Hammond Organ Complete Paperback – September 1, 2002

I played the organ as a kid and took 5 years of lessons, but I was playing a lower end Lowrey spinet. Even though I'm a guitar player now, I still like the organ sounds and I play in a tribute band that has a lot material the uses Hammond B3 sounds. I wanted to learn more about the various Hammond models, how they work, what you can do with them, and have some sound samples to compare to my own experimenting with other keyboards. I was even considering buying an old Hammond off craigslist (or wherever) to play with at home, or maybe a new modern portable Hammond or other keyboard. This book is helping me understand some of the basic differences.It has a few pages showing different models, and describing basic differences. There are good diagrams of controls and a lot of recommended settings. But most of the book is exercises with the settings called out and descriptions of what to pay attention to when playing. I don't know if I'll actually every use/play them but in combination with the audio CD I can at least hear what the different controls are doing and how the techniques work. It covers a lot of the technique stuff that gives the organ it's "sizzle" in modern rock, blues and jazz pieces.Well put together, better than a lot of music books I've seen.

This book, along with the included practice exercises on CD, has helped to improve my playing immensely. Dave Limina did an awesome job of covering every aspect of guiding us through this musical instrument legend. The exercises cover a wide range of playing skills. I find myself constantly revisiting the drawbar settings and exercises that cover such a wide array of musical styles.

This book is really well done, in that it explains in detail all the controls and idiosyncracies of the Hammond organs and then presents a series of musical exercises to illustrate. The musical exercises though aren't for begginers... they are more for intermediate to advanced players I would say... so for experienced players looking to get into the "tone-wheel" sound it is perfect... absolute beginners though will need to work up to this.

I am so excited. This book has everything I need to improve my organ playing techniques. I have never had organ lessons, but I have been a self-taught gospel organist for years. There are many lessons and a CD. I'm happy that I can read music because that is a requirement for this course. My reading skills and playing skills will improve. Now...the real work begins!

This is honestly the most helpful method book I've ever used. The author had written down so many Hammond tips that would be so challenging to learn elsewhere. I have also learned so much more about jazz progressions and cool organ licks. I do feel that you have to have strong music reading skills to make the most out of this book. The recordings and repetitions in different keys will make me more fluent in playing these styles. I love this book and CD!

This is the book to get, if you're interested in Hammond Organs, although it's more geared toward the musician.Dave Limina gives a very thorough history of the development of this instrument and how to play it. After describing the technical part of the organ, he uses music charts of well known Jazz and Blues songs along with some keyboard exercises. On each chart he has a diagram of the drawbar settings used to get the sound which you can hear on the accompanying CD. Dave and his band play two tracks on each tune; one track has the full band and the other a mix-minus where you can play along with just the band. I've seen nothing better on the subject.

Brilliant book. Very well set out and gets you playing and understanding the Hammond straight away. Some things can't be worked out by yourself, so if you can't find a teacher - this book is for you!

Hammond Organ Complete is a great book. It requires some piano or keyboard skills, also reading scores. So it's perfect for me, someone hwo has been learning piano for 3 years and now wants to learn the particularities of this instrument.The cd includes empty tracks (rithm and bass) so you can play on them.The writing is clear and the lessons well organized. It cover a wide range of knowledge, from basics to advanced use.Highly recommendable.

Fantastic book. I like how it is always pushing you to expand your capabilities. It has a good introduction to the workings of Hammond organs and clearly explains the concept of foldback. The included CD is very helpful and has for each lesson 2 tracks: one with the organ and one with only the backing instruments so you can play along. Each lesson is very pleasant to listen to and actually teaches you something. Definitely the best Hammond organ book I have come across. Note: This book is not for beginners (I would rate it as medium in difficulty).

