NORTH SUBURBAN HOME ORGAN SOCIETY
How Does a Hammond Organ Work?
The
following series describes the typical Hammond Organ, such as the model
B3, C3 in some detail. I have been asked numerous times what happens inside
these instruments to make them function. Why do they never go out of tune?
How do they make so many different sounds? These are just two of many
questions that I've heard, and in this article, we'll show you exactly
what is behind the scenes in a typical Hammond tone-wheel organ, the instrument
which really defined the term "electronic organ."
This series has now begun on this website, more will be added on a regular basis as time permits. We hope that you will find it useful. Although newer electronic organs and modern keyboards use a different technology, this is what got the whole industry started, and there are still many thousands of these Hammond organs around. Probably there's one in your own home! We hope you will find this both interesting and useful.
Please note that the many sound clips and animated diagrams in this presentation make use of Flash. In order to view everything correctly, you will need to have FlashPlayer version 6.0 or later installed in your computer. You should also have InternetExplorer version 6.0 or later or an equivalent browser, If you have a computer that is less than 5 years old, these options are most likely already on your computer. This should also work on a Mac, but the site was authored using a PC and coded primarily for IE 6.0. If you have a very old computer or are using a dialup Internet connection, portions of this site will be extremely slow to load or may not function at all.
Click Here to Begin this series on the Hammond Organ
This series has now begun on this website, more will be added on a regular basis as time permits. We hope that you will find it useful. Although newer electronic organs and modern keyboards use a different technology, this is what got the whole industry started, and there are still many thousands of these Hammond organs around. Probably there's one in your own home! We hope you will find this both interesting and useful.
Please note that the many sound clips and animated diagrams in this presentation make use of Flash. In order to view everything correctly, you will need to have FlashPlayer version 6.0 or later installed in your computer. You should also have InternetExplorer version 6.0 or later or an equivalent browser, If you have a computer that is less than 5 years old, these options are most likely already on your computer. This should also work on a Mac, but the site was authored using a PC and coded primarily for IE 6.0. If you have a very old computer or are using a dialup Internet connection, portions of this site will be extremely slow to load or may not function at all.
Click Here to Begin this series on the Hammond Organ
You can begin this series with a little music.
Click on any of the buttons in the players
to hear a Hammond used for different selections. This particular Hammond is
fitted with extra contacts that control MIDI sound modules for the addition
of piano, bell, chime and other instrumental effects making it a supremely
versatile custom instrument.
