How to be a keyboardist in a band

A friend asked if I would teach his classically trained pianist daughter how to play in a band. I said "no"....

Actually I declined because I don't have any time and I don't think I have very much to teach. I want to share what I do know though.

1. Learn your chords. Sight reading is great, but doesn't help you communicate with a lot of amateur musicians. Most of them will know their chords though and so should you. First know all the simple triads, both minor and major. Next learn the dominant chords, with the lowered 7th. Next learn what diminished and augmented chords are. Finally, learn the rest such as 13th, b9 major 7th, etc. I won't go into what these are here. It is incredibly valuable to be able to instantly recall any of these. This skill will be used in many of the following points.
   
   
2. Chart out the tunes you will be playing. When you know what songs you will be playing, get a copy of each and listen to them. Listen to them again, paying attention to the general structure like verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, bridge, chorus (I prefer simple section labels like "A", "B", "I" for intro, etc.). Listen for where sections can be defined and where they are repeated. Write this down, and then study each section. Determine what the chord changes are (more on this later), where you'll play what, articulations, etc. Marking sections first saves you time because once you've figured out how one section goes, you don't have to do so again for the repeats. With the cart, you can see the flow of the song and what to play when. Write it all down and use it to rehearse until you have memorized the song.
   
   Many amateur musicians do not do this - maybe even most; they rely on their memory of when they heard the song over the radio or in their car. Many of them are very good at doing it this way, and many of them are not as good at this as they think they are. Charting forces you to study the tune and helps you play it correctly and consistently.
   
   
3. Be prepared and able to change a song. Don't feel frustrated if you spent time charting a song only to have another band member argue that it is wrong. There could be many reasons for this, such as different recordings or maybe that person has played it a different way for years and is more comfortable. Be a team player, discuss the implications of playing the song one way or another, and come to an agreement. It is easy to become adamant about a way a song should be played, but this makes the band less fun. If you feel strongly about how a song should go, make your case in a friendly way and allow the majority to win.
   
   Related to this, you should also be adept at transposing songs. Many keyboards have a built in transpose function; that is alright if you are careful to set it back when you are done. I've forgotten to do this enough times that i just avoid using the transpose button. You'll be a valuable asset to any band if you can transpose on the fly, especially to vocalists.
   
   
4. Don't always play. You don't have to fill every empty space of a song. If you don't hear keyboard parts in a section, try staying out of it. Amateur musicians have a hard time with this and with dynamics in general, but it is a critical part of music.
   
   
5. Steal solos. This is related to number 2, but I don't do this at the same time. Listen to, write out, and memorize solos that you enjoy. I use a program called trascribe! to help me with this. It allows you to slow down a song to help you figure it out (it does much more as well - I highly recommended this tool).

That's what I can think of for now.

10 years

Today University of Idaho is holding a Staff Appreciation ceremony. If I were to go, they'd give me a mug or something for 10 years of being employed at UI (it's actually been longer, I don't know how they calculate it). This isn't where I imagined I'd be when I would day dream of my future life as a teenager; but it pays the bills I suppose. I hope they will mail my mug to me, because I'm a bit too busy with work to attend the ceremony.

Motorcycling - Spring 2011

I got my motorcycle out and rode it to work this morning.

Now I am torn. I had convinced myself that I would sell the ninja to help pay off my keyboard. Also, there are things I just don't like about the ninja.

This morning's ride reminded me how much I enjoy riding. It's going to be hard to convince myself to go ahead and sell the ninja.

Repairing the vibrato in my Hammond A100

Recently and suddenly, the quality of the vibrato and chorus on my Hammond A100 went bad.

I posted questions at the Hammond Zone yahoo group and Keyboard magazine forums and got some great advice.

Using this advice, I tested the wires that connect the scanner to the vibrato filter box and the switches. These all tested good.
There appears to be evidence that someone has (poorly) resoldered these wires in the past:



























Here is an image of the scanner in the A100. It is the round thing on the left:



Googling the issue led me to learn about zinc dendrites that tend to grow in some of the electronics in these old organs.

I used a continuity tester to see if there was a connection between any of the brass screw connectors on the scanner and the scanner case (which is grounded). As you can see in the video below, there indeed was a connection on one of them.

