Organists that don't do bass pedals

[trking]

This is a VERY encouraging thread.... THANK YOU!!

I've been playing piano for about 35 years ... Of those, probably 80% pretty good with chords ... but, my style is to stride play with the left hand, and chords with the right, or single 1,6,2,5 kind of bass lines with the left. I am actually pretty darn good playing that way.... However, recently, I purchased a C3 for my church ....

My problem is, I'm kinda well, well-rounded, and that keeps me from getting too close to the keys, but at the same time, makes it difficult to reach the volume pedal. I'm only 5' tall ... My inseem is about 23" ... anyways ... enough personal information ...

I'm trying to learn the pedals, and it is so easy to become discouraged because you wanna know how to do it RIGHT NOW... BUT, then I realized, hearing somebody else say, like myself, being a piano teacher, "If you practice 1 hour a day, EVERY DAY, in about 6 months, you'd be pretty familiar with the tssk you are practicing..." So, you guys are right ... PRACTICE is the key.

Now, I was just sitting here thinking, dang, why couldn't I do the Hanon exercises on the Hammond foot pedals????? That would certainly help with coordnation and such.

Any ways ... I'm just glad I'm not alone ... Thank you so much, and let me tell you .., playing the Hammond puts you in a totally different world... That instrument has it's OWN personality and it's up to the player to help bring it out.

Thank you all!!

[kenlacam]

my general rule of thumb is I run a deep bass left handed on fast songs and medium to slow songs I run bass pedals (when I'm playing alone). I can't do much when playing with a bass player because I'd hate to step on him. So I just use pedals to make more of a full sound.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!! That is what I do. I use left hand for fast songs (shouting, primarily, as they like to do every Sunday without fail). and I use the pedals on mid-tempo to slow songs. (We don't have a bass player).

[kenlacam]

im sorry but i was always taught that a "true" organist uses their foot and people cant tell the difference between the person using their foot or hand. Thats where i want to be.

I beg to differ. I think that is snobbery for someone to say that somebody is not a "true"organist if they don't use the pedals. As long as the musician is giving his/her service to the Lord, it doesn't matter if they use left hand OR bass pedals.