How does a pipe organ actually work? | Anna Lapwood | Classic FM

Organist Anna Lapwood presents a beginner’s guide to the organ, from stops, pedals and manuals to pipes and wind chests.
Filmed at St John's Smith Square in London - home to a magnificent organ made up of a whopping 3,574 pipes.
0:00 Introduction to the organ
1:19 How the keyboards (or manuals) work
2:12 How the stops work
4:32 How organs vary
5:09 How the pedals work
7:03 How the buttons work
9:37 How to Train Your Dragon 🐉
11:03 Inside the organ
12:51 History of the organ
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[@alex0589]

Are you kidding me? I want hours of this. Give her a show, someone.

[@JS-bf9dw]

a very humble request, sir ...I just want to marry her, but I think the probability of her getting a show is much more higher

[@mattiafioravanti8475]

Hear hear.

[@1earflapping]

@@JS-bf9dw Hey! I saw her first!

[@truck6859]

Yes, ideed!

[@vornamenachname9905]

Anna has her own youtube channel with lots of stuff :) She is such a charm…

[@derekdaniels8649]

The most articulate and comprehensive demonstration ever of the workings of this superb instrument. Thank you.

[@deanedge5988]

Also so charming and engaging.

[@rowanlidbury]

35 years playing and I learnt something from this, very well done.

[@DoahnKea_Tuber]

Great Presentation by the talented Anna Lapwood pulling out most of the stops!

[@ubernate860]

On film? Yeah perhaps

[@crazyorganist1609]

Diane bish did it better

[@Tacttactification]

I wasn't planning on watching a 15 minute video about how organs work, but Anna is so charismatic that I couldn't stop watching

[@wetwillie]

33 years old and I finally understand where the classic idiom, "pull out all the stops" comes from.

[@lupe2947]

Organs are like physical synths!! Never knew they were this flexible! I’m so amazed

[@thetheatreorgan168]

And the synthesizer in turn, was inspired by orchestrally-designed pipe organs that found heavy usage in the silent film era due to their capabilities

[@ellietheverysmellybellybea7984]

not only that but Much like a synth, Organs have oscillators!

[@Solidst8dad2112]

Additive versus subtractive, but yes!

[@torinstorkey]

@@Solidst8dad2112 you can have additive synths. FM synths for example.

[@GotYourWallet]

Right? You have different keyboards for playing multiple timbres at the same time. You have generals which are banks of patches. And each patch is made up of multiple oscillators stacked on top of each other. I never knew this!

[@zaneclone]

Aside from Anna's musical talents- of which there are many- she is the most wonderful speaker. Wonderful clarity, chosen words, confidence, delivery etc. I could literally listen to her all day- irrespective of the subject matter !!

[@theoryismypraxis3538]

she's also exceptionally beautiful

[@zaneclone]

@@theoryismypraxis3538 Yes, she's gifted in that area also...

[@fyfyi6053]

She looks like a waifu with glasses.

[@pirojfmifhghek566]

I dunno about the rest of you weirdos, but I just appreciate that she's knowledgeable about a very obscure instrument. I don't feel like it's necessary to go on a tangent about how she presents herself. Y'all are just pushing her skills aside to comment on appearances instead.

[@macsmith2013]

Not to mention she doesn't appear to take herself overly serious, which is always a nice thing. Confident, yes, and rightly so, but relatable and down to earth nevertheless.

[@rexstuff4655]

Mad respect for someone who is clearly passionate and deeply knowledgeable about her area of expertise. Thoroughly articulate, too. You are a true ambassador for your craft.

[@cannon440]

How do you precisely control 12 appendages simultaneously, while remembering exactly where the 150 + or - keys & buttons are located & plug in the musical piece with your mind. Truly an amazing feat.

[@blahfasel2000]

14 really because you can use heel and toes simultaneously for different things.

[@michaelmascari9785]

Don't you mean, Truly an amazing "feet" 🤣

[@craigborgardt6396]

As an organist at a very basic level, I've always felt that a bit of schizophrenia is involved....when everything is working, there is nothing around me other than the music and those magical moments, rare as they are, are worth the effort and pleasures of learning The King Of Instruments. And no matter one's age!!

