AGO Organ Maintenance & Tuning Basics 2

Question 1

What is 'voicing' in the context of pipe organ maintenance?

Accepted Answer

Modifying the tone quality and volume of pipes by adjusting the mouth, languid, or toe hole

Answer

Voicing involves shaping the tone of a pipe by adjusting physical parameters like mouth width, languid height, and toe hole size.

Question 2

Which tool is most commonly used to tune open metal flue pipes in the field?

Accepted Answer

A cone or roller used to open or close the pipe top

Answer

Open metal flue pipes are tuned by rolling or coning the pipe top to slightly open or close it, altering the speaking length.

Question 3

What effect does high humidity have on wooden organ pipes?

Accepted Answer

It can cause wood to swell, potentially distorting pipe mouths or sealing joints

Answer

High humidity causes wood to absorb moisture and swell, which can warp pipe bodies, distort mouths, and affect speech and tuning.

Question 4

In a tracker action organ, what is the function of the pallet?

Accepted Answer

It is the valve inside the wind chest that opens to admit air to a pipe

Answer

The pallet is a valve seated in the wind chest table that lifts when a key is pressed, allowing pressurized wind to enter the pipe channel.

Question 5

A pipe that 'ciphers' is one that:

Accepted Answer

Speaks continuously without a key being pressed

Answer

A ciphering pipe sounds continuously because its pallet or valve fails to close, often due to a stuck key, swollen wood, or debris.

(AGO) American Guild of Organists Certification Practice Test