Welcome to the premier issue of B3 Player! This magazine is the one and only magazine devoted to the B3 player and the organs and clones that they play. Our motto is All B3, All the Time!
For us in the US we are all either familiar or becoming familiar with the XK System. However, the Europeans and Japanese are being exposed to something that is, not only named differently, but looks different as well.
Here is one of the most identifiable organ riffs of all time, the opening riff of Gimmie Some Lovin’ by the Spencer Davis Group. The organ was play by one of the greats, Steve Winwood.
We have taken Jimmy Smith’s basic LH Bass pattern used in Verses 1 and 2 of Saint Louis Blues and made a “quarter note” version. Basically, I have removed all the “skips” or “stutters” from the walk. This version allows you to hear the changes and to get the feel in a less challenging setting.
Here we examine an actual Jimmy Smith bassline from the first verse of Saint Louis Blues and we get a feel of the driving bass in an organ trio setting.
In our first beginner’s example we use the shell voicings for a jazz blues comp in one of the favorite jazz organ keys, F. The 12 bar blues on the next page is the “standard jazz blues changes” that we already saw in the LH Bass section.
In our second beginner’s example we will look at another two-note chord form – the Power Chord. Although, in a rock setting the organ usually builds on or extends the chords being played by the guitars in the band who use power chords a lot. However, sometimes it can be very powerful for a rock organist to bang out some heavily overdriven power chords.
In our intermediate comping example we will study one of the mainstays of southern rock and blues organ, Gregg Allman. We will examine Gregg’s chord voicings, but we will concentrate on his exquisite use of dynamics with the expression pedal and his use of Leslie speed switching.
As everyone in the jazz organ circles knows on February 9, 2005 we lost the man who made the jazz organ what it is today – James Oscar Smith or just Jimmy Smith. My tribute to Mr. Smith is the transcription and analysis of his version of “Saint Louis Blues” as played on his album “Six View of the Blues” so that you can experience his genius first hand by attempting to play his groove.
In addition to comping, soloing and playing melodies, a jazz organist is also a bass player. Within an organ trio setting, a lot rides on the bass lines and bass sounds – they’re an important part of the band’s sound and drive.
One of the discussions that will eventually come up if you are having a conversation with a fellow XK-3 player is controlling the Overdrive (or Tube amp). Hammond-Suzuki broke some new ground by being the first digital B3 organ clone to include a tube preamp. More precisely they included a dual vacuum tube preamp. So, we have a two-tube preamp with six control parameters; let’s see what these parameters actually do in use.
The biggest news of late from the folks at Clavia is the latest update to their Nord Electro 2 Operating System. You can now download OS V2.2 from their website at www.clavia.se.
The folks at Native Instruments are not resting! It has been a few years since the B4 was released in 2000. It was a big success right out of the shoot. However, this November 2005 they are raising the bar with the introduction of the B4 II.
One of the safety improvements that you can make to a vintage B3, C3 and A100 series organ is to ensure that the AC circuit that powers your Hammond is properly grounded. As much as I would like to tell you that this is a simple task – it isn’t. Remember we are talking about equipment that was designed for the safety standards of 30 to 50 years ago. It is not practical to bring one of these organs up to today’s safety standards, however, they can be made considerably safer if the proper steps are taken.
Although, the Leslie 2101 has been around for a couple of years the appreciation of the unit has seemed to take off this year. This new-found appreciation has occurred due to some good reviews in print and on the net. Also, the 2101 seems more available over the net and at music stores.
