Simon Williams explains the circle of fifths, and shows how it is useful for both keyboard and written harmony.

The recent Couperin anniversary (2018) and the appearance of a new edition of Couperin’s Pièces d’orgue from the Stavanger-based Cantando Press was an opportune moment for David Ponsford to reflect not only on the edition, but also on the state of Couperin organ studies at this time.

The second of two films on harmony for beginners is particularly suitable for anyone preparing for the ARCO Diploma examination, where harmonising a melody is part of the keyboard skills tests.

This is the first of a series of two films on harmony, presented by Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick.  The films are aimed at complete beginners as well as those with some knowledge, and also will help those preparing for the ARCO exam.  This first film begins with introducing terminology, and looks at the seven chords of the major scale, cadences, and popular sequences of chords. 

Not all cathedral choirs are silent and choir leaders furloughed. We look at how some cathedrals and choral societies are finding ways to keep singers engaged with meaningful activities without a huge investment in equipment or new music, and investigate the practical issues around creating virtual choirs.

Anna Lapwood discusses three very different but engaging pieces by Bach, which will enrich your repertoire and stretch your technique.

Andrew McCrea takes a brief look at the rich history of organ anthology production in Britain in the last two centuries.

Only one inanimate object has been habitually described as having lungs or as being capable of a kind of mechanical breathing. That the organ lends itself to imagery and metaphor has not gone unnoticed: Francis O’Gorman takes this subject on by investigating a range of nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century poetry.

It may seem slightly perverse to be looking performance skills in Learning during Lockdown, when the coronavirus pandemic currently preventing most musicians from performing at all.  But lockdown is possibly an opportunity to step back and reflect on how we felt about our own performances in the past, and how they could improve.  iRCO has resources on performance techniques, and we look at competitions for organists that are still taking place in the next year.