Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench is a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors — which typically assume prior piano experience — Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
Fingers and Feet is available as both a free PDF download and to purchase (click for details).
This First Stop! playlist also contains a suite of 34 short films, divided into five chapters, that guide learners through posture, movement and first musical steps.
Together, the tutor and films recognise the potential challenges beginners face when approaching the instrument: multiple manuals, the scale of the pedalboard, and the appearance of complex notation across three staves. Fingers and Feet addresses this with a clear, imaginative and accessible approach rooted in the principle of Sound to Sight — encouraging musical play before notation.
The Fingers and Feet tutor was developed by the Royal College of Organists and Diocese of Leeds Keyboard Studies Programme, with support from the Vinehill Trust. It was devised by organists Drew Cantrill-Fenwick and Robin Harrison, and edited by David Pipe.
Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench is a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument. It is available here as a free download, and also to purchase.
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Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench is a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors — which typically assume prior piano experience — Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
Fingers and Feet is available below as a free PDF download, but also to purchase through RSCM Music Shop (click here).
Fingers and Feet is also accompanied by 34 short films that guide learners through posture, movement and first musical steps. To you can find the films here in First Stop! Click to following links to jump to the films for Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5.
Together, the tutor and films recognise the potential challenges beginners face when approaching the instrument: multiple manuals, the scale of the pedalboard, and the appearance of complex notation across three staves. Fingers and Feet addresses this with a clear, imaginative and accessible approach rooted in the principle of Sound to Sight — encouraging musical play before notation.
The Fingers and Feet tutor was developed by the Royal College of Organists and Diocese of Leeds Keyboard Studies Programme, with support from the Vinehill Trust. It was devised by organists Drew Cantrill-Fenwick and Robin Harrison, and edited by David Pipe.
These videos support Chapter 1 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
VIEW CONTENT expand_more
These short videos support Chapter 1 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors, Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
The Fingers and Feet organ tutor is available to purchase or to download as a free PDF here on First Stop! – CLICK HERE >>
This introductory video walks you through how to the Fingers and Feet organ tutor and these accompanying videos. It suggests how tablets and phones can be positioned on the music desk, before finding the relevant video, selecting stops, and pressing ‘play’ to begin the count-in for each extract.
This video presents the teacher’s accompaniment for the student’s black-note improvisation using crotchets, quavers and minims, found on p.15 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor. It helps to support accurate subdivision in the student’s playing.
This piece introduces simple patterns using the black keys, helping you get used to the layout of the keyboard while playing inventive rhythms. Linking to p.20 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, this is an easy first step into making tunes of your own as you explore the ‘Sound-to-Sight’ idea.
Arabesque encourages smooth, flowing hand movements and a relaxed, legato touch using a B major scale. This video, which links to p.26 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, shows how to shape the line gracefully while keeping your fingers close to the keys.
This piece from p.27 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor builds confidence around the middle of the keyboard, helping you feel secure in a black-note hand position. The video supports steady counting and a sense of spacious, grounded playing.
These videos support Chapter 2 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
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These short videos support Chapter 2 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors, Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
The Fingers and Feet organ tutor is available to purchase or to download as a free PDF here on First Stop! (click for details).
This piece from p.37 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor shows how to cross the thumb neatly under finger 2, a key skill for smooth movement. Played over the teacher’s chordal accompaniment, Elephants’ Ballet Class builds strength and control, keeping fingers close to the keys.
This lively piece on p.39 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor uses a crisp touch to capture the dance’s energy, playing with confidence and accuracy so that the music fizzes along. The video presents the teacher’s accompaniment.
Performing Star! on p.40 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor gives you a first taste of playing a melody with confidence. The video provides a flowing quaver accompaniment under the student’s melody, which practises changes of hand-position while playing a very familiar tune!
This video presents the accompaniment for a familiar tune in three-time, found on p.42 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, as the first step in exploring how time signatures affect the way a piece sounds.
This version sets the piece in four-time, with a flowing quaver accompaniment under the famous melody. Again linked to p.42 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
Finally we explore compound time, setting the famous melody in a 6/8 time signature with a flowing accompaniment of triplets. Again based on p.42 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
Morning Pedals introduces a home position for the feet on the pedalboard with gentle rhythmic movement. The video presents the melody and choral accompaniment for Grieg’s Morning, under which the student can play a bass line. Linked to content on p.44 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
An accompaniment of open fifths to support an improvisation played by the student, which uses dialogue between the hands to create a short, effective piece. Linked to p.50 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
This duet from pp.57-58 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor explores chromatic movement using a mirror-scale pattern. The video provides a flowing semiquaver accompaniment, creating a shared pulse between the student and teacher.
