The Wurlitzer Electronic Piano is loved the world over for its vