High esteem for the pipe organ?

[Nick Baty]

Is a digital organ more or less likely to go out of tune because of temperature, damp etc than it's piped counterpart?

[Peter Jones]

No idea nick. How old is your Allen, by the way? (Allen is one manufacturer that does keep a stock of spare parts - from its earliest model to those of today, I think.)

[Nick Baty]

It's about three years now. And sounds wonderful. Speakers are in gallery so most folk think it's the pipes which are making the sound!

[Peter Jones]

I notice that Allen - unlike other companies - are not posting the prices of basic instruments on their website. "Contact us", they say.

[alan29]

They generally have a stock of refurbished 2nd hand, though. We bought one several years ago for £3000. It had been rescued from a church that had been smoke damaged and originally replaced by the insurers Sounded superb and was lovely to play - 4 fridge sized speakers hidden behind the reredos. It was brilliant for both accompanying and for "showing off" at Christmas and Easter.
While I was away doing other things the then pp got rid of it because there was nobody else to play it. Would give my eye teeth.

[Nick Baty]

And aren't you in a church were a previous PP resprayed the reredos with car spray paint?

[alan29]

Oh yes. And another who scrapped the pews that the architect had designed for the building and then turned the seating 90 degrees, only for the following one to turn them back again. It has sometimes reminded me of Gordon Brittas.

[Nick Baty]

And you had a tranistorised instrument which received local taxis and police radio!
And apologies for using the wrong "were" in my previous post.

[Southern Comfort]

There's no written source for this, obviously...

But SC, you said scientific evidence was able to prove it. Were these particular scientists illiterate, or devotees of the oral tradition?

What I said was that the scientific evidence was able to prove quite conclusively that electronic organs, both digital and otherwise, can have tuning problems. There was extensive correspondence on this on the Piporg-L forum a number of years ago, which started off with people (including me) quoting their experiences of Allens, Allen being very defensive, and then the scientific guys, who know far more than we ever will, weighing in and demolishing Allen (and everyone else) in one fell swoop.

When I spoke about the written sources, I was not referring to this at all. I thought you were asking for written sources that electronic manufacturers admitted that their instruments could have tuning problems — quite a different question. That is not something that they will ever put in writing, but verbal and implicit evidence, as I suggested above, abounds, plus the experience of all those who have called in manufacturers to correct tuning problems.

Anyway, you seem to be right about the absence of written sources: a Google search on the terms digital organ tuning problems does rather seem to back you up. Surely somebody somewhere must have noticed the same problem and reported it?

See the Piporg-L forum threads referred to above, if you can find them.

[Peter Jones]

See the Piporg-L forum threads referred to above, if you can find them.

Well Google finds this http://www.albany.edu/piporg-l/ but I have yet to search for an appropriate thread - and, to be honest,I have other things to do at the moment.

[Peter Jones]

Now I've done other things - I have come across this - http://www.organtek.com/orgmaint.htm

[justMary]

Whilst not wishing to sound conceited, I have been Organist in my parish for nearly 20 years, and more musicians have "gone" than "come" and yet we have sustained - indeed, developed, a good music programme in which the congregation participates and choir and cantors play their part. And no instrument other than the organ has been played for a good 10 years!

Good - I'm glad to hear it.

You say that you are "Organist" and that only organ has been played for 10 years.

Are you one of a team of capable organists who can cover for each other? What happens when you are away? Of you get sick at short notice? - possibly too sick to play for weeks or months on end?

No, I'm not wishing anything bad on you. But a solid programme needs to carry on even if key people disappear.

[Hare]

Whilst not wishing to sound conceited, I have been Organist in my parish for nearly 20 years, and more musicians have "gone" than "come" and yet we have sustained - indeed, developed, a good music programme in which the congregation participates and choir and cantors play their part. And no instrument other than the organ has been played for a good 10 years!

Good - I'm glad to hear it.

You say that you are "Organist" and that only organ has been played for 10 years.

Are you one of a team of capable organists who can cover for each other? What happens when you are away? Of you get sick at short notice? - possibly too sick to play for weeks or months on end?

No, I'm not wishing anything bad on you. But a solid programme needs to carry on even if key people disappear.

I have a team of deputies (from "outside" - my one "in-house" deputy died earlier in the year) so weekend and Holyday masses are always covered. It is a privilege to count the previous DofM at Magdalen College Oxford amongst them!!

[VML]

Hare said: And no instrument other than the organ has been played for a good 10 years! [/quote]


When I see this I am reminded of psalm 150.

[Peter Jones]

When I see this I am reminded of psalm 150.

Oh yes - laudate eum in solo tuba