"squabbling"

[Sundog]

It's sounds pretty cool but what is it?

[CJ Shearn]

it's a combination of trilling and playing octaves I believe, trilling like the way Errol Garner did on piano.

[Jim Alfredson]

Not exactly.

It's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymUtcoeWsOM

And here's Chris Foreman doing it:

and also here:

Some people (ahem... like me...) kinda cheat and do it by making the "horns of the devil" with one's hand (ie, pinky and thumb extended, all other fingers closed towards the palm) and play octaves with the thumb and pinky while allowing the rest of the fingers to hit what they may. The sound is almost the same.

The way Jimmy and Chris Foreman do it is hard.

[Soul Stream]

Not exactly.

It's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymUtcoeWsOM

And here's Chris Foreman doing it:

and also here:

Some people (ahem... like me...) kinda cheat and do it by making the "horns of the devil" with one's hand (ie, pinky and thumb extended, all other fingers closed towards the palm) and play octaves with the thumb and pinky while allowing the rest of the fingers to hit what they may. The sound is almost the same.

The way Jimmy and Chris Foreman do it is hard.

I've seen that each player has their own way of tackling this. The best way (and easiest way imho) is to do an octave with the thumb and pinky while LIGHTLY hitting the 5th and 6th inside the ocatve. This takes away the need to decide whether your third is minor or major. Joey D. leaves in the third, Jimmy and Lonnie Smith leave it out. It's pretty sloppy and if you actually "play" the 5th and 6th all the time will sound wrong. You have to have a light touch inside the octave and "ghost" them more than anything. Don't be too particular or worry about hitting "wrong" notes. Jimmy hits a lot of fourths instead of fifths on Jazz Scene U.S.A., proving he's not hitting notes so much as getting the SOUND. With that setting 80000888, the harmonics are flying creating a mashing effect that make the sound so appealing yet, easy to pull off harmonic oddities. Don't be bashful. Just go for it. The trick is not so much getting the sound and technique right, but then playing melodically after that. You can't hide behind a lot of single notes once you go into this!

[Jim Alfredson]

The two techniques are pretty indistinguishable. In fact, I started "squabbling" Friday night with Root Doctor at Andy's and Chris Foreman was sitting in on piano. After the show he said, "Hey, did you do that because you wanted to or because I was here." And I said, "I think you know the answer to that!" He got a good chuckle out of that one!

[Sundog]

Probably a stupid question.... But can use translate this to guitar? Or is this technique particular to the organ and the setting that you have referred to?

P.S. I swear I've seen footage of Barney Kessel doing something similar, i.e. playing octaves with his 1st and 4th fingers and using his 2nd and 3rd to hit other notes. Presumably the 5th and 6th.

[Soul Stream]

The two techniques are pretty indistinguishable.

Yeah, everyone has their own way with this techique. It's like snowflakes...no 2 are the same.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

When I saw Charles Earland - from about 18 inches away from his right hand - he seemed to have a technique for doing this that brought the heel of his hand into play. It was sort of like his hand was crawling (very fast) up and down the keyboard.

MG

[AllenLowe]

at New Haven jazm sessions at the old Monetery, Bobby Buster used to turn up his amp and start doing this when he decided the soloist had gone on long enough - it was funny, as his expression never changed, but everybody got the message -

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

at New Haven jazm sessions at the old Monetery, Bobby Buster used to turn up his amp and start doing this when he decided the soloist had gone on long enough - it was funny, as his expression never changed, but everybody got the message -

Wow! to have actualy SEEN Bobby Buster!

MG

[AllenLowe]

Bobby and I worked together a lot - he was a terrific musician - his brother Eddie was also a fine player, but Bobby was really the pro in the family (Eddie was a fine accompanist but not much of a soloist) - I liked Bobby, though he was one of those guys who was so personally bitter that I never quite felt he was telling me to my face what he really thought about me, or life in general (read: race) - and he knew the tunes, which was why I liked to work with him, just to get away fromt he real-book stuff. He died in a car crash, apparently after having a heart attack -

[GregN]

Probably a stupid question.... But can use translate this to guitar? Or is this technique particular to the organ and the setting that you have referred to?

P.S. I swear I've seen footage of Barney Kessel doing something similar, i.e. playing octaves with his 1st and 4th fingers and using his 2nd and 3rd to hit other notes. Presumably the 5th and 6th.

Darn good question!

g

[Jim Alfredson]

If there is a way to quickly arppegiate block chords on the guitar, then sure. Most of the sound of the technique when it comes to organ, however, is in the drawbar registration.

[sheldonm]

I love Chris Foreman!!!