[@1962RJP]

And the melody played by her feet!

[@jonh284]

@@michaelmascari9785 you went there. And I laughed.

[@OfficialRainsynth]

Also, pipe organs are basically the only musical instruments, that take up a building and they are specifically always built INTO the church or concert hall.

[@roycevanbeethoven]

Carillons exist.

[@jonh284]

Preferably, the building would be built around it. As I’m sure many were. Same idea though.

[@andybrown4284]

It could be argued that the building itself is also part of the instrument due to the acoustics of the architecture

[@annasolovyeva1013]

@@andybrown4284 the buliding is even more important to an academically trained voice.

[@gr8n10city3]

Quite organic

[@turtlezen4292]

I had no idea how badass organs are. The organist at our church growing up made everything sound like a dirge. This was such a fascinating video!

[@Fomites]

I love the word 'dirge'.

[@Vousie]

I think that may have more to do with the speed that some organists play at - a lot of the songs would sound a lot less like a dirge if they were just played a little bit faster...

[@matthiku]

@@Fomites Yeah, I learned a new word today! Nice!

[@DavidSmith-sb2ix]

She was probably a blue haired old lady.

[@ralanham76]

​@@DavidSmith-sb2ixI've driven her to the hairdresser 😉

[@scheepalicious]

Wow, what a natural born teacher and storyteller. She's amazing to listen to.

[@Twobarpsi]

🤩

[@J.J._Mason]

I have never been so fascinated in my life, I'm a 25yo metalhead who does listen to classic FM daily whilst commuting, but this ...this is beautiful and bizarre and just wonderful

[@RuminatingWizard]

You're 25 and you listen to the radio? Lol

[@J.J._Mason]

@@RuminatingWizard why yes, if I want to listen to metal or modern music for sure Spotify is better, but when commuting nothing beats classic FM, beautiful music and traffic updates

[@resurgem]

@@RuminatingWizard why not?

[@okamanokama]

Metal covers of classical music are amazing, they fit the typical chord structures well. I got into more metal music because of them 😊

[@dormilon36]

Wow! She pulled out all the stops for this wonderful explanation! 😊

[@philmckenna5709]

And it was really well organised 😈

[@woodhonky3890]

Literally!

[@robertnewell5057]

Oh dear 😂

[@dielaughing73]

She should write a manual

[@tomvandongen8075]

​@@dielaughing73 under appreciated joke

[@Token_Nerd]

Freaking how to train your dragon of all film scores

[@aaronstanley6914]

Thanks that was going drive me crazy. As crazy as I was when I found out metrolinx haven't even started cutting the new tunnels.

[@pxlz0729]

One of my favorite soundtracks. Really well composed

[@LoonyYunie]

I thought it sounded familiar! Now I need to watch it 😄

[@Mrcloc]

It will go down as one of the greats of all time.

[@aaronhighfill2959]

i played how to train your dragon as a marching band and that sounds awesome!

[@aaronhighfill2959]

i think that was probably the most extensive version of how to train your dragon i have heard 😂 i wanna know how many octaves there are in the piece you played?

[@samrc8350]

This woman is a genius

[@joshuaswannmusic6462]

I did an apprenticeship back in 2009 restoring and tuning pipe organs. The sheer amount of components that must be maintained on a yearly basis is infact staggering. Highly stressful job too wouldn’t recommend it. Still amazing living works of art.

[@philmckenna5709]

Do you still do that work?

[@big800wildcat]

And then after you get it all perfectly tuned, the temperature and/or the humidity changes....

[@babybloc]

My friend did that. Said you had to wear gloves because the temperature of your hands would make it go out of tune 😵

[@bunkytony]

This lady has it all. She's beautiful, talented, a great musician and speaker. What a dangerous combination! I could listen to her all day too. She should have a show!

[@cornelius8617]

I love her shoes

[@tigerteff015]

As a non musician I am amazed how someone can learn to play what seems such a complex instrument. At least people like me can sit back and immerse ourselves in great music.

