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The Organ (Pipe Organ) is a very simple instrument. It consists of a long pipe that is tuned to a fundamental pitch, and a large reed that vibrates at this pitch when the right amount of air is delivered across it. Each pipe is intended to produce only one frequency, and it is a combination of a series of Organ Pipes that creates the musical instrument that is known as the Pipe Organ. The Pipe Organ is essentially a collection of Organ Pipes connected together through a Control Panel, where the organist sits to play the instrument.

Construction of Instrument:

The Pipe Organ itself is very simple. The hollow tube is typically constructed of Lead Alloy or Wood. Each material produces a different sound depending on the speed of sound within the material, and its resonant properties. Other materials can also be used to build your own organ, including plastic drainpipe. Again, the sound will be different, and the true character of good sound may be lost.

How to play:

To play the Pipe Organ, a system of bellows or air pumps is usually required. The air supply is fed through each of the pipes and connected to a keyboard. Depressing the key will cause the air to be fed through the reed and into the pipe, causing the reverberation and amplification of the sound. Pipe Organs come in a range of sizes, with over seven full octaves available for the use within sound. These are all tuned in semitones to the Western tonality, which is CDEFGAB, with sharps at the appropriate positions. These combine to produce the thirteen semitone scale that is familiar to most people in the west.

Pipe Organs can also be found in other pitches, but the difficulty herein lies in the successful combination of pitches that are alien to the ear. Good music is good music, no matter which language it is in.

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Where is it played?

Traditionally found in Churches, Wedding Chapels and some concert halls the Pipe Organ has a significant place within Baroque Music. The great thing about the Pipe Organ is the sheer stature of a full collection, and the immense volume of sound that can be reverberated through a well designed acoustically engineered structure. Old churches and cathedrals often have prominent displays, and will have regular playing of the instrument, often scheduled to coincide with the presence of the Sunday congregation and associated worship.

Famous musicians, composers:

JS Bach composed Organ pieces for a long period, and the music being produced from his works exists to this day. Perhaps the most famous of Organ pieces is the piece written by Bach that was used in Disney's 'Fantasia'. The Organ sound became revitalized in the 1970's by the Dub Master King Tubby, but this was through the revolutionary introduction of the Hammond Organ, an electronic synthesizer type of instrument that humbly recreated the sound of the Pipe Organ.

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Care of the instrument:

When they are in storage, care must be taken if the pipes are lead based. Due to the extremely heavy nature of Lead, the pipes will distort through the influence of gravity. The softness of the metal leads to the pipe changing in character and the sound being reproduced incorrectly. Proper turning of the pipes and a little bit of percussive maintenance of the pipe with a hammer will help the pipes stay in tune. Wooden pipes are similarly difficult to store, as when lying flat their wood will have pressure being distributed unevenly through the length, and moisture content will also change. Both of these factors affect the resultant sound so great care must be taken when dismantling and reassembling Organs. So much so that there is a specialized industry that concerns itself with the relocation of historic organs.