organ playing on Stage 4 HA 73

[ogunter]

I'd like to stick with one keyboard for gigs. Have Electro 2 and 4 but thinking of upgrading to Stage 4 HA as much of my gigging
now is piano based. I am an old Hammond player and would like to be able to continue to play organ at times on a portable gigging keyboard.. Are there any HA Stage owners
who find that the HA is at least 'good enough' to play organ or is the Hammer Action just not suitable?
Thank you.

[Tasten-Bert]

It’s always the question of what you are playing. Hammond chords or short licks as in recordings of the Eagles or Santana I would not see as too difficult. Solos like the ones of Jon Lord in Lazy or Highway Star I would not want to play a whole night on a HA keybed. What do you do?

Cheers from Germany

[ogunter]

Thank you. That is a good point. I play more like the first style, Hammond Chords, short licks, than Jon Lord.
So perhaps the HA would work for me. I have loved the Electros but the SW's no longer meet my piano playing needs.
I wish it was easier to actually go try the Nords, but there are seldom more than one model in stores near me.

[Scheper]

I'm not the best Hammond player, but I use the organ on my NS4 73 quite regularly. Although it's not a waterfall keybed, I think it plays very pleasant.

[cphollis]

Sorry, I tried living with "good enough" try-playing-organ-on-weighted-keybed. It sucked on both the NS2 and NS3. Can't imagine a weighted NS4 being any different. It's the same with synth parts and similar.

Given that you're a former Hammond enthusiast, I can't see how you'd be happy with a weighted keybed for organ playing. That's why I play with two keyboards -- one weighted, one unweighted.

[Elias]

Given that you're a former Hammond enthusiast, I can't see how you'd be happy with a weighted keybed for organ playing.

This.

Before you commit to the HA version, try really doing all the organ techniques and tricks on any HA keybed, Nord or not. See if it feels good for you. I bet it doesn't.

A spring action (which the SW is) might feel wrong on a grand piano sound, but a HA is more likely to restrict you technically.

[WannitBBBad]

As others, I'd suggest trying out the HA keybed, but only on an Electro or Stage model that offers high triggering. If you prefer the feel of the B3, you might find that adjusting to playing piano on the Compact is easier than adjusting to playing organ on an HA, but I wouldn't discount what you can do with the HA. Here's a clip of "Standing on Shaky Ground" by Delbert McClinton using "high triggering" on a Stage 2 HA76. I wouldn't want to play organ all night on an HA keybed, but it works just fine for me. Good luck to you.

[BBvideo=425,350]https://youtu.be/2okzMnoj_tk[/BBvideo]

[ogunter]

Thank you for the above comments. cphollis: I agree that two keyboards would be best but I stubbornly, and perhaps stupidly, have tried to avoid that.
It may be time to go that route.
Elias: that is good advice about trying the Hammond techniques. I have been playing Electro 4 SW for a long time and the piano playing is acceptable, perhaps more
a acceptable than organ playing on HA.
And WannitBBBad, that is really good advice about the high triggering, and also, that is nice playing and it sure makes it sound possible to play good good organ things
on an HA.
Bottom line, I have to find an HA to try out. Thank you.

[ogunter]

I've had a Stage 2 EX 88, and now have a Stage 4 88. had a second tier with waterfall for some time, but now back to rocking only the S4 HA88
Organ playing is perfect aside from the key "lip". not as smooth as a waterfall Numa Organ 2 for example, but doable.
the HA 73/88 is perfectly fine if you don't plan on playing hammond organ solos the whole night.

[jeffkeys]

I play more than 50% Hammond and I’ve been using a Nord Stage HA board exclusively for the last 10 years or so (first the original model, then the 3, now the 4 - also 73 keys). I’ve gotten used to it and it works great for me. Didn’t take long for me to get used to it. I wanted to use one board to save wear and tear on my body and it was a matter of playing piano on organ weighted keys or organ on the HA. The latter was much more preferable to me. Sometimes I play exclusively organ all night as well on it.