[@cellosean]

You may be a non-musician, but I think you have a great appreciation for music and what we musicians do. Not everyone has that.

[@gunnarstumm1350]

If i could have watched this video 40 years ago, i bet i would be an organist today

[@vervetech9395]

It's amazing how engineers get to make something as complicated as this without any chip or computer programming. Purely mechanical.

[@v3xman]

It is! However she keeps mentioning the phrase “if things go wrong”, which is sadly an inherent characteristic of something large and mechanical.

[@big800wildcat]

@@v3xman Can be fun when a note sticks - especially during a performance. That note will continue to sound until the organist has time to find the bank from which it is coming and push in that stop.

[@michallacki9462]

What a fantastic video! I was always curious as to what all the buttons do. I thought it was difficult but now that I know how it works I think it's completely insanely difficult 😂

[@jennhoff03]

;'D Right?! I thought, "this will make it easier. Can't be that hard." ;'D

[@Situated_Curve]

"Fun Fill Music" is the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack. Wonderful!

[@christopherwilson6527]

This absolutely incredible. I knew it was difficult to play, but this really has blown my mind. Very impressive!

[@MrAsego]

Test Flight at 9:37 is such a fantastic piece, and I think its swells and dives, plus the the combining of the two characters' themes (Hiccup and Toothless) makes such a wonderful and intuitive example for the generals! If anyone hasn't seen an analysis of Test Flight in the context of the movie and story, I highly recommend looking one up.

[@NicoScorpio]

I find it hugely entertaining she is playing a kids movie

[@steveurbach3093]

@@NicoScorpio KIDS? You don't fly. That flight was brilliant. (and there was a lesson: Stop thinking 'do this' and JUST DO. )

[@trustmeiknow1]

All I wanted to know was what song this was. Never seen the movie. Thank you. I’ve heard this song before somewhere else though

[@motle710]

It's like an ancient analogue MIDI keyboard

[@davemcddd]

I always knew that pipe organs were complicated machines, but I had no idea they were THAT complicated. And the idea they were able to build these machines hundreds of years ago is even more mind boggling.

[@todd60613]

Omg! Pull out most of the stops vs pull out all the stops! Brilliant! Thank you again!

[@purplealice]

Nothing compares to the sound of someone playing a building full of whistles!

[@MattAndImprov]

This is so well-presented. I could watch 20 more episodes.

[@wannabetrucker7475]

i can't even comprehend how this was invented, just amazing

[@juliannanichols7721]

Didn't realize I would be watching, and thoroughly enjoying, a 15 min explanation about organs. I could listen to her give lectures about this

[@Alkanen]

"[...] because if we did it wouldn't sound, actually, particularly pleasant. It would sound something like this." *plays most epic sound in the history of the world*

[@mkfmkf55]

Thanks very much for posting this. I always wondered how pipe organs made such a grand sound before electricity was available.

[@theuntapstep7789]

They would have people to pump the bellows

[@wesleyjoseph3997]

Kid power! Sometimes they would pump long handles to keep the air pressure in the bellows up, sometimes walk on a stair treadmill type thing.

[@geoffreydcruz7222]

How would the keys control all the pipes prior to electricity? Mechanical linkages?

[@wesleyjoseph3997]

@@geoffreydcruz7222 You got it! Many organs that post-date electricity still use mechanical linkages (we call it "tracker action") because it's more reliable, durable, and sounds more precise than electronic action, though it's certainly less flexible in terms of where you can place the console and pipes.

[@chrishoover4888]

@@wesleyjoseph3997 I've heard it called "clacker action" - maybe that one needed some work ;-}

[@darian.the.barbarian]

Wow she is amazing. Explained perfectly, with wonderful charisma and a clear love for her art ❤

[@Sildegar_]

this woman is fire, i love her energy. every time i see her on social media, i'm enthralled.

[@ucheucheuche]

5:09 Was NOT expecting River Dance from an Organist!! 🌊💃

[@pawel7318]

For one like me it might seem crazy that someone building such an instrument would think one musician can handle all of those keyboards and buttons... for someone like her it might seem necessary to use the talent she has. The beauty in our species is our diversity. Not every person can handle every thing, but as humans, we have no limits.

