What Flavor Do You Like?

February 6, 2012 2 Comments

(CONGRATULATIONS TO TIKE. He is the winner of the free DVD for commenting on our last blog. Don’t forget to comment!)

 

We all have certain things that we like to eat because of the flavor that the food has.  The flavor is what makes the food great. Music has different flavors as well.  Some people like the flavor of classical, jazz, blues, rock, etc.  I will give you some examples of what I mean and discuss how to develop the type of flavor in your playing that you would like.

The wonderful thing about gospel music is that many different flavors are accepted by people as great flavors for gospel music.

For example, many of the songs that Richard Smallwood has written has a classical flavor. I have really enjoyed his music down through the years and did you know he studied classical piano in college. His music style reflects his background and training. Can you hear the classical flavor in his playing and in the overall song itself?  The song “Total Praise” has become a gospel music standard and is probably one of his most popular songs.

Kirk Whalum is an awesome musician and is mainly known as a Jazz Musician but he is a christian and also does christian music that has a jazz flavor.  (Side Note – The guy playing the Yamaha Motif Keyboard in the background is Grammy nominated artist John Stoddard. He is an awesome pianist that is very versatile.  I will be playing with him on February 19th. We may get a chance to hang out a little. I’ll try to get some tips from him for you so stay tuned)

Chris Tomlin is a prolific song writer that has written so many hit gospel songs like “How Great Is Our God”.  He has a certain flavor that so many people love.

There are so many wonderful flavors that fall under the umbrella of gospel and christian music. So the question is, “how does one develop in the flavor that they love”.

  • Your sound, style, and approach (YOUR FLAVOR) to music is determined by your background, experiences, environment, and what you listen to.

I have a background in a small pentecostal church in the south and I also later studied jazz and classical music. My personal style seems to be a combination of all three. I am learning other styles as well, so my flavor is evolving.

  • If you want to be more jazzy in your playing, you should listen to more jazz musicians and study them.
  • If you want to have more of a classical flavor, then you should listen to more classical music and study it.

What you are around and listen to on a regular basis will become a part of you and you will naturally gravitate towards that in your mental concept of how music should sound and in how you personally try to play it. It is a very natural thing that happens.

You have to expose yourself to the kind of music that you yourself want to play. It needs to become a part of you. The keys are listening and studying. You have to learn new things!

I would love to hear about the flavor that you play with or aspire to play with.

Thanks

KH

 

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Playing In EVERY Key

February 2, 2012 14 Comments

Many musicians find it difficult to play in EVERY key. For example a musician may feel comfortable in playing in the key of Ab but will avoid the key of A natural at all cost. A musician may sound really good playing in the key of F but will feel completely lost when playing in the key of E.

How is it that a musician can sound like a master in one key but get paranoid and sound like a beginner in another?

Why is this the case? I would like to give you 3 basic factors that could possibly contribute to this problem.

  • The Way You Are Practicing
  • The Way You Are Thinking
  • The Songs That You Are Learning

 

 

The way that you practice is so very vital. Quite naturally if you never play in a particular key then how will you ever learn to effectively play in that key. I love to practice things in perfect 4ths and perfect 5ths. This is also called the circle of 4ths and the circle of 5ths.

The circle of 4ths consist of

C -F -Bb- Eb- Ab- Db- Gb- B- E- A- D- G

The circle of 5ths consist of

C- G- D- A- E- B- Gb- Db- Ab- Eb- Bb- F

 

For example you can take a new lick or run that you are learning and practice it in every key using the circle of 4ths or 5ths.

For example using the circle of 4ths would be to play the new lick in the key of C then play it in the key of F then play it in the key of Bb and so on until you can play it in all 12 keys.

You can apply this practicing technique to anything you want to learn. Songs, Licks, Chords, Progressions, Etc.

Practicing this way will cause you to be able to play in any key whatever you are practicing on evenly.

The way you are thinking makes a huge difference as well. I believe that it is very helpful to think of the scale degree (scale number ) of the notes that you are playing.  REFER TO THE BLOG POST Music Is Mathematical.

Finally, many times gospel songs are traditionally done in certain keys. If you only play in the keys that the majority of gospel songs are written in then you could possibly be limited in playing in every key.  I think it is a great challenge to take a song that you know well and play it in all 12 keys. This is a good challenge for yourself.  Make using transpose a thing of the past and learn to play in EVERY key.

For a more detailed understanding of how to play effectively in all 12 keys you can check out my DVD “Learn To Play In All 12 Keys” 

Blessings,

KH

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The Organ Alternatives

January 31, 2012 2 Comments

There is nothing like the sound of a well maintained Hammond B3 Organ and Leslie Speaker combination. Very few people can afford to have one of their own but many people love the sound of these organs. People have been trying for years to find ways to emulate the sound of these classic organs. There are several companies that have attempted this feat like Roland, Yamaha, Diversi, and others.

