Using These Books
Repeats.
Short pieces can easily be repeated with a simple registration change for interest. Playing both hands on the organ stops usually enough change to be interesting. So, begin with the chimes the right hand and, after the first time through, play both hands on the same manual with the organ stops, following that with another time through on the chimes. If time runs out during the second time you are playing it, just play the last line using the right hand on the chimes.
Registrations.
Effective registrations often are usually created by carefully balancing the accompaniment stops to the chime stops.
1. Set the chime, carillon, tower bells or handbell stop first. Play it and decide how loud it should be and set its volume or the expression pedal for its volume at that level.
2. Some of the sample recordings on the site were made by adding another percussion stop to the tubular chimes, including celesta, organ harp and the tubular chimes played an octave lower and a softer volume level. Experimentation creates different sounds, increasing the amount of aural interest for the listener.
3. Choosing the left hand part organ stops to match usually means combining stops in the 8’ and 4’ range - the 8’ may be chosen from softer stops putting the 4’ a bit up front in sound.
4. Pedals are usually played at 16’ pitch. If you are using a BASS coupler, it is playing the pedals up in the right half of the pedalboard, and usually a 32’ stop will give you a better pedal sound when using the BASS coupler. Remember, Bass couplers usually work on from the Great manual and if the CHIMES play from the great, the coupler cannot be used.
Registration Effects
When playing Left hand on the Swell and the right hand on Chimes on the Great, an interesting sound is made on some music by adding the Swell to Great Coupler so the Chimes are heard with the organ stops from the Swell doubling the melody.
Celestes or not?
Celeste stops always have 8’ or sometimes 4’ (and rarely, 16”) plus either II or III in the name and have a wavering tone. The pitch does not flutter as it will with a tremulant. When playing accompaniments there are three kinds of stop combinations often heard:
A. Stops
B. Stops including Celestes.
C. Stops and Celestes or both played together, with the Tremulants on.
Touch Sensitivity
Older chimes units may have a volume knob. All notes play the exact same volume level. Today some organs have a KBD setting, that permits bell stops (and piano) to respond to variations in touch. Some of the sample files on the site use this effect. You can be more expressive when you play. But some prefer setting the organ to EXP, which causes the chimes to respond to pushing the expression pedal in and out. If you want the old-fashioned standard sound, the chimes on these organs may be set to a set volume from 1-127.
When playing non-expressive set-volume chimes, expression comes by increasing and decreasing the accompaniment stops instead.
Playing like a real carillon.
When playing more than one note on bells to match the sound of real carillon bells with a mechanical clavier, two notes played at the same time may be struck together if closer together by one hand. But when three notes or more are written to be played at the same time, they are often rolled. Rolling from the bottom to the top will bring out the melody note.