From bardian@usadatanet.net Fri Feb 07 10:41:27 2003
Subject:Re: music, glitz, and purists (hopefully on topic)

I guess I'm a purist, not because of any beliefs that there is one 'right' way to do things, but because the organ sounds I want just don't involve pitch bends or extra drawbars or velocity controlled percussion. For me, it's really about the sound. I don't care if an organ looks like a tiny B3 (like the Korg) or a skinny Farfisa Compact (like the Electro). I don't care if the drawbars are physical or made of light. There is just an organ sound in my head that I love. And, I've gotten that organ sound out of a VK7, a CX3, and an Electro (so I guess at least I'm not a picky purist!)

----- Original Message -----
From: Stoo Schultz
To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2003 12:55 PM
Subject: [CWSG] music, glitz, and purists (hopefully on topic)

What these debates are really about is the conflict between
musical "purists" versus, for lack of a better term "tourists" (hey
they rhyme !) . . . . one values being true to the form, the other
values new experience, new ways of expression.

I think as Hammond clone players we're beaten on the head with this
conflict. There are many ways of playing a clone that a "purist"
might take offense to, like using velocity sensitivity, pitch bend,
sustain pedal, various effects like the wah effect some of you
Electro guys are using, even reverb, extra drawbars, extra
percussion harmonics, two harmonics at once, etc. Even using a
clone instead of the real thing is enough to label you as a wannabe
in some circles (there's a blues club in Vancouver where the only
keyboard bands are allowed to play is a vintage Hammond ! No clones
are allowed).

But what's wrong with adding any of these "devices" to your
playing? If I like to use pitch bend in my Hammond solos, isn't
that a positive thing because it adds musical expressiveness to my
playing (we're assuming it's done tastefully . . . )? Yet if I do,
I'm sure there are many "real" Hammond players who would write me
off as not a "serious" player because my playing depends on
a "gimmick," sort of like face paint.

So here's a question for you guys and gals: do you avoid using pitch
bend, or velocity-sensitive percussion, or other effects in your
playing because you or other musicians think it's gimmicky and not
true to the instrument? Or do you think these are totally valid
ways of expressing yourself as a "Hammond" player, and critics are
just talking out of the side of their neck ?

Can you be a respected Hammond player and play with your feet once
in awhile, like Jerry Lee Lewis ? ? ? (tastefully of course! ;-)

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