Bloody Organ Palm Smears on Weighted Keyboards

[Coker]

I have a YC88 that I use for acoustic piano oriented gigs and a MODX8 for all others.  I do play B3 on both as a background or layering sound, but have started to explore B3 as a soloing instrument. Ironically, the supposedly inferior keybed in the MODX allows pain free and effective palm smears, while the superior YC88 does not.  With the YC88, one must do “thumb smears,” and even those don’t work very well.  

 

Have you found other weighted keyboards that better support organ technique?  

[AnotherScott]

I think best is probably the Fatar TP/40L used in the higher end Kurzweil 88s. Possibly other TP/40 variants, even if not as well suited to this as the L. So, for example, the Nord Stage 88s, some of the 76s.... and Nord and Kurz both support high trigger on their organs.

 

Kawai MP7 was another that I thought was good (and supported high trigger). MP7SE action is different, I haven't played that one.

 

I think Yamaha YC73 is good (though probably not as good as ones mentioned above).

 

I think my old Roland FP2 was good for this, but I don't think there's any current Roland that is suitable.

 

 

[Baldwin Funster]

Weighted keys for organ tricks?

That's like asking what's the best tank for laying doughnuts on the asphalt.

[Delaware Dave]

I adjusted my playing style so that the palm glides across the top of the keys rather than along the front edge.  I got cut years ago when i started using midi modules being played on non-waterfall keys.  Only took one time getting cut for me to make the adjustment. Even happens on semi-weighted, mostly because of the lip.  Even my L100p cut me, so that is also how i play that board.

[mate stubb]

For generating a blood bath, nothing holds a candle to the Hammond console.

 

Pound it a little too enthusiastically, and a key will break in the middle. Being sprung at the rear, it will helpfully pop the jagged edge up. If you break the key during a smear, you can open your forearm from stem to stern. I've done exactly this several times.

 

[Piktor]

2 hours ago, mate stubb said:

For generating a blood bath, nothing holds a candle to the Hammond console.

 

Pound it a little too enthusiastically, and a key will break in the middle. Being sprung at the rear, it will helpfully pop the jagged edge up. If you break the key during a smear, you can open your forearm from stem to stern. I've done exactly this several times.

 

Now, that’s commitment. 

[JoJoB3]

15 hours ago, mate stubb said:

For generating a blood bath, nothing holds a candle to the Hammond console.

 

Pound it a little too enthusiastically, and a key will break in the middle. Being sprung at the rear, it will helpfully pop the jagged edge up. If you break the key during a smear, you can open your forearm from stem to stern. I've done exactly this several times.

 

Disagree.  Something went or is wrong or you're doing things wrong.

 

I have bloodied many a key bed, the fewest of times being the original 3 series.

* It was usually something else that caused the bloody.

 

They are extremely pleasant and forgiving in keybed (Hamm 3 series and more).

[CEB]

You realize organs aren’t velocity sensitive.   😀

[nadroj]

17 hours ago, mate stubb said:

For generating a blood bath, nothing holds a candle to the Hammond console.

 

Pound it a little too enthusiastically, and a key will break in the middle. Being sprung at the rear, it will helpfully pop the jagged edge up. If you break the key during a smear, you can open your forearm from stem to stern. I've done exactly this several times.

 

Rock and roll! 

[Tom Williams]

On 8/25/2024 at 11:36 AM, mate stubb said:

 If you break the key during a smear, you can open your forearm from stem to stern. I've done exactly this several times.

I'm trying to take in the "several times" part without making fun of you.  🙂 

[mate stubb]

Sometimes a man's gotta rock. I saw KE at an impressionable age. 

[Baldwin Funster]

33 minutes ago, mate stubb said:

Sometimes a man's gotta rock. I saw KE at an impressionable age. 

Organ the blood sport.

[SteinwayB]

Zealous gig a few years ago 

[Coker]

So, anyway, about the OP’s question…

[elsongs]

I have a Nord Stage 3 that I use to play live, primarily for EP and acoustic piano sounds, some synths, clavs, etc.

I can use it for light organ work, no problem. 

But if there's a bunch of organ songs in the set, I bring one of my 61-key USB keyboard controllers - I've used a Novation Impulse 61 in the past. I get a USB cable and connect the other end into phone charger adaptor and plug it in for power. Then I get a DIN MIDI cable going out from the Impulse and into my Nord Stage. 
I also program a preset on the Impulse so the sliders can control the drawbars on the Nord using the appropriate CCs. I also assign buttons on the Impulse to control rotary speaker speed, on/off, etc.
 
When I call up an organ patch, I just play it on my USB controller instead. 

You can pretty much do this for any USB keyboard controller.

[Justin Havu]

My VR-760 is by far the smoothest, lightest, best-feeling waterfall action I've ever played.  I especially like, even though it's two settings, the ability to set the trigger point to shallow (which is where mine is set) and deep.

[AnotherScott]

VR-700 and VK8 were also excellent. The Rolands were better feeling than the ubiquitous Fatar TP/80. In fact, a lot of the older Roland actions were better than their current ones, IMO. FP2 and FP-7F had hammer actions I like better than today's equivalents, and RS9 and Jupiter 50 had lightweight non-hammer actions that were also better than today's equivalents.

[Outkaster]

Never understood this.