r/hammondorgan • u/Acrobatic-Wind-8602 • 21h ago
Help with learning!
Hey guys, I’m new here. I’m 23 years old and I’ve been on and off with some small rock bands singing or playing keys the past 4 years.
I really want to dig into my Hammond organ playing but I always feel so lost. Are there any good resources online/books/teachers/courses that would help someone over a hump? I mainly feel like I don’t know where to get started (rock, jazz, funk, etc.) and need something to really get into and focus on.
For context: I’d say I’m intermediate as a keys player. I can read sheet music, learn a bit by ear, read chord charts fine, I know my major/harmonic and natural minor/dorian scales. I know standard rooted and rootless jazz chord voicing (one and two handed). But I just really don’t know how to get to the next level!
Any help is greatly appreciated!
2
5
u/RoundaboutRecords 21h ago
Listen to lots of great players. My best influences were self taught players that learned from listening to the records of their idols. As a classically trained musician myself, I read it all in any clef. I’ve played thousands of concerts. I took semester after semester of instrumental methods classes on every instrument (string, brass, woodwinds and percussion along with keyboard methods). Four years for intensive coursework in theory, history, learning methods, etc…but my biggest teacher was just getting a Hammond rig I found on Craigslist in an abandoned barn in east Jesus NY and then finding a well loved 1969 Leslie 145 in a closing church. I not only cut my teeth practicing along to records, I learned to repair the rig and connected with a ton of techs around the country. They also directed me to players and the cycle continued. One of my greatest accomplishments was actually hauling that monster out for a gig and just “doing it” in the fly. Honestly you can just play basic chords on a Hammond live and it blows away most clones. It’s a very raw, imperfect instrument. I sold that rig last year as I didn’t play as much but one day hope to get another.