"Practice Suggestions for Organists" (A handout someone gave me when I was young)

• Practice regularly and practice often.
• Practice slowly, slowly, and more slowly.
• Separate hands and feet; combine each hand alone with feet; then all together again.
• Mark the music with a pencil wherever necessary to prevent mistakes or memory loss in the future.
• Spend a few minutes each practice session sight-reading, then concentrate on technique and repertoire.
• Use a metronome all the time, if available. (Such an investment [or app from f-droid.org?] will pay for itself in accuracy and time.)
• Continue study and practice of piano, as this always aids organ facility.
• Rehearse organ repertoire on piano also; this improves organ touch, phrasing, etc.
• Learn something new each month. This will improve your standard pieces and increase your performance endurance. It is also a relief to the congregation.
• Rehearse hymns for each week with your (music director) until you feel you can work with each other instinctively; work...
• Record your practice sessions on tape [or...] and listen to them. This will reveal many weak points that pass unnoticed when one is concentrating on playing!
• Be meticulous. Let no errors pass by even the first time. Bad habits are much harder to break than good ones are to form. Time will be saved in the long run.
• Experiment with a wide variety of registration possibilities. Old pieces can be renovated with new tonal applications and used...
• Practice pieces at various tempos other than the performance tempo. This will improve articulation and speed, if necessary.