Prodotto insostituibile per gli appassionati del'Hammond. Davvero completo e magnificamente supportato dal CD a corredo.C'è tutto quanto occorre sapere per approcciarsi allo strumento in maniera corretta, ovvero NON pianistica.Consigliatissimo.

remarquable, pédagogique et bien expliquébon, il faut se débrouiller vaguement en anglais ( scolaire, c'est OK )des explications progressives, techniques et historiques (au début du livre)des exercices et des astuces graduéescela peut être utilisable pour d'autres orgues à drawbars ou même d'autres claviers sans pédalier( explications sur les réglages des drawbars )

Was hat sich eigentlich der User gedacht, der noch drei 'Kundenbilder' hinzugefügt hat ? Diese haben mit dem Werk hier absolut nichts zu tun. Was soll das ? Und es scheint so zu sein, daß man bei amazon zu jedem Artikel jeglichen Unfug an 'Kundenbildern' dazustellen kann.Im Übrigen; Tolles Buch um typische Hammond-Stile zu erlernen. Die Drawbar-Settings finde ich stellenweise etwas fragwürdig. Aber wer sich mit den alten Tonewheel-Hammonds auskennt, weiß, daß jede einzelne Orgel etwas anders klingt.

Still deciding whether to buy this book? Well...I'm waiting on delivery of my newly purchased Hammond C3. I studied jazz piano at uni and wanted something instructional that would bridge the gap between playing jazz piano and jazz hammond, (stories of J Smith locking himself away for a year just to convert to organ playing-no thanks!). When this book arrived I thought that it was almost tailor made to my needs. The first section very clearly explains every aspect, nook and cranny of the organ - all of the drawabars (inc a whole page devoted to all the different jazz/blues sounds drawbar setting via diagrams! Worth the cover price alone me thinks). It also tells you what each switch, dial and button does, in short but great detail. The book then, gradually takes you through exercises that introduce all of these elements leading you through different sounds, growls, glisses, percussion enhanced solo lines etc. The exercises are well though out and naturally lead on from each other, although you could do them in any order. It looks as if Dave Limina knew exactly what most people bought a Hammond for - and just put it all down in a book. It also covers comping (styles and DBar settings) and bass lines whilst dispelling certain myths about the latter. There's even an exercise designed to introduce you to changing presets and drawbars 'on the fly' whilst playing, nothing is overlooked.What this book isn't is a jazz 'keyboard' beginners book, as also mentioned by H. Heath. There are no instructions on LH voicing structures and you have to have understanding of these should you want to play anything outside of the exercises of this book. Some piano voicings (apparently) won't transfer over to the organ, those crunchy Bill Evans voicings for example might sound down right muddy on the organ and that they might have to be simplified, inverted or ditched. Nothing is mentioned of this in the book (so it might not be true), but then again this isn't a convert book and at no point claims to be.I also have a lot of respect for any hammond publication that can compare organ sounds to players other than J Smith! They mention the fabulous Richard Holmes ('Living Soul' AMAZING album), the fantastic Jimmy McGriff (get 'Organ Explosion' and listen to Uptight!) and the freekin awesome Larry Young ('Into Simethin' is a MUST). Immediately I knew that there was some serious background knowledge by someone that was 'into' his jazz hammond.I haven't had a chance to play along to the CD yet or indeed get my chops around the exercises on a hammond, just piano. This said, this book has only intensified my impatience on the C3 delivery guys! So this review is based solely on reading thee book, but to be honest, even if the CD is rubbish it wouldn't matter.Should you get it?Well, for half the price of a decent 'introductory' hammond 1-1 lesson I'd say it's a must. It covers all the 'basics' giving you the information and tools to practice and grow stylistically into the hammond player you aspire to be. If you don't have knowledge of rootless jazz chords, their extensions and relative modes then you should also invest in some lessons to cover these (I've yet to find a book that truly explains these better that lessons). It doesn't teach you how to solo, mention anything about scales or modes either, so be warned, it just teaches you what the Hammond can do, the rest is up to you!So, a great book that, I reckon covers every aspect of the organ, pedals and even Leslie tricks. It's mostly jazz orientated with a little section devoted to 'funk' but even this houses some nice info. I am very pleased with this gamble purchase and as long as youI hope this helps, happy playing peeps, glad 'the sound' is living on.