What do the stops on an organ do?

What do the stops on an organ do?

The use of stops enables the organist to selectively turn off (“stop”) certain ranks in order to produce different combinations of sounds, as opposed to hearing all sounds simultaneously. A stop may be linked to a single or multiple ranks.

Where do pipe organs get their air?

How sound is produced. A pipe organ feeds wind into pipes, causing the air to oscillate and produce a sound. The pipes stand in line above the box referred to as the wind-chest, with wind fed from below into the pipes the organist wishes to use to produce sound.

What is the lowest note on a pipe organ?

C−1
The lowest note that a pipe organ can sound (with a true pipe) is C−1 (or CCCC), which is 8 Hz, below the range of human hearing and not visible on this chart.

How many stops are on an organ?

They just need to pull out some stops when they work the pedals. A typical pump organ will usually have 7, 9, or 11 stops.

What is a rank on a pipe organ?

A rank is a row of pipes all of which make the same sound, but at different pitches. For example, all the pipes for a Spire Flute (one kind of flute sound) will be in the same row. Organs are often described by the number of ranks they have.

How much does a pipe organ cost?

The cost of a pipe organ can be as low as $30,000.00 for a used instrument relocated to a new home, to millions of dollars for a new instrument built for a major church or concert hall. The range of cost for a pipe organ for a small to medium sized church is in the area of $200,000.00 – 850,000.00.

How low do pipe organs go?

Organ pipe pitch levels are named according to the length of the pipe needed to produce the pitch. Pitch levels can be as low as 32′ (pressing middle C sounds a note two octaves below middle C) and as short as 1′ (pressing the middle C key sounds 3 octaves higher.

Where is middle C on the organ pedals?

The third C from the lowest end is “middle c” and serves as the reference point for most organists as it does for pianists. Pedal keyboards typically have 32 notes in the United States, ranging from the same low C as the manuals to the G two octaves and a fifth above. The diagram indicates “middle c” on the pedalboard.

How many pipes are in a rank?

A rank is a set of pipes of the same tone (e.g. a rank of oboes, or a rank of flutes). Each pipe in the rank corresponds to a key on the keyboard. A rank may contain 32 pipes for pedal ranks or 61 pipes for manual ranks.

How often should a pipe organ be tuned?

Typically, pipe organs should be tuned once or twice a year, depending on the size, design and style. A large instrument may need more attention.

What is a hammer pipe organ?

A special type of organ pipe that produces tone by using a felt hammer to beat air through the resonator. Common on theatre organs, not often used in classical instruments. A reed stop at 8′ pitch on the manuals with a tone similar to that of a bassoon.

What are the different types of organ stops?

Organ stops are sorted into four major types: principal, string, reed, and flute. A reed pipe is an organ pipe that is sounded by a vibrating brass strip known as a reed.

What is the stop tab on a pipe organ called?

The term can also refer to the control that operates this mechanism, commonly called a stop tab, stop knob, or drawknob. On electric or electronic organs that imitate a pipe organ, the same terms are often used, with the exception of the Hammond organ and clonewheel organs, which use the term “drawbar”.

What is an organ flue stop?

A flue stop that is the “backbone” sound of the organ. Most commonly at 8′ in manuals, and 8′ or 16′ in the pedals. A special type of organ pipe that produces tone by using a felt hammer to beat air through the resonator.