This video uses the National Anthem to show how organ music is laid out. It is linked to pp.59-60 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, and helps you to see and hear how the parts fit together on the page, comparing a two-stave and three-stave score.
Samba Spider mixes lively rhythms with playful chords to create a samba-style dance. Linking to content on p.62 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, this video offers the lively chordal accompaniment over which the student plays the melody and ‘Cha-cha-cha!’ chord stack.
These videos support Chapter 3 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
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These short videos support Chapter 3 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors, Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
The Fingers and Feet organ tutor is available to purchase or to download as a free PDF here on First Stop! (click for details).
This piece helps to strengthen the fifth finger, playing from the knuckle rather than rotating the hand. The video, linked to p.65 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, provides the teacher’s accompaniment in G minor.
Cowboy Cantabile from p.66 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor encourages a relaxed, legato touch, with the dotted left-hand part in the video giving a Western swing!
This video introduces mellow jazz chords and a dotted melody, over which the student can practise relaxed substitutions and smooth harmonic shaping. Linked to p. 67 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
This version, from p.68 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, experiments with staccato chords. The video presents a jazzy melody and accompaniment, over which the student plays staccato chords.
Freddie the Funky Penguin builds confidence in using both the toe and heel on the pedals. This video, which links to pp.69-70 of the Fingers and Feet tutor, provides a fast-rock riff for the student to accompany on the pedals, with the option to add clapping as a percussive feature.
This short video, linking to p.71 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, introduces the Diapason family, the backbone of organ sound, as an example of ‘registration’.
Here you’ll meet the organ’s flute stops with their gentle, woody tone. This video, linked to p.71 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, uses an 18th-century piece to explore another aspect of registration.
This video, linked to p.72 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, shows how a solo Trumpet stop can be used to create a vibrant, march-like piece.
The Cornet’s bright, almost reedy sound is introduced in this video, before the teacher’s accompanimental bassline is played alone. This video links to p.72 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
This piece on p.76 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor helps to build on confident note-reading skills. The video provides an accompaniment for the student’s treble-clef notes that spell short words.
This follow-up piece, again linking to p.76 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, explores the bass-clef by spelling short melodic words under the teacher’s treble-clef accompaniment.
These videos support Chapter 4 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
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These short videos support Chapter 4 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors, Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
The Fingers and Feet organ tutor is available to purchase or to download as a free PDF here on First Stop! (click for details).
Long-finger piece encourages confident use of 2-3-4 finger-patterns, using music based on Bach’s C major Prelude. This video, linked to p.78 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, presents the teacher’s part of this short duet.
This piece, found on p.82 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, has a lively syncopated pulse, giving the student the chance to play a jazzy bassline under big-band-style chords heard in the teacher’s part during this video.
These videos support Chapter 5 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
VIEW CONTENT expand_more
These short videos support Chapter 5 of Fingers and Feet: A Journey to the Organ Bench – a new tutor book specifically created to support learners starting the organ as their very first instrument.
Unlike traditional organ tutors, Fingers and Feet is designed specifically for those starting the organ from scratch, including learners with no previous keyboard background.
The Fingers and Feet organ tutor is available to purchase or to download as a free PDF here on First Stop! (click for details).
A Heart-to-Heart is a gentle, reflective piece that introduces part-playing. In the video, the teacher’s chordal accompaniment supports the student’s two-part exercise, including a short improvised section. This films links to pp.87-88 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor.
Bagpipe Jig develops left-hand and pedal coordination within a lively jig pattern. Based on p.93 of the Fingers and Feet tutor book, this video presents the famous Scottish melody Scotland the Brave for the student to accompany.
This companion piece on p.27 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor continues left-hand and pedal coordination with the tune Heads, shoulders, knees and toes used to make a dialogue between the student and teacher.
This arrangement of Schubert’s famous song, ‘The Trout’, features a legato left-hand melody and pedal line. Linking from p.94 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, this video provides a flowing teacher descant to accompany it.
Echo Fantasy encourages the student to move between different manuals to create an echo effect. Linking from p. 96 of the Fingers and Feet organ tutor, this video provides a sustained accompaniment to support these manual-changes.
This video (linking to the QR code of p.98 of Fingers and Feet) introduces minimalism, creating musical interest from the simplest musical material, all with controlled rhythm and touch.
This video features the black keys as an inspiration for a structured improvisation. It encourages creative play with rhythm, dynamics and pentatonic patterns.
