Music Lesson: Two-Handed Techniques and Hammond Moments

When you're just kind of sliding up and catching some in, you may do it with two hands. If you're not holding down a bass line, something like a full sound, there are a lot of those two-handed, percussive techniques that are used.

Key Points:

• Appearance vs. Reality:

  • It looks like more than it is; it's really just a lot of that kind of technique used again in context.

• One-Handed Techniques:

  • You can do a kind of one-handed version of those techniques even if you are holding down a bass line.
  • All you need to do is hit the first couple of contacts, and at speed, it sounds like you're actually playing chords all the way up sometimes, particularly with a bigger sound.

Glissando

• There's a great version of "Why I Showed a Pale" that Billy Preston plays on with King Curtis.
  • There's a solo section that goes something along the lines of:
    • "It's very thin but quite densely voiced."
  • It changes the setting quite a lot as he goes on, which is very cool.

Gospel Influences

Using techniques at number eight is a way to create a big, impactful sound.

• It's particularly good in gospel music because of the big sweeps involved.
• There are many things that aren't gimmicks but can be thrown in as purely Hammond moments and interspersed into your playing.

Summary

Incorporating these techniques into your playing enhances your sound and adds depth to your performances.