The Venerable Hammond B3 Organ – What’s The Big Deal Anyway?
If you didn’t already know, I’m a keyboard player by trade. More specifically, I’m an organ player. It’s my “axe” if you will. I play piano and synths, but organ is what I was formally trained to play beginning at age five. Actually, let me backtrack a little bit…
The town we were living in at the time of my first private music lesson was a very small farming community, Hurricane, Utah. I’m pretty sure there was only one private music teacher, Ms. Birdie Covington, and she lived next door. My Dad traded some house painting for my first few lessons.
However, she was a piano teacher, but we had a Hammond L-100 (think mini B3). So, I took piano lessons at her house and applied them to organ while practicing at home. She tailored my lessons with this mind.
Enough digression. The point is I’m a bonfide organ player, and I love all things B3 and Leslie speakers! So, what’s the big deal? What makes the sound of a Hammond so special?
Here’s a great three-part video from the BBC series Inside Tracks, where they discuss a little bit about the history and application of this fantastic instrument. I think you’ll discover a little something about this enigmatic instrument you didn’t know before. (Thanks to Musformation where I discovered these.)
Using a screen reader? Click here video 1.
Using a screen reader? Click here for video 2.
Using a screen reader? Click here for video 3.
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