Rocking an Orran Solo

[Sineth]

--I meant "ORGAN solo" sorry...

Hey everybody, hope u all are well.

Haven't posted in the forum for the longest time ever.

Anyway, ive recently been trying to learn how to perform the type of wild organ solo. usually seen more in rock than metal music. i remember seeing a keyboardist perform that type of solo in pink floyd's live in berlin (over the wall, i think). anyway, they are usually wild and usually consist of chords rather than single notes and full hand slides. what i want to know is how do i acutally get this right....if im jamming with my friend while playing in the Em scale, do i stay on that scale? or is there another scale i jump to? Also, is there a specific artist i should listen to or watch to learn or get more aquanted with this type of playing?

thx in advance.

[Ardude_rjn]

I'm actually VERY interested in this as well. Practicing some of lord's deep purple solo's atm and I love how the organ is used in (non progressive) rock.

[Sineth]

I found these two videos on youtube "The most ultimate hammond organ solos" part 1 and 2. they are awesome.

1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jejadhR_m9w&feature=related

2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nsPgSl52qY&feature=related

and does any body know the song being played in this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa5aobSoBYw&feature=related

[gylfih]

Blues scales, lots of glissandos, some 5+b7+R chords (eg C+Eb+F in F major), and some Aug4+5+R chords or trills (eg B+C+F in F major/trill between B and C+F). That should help you get started. Also, make sure whatever organ sound you use is very percussive. That's the typical rock organ sound. And add in a tiny bit of distortion. And some Leslie/chorussy type stuff.

[Sineth]

Cool. Thanks :biggrin:

[HammondToby]

Here (http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=hT8dAeHe7Ow) is a very good video to study organ techniques with bass playing (feet and fingers), soloing, chords, drawbar use and a lot of fun. The general type is funky played blues.

Best regards
HammondToby

[Sineth]

This is the organ solo rocked my pants, jump to about 7:15 for the awesome solo. Try to ignore the annoying walking mop.

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oy8eI75t1I

[Mantarkus]

I found these two videos on youtube "The most ultimate hammond organ solos" part 1 and 2. they are awesome.

1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jejadhR_m9w&feature=related

2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nsPgSl52qY&feature=related

and does any body know the song being played in this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa5aobSoBYw&feature=related


That last one is "America" from West Side Story as arranged by Keith Emerson in his pre ELP days with "The Nice". If you want to play it it's all based in triad chords and inversions C F C G Eb Bb Ab C


David C.

[Drusillus]

This is the organ solo rocked my pants, jump to about 7:15 for the awesome solo. Try to ignore the annoying walking mop.

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oy8eI75t1I

Yeah I remember seeing that show on TV years ago, great solo, pretty good keytar solo by the pig man too :)

Another great one Young Lust:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr1qPGqWO5k

[PinkFloydDudi]

One of the first things I would say that gives you a really nice "organ" technique is to get used to flipping on and off the leslie (or simulator). You'd be surprised the impact of just holding that Em chord or running up the scale and then flipping on the leslie sound.

Get to know your sounds too. Knowing the different percussion sounds is quite important, as well as knowing your drawbar "flavors".

As for the actual solo, really depends. A lot of people stay on the blues scale of the key you are in, or maybe the drop-3rd minor blues scale (excuse my lack of proper theory terminology).

As you do your runs though, just keep a note held down while you do it to add the "fullness" you hear in a lot of organ solos.

[PinkFloydDudi]

man that organissimo vid was pretty great.

[Ardude_rjn]

I really like hammond solo's in non progressive rock. I'm not really into the really jazzy organ stuff. Here's some examples/inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tThthvmYBRc
3:00 - 3:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU1zYK2W9B8&feature=related
3:50 - 4:50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WFLUhSym80&feature=related
2:00 - 2:50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfAWReBmxEs

[awaken77]

I really like hammond solo's in non progressive rock. I'm not really into the really jazzy organ stuff. Here's some examples/inspiration


Prog rockers rarely improvise, because of nature of the music. Prog rock is similar to classical, in compositional approach. You can't throw out part of Close to The Edge and put something different into it :-). Patrick Moraz was mocked by many Yes fans, for not copying Wakeman solo, but playing on his own:
"Patrick Moraz destroying Close to the Edge"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4p8n-P9_b0

Exclusions are quite rare (DT live version of Beyond this life has sort of jam in the middle )

For improvisational part, I love to listen jazz/blues/funk keyboardsists (like Jimmy Smith, T-Booker, Billy Preston, James Taylor, etc ).