Organ settings

[Alexbt]

Hello all,

We cover Go Your Own Way in my band and up until now I've been using the only organ patches on my keyboard.

But now we have Native Instruments' B4 set up on a laptop, so I can use the real drawbar settings.

The problem is, I have no idea what drawbar settings she's using. (For those who don't know, The Hammond B3/or similar has bars that you pull out at different lengths to get a particular sound)

I have checked the DVD of The Dance but I haven't been able to see with good detail how far out the drawbars are pulled.

If anyone has figured it out or have any clue to it, please let me know!

[jbrownsjr]

She uses patches for the Dance from her Yamaha. David might know the answer.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

She uses patches for the Dance from her Yamaha. David might know the answer.

David will be the only one to know this answer!

[jbrownsjr]

Let's get em!

[Alexbt]

Uh, no, that's definitely not her Yamaha. It's her Hammond B3, you know, the huge organ that she has the Yamaha stacked on? :P

Besides, the Yamaha is just a MIDI controller. It has no onboard sounds. It's connected to MIDI modules and stuff in a rack.

I'll try asking David though, thanks!

[jbrownsjr]

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. I don't think she used an actual B3 on the Dance. I believe she used an acoustic Grand Piano and her Yamaha.

[David]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

David will be the only one to know this answer!

David doesn't even know. I don't think Christine has ever provided drawbar settings to the press. However, I've never seen the May 1977 Hit Parader article. Anyone else have that? She talks a bit about her setup for the 1977 tour in that article.

As somebody pointed out from the Keyboard article a few years later, Chris said she moves her drawbars around spontaneously, & doesn't use the presets on the B3. She probably pulls out more stops in bigger halls or when the amplification is drowning her out or when the sound tech is asleep at the switch.

Just going by what I hear, on a song like "Go Your Own Way," I hear a full-bodied presence but without much "whistle" -- so something like 88 8888 000 or 88 8888 800. Lindsey & Mick & John are all blasting away, especially during the chorus & the lead solo out, so Chris wants to be heard. Chris says in Keyboard that she sometimes likes to throw in some percussion, but I don't often hear much percussion or even key click in her playing, even in something that she does a bit more twiddling with, like the "Spare Me a Little" instrumental break. She palms a little bit -- she's really sort of amateurish with the palming (she's nowhere near Benmont Tench's level), but she throws in a glissando occasionally, like during the climax of a big song like GYOW or "Sisters." I think she also palms a gliss on that recording we all have of "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

She probably uses softer settings for songs like "Oh Daddy" or "Why." If you set your drawbars to something like 88 8000 000 or 88 8400 000, & add a little vibrato & chorus, you can get that nice, ballad-like sound that jazz players favor for more texture. I play "Oh Daddy" on my clone with 88 8000 000, & I really like it that way. You can pull out the stops part way up at the top for a little more chant & twitter.

Of course, you also use your Leslie simulator (or whatever you happen to have that provides rotary speaker). We can all hear clearly when Chris switches from "slow" to "fast." Just follow your ear when you play your live Fleetwood tapes.

The other thing that helps one mimic Chris is using the swell pedal (or whatever you have that duplicates that). She swells up & down again quite nicely -- for example, listen to how she swells down in both Leslie speed & volume after her little instrumental in "Spare Me a Little" & goes back to the verse in just a matter of a second or two.

Somebody needs to use the "Ask Christine" thing over on her site, or slow-motion through the parts in Landover '75 where the camera gets in behind her from above. You may be able to spot some settings there.

[Alexbt]

Thanks so much!

Originally Posted by David

Just going by what I hear, on a song like "Go Your Own Way," I hear a full-bodied presence but without much "whistle" -- so something like 88 8888 000 or 88 8888 800. Lindsey & Mick & John are all blasting away, especially during the chorus & the lead solo out, so Chris wants to be heard. Chris says in Keyboard that she sometimes likes to throw in some percussion, but I don't often hear much percussion or even key click in her playing, even in something that she does a bit more twiddling with, like the "Spare Me a Little" instrumental break. She palms a little bit -- she's really sort of amateurish with the palming (she's nowhere near Benmont Tench's level), but she throws in a glissando occasionally, like during the climax of a big song like GYOW or "Sisters." I think she also palms a gliss on that recording we all have of "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

That does look about right. From what I can see on the DVD, most of the upper manual drawbars are up full, but the 9th drawbar is always at 0 or 1. 1&2 are always at 7 or 8. The 8th drawbar appears to be around 4. I just did 88 8888 840 and it sounded very close.

However, I don't have any clue what she does with her left hand on the lower manual.It's usually easier to see those drawbars, but I have been unable to figure out how to set up B4 with the lower manual correctly.
(I would assume she's using them, because I can see she's doing something with her left hand, and since she has a Slow/Fast Footswitch she's not adjusting the Leslie speed.

I haven't heard her gliss very often. I'll listen for that next time.

She probably uses softer settings for songs like "Oh Daddy" or "Why." If you set your drawbars to something like 88 8000 000 or 88 8400 000, & add a little vibrato & chorus, you can get that nice, ballad-like sound that jazz players favor for more texture. I play "Oh Daddy" on my clone with 88 8000 000, & I really like it that way. You can pull out the stops part way up at the top for a little more chant & twitter.

That's useful to know!

The other thing that helps one mimic Chris is using the swell pedal (or whatever you have that duplicates that). She swells up & down again quite nicely -- for example, listen to how she swells down in both Leslie speed & volume after her little instrumental in "Spare Me a Little" & goes back to the verse in just a matter of a second or two.

The only thing I've heard her swell on is Over My Head. I don't know some of the more obscure tunes.

Somebody needs to use the "Ask Christine" thing over on her site, or slow-motion through the parts in Landover '75 where the camera gets in behind her from above. You may be able to spot some settings there.

I don't believe I've seen Landover '75. Where can I find it?