We can demonstrate the use of ranks, keyboards and stops with this simple schematic, showing an organ with 6 ranks, with the drawings at the left illustrating different types of pipes. Each row of the matrix contains 8 pipes of a single rank. These 8 pipes are shown in this diagram with lines drawn to the 8 white keys of an octave on the keyboard which correspond to them.  At the right end there are drawings of 6 stops which allow only the pipes in that rank to be played. This diagram shows two open stops.

Each column contains all six pipes which play the same note. (As noted above, some of the ranks may be playing a note an octave higher or lower.) When the G key is depressed, the two pipes in the open ranks (or stops) will have air pumped into them and therefore will sound the G in the voices of those two ranks.