Here are a few alternatives to having an actual B3 in your home to practice on.  A good friend and HMPI customer Frederick from Sweden hipped me to the NORD ELECTRO Organ. It is interestingly close to the sound of one of the original Hammond organs.

 

Another alternative to having a Hammond B3 is to get your hands on a Hammond M3. The M3 is actually nicknamed the “Baby B3″. The M3 actually has been under the radar for many years and many people don’t know the potential that these little organs have.  The M3 has many of the same exact electrical components of the B3 and mainly has the same internal amplifier as the B3.  The amplifier inside of the organ is much of what gives the organ it’s characteristic sound. The amplifier is where the tubes go in the organ. The tubes look like little light bulbs that actually light up and help to create the warmth and sweetness of the organ. Again the M3 has the same amp as the B3.

The biggest difference between the two organs is that the M3 is in a much smaller cabinet, has fewer keys, and does not normally have what is called fold back. Fold back can be installed by a qualified organ tech and it adds higher overtones to the organ sound. Most M3′s that you hear people playing are being played from it’s internal speaker and usually is not connected to a Leslie speaker, so you really don’t get the full effect of the organ really can do. M3′s are not made or manufactured any more but you can find them pretty easily for sale online.  You can obtain a M3 in fair condition on Ebay for a few hundred dollars not including shipping. Shipping could be a problem. Don’t ask me how I know.  :(

I personally have a Hammond M3 organ that I bought on Ebay several years ago and they are nice little organs. They are good for practicing when you want to practice on a real organ with real drawbars but don’t have a lot of space or budget for a B3.

Here is an example of a guy that really took the time and brought out the potential of the M3.

 

It is very convenient to be able to practice at home and not have to go to the studio or church to practice on a real organ. If you can get a hold to a M3 for a fair price and connect it to a real leslie speaker you will be very, very close to the sound of a real B3.

What type of Leslie Speaker or even Leslie Speaker emulation that you use will greatly determine the authenticity of the sound. The Leslie makes the organ come alive! The Leslie sound has to be right. The most cost effective solution that I have found for having a decent Leslie sound without having to buy a real Leslie speaker for a few thousand dollars is this.

 

Lastly, several companies are making software plugins that are amazingly close to the sound of a real organ. These plugins are getting better and better all of the time.  A very popular computer plugin is the B4 plugin. The Leslie Speaker simulation is not very good in my opinion but with the right settings you can get a fairly authentic Hammond sound. You will need the plugin, a midi keyboard controller and a computer and you will be in business.

Thanks,

KH

 

 

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Music Is Mathematical

January 31, 2012 3 Comments


One thing that is helpful when playing a song is to get into the habit of thinking about what scale degree (number) each chord falls on in relation to the key of the song.

If you continue to think this way you will be paving the way for you to comfortably be able to play the songs that you know in any key you want.

For example if a song is in the key of Ab and the chord progression is Abmaj – Cmin7 -Fmin7.

The Ab major scale is Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb-F-G

  • Ab is the 1st scale degree
  • C is the 3rd scale degree
  • F is the sixth scale degree

If you think of 1maj -3min7-6min7 the key will not matter to you if I know all of your major scales and the corresponding scale numbers to each note of the scale.

You now can apply this information to any key you want. It makes playing in every key much easier if you think of the music like this.

More to come on this subject. Stay Tuned. Also the Learn To Play In All 12 keys DVD goes into great detail about this subject.

KH

 

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Welcome to the HMPI Blog!

January 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Hey, Kenneth Hollins here.  I’m excited to begin a dialogue with you and look forward to this new platform. After playing for 30 years, and teaching for 15, I’ve learned some important lessons along the way.  God has given me the gift of music and I want to share what I’ve been given.  The purpose of this blog is to serve as a resource to you as you develop as a gospel musician. I will provide an inside peek at what I do on a day to day basis and share what I feel are key lessons.

My plan is to bring to you guest interviews with top musicians and artists in the industry. I will be sharing key attitudes and philosophies that are important to have. From time to time, I will be sharing with you some free lessons and other resources for you to utilize.

HMPI has come a long way over the years and I’m excited to see the continued development. The new website is an important step in allowing us to realize our vision of being the largest, most respected, and widely recognized gospel music instruction resource in the world.  Thank you for choosing to be on this journey with us.

My subscription based blog MyKeyBoardConnection is also available and is meant to offer specific training, videos, and lessons. You can join me, along with your peers, in this special member’s only website.

Please make a comment introducing yourself and come back often to receive updates. I’d like to hear from you about new products that you would like us to develop in the coming months.  Please share your questions and ideas about what you’d like me to cover in the blog too!

Thanks again and together we can take gospel music to new heights!

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