Distinctive Hammond Language

Okay, so we're going to talk about a bit of distinctive Hammond language for you. This includes techniques that you will only really achieve on an organ and may not even sound good on another instrument.

Fast Repeated Notes

One thing is a kind of fast repeated note that's made possible by the action of the organ and by the fact that you don't get all the harmonics at the same time.

• It really encourages you to play it in the Hammond key.
• It's very responsive, and you really can't play that quite fast.

I typically do it with my thumb and forefinger, but you can do it however you want. Some people just use one finger, which feels a bit messy for me. So, I like to rock between them.

You can actually put a few things in between if you prefer that style, it's quite a Jimmy Smith thing to do.

Changing Drawbar Settings

We also have the possibility of holding a note and just changing the drawbar settings. It sounds quite obvious, but it's really effective.

• When you have a simple, nice little riff and are adjusting the drawbars, you're going to lose volume.
• You can compensate for this by using the swell pedal.

As you go for the desired drawbar setting to achieve the tone you want, remember:

• As those drawbars go in, push the swell pedal in so you don't lose too much actual level.

Percussive Techniques

One more thing is the percussive, scratchy, chokey sound you sometimes hear on records. A lot of the time, it's on the bottom manual, but you can also achieve it on the top with more of a gospel-like feel.

• This technique combines a bit of thumb action, but mostly uses the palms.

For example, in the key of C, you might play a bluesy lick followed by a walk down to F, B flat, F.

This is actually reminiscent of a track called "Love the One You're With," specifically the Aretha Franklin Live At Fillmore West version where Billy Preston plays. He's possibly my favorite player of all, an incredible musician!

Matching Parts to Tone

Also, you could work on the second harmonic; however, you don't want to use your percussion once you've engaged the harmonic, as it tends to become messy and sounds too clunky.

• Always match the part to the tone.

For your percussion, try something more subtle and fitting.