Expression Pedal - Electronic Organs

Electronic Organs

The style of popular organ music of the 20th and 21st centuries such as jazz is highly dynamic and requires constant use of the expression pedal in a fashion very different from that of classical organ literature. This tendency increased with the arrival of spinet organs and modern synthesizers, which offset the expression pedal and reduced the size of the pedalboard. These changes allowed the organist to keep the right foot constantly on the expression pedal, while playing the pedalboard with only the left foot. This ability encouraged organists to operate the expression pedal more often during playing. To take advantage of this style of playing, some expression pedals on modern electronic organs are equipped with toe switches, which allow the organist to make quick registration changes without removing the foot from the pedal.

Expression pedals may be non-linear in response, meaning that slight pressure changes may cause a greater proportional change in volume than a more complete depression. In this regard, each organ tends to be rather distinct.