How Pipe Organs Work: Inside the St. Paul’s Chapel Organ

Most of us recognize the music of a pipe organ, but much fewer of us likely realize how venerable, and how complex, this musical instrument is. Pipe organs date back 1,800 years and, as demonstrated by Trinity’s former Associate Organist Janet Yieh, produce an incredibly wide diversity of sound.

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[thebandcalled]

Came across the video after a “shower thought”. It’s actually really cool to see how these thing work! Awesome vid 😀

[clarksarge]

Amazing what beautiful things humans have built to compose and play such beautiful music.

[associau]

This is a top-notch example of how an incredibly complex topic can be simplified and delivered in a clear, concise, and interesting way in a short video. Excellent work. It's the best I've seen. Thank you for creating this.

[off_mah_lawn]

2:43 I just realized where the expression “Pull out all the stops” comes from

[cerni]

Organ music is huge reason why i visit church every sunday. Organist in Bratislava- Slovakia is big fan of Bach and incorpirates it all the time creating amazing atmosphere. I'm just an electritian, but this instrument definitely influences my view on world

[SuicidialDolphin]

Didn't realize how complex these machines actually were. If an electrical engine pumps air into modern organs, how did pre-electric organ acquire air?

[Blake]

Simply amazing what we accomplished back then just to make some music. Genius, beautiful. It's sad what our priorities have shifted to.

[MHYT]

Thank you for the excellent explanation. I know you did a great job because I'm not a musician, and I understood it. I am somewhat of an engineer, so your video was really helpful.

[Emil-pl]

The beautiful music ❤️
Thank you very much. 😎👍❤️🍀

[dvb]

They forgot to mention that there’s a room deep underneath the building where lots of fat guys would blow air into the tubes

[Aatroxious]

My science teacher Mr. Z Hadel told us that underneath the Organ are a bunch a fat guys blowing air 🤷‍♂️

[Goodroosters]

I always thought pipe organs used fat guys beneath the pipes blowing air up through the pipes while an individual pressed the keys in tune with them. Shows what I know.

[_TeaMaster]

Holy ****, this thing is complex. I bet you can give her an airplane control panel, and she will somehow land it anyway.

[adud]

0:23 Well if you don't do that, then maybe look into it because that sounds pretty cool.

[flynntaggart]

if you came here wondering how pipe organs used to work before electricity and such, the answer is that beneath the organ there would be a bunch of fat guys who would blow into the pipes.

[liberatetutemeexinferis]

Are pipe organs built into the building or is it the other way around?

[starshot]

Yeah but how did they power it back then?

[Noelll]

Should add a pop filter to the narrators microphone just an FYI. Ty for video!

[dabien]

How did the ancient times get airto flow through the instrument? I dont think they had motors back the

[utuber]

In those days, it was like a moonshot.