Family: Keyboard instruments
Photo: jmorland, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
The Hammond organ is an electromechanical keyboard instrument patented by Laurens Hammond in the mid-1930s. It was meant to be a cheaper and smaller alternative to pipe organs in churches. Instead it became one of the most distinctive sounds of jazz, blues and rock.
How it works
Inside, a set of metal tonewheels rotates, each next to its own pickup. The organist mixes the sound with drawbars – like a cook with spices – adding or removing overtones.
The Leslie speaker
The Hammond’s inseparable partner is the Leslie speaker with rotating elements. The sound „swirls” around the room, and the player switches between slow and fast rotation. That swirling effect can be heard on countless classic recordings.
In rock and jazz
The most famous model is the B-3, produced from 1955 to 1974. Jazz: Jimmy Smith, Larry Young. Rock: Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Keith Emerson, Gregg Allman, and Procol Harum on „A Whiter Shade of Pale”.
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Musicians’ stories
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