How to Be a Church Organist

Around 18 years ago, I decided I wanted to become a Church organist. I had never learned to play the organ. I had had piano lessons for around four years as a child. I did fine, but I certainly wasn't a concert pianist. After my mother allowed me to quit lessons, I practiced out of the Baptist Hymnal every day for a couple of hours! I also enjoyed playing popular sheet music and singing along with friends.

By the time I was nearing thirty years old, I was a young, stay-at -home mother. We needed some extra income, and I saw a pianist job at a local Presbyterian church. I applied, and it was for the exact amount as our budget plan utility bill at the time, $100.00 a month!

This position required some brushing up for me, and I had never played for congregational singing, although I was very familiar with hymns. I also had to accompany a choir. I worked hard, and soon got comfortable playing for the small, sedate congregation. I began to have the desire to play the organ. It was career aspiration, too, because I realized that organists made more money than just pianists. I tried to play the organ at this church, and they complained that I was disturbing the whole Sunday School Program with the Noise I made trying to practice! So, I gave up for the time being. I kept playing piano.

Then a pianist job came open at the church where we were married, and I accepted it. The choir director played the organ some, and he showed me a few basics. The organist position became an option to me, when the choir director mentioned someone else doing piano and me playing organ, so he could lead the music. I was thrilled. But, I needed some practice. So we began to search for me a cheap organ to practice on at home.

We found a small Hammond organ in the classified for $125. and bought it. It had one octave of feet and, of course, two keyboards. We hauled it in the back of my father's little truck. I used the short basic instructions the music leader/organist had given me so patiently, and practiced. I practiced, and practiced. Some of my practice was on the job training, as I stepped into this position before I was really ready. By the way, we aren't talking about High Church music here, but Southern Baptists Gospel Music, basically. We call it Southern Gospel, most of the time, mixed in with a little contemporary.

I evolved to play the organ for the next 18 years, serving a few different churches vocationally, and working up in my pay scale. This type job is a combination of calling and employment. You have to be called to be successful, really, but, you have to treat it like a job. You have to be there, or there's no music, (Some churches have two instrumentalists. ) You are interviewed for a "job" and you are expected to conduct yourself that way.

So, how do you become an organist? To start with, you will need some knowledge of piano. If you took lessons as a child, it is good to go back to your beginning piano books if you can find them. If not, just get some others. Go through the whole series, song by song.

I taught piano lessons for many years, and that is what I had adults do when they returned to piano lessons after a long hiatus from childhood. You don't even need a piano, but can use an inexpensive electric keyboard. It is best not to invest in a piano until you know you are going to stick with it, anyway. Next, you need to play hymns. And play hymns, and play hymns.

Then, you need to locate an organ. I have seen nice ones for under fifty dollars at the thrift store. You need two keyboards and an octave of foot pedals. Nothing fancy. Start with a hymn you are really comfortable with.
With your right hand, you will play the treble clef notes (top part) on the upper keyboard, the Swell. Some people play one octave higher than the normal position. The left hand index finger plays the top note of the left hand notes. It is what would be the tenor notes. The base note is played with your left foot.
(See Diagram 1)

Just a side note here to say that, yes, I know that a traditional organist uses both feet, heel and toe. But, a Southern Gospel organist typically just uses the left toe to play. The right foot operates the volume pedal to have emphasis by getting louder and softer.

As you become more familiar with the organ, you will do like I do and do all kinds of varieties of things to spice it up! But, you can get started quite well with these basics. If you are just a volunteer organist, and the organ has sat idle for a long time, the church will be so glad to hear it , they will be very tolerant of your mistakes! Frankly, organists are a dying breed. There are still some classically trained organists out there, but they aren't usually lining up to play at a small community church for a couple of hundred dollars a month.

Best wishes for your new career as a church organist!