[@aphexart]

Pulling out All the stops reminds me of the old THX intro 😁 great info, would've loved more technical info on how it works and worked in the past.

[@fronkentine]

Omg, I recognize her! She played for Einaudi!!! If you haven't seen it, look it up. Magical.

[@LukeBass1000]

The Saint-Saëns at the beginning brought back so many awesome memories!

[@sparkypeter]

Thank you for giving me a clue to what is was !!👍

[@rh5971]

I would love to see her in concert!!! She is so enjoying what she is doing and the way she explains the instrument is amazing. Such talent!

[@levongabrielian6430]

Very elegant presentation by an elegant and charming musician 👍🙏

[@JoelMurphy77]

There's something very enjoyable about seeing all of the stops pop in and out when you press a preset.

[@youtubestolemyname]

For some reason, I was entirely too curious as to how organs worked in the days before electricity and found out today. WOW, as if they weren't complex enough as is, to have to employ another human to work the massive bellows is mind blowing.

[@thegamingkaiser2874]

I wouldn't hire one person, I would hire an entire team.

[@davidkennedy4845]

@@thegamingkaiser2874 Or perhaps a team of horses to drive a mechanism for producing the wind.

[@richardmeftah2569]

No way, I always loved the sound of these and now have a huge appreciation of just how complicated these things are and just how talented a musician she is! That's amazing! 👏🏼👏🏼

[@vale.antoni]

So this video was recommended to me, after watching one about how the theme song of How To Train Your Dragon is so genius in almost every aspect. In effect that video was about how that is the perfect piece to play as a demonstration of a pipe organ's range of possible applications. Best thing is that I didn't know the theme song would actually be played, just by looking at the thumbnail, or reading the title.

[@murphadam420]

Instant chills when Interstellar hits. Beautiful soundtrack.

[@JB-cp3bh]

Dear Mrs. Lapwood, your amazing talent at your craft is truly a beacon of hope for humankind. In this age of mindless mediocre entertainment you are the light this world needs. I am so grateful for people like you! 🥰

[@Pauley_in_GP]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Your awesome musical talent is so well-matched to your wonderful presentation ability. Thanks so much for a very enjoyable and informative time.

[@staticofmasses3166]

I’ll second that!

[@feminuma9495]

Thirded here. Undisputable

[@joaovictormartins2137]

I almost cried when she played the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack This song is beautiful and this is the movie of my life To this day, I still can't get over the fact that John Powell didn't win the Oscar for Best Original Score

[@h-dgronewold8584]

That was very interesting and "how to train a dragon" gave me goosebumps.

[@MrGreatplum]

Organs are truly bonkers instruments - love them. Thank you for a fine explanation!

[@counterfit5]

@norman-m [KANDAGAIGO] at least until someone makes a quadruple-Bb tuba

[@ivanpb1983]

The fact that humans are capable of operating at this level of coordination to produce music makes me proud. ☺

[@andyhesford1617]

I could listen to Anna play all day long

[@skyecommander2169]

Ok organs are waaaaay more complex than I initially thought.😵‍💫😵‍💫. Beautiful instrument!

[@timhartnell2472]

I will be adding “pulling out MOST of the stops” to my vocabulary…

[@Leeroyxoxo]

Anna's face at the end as she deafened everyone with all the stops.

[@misteriegast]

Dat eerste stukje melodie geweldig om te horen

[@canisrah]

What a striking woman. Impressive knowledge, stunningly articulate and obviously very talented. And seemingly so young! Gives one hope for the future.

[@Joshuasbikingandadventures]

Get her on here more often , the most informative thing ever

[@lidge1994]

So she's talented, intelligent and beautiful, all in one? And also very enthusiastic about teaching others about her passion!

[@gerrythompson1721]

Love the concept of a note you feel rather than hear

[@danilorico2668]

It is difficult to find words to express my admiration for the greatest of all instruments created by man. Thank you very much Anna, for your excellent explanation. Greetings from Bogotá Colombia!