Since the connections proved to be sound, my options were to either open the scanner up to clean or try the "zap" method to fry the zinc dendrites that tend to grow in these old organs.

On the Web there seem to be two lines of thought: zapping is too risky and zapping is fine (with proper precautions).

I really didn't want to open the scanner up, since there are fragile parts such as the oiling wicks and the axle.

After reading about the zapping method, and learning more about how the scanner works and what connections it has, I decided I was comfortable trying it.

The idea is that you apply a voltage across the dendrite, effectively turning it into a fuse which you "blow". In my case, I used a pair of 9 volt batteries in series to achieve an 18 volt source.




























I used an alligator clip to connect the positive post of the battery to the scanner body:


























With a wire connected to the negative post of the battery, I touched the brass screw on the scanner that allowed current through when previously tested with the continuity tester. There was no spark or pop etc. Continuity test failed after this, proving the dendrite was no longer conducting electricity.

After disconnecting the battery, I turned the organ on and the vibrato was back to its old self!

Here's a video I shot of the sound and testing for the dendrite:


And here are the photos I took during the operation:
https://picasaweb.google.com/davyyd/FixedA100Vibrato#

Hammond A100 connected to Leslie 3300

Long time no post.

Using a very slightly modified version of the circuit you can find here, and information about the 11-pin connector here, I built a box to connect my Hammond A100 to my Leslie 3300. Here are some images:


























The red button is connected to Leslie pins 5 & 6 so that I can turn the Leslie on and off from the box.



























The toggle switch is my Main-Echo-Ensemble switch, though since it is a DPDT Toggle switch it is just an M-E for now. I will consider putting in a proper switch to allow a mix option between the internal and external speakers, but for now I am happy being able to easily switch between the two.


























For the most part, I am quite happy with the results. I do need to hide the wires (where do people run the half-moon switch wires on an A100?).


























Since I no longer have reverb when using the Leslie (since I tapped into the preamp and not the main & reverb amp outputs), I've been hearing reverb in Hammond recordings lately. I think it would be easy to put an insert into the circuit that would let me put a reverb foot pedal in; but that is down the road.

The 3300 is a fabulous Leslie, especially after replacing the factory 12AX7 with a 12AT7 (thanks Jim Alfredson!). A new concern though, is that with the higher fidelity of the 3300 compared to the A100s internal amps and speakers, is that pops, clicks, and crackling noises are much more noticeable now. My next step is to order some de-oxit and clean all of the tube sockets in the A100 - I hope that resolves the noises.

Thanks to Jeff Dairiki and Harvey Olsen for the original circuit schematic.

Jan 2009 update

After waiting all summer to get new tires, I decided I did not want or need two bikes. I put both the shadow and the ninja up for sale, and the shadow is the one someone was willing to pay for. I think it went to a good home, but I wish that the ninja would have been the one to go.

Shortly after that, I finally got new tires on the ninja. Just before winter, the coolant sprung a leak. It's been in my garage since because I just have not wanted to work on it. I'm disappointed that it has had as many problems as it has in its short life span. I won't buy another ex500, and maybe not another kawasaki.

My other major hobby is music. In the last year, I joined a classic rock band. The band went through some major changes, including a full-on mutiny! It tries my patience at times, but I stick with it because I appreciate the chances to play and use the skills I learned as a music major. The other members are good people.

I also bought a hammond XK3-c (have always loved the hammond) and started a jazz organ combo. That has been very fun and educational. It is my first experience leading a group, and I often don't know what to do. I think everyone is enjoying it though.

It has been a long and snowy winter. My sleep schedule is really messed up - I am very tired all afternoon and early evening, but at bedtime I am wide awake. In the morning I have a difficult time getting up. I want to get up at 6 to practice piano, but lately it is all I can do to get up at 7:30 and rush off to work. Maybe now that I have written it down I will have more ambition in the morning and be able to get up.

I've been missing my family lately. They all live in the same area 9 hours away from us. I think it would be nice to be able to join them for get-togethers like birthdays or just for an occasional boardgame. At the same time, I don't want to leave the comfort of my stable job, familiar mortgage, etc.

July 2007 ride

Google Maps lets you save custom maps now.

I will be riding my ninja (with my new tribags from cortech) along this route to my parent's house.

My brother Alan, who just got a Honda Nighthawk 650, will be meeting me part way.