Green Onions
Booker T. & the M.G.'sThe main riff is a compact lesson in Hammond tone and rhythmic placement.
HINSTRUMENT · KNOWLEDGE GUIDE
Hammond Organ
Sustained tone, rich harmonics and a rotating speaker create a flowing, weighty sound.
- Instrument family
- Keyboards
- Origin
- United States, 1935
- Related genres
- 4
ORIGIN
Where does it come from?
Laurens Hammond's organ used tonewheels to generate pitch and drawbars to mix harmonics; the Leslie rotating speaker became a defining partner.
ROLE IN ARRANGEMENT
What does it do in an arrangement?
It can provide pads, rhythmic punctuation, bass and singing melodic solos.
Leslie speed changesKey smearsPedal bass
COMMON USES
Where will you hear it?
Common in gospel, soul, jazz and rock, it can pad harmony, articulate rhythm or carry singing sustained solos.
LISTENING EXAMPLES
Recordings and repertoire to recognize
COMMON GENRES
Common in these genres
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