Keyboardist trying to play an organ :(

[Burn4Him]

.... so apparently i suck on an organ.

I am pretty proficient on a piano and know how to use most patches in a way that doesn't make peoples ears bleed..... however i just have no idea what I am doing when it comes to playing organ. Can anyone help me with this? give me some hint? anything that will make it click with me?

If it matters I started off as a guitar/bass player and I am pretty good at both of those but now i just have a passion for keys. (I can also play violin, ukulele and a bit of banjo .............. and melodica if that counts)

Any advice at all would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[Burn4Him]

bueller bueller anyone?

 

[jmemcse]

This is a good place to start:
http://www.amazon.com/DVD-Blues-Rock-Techniques-Hammond-Organ/dp/B0007QQW54

 

[Burn4Him]

thanks ill check that out!

 

[Burn4Him]

jmemcse are u mostly a piano player or organ?

 

[jmemcse]

I used to make a living playing piano back in the 80's. Starting in the late 80's though I was in a classic rock band for 17 years and did a lot of B3 stuff - general synth stuff too.

Here's my latest gig -
http://www.myspace.com/sonicinsanitycolorado

The track "Falling" has some B3 type stuff from a Vintage Keys

 

[prokeys33442]

I've been playing piano and organ for over 30 years.

The technique is different when playing the organ vs the piano. On piano for instance, after you release the key, the note continues to sustain a little bit. Even longer if you're holding down the damper pedal.

The organ doesn't do that. When you release a key, the note goes away immediately. Although on an electronic keyboard, if you use the damper pedal with an organ patch, it will simply continue to 'hold' the notes at same volume until you release the pedal then the sound stops immediately.

You need play with extreme legato technique on the organ....and in many cases, you even need to hold the notes down much longer than you would expect and also use a technique called substitute fingering. Substitute fingering is not necessary on a piano.

Example of substitute fingering: Lets assume your playing a C major chord. You've got your thumb on C, middle (3rd) finger on E and baby (5th) finger on G. Now lets say you need follow that with a different inversion of the C chord where the low note would be E followed by G followed by C(as the high note).

What you need to do when going from one to the other is to continue to hold down the E and G notes (of CEG) and substitue your 3rd and 5th fingers that are on E and G with your thumb on E and 3rd finger on G so that your 5th (baby) finger can now play the high C note (for EGC).

Another example: Lets say you want to go from a C chord to an F chord. Ordinarilly you would play the as CEG and FAC but rather CEG and CFA and hold down the C note that's common in both chords. This keep the sound legato, smooth and connected.

If you don't hold down the notes, when going from one to the other....you're playing will sound 'choppy' but there may also be cases when you need it to sound 'disconnected' but still needs to be legato. This is achieved by holding each chord as long as possible until you have to change to the next chord. Again, this technique is not performed when playing a piano very often because each note continues to sustain a very short time after you release it.

It's takes some practice to develop this technique and can be challenging to those who primarily play the piano only and only on rare occasion to they play an organ.

Is this the kind of answer you were looking for?

Ed

 

[goz211]

.... so apparently i suck on an organ.

I

Says who?

If it's a band setting (with drums, bass, guitar):

Play fewer notes (imply the chords with a few notes - bit of movement is ok but two notes is often enough).

One hand is often enough - use the other to switch the leslie on/off. And lastly ...

Volume pedal.

Good luck.

 

[Burn4Him]

haha says me!

Thanks prokeys!

and i can noodle around and get simple things out but im just not where i want to be although ive been working on it. Its just gonna take time. Thanks everyone for your help!