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Multi-task your hands to create a huge sound from a single keyboard instrument.

Creating a Band with a B-3

By Michael Gallant | October, 2006

Listen to Chester Thompson wail on a B-3 and you might just believe the man has four hands. Between the bass lines, chords, melodies, fills, and textures he pulls out of the instrument, it’s amazing to witness just how powerfully he can capture the energy and complexity of a full band without a sideman in sight. While Chester is one of the most masterful organ cats alive (see “A Selected Chester Thompson Discography” on page 48 for a taste of his work with Santana and Tower of Power), many of the principles and techniques he uses to create such a full sound are completely accessible to beginners.

One way to create the illusion of multiple musical layers is by making a statement with one tone on one of the B-3’s manual and responding to it with a different tone on the other manual, or even by alternating between single-note lines and chords on the same manual (for a vocal example of this, think of the “C’mon, C’mon now baby!” section from the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout.”). In “Knock Yourself Out,” Chester periodically plays a quick succession of chords with his right hand, then uses the same hand to throw in a quick melody, before hitting more chords. While he only uses one hand, the difference between the chord statement and the melodic response creates the feeling of multiple voices going at the same time. In other words, he creates both the melody and the accompaniment simultaneously, with the same hand. Check out the examples below for tips on how to make call-and-response playing come alive for you.