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RIP Jon Lord


jamieb

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Sad to hear, although I knew him to be sick for quite some time now. I wasn't the hugest Deep Purple fan, but anybody who has ever played rock organ is undoubtedly influenced by Lord. Used to do "Highway Star" years ago in a band. That was a fun bit of soloing, for sure.

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I saw them around this time at the California Jam. I still remember the sound of the guitar AND that organ. They followed Black Sabbath who of course sounded THICK. But then Deep Purple came out and the power was much more nimble. They were a great band with a totally ground breaking keyboardist who was a huge part of who they were and a huge part of who a lot of keyboardists to come would be,

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jamieb

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If you're talking about the intro to the solo, it actually starts out with a 4th (d,a if I recall) and then while pedaling on that 4th, ascend the low note chromatically up with the thumb. You're hearing all those grinding harmonics off his drawbar settings. It took me a while to figure that out myself.

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If you're talking about the intro to the solo, it actually starts out with a 4th (d,a if I recall) and then while pedaling on that 4th, ascend the low note chromatically up with the thumb. You're hearing all those grinding harmonics off his drawbar settings. It took me a while to figure that out myself.

 

No. I was actually referring to around 2:14! all 16th notes. I had a transcription in an old keyboard mag. (That publication, Keyboard World, I believe, only lasted a few issues.) As far as the intro to the solo, that same article suggested that the organ was actually running through a ring modulator, and that it was part of that "sound". An interview with Roger Glover discussed the modulator in detail.

 

jon-lord_2.jpg?w=300&h=225

 

jamieb

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No. I was actually referring to around 2:14! all 16th notes. I had a transcription in an old keyboard mag. (That publication,
Keyboard World
, I believe, only lasted a few issues.) As far as the intro to the solo, that same article suggested that the organ was actually running through a ring modulator, and that it was part of that "sound". An
interview with Roger Glover
discussed the modulator in detail.


jCon-lord_2.jpg?w=300&h=225

jamieb

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Oh. Yeah it's a little tricky because the groupings are quads and not standard triplets. The move is cool because it's all voice leading. A minor to emajor 2nd inversion. Gm 1st inversion, d 2nd inversion. The real tricky part is the dminor run where he takes it up an octave. Actually, that last chord may be f#m instead of d major.

 

Don't have my keys handy...

 

Then of course he does that nasty descending harmonic minor lick to close it out.

 

I learned it by ear. It would be cool to see that transcription to see how close I got.

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No. I was actually referring to around 2:14! all 16th notes. I had a transcription in an old keyboard mag. (That publication,
Keyboard World
, I believe, only lasted a few issues.)

 

 

I remember that magazine! It came out in 1988. I had a couple of issues of Keyboard World. One had DEVO on the cover, the other one had Eddie Van Halen on the cover. I thought the concept was great, similar to Guitar World and Bass Player with transcriptions for the instrument. However, it was obviously not popular enough and died an early death (not even a year later). I also remember they changed the name too. One issue was called Keyboard World, and I think the other one was called Modern Keyboard (like Modern Drummer).

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Nice little interview with Lord here. He talks about getting his organ sound, about how he played and recorded his solos---everything improvised. And talks a bit about the Highway Star solo. How only the first bit had any sort of structure to it and the rest was improvization.

 

[video=youtube;4mW9b_KRedQ]

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I remember that magazine! It came out in 1988. I had a couple of issues of Keyboard World. One had DEVO on the cover, the other one had Eddie Van Halen on the cover. I thought the concept was great, similar to Guitar World and Bass Player with transcriptions for the instrument. However, it was obviously not popular enough and died an early death (not even a year later). I also remember they changed the name too. One issue was called Keyboard World, and I think the other one was called Modern Keyboard (like Modern Drummer).

 

 

That's the one! I think the "Eddie" edition had "Love Walks In" transcribed. There was also "Roundabout" and "1999" in some of the issues. It even featured, along with some of the transcriptions, instrument-specific instructions on how to program approximate sounds for the tunes, for the top instruments of the day. (I remember D-50 and DX-7 being on there.)

 

jamieb

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Now I'm slightly disappointed! I tried to learn that overdubbed part as a single part. Thus, I was thinking "Hanon". (Those of you who have attempted those exercises probably know what I'm talking about!)

 

jamieb

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Thus, I was thinking "Hanon". (Those of you who have attempted those exercises probably know what I'm talking about!)

 

 

The Virtuoso Pianist! That and Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier" are essentially learning materials for any keyboardist, IMO. Even if you never master them, at least being familiar with them will do wonders for taking any soloing to that 'next level'.

 

But I think the lesson here is that Lord was an improviser. I guess it's cool, on a certain level, to try and disect his solos and learn them note for note and/or find transcriptions of what he played and learning that, but the reason that solo is so good is because Lord played what flowed naturally and easily from him; not what was difficult and unnatural for him to play. So if you want to play like him, why learn his solos note for note? HE wouldn't. He'd, at most, capture the basic feel and essence of it and then make it his own. I don't think he was marveling at which intervals he was playing or concerned about whether he was playing triplets or quads. Or probably even what scale he was using at any particular point in the piece. He was just improvising.

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That's the one! I think the "Eddie" edition had "Love Walks In" transcribed. There was also "Roundabout" and "1999" in some of the issues. It even featured, along with some of the transcriptions, instrument-specific instructions on how to program approximate sounds for the tunes, for the top instruments of the day. (I remember D-50 and DX-7 being on there.)


jamieb

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So a keyboard magazine that came out in 1988, and at one point changed it's name to something like Modern Keyboard, in its short run featured Devo & Eddie Van Halen on the cover, and transcriptions of Roundabout and 1999...and it lasted less than a YEAR?

 

You don't say?

[facepalm]

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Now I'm slightly disappointed! I tried to learn that overdubbed part as a single part. Thus, I was thinking "Hanon". (Those of you who have attempted those exercises probably know what I'm talking about!)


jamieb

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I see what you're saying now. I always thought those were overtones from the drawbars. I think you're right in that they are parallel thirds.

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