How to Adjust Hammond Organ Pedals

Organs are played in a manner similar to piano playing.

Hammond organs, especially the B3 model, are among the most common types of organ used in popular music styles. Some versions of the Hammond organ include a single, adjustable pedal along with adjustable drawbars that can alter the way the organ sounds. Others include bass pedals that can be activated in correspondence with the notes played on the keyboard. It can be confusing to know when and how to adjust these pedals while playing, but once you have mastered the technique, you can add great depth to any song by using your Hammond organ.

Instructions

1. Press the desired notes on the bass pedals, if your organ has them, with your feet. This adds depth and stability for when you have no bass player and need to focus your hands on playing higher notes. Use your left foot when possible to keep your right foot available for controlling the volume pedal.

2. Adjust the volume pedal to its most vertical position using your right foot to make the organ extremely quiet. Move the pedal closer to its horizontal position as you wish to increase volume. The volume is the hardest aspect for most organists to determine and control correctly. Generally, you should keep it quiet during verses and loud during choruses, especially when playing in a full band.

3. Swing your right foot to the left to click and activate the rotary in the Leslie, the tone cabinet or speaker through which the organ is heard. The rotary adjusts the sound of the entire organ, and the button is right on the volume pedal for easy access. It is best to activate it toward the end of a verse as you begin to increase in volume and transition toward a chorus. It can then be left on or immediately switched off upon entering the chorus, depending on your taste and style.

4. Adjust your super-octave and sub-octave drawbars to influence the way your pedals sound, if your organ has bass pedals. Pressing any drawbar inward will lessen or quiet the effect it creates, while pulling it out will increase the power and volume of the effect.

5. Combine use of the volume pedal along with the drawbars to smoothly fade the organ to complete silence during quiet parts of the song. Adjusting the volume pedal alone will not silence the organ.

References

• Sound on Sound: Hammond B3; Hugh Robjohns
• Theatre Organs: History of the Hammond B-3 Organ; Glenn E. Nelson