[@leonardgucciardo8386]

This is a most amazing presentation of one of the most complex instruments in the world. You are also one of the most talented watching you play 3 different melodies at once is completely mind bending. The best!!

[@itsmephil2255]

Anna how do you remember all of this???? Wow you are incredible

[@digitalmediafan]

She's a genius just incredible So much talent on here was this recommended because I'm a fan of Dr K and Ladyva ?! Probably !

[@themanwhoknewtoomuch6667]

Anna must have a gift with teaching to make such an inscrutable, remote and discordant furniture accesible to us...

[@ViliamF.]

Kudos for featuring the Test Drive from HTTYD! I love that song as well as the entire trilogy.

[@maniravsadhur8409]

This is insane! I knew organs were complex, but I never imagined it went that far. And here I thought playing the piano was hard enough... Thank you for this video!

[@dcamron46]

She’s a great speaker and knows how to draw in the audience. It also helps that she’s entrancingly gorgeous and talented…

[@Pkripper-67]

Anna is clearly immensely talented. She is also an articulate speaker. She gave an excellent, comprehensive overview of the workings of this instrument. She’s also very beautiful.

[@paschalndukwe2248]

I could pay to watch this instructor 😊 she made everything easy and calm. Well explained with smiles all through

[@Lyrak]

I don't know what led me to decide I desperately needed to learn about pipe organs this morning but now after watching this I desperately need to actually see one in person as I now cannot remember if I ever have.

[@DrewMakepeace]

This is one of the best explanatory videos on KZbin.

[@wedgeski]

Incredible skill, all the brilliance of a concert pianist combined with the limb independence of a world class drummer! Amazing stuff. :)

[@tim2015]

I like your description.

[@ron88303]

The king of instruments.

[@MCF961]

Having all the stops out sounds amazing.

[@marcusjansson6586]

I'm in trance... I had no idea. Thank you a million times, what an instrument!

[@MolloyPolloy]

That was amazing, thank you Anna. :)

[@mrcat3493]

That was terrific! We need more of her.

[@Andy-Mesa]

This video literally and figuratively pulled out all the stops. Well done.

[@PavelFomenkov]

6:22 Also sprach Zarathustra Right there.

[@pharoahegypt]

This lady knows her onions; as well as her organs. Very insightful for us novices.

[@mymind101]

talk for yourself ! im no novices - im an ignorant! :)

[@ceceliahaentjens904]

I LOVE this! Thank you so much for the detailed description,

[@midnight2600]

I really love how the moment your fingers go down and press a key, you just transform into music mode. It shows in the way your face changes, the way your entire body starts to move with what you are playing, how your entire mood and vibe changes completely. which only music lovers and musicians can truly understand.

[@gunnarbjorck929]

I really liked that sound with ALL stops acctually!!💪💪💪👍

[@LukeAps]

That was extremely well done! Thank you Anna Lapwood!

[@notmyworld44]

Thank you, Anna. I had never before heard that much information about that instrument.

[@owensmith7530]

I could hear that 32' pipe perfectly well on my floor standing loudspeakers.

[@Subaruguy8508]

I liked both of the demonstrations of “all the stops.” Especially when you actually pulled out all the stops. Haha!

[@MrCreative3]

I can’t imagine a better presentation and explanation. Magnificent

[@alejandrosotomartin9720]

Hats off to this lady. Wonderfully played and explained.

[@pauljb6207]

Anna, you are such a natural in front of the camera, this was amazing.

[@jamesa.rodriguez8598]

A true master of your craft.

[@deonbotha5020]

Far more that an organist, what a brilliant mind and a wonderful talent to remember all the combinations and the ability to play such a complex instrument! Amazing!

[@kokki2008]

A superb presentation. Really fascinating and clear.

[@joshuamichaelcoachlovedr.]

Thanks for the fellowship.

[@chanceheaps6720]

When she started playing "test drive" from how to train your dragon, I fell in love. I had the privilege of getting to play the baritone part of that piece in our local orchestra. Beautiful

[@carolinefewkes7050]

So much I didn't know! Fascinating.