. As I ran my hands over the keys, I knew I'd found my elusive instrument.

"I'll take this one!" I called out, finally convincing the manager that I am a mad woman.

"You've not heard it yet" he pointed out. "It's not even plugged in."

"No need to plug it in," I argued. "This is the one I want".

The keys felt exactly like my acoustic piano at home. And when Nick Swift did prevail on me to plug it in and hear it play, it responded just like my piano at home. Good playing was rewarded with good sound, and naff playing sounded naff.

Since then I have given a great deal of thought to the importance of 'feel'. So next time you're choosing an instrument, play it first with the plug out of the wall. And if the shop staff ask you why you're doing such an eccentric thing, tell them it was recommended by The Mad Woman.

TALKING OF STRIVING

The original emergency call sign 'SOS'stood, of course, for 'Save our Souls'. But a friend of mine coined it with a new meaning this week - 'Sick of Striving'.

Are you a striver, or have you learned the gentle art of relaxation? My friend has been striving (and achieving) all her life, winning competitions herself and with her many pupils. Now she has retired she's still striving, practising feverishly to adapt piano concertos for organ and to memorise music history and theory. And what for? So that another day passes without going into the sunshine and walking by the sea.

I've recently returned to my original piano teacher to have some much-needed lessons. 35 years of organ playing has left its rust marks on my piano technique. I've been striving my socks off, but even my teacher, the man who teaches several international concert pianists, can't see the point.

"Why on earth are you trying so hard?" he groaned. "It's all this trying that's stopping you playing well. Just forget the notes and the technique and fingering. Listen to your playing and when it sounds lovely you're getting it right."

So if you're a striver, let's make a pledge to give it up. Let's do RAC instead - Relaxed and Content.

WHERE ARE ALL THE ORGANISTS?

I happen to feel very positive about the organ world, though no-one can deny that it's going through one of its leaner times right now. This was brought home to me when a club secretary called a few weeks ago and said:

"Have you got any organists names that I've missed out? We'd booked twelve for the coming year, but, in the past month or two, SIX of them have rung to say they're giving up."

Happily I was able to run through my list and find replacements for him, but it does highlight a trend.

FOUND, ONE ORGANIST

I love the fact that internet and email brings old friends back together. I have met my school chums this year (we were ALL celebrating big birthdays) and found a long lost cousin too. Then I found a familiar name in my website guestbook, a name that may well be familiar to you too: John Holmes.

John used to have a big music shop in Stokes Croft in Bristol, and his chain extended to Swindon and Oxford as well. I actually worked for him for 6 months or so during the halcyon days of the early 80s when organs flew out of the door like hot cakes. But I'd not seen him for years. We had one frustrating meeting when I was working as an examiner in the mid 1990s, and I saw him wave at me through a glass door before vanishing. But now here he was in my guestbook.

John has kindly agreed to my sharing his email, so if you've been wondering what he's up to as well, all is revealed:

"What a nice surprise to hear from you after so many years. Yes, 'Those were the Days' when organs used to be sold and delivered on a daily basis and it was so great to be able to give people the chance to make their own music through our music classes and the good old 'Creative Organist' and 'Kenny Baker' tutor books

I am also sad that the organ has faded into the background but like you penny, I am sure that given the right marketing the organ could still make it back to the popularity stakes, and then perhaps my sons might let me back in to my showrooms as a demonstrator rather than the delivery boy that I have now become ?. I was never a talented musician but I did manage to sell along side of such talents as yourself and Tony (Pegler).

I visit a few organ showrooms in the USA where they are still selling Lowreys to mainly the more mature, who still like to attend lessons and concerts. I did a couple of 'Gigs' at Hot Springs last year for a stores music school, and it did bring back memories of those days when we did the same, and converted wishful potential players into happy buying customers and 'Hugh' would then deliver them and show off his own talents over a cuppa to the new owners.

I still attend a few of the trade functions Penny but I find that I know so few people these days as times have moved on and so have people. I miss those days when you could always look forward to a good chat to your friends in the trade, and exchange all those juicy rumours about a competitor or one of the suppliers...but now I just have to get up when it pleases me and if I am the subject of any rumours, I can now ignore it and be thankful.

I still keep in touch with as many of the old faces as I can and have so many happy memories of those 'Golden days' when we all seemed to grumble about anything and not thinking of them as being our 'Schooling' days.

Well Penny, it has been nice talking to you and I hope I have not talked too much (a trend I have)! In the meantime please take care and continue to be happy, it's the best gift you can have."

The latest Lowery selling at a mere $89.000 including a simulator course to know how to take off and land it ?. I did quite a few aborted take off's before I got it off the ground. But it was great fun. Dear Jerry (Allan) would have loved it.