Conclusion
I started this research by asking how the advanced jazz pianist can master the Hammond organ in a creative and effective way. The most simple answer to that question is: hear that instrument. Hear the organ and watch organ players. As simple and obvious as it sounds, there is no other way. The Hammond organ is not a piano and should not be treated like one. It is an entirely different instrument, with keys as the only thing in common.
The Hammond organ’s sine waves create different harmonics than the piano, which allows for high notes that are close and low single notes that are way separated from the high ones. Typical mid-register, narrow piano chords do not translate well to the organ. I have shown this by means of spectrogram analysis, video footage by Tony Monaco and interviews with Mike LeDonne and Ronnie Foster. All of this led to the same conclusion.
Usage of arm weight is essential on piano, but the three organ experts did not particularly agree on the subject of using arm weight and finger action on the organ. Tony Monaco and Ronnie Foster like to keep their action light, while Mike LeDonne clearly is using more arm weight and finger action to get the desired rhythm the music needs according to him.
Asking the experts about their choice of organ effects was by far the most fun and inspiring part of this research for me. This is where the Hammond organ takes its flight from the piano, when your brain has to deal with many things at the same time to get creative with the sound: playing, tapping the pedals, playing the pedals while switching the drawbars or Leslie speed, not to mention all the other knobs that change the sound. On piano it really is your body and its connection with the keybed that influences the sound. To me it feels like a more focused connection to the instrument, but also a more abstract connection since you don't manipulate it by changing all kinds of concrete settings. The body does the work.
A short word about the times we live in right now. The pandemic surely has had a big influence on this research, since I wanted to meet Hammond organ experts in person and since it affected my mental state of being. I do not want to get too much into details about that and I have fought to get over it and get the best out of it. I strive to get more knowledge out of this subject. Experts like Larry Goldings and Bert van den Brink are on my list for the near future. With that being said I would like to thank Mike LeDonne and Ronnie Foster for their great positive energy and vast amount of knowledge and experience. Because of their input, and because of authors of great methods like The Jazz Piano Book, An Approach To Comping, Bass & Comp plus numerous articles and videos on the world wide web, my research will be very useful to pianists who would like to dive into that wonderful world of the Hammond organ, but do not know where to begin. As for myself, this research has given me an enormous number of ideas for self study and getting better at taming this beast of an instrument.
