Registration Changes for Organists: 3 Ways to Practice Using Toe Studs

Changing stops on the organ while playing is not easy. Quite often assistants are needed to help with registration changes. However, organs equipped with stop combination system make the task of changing the stops so much easier. Special buttons, called pistons can be pushed by the hand or by the foot. If such button is located near the pedal board of the organ, it is called a toe stud. In this article, I will show you 3 ways to practice changing the stops by using toe studs which will make this task quite easy even for the beginner organist.

Prepare in advance. Just like in pedal playing it is best to use pedal preparation, so you should prepare for pressing toe studs before the actual spot where registration change is needed. Try to place the foot intended for registration change on the specific toe stud as soon as this foot is free to move. In other words, as you release the pedal with that foot, move it on the stud in an instant. Such preparation will greatly facilitate registration change and you will not have to think about it when the actual moment comes.
Practice repeatedly. Any registration change must be practiced over and over until it will become automatic. Take a short fragment, like one measure before and after the change and play it in a slow tempo 10 or more times. Omit the hand part first and practice only the pedal part. Later, play the entire texture in a similar way.
Imagine the toe studs and practice. If you intend to perform your composition on an organ with toe stops but only have a small organ available for practice, you can imagine the toe studs on your organ. Pretend that the toe studs are located either on the left side, right side or the middle. Make appropriate movements with your feet regardless whether or not they actually exist. The sound is not important here but your physical movements are, so that when the time comes to perform your piece on the organ with the toe studs, you will be ready.

If you follow my suggestions and incorporate registration changes using toe studs in your practice, this task will not be as difficult as it might appear at first. One thing that it is becoming apparent here is that we cannot take the registration changes for granted and hope that when the time comes we will successfully press that toe stud. The skill of changing registration, like hand or feet coordination must be practiced as a drill until it becomes automatic. If you achieve the level of automation, you will have no difficulty changing registration by yourself.

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