Fraser Gartshore

Pulling out all the stops in Bolzano, Bella Italia!

1 week ago | [YT] | 67

Fraser Gartshore

A little confession, and a new addition to the wishlist. 🎙️
I was thinking about what to pack for our week in Südtirol next week, having faithfully promised Vanessa no heavy gear, no pelicases, no cables — a proper holiday for once. And then it hit me: what if we wander into some gorgeous little mountain chapel and there's a beautiful old pipe organ sitting there, and I've got no way to record it? I'd never forgive myself.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realised this isn't really just a holiday thing. How many times am I out and about - a church here, a chapel there, an instrument I stumble across - and I've got nothing with me to capture the moment? Those spontaneous finds are often the most magical, and they're exactly the ones that get away.
So I've added the answer to the wishlist:
🎙️ Zoom H6studio - €399. Tiny enough to live in a jacket pocket, but with the same 32-bit float recording and clean preamps as my big studio rig, and proper stereo mics built right in. No external mics, no stands, no faff, no clipping. It just comes along for the ride, ready whenever something unexpected turns up.
If we can get this over the line, I can order it from Thomann and finally have a proper portable setup - for the mountains next week, and for every spontaneous musical moment after that.
Thank you, as always, for keeping this music alive. 🏔️
🎁 buymeacoffee.com/frasergartshore/wishlist

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 19

Fraser Gartshore

Did you know a single sampled Hauptwerk organ can weigh in at over 100GB (which then sits as a cache file in your RAM!) and contain more than 50,000 individual pipe samples, each captured at multiple lengths and mic positions to recreate the real acoustic of a cathedral? That's more raw audio than most film scores. It's why a virtual pipe organ can sound uncannily close to sitting in the stone nave itself, without needing 3,000 real pipes in your living room (though I wouldn't say no). Next time you hear a Hauptwerk recording, you're hearing a genuine slice of a real building, played through your headphones/speakers. What's your favourite cathedral or church acoustic to listen to organ music in? Drop it below.

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 94

Fraser Gartshore

Did you know the classic cinema organ — the kind that filled silent movie palaces in the 1920s — wasn't just a keyboard instrument? It was basically a one-person orchestra. Pull a stop and you'd get galloping horse hooves, a train whistle, a doorbell, even a siren, all wired straight into the console. No pit orchestra needed — one organist could score an entire chase scene live. It's one of the reasons I find the theatre organ so thrilling to play; it's part music, part sound design, part magic trick. Ever heard a genuine theatre organ film accompaniment? Shall we do another silent film night on the channel? Let me know in the comments. 🎟️

1 month ago | [YT] | 69

Fraser Gartshore

Sadly no Toooooba concert for our "inner circle" tonight - however, we'll have TWO Toooooba sessions in July to make up for it!

In the meantime, check out Piotr Grabowski's new sample set for Hauptwerk - the AMAZING organ of St Margaret's church in Munich. Guess what - I'll be presenting it for you all tomorrow in our Sunday Night Is Organ Music Night stream. It promises to be a special sample set - the organ in the huge space of St Margaret's is famous for its "new meets old" specification and features. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

What would you like me to play tomorrow night? Any special requests?

See you in the chat!

1 month ago | [YT] | 7

Fraser Gartshore

Ever wonder how an organist makes one instrument sound like an entire symphony orchestra? 🎻🎺

Hey folks! For tonight's Friday Night Is Organ Music Night, we are doing something a little bit epic: The Conductor's Cut!

I'll be stepping onto the virtual podium and treating the organ console like a full orchestra, playing some massive orchestral transcriptions. I'll also be sharing a look into how I approach these pieces from a conductor's perspective—how to use the stops to mimic strings, woodwinds, and brass, and how to mentally shrink a massive score down to the manuals and pedals.

Grab your favorite Friday night drink and join me in the loft for some incredibly big sounds! 👇

#FridayNightIsOrganMusicNight #Organist #Conductor #LiveOrgan #PipeOrgan

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Fraser Gartshore

Hey everyone! For tonight's Friday Night Is Organ Music Night, we are doing something a little bit different and unlocking the door to the practice room. 🚪🗝️

Instead of a normal concert, I am taking you behind the scenes. We'll be working through some new music together live, warts and all! I'll be breaking down my practice methods, figuring out tricky pedal techniques, making registration choices, and showing you exactly how I troubleshoot the hard parts. Expect pencils, metronomes, and definitely a few wrong notes as we figure it out! ✏️⏱️🎹

Whether you're a fellow musician looking for practice tips, or you just want to hang out and see how the musical sausage is actually made, come join me in the loft.

Grab your favorite Friday night drink, bring your practice questions for the live chat, and let's get to work! 🍻

What pieces would you like to see me practise? Let me know in the comments.

#FridayNightIsOrganMusicNight #Organist #BehindTheScenes #PracticeRoom #PipeOrgan #OrganMasterclass

2 months ago | [YT] | 4

Fraser Gartshore

🔴 THE KEVELAER DEBRIEF: Ask Me Anything! 👇

We survived our first-ever on-location broadcast! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us live from the Marienbasilika on Friday night.

Tonight, we are back in the comfort of the home studio for a relaxed Sunday stream. Alongside the music, I am opening up the floor for a massive Q&A to share all the behind-the-scenes stories from the road trip.

Drop your questions in the comments right now! Want to know about the acoustics? The setup? How heavy the gear was? Ask away, and I will be answering them live on stream tonight at 20:00 CEST. See you at the console! 🎹

2 months ago | [YT] | 1

Fraser Gartshore

🚨 STATUS REPORT: ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR KEVELAER! 🚐💨

The bags and flight cases are officially packed. Every single camera and mic battery is charged to 100%. The disks are formatted, and the car is completely filled up and ready to hit the road!

Tomorrow is the day we make channel history. We are taking Friday Night Is Organ Music Night out of the studio and broadcasting LIVE from the console of the legendary Seifert organ at the Marienbasilika in Kevelaer.

If you haven't set your alarm yet, do it now. You do not want to miss this incredible instrument in that massive acoustic!

⏰ SPECIAL START TIME: Tomorrow at 20:30 CEST
📍 WHERE: Right here on the channel!

Now for a good night's sleep... tomorrow, we make some serious noise! ⛪🎶

2 months ago | [YT] | 5

Fraser Gartshore

🚨 COUNTDOWN TO KEVELAER: 2 DAYS TO GO! 🚨

We are officially in countdown mode for the biggest channel milestone yet! The studio is currently a chaotic maze of cameras, tripods, and miles of audio cables as we prepare to take the Friday night livestream on the road for the very first time.

Our destination? The breathtaking Marienbasilika in Kevelaer to unleash the sheer, roaring power of the legendary Seifert organ.

If you have never heard this instrument before, your speakers are in for a serious workout. This is going to be massive.

⚠️ CRITICAL REMINDER:
Because we are broadcasting live from the basilica, we have a special, one-off start time! Set your alarms!
⏰ Friday, May 8th @ 20:30 CEST

🎟️ The Travel Fund is Still Open:
A huge thank you to everyone who has grabbed a Virtual Ticket so far to help fund the fuel, accommodation, and the massive amount of mobile data needed to beam this acoustic into your living rooms. If you'd like to chip in, the box office is right here: bit.ly/FraserTickets

Let’s make some serious noise on Friday. Who is tuning in? 👇

2 months ago | [YT] | 4