Beginner B3 Organ Course - Learn To Play The B3 Organ!
With just a few days remaining back in February, 2018 I decided to go-for-it and purchase the used, Crumar Mojo, Hammond B3 simulator that I found on Ebay. As a seasoned blues-guitarist and a long-time guitar-instructor, I had always loved the Hammond B3 sound. With that said, it was sort of a back-burner dream to actually have that B3 (simultaneous bass, chords and solos) vibe coming from my own hands, but I never took time to make a plan and make it come true. But then somehow there I was, making a long story much shorter, sitting behind my very own Crumar Mojo Hammond B3 simulator - I could hardly believe it, and I barely had a clue about how to even get started! More on that in just a moment, but first: fast forward to November, 2020 and here (in the following video) I am playing left-hand bass and right-hand lead on a tune that I composed called Easy B3 Blues!
How I Did It
So, in a nutshell, how did I train my brain and hands to get from "zero-to-sixty" (keeping in mind that I am aiming to reach "one hundred") in a relatively short period of time? The answer, I believe, lives in the following short story:
The first thing I did was look into various B3 organ artists who offer professional-level instruction on DVD. What I found was that they are in-fact sharing excellent material for me to sift through after my brain and hands have learned and practiced the very basics for how to combine left-hand bass lines with right-hand chords and solos. In other words, I needed a much more simplified approach for training the brain and hands than what was being offered.
Ten Short & Simple Playing Exercises
The video, just above, demonstrates a tune I wrote called Easy B3 Blues, and since I have been teaching music for more than twenty years, I have decided to share a special "how to play B3 organ" course called B3 Organ For Beginners. In this course I share the ten short-and-simple playing exercises (with up-close, slow-tempo video and sheet music) that I used, personally, to train my brain and hands to have fun playing like I am in the above video.
Putting It All Together: Easy B3 Blues!
Plus, I have included an up-close, slow-tempo video and sheet music for how to play Easy B3 Blues, just as I am in the video above. In addition, I have documented the various finger strategies that I use in Easy B3 Blues and the ten exercises in order to make learning and playing a lot smoother and easier to enjoy. Knowing exactly which fingers to use really helps to eliminate the guess-work - it brings a noticeable dose of added confidence to the learning process (which we can all use)!
How This Helps Beginners
One of the things that ensures that this "how to play B3 organ" course is right for the serious beginner is that its ten-short-exercises and final-practice-tune work to keep the student focused on what it takes to develop the left-and-right-hand coordination/foundation that is required before more advanced tunes, songs and concepts are approached.
What's Next?
I have a bunch of beginner-and-intermediate-friendly solos, tunes and songs that I am going to be recording making available (by way of up-close, slow-tempo video and sheet music) to those who have become active members of the site. In this way, there is going to be plenty of fun and rewarding material to keep the student focused and entertained on their way to becoming greater and greater musicians!
How To Access The Lesson Material
For the price of a private lesson or two, depending which plan you choose, you can become an active member of my B3 Organ Site for as long as you would like to gain and maintain access to all of the B3 organ lesson material that I post.
Remember: This Is For Beginner And Intermediate Players
Remember, this is not advanced-level material, this is beginner-and-intermediate-level material that is designed to help you get started and help you build the basic foundation you need to have a bunch of fun with the B3 organ!
FAQ's
Q: I don't have a fancy dual-manual B3 organ simulator - can I just use my piano and/or keyboard for now?
A: Yes, absolutely, you can learn and practice on an acoustic piano and/or the keyboard of your choice. For example: I have a single-manual keyboard that, among other voices, happens to have a great organ sound - I use it quite often and it's just fine for both learning and jamming alike!
Q: How long will it take before I can play like you are in the Easy B3 Blues video?
A: The answer to your question depends on a number of factors, including whether or not you happen to have previous experience with piano/keyboard playing. What I can say from experience is that the exercises in the beginner course are simple, fun and musically-rewarding all by themselves. This means that you are going to be having fun right-away as well as along-the-way, and in this way exactly "how long" becomes not quite as important as "how much" fun we have along the way.
Q: Do you offer private B3 organ lessons in order to walk through the material and help students learn, with more confidence, the lesson material in your online B3 organ course?
A: Yes, I have been teaching music for more than twenty years, one-on-one and in groups - both in-person and online, and I really enjoy helping students learn how to play! Feel free to contact me through the site for details and we can definitely arrange to walk through the material together.
Q: Do I need to read standard musical notation in order to benefit from this beginner B3 organ course?
A: Standard notation is definitely a great tool to have on your side, but with a couple of private lessons, you can learn the material in this course and have a blast without having to read.
Becoming A Site Member / Getting Started With The Beginner B3 Course!
If and/or when you are ready to become a site member to get started with this B3 course, you can simply click the link below. But, you might also like to know that becoming a member of Nate's B3 Organ Site also gives you access to Nate's Blues Guitar Site as an added bonus! Okay, whether you are also interested in a blues-guitar-bonus or not, here is your link to become a B3 Organ Site member and get started: Click Here To View Plans & Pricing Page!
