Nord User Forum

What problem to play organ sound using hammer action keyboard?

simple , organs do not have hammer action.

zzAARzz wrote:What problem to play organ sound using hammer action keyboard?

The keys are too heavy to work, and playing fast causes fatigue and pain.

All that said, I think the HA keybed on the Stage 2 is a good compromise. It's not 'too' heavy for doing organ work with - I play ska on it and got through the 'fatigue' stage in about 3-4 gigs. I recommend you try it out at a store before making your mind up. The low E offered by going with the 76 is also quite useful (guitarists/bassists love E!!!).

There seems to be 2 schools of thought generally on the forum. One is to take a SW73 Stage 2 and add a weighted keybed as an extra keyboard (the Casio Privia is a cheap but well regarded candidate here). The second it to take the HA 76 or 88 and then get a semi-weighted board to go on top - personally, I like the look of the Studiologic VMK161 Organ or even perhaps a Hammond SK1 (contentious, but I have my reasons).

I guess you have to decide what you are going to use the most. If you do mainly 'piano' gigs and don't need to play too much or too fast organ, then the HA76/88 would probably be sensible. However, if you tend to play more organs/synth stuff with occasional piano, then the SW73 would be better. You might then choose to have a second controller keyboard that you take out only when you really need the best of both worlds.

titanium wrote:simple , organs do not have hammer action.

Brass and strings not have hammer action but i hear/read only about organs )))

Also keep in mind that those of us who suggest 73 + external weighted is mostly because of each keyboard's weight. If you chose a Casio PX-350 (which keyboardmag holds in high regard), the total price is merely $100 USD higher than the NS288. Yet the NS288 alones weighs 18.5 kg. The PX-350 weights 11.5 kg plus the NS2 SW at 9.7 kg, its more weight in total, but its easier to manage a 10kg keyboard and a 12kg keyboard separately than a 19kg keyboard. It's also more convenient because it gives you the flexibility to go only 10kg if the gigs needs it. You would also get a more than decent cheap-digital piano, which may serve well for those gigs where you only need pianos and do not want to risk going with your $3600 USD keyboard.

I used to take my NS88 Classic for gigging and rehearsals, and I decided to change it for the NS2SW because sometimes if I was tired 20kg is a lot to drag across the whole campus. Now I find the 10kg of the NS2SW to be a breeze compared to the NS88. I am still thinking about getting a Casio keyboard, maybe I'll just wait for the PX-5S to show up and sell my NS88 Classic

zzAARzz wrote:

titanium wrote:simple , organs do not have hammer action.

Brass and strings not have hammer action but i hear/read only about organs )))

Usually, Bass and strings dont have fast repeated passages like organ, or so I am told.

I mentioned organ/synth in my post. In the NS2 world, of it's not a piano or organ, then it's a synth

I have both a hammer-weighted NS2 76 as well as a Electro 4D 61. Although I've been working at it for a while, my organ/synth/horn parts are frustrating and suboptimal on the weighted NS2 76, and any acoustic or electric piano part is equally as frustrating on the unweighted Electro 4D. I suppose that's why it's an important choice.

You can potentially make both work from the same board if (a) you're more talented than me, or (b) you're less demanding than me.

So for most of us multi-instrument, multi-style band players, you'll be hauling around at least two keyboards. FWIW, my 61-key E4D is probably overkill (after all, I could use a reasonable and certainly less expensive board as a midi controller), but here are the advantages if you think you can splurge.

-- less thrashing on presets between songs, less ahead-of-time programming required, more spontaneous, etc.
-- completely compatible user interface, sounds, software, etc. -- incredibly consistent, less to learn, fewer pilot errors
-- nice redundancy -- if one board should ever croak during a gig (this has never happened) I can limp through with the other one.
-- the prospect of a pair of gorgeous bright red Nords stacked up on stage ,,,,

I'm now using the NS2 for rehearsals where we're learning new music, and smaller gigs when I just want to bring one board and a single small amp. Great for learning new music with the band as I can dial up most any sound in short order, get feedback from everyone, and refine later. The NP2 88 has become my preferred gigging choice down below when I'm bringing two boards.

This is why I'm considering the Hammond SK1 as my extra board.