Re: Tastes in music (was: Blaspheming the HAMMOND)

[Dan Gresham <D.L.Gresham@durham.ac.uk>]

On Thu, 1 Feb 1996, Perry Hemus wrote:

> Lets NOT kid ourselves, the tonewheel Hammond was made for ONE purpose and
> one purpose only, whether played in bop, swing, soul, Jazz, pop, rock,
> folk, Fusion Its there to create a GROOVE. To scream & wail, to FONK. Not
> to play Tocata and Fugue in D minor by Johan Sebastian Bach, but I agree
> that, of course you CAN PLAY IT on a hammond, but you could also play "The
> Ace of Spades - Moterhead" on a violin!!!!!!!!! Blah, Blah, Blah.
> 
> I'm sorry.......It just had to be said.
> 
> Perry.

Perry,

Whilst I agree that the hammond is relatively useless for playing 
Classical works on (in that it simply doesn't have the right ambience 
required for a lot of Bach or later organ pieces) I cannot believe that 
the Hammond was designed to create a groove. 

This thread has gone from one that was discussing what a hammond was good 
for to one the is discussing what a Hammond was designed for. I don't 
think anyone here would disagree that a Hammond was designed to sound 
like a pipe organ. I personally think that it does a pretty lame job and 
doesn't really cut the mark on that front. What people do seem do 
disagree on is what it is best at, or what it is effective at. I think 
the Hammond is a fantastic instrument in it's own right (i.e. not as a 
pipe organ simulator). I do not personally think, however, that Bach, 
Vierne or any other works for organ sound 'right' (whatever that means!) 
I kind of think of arrangements for Hammond of pipe organ pieces as I do 
arrangements of symphonies for piano.

Anyway, I love both funk on Hammond, and classical on the pipe organ. I 
am currently studying in England on an organ scholarship (pipe, that is!) 
and play in funk organ combo. The two can work side by side :-)

Take it _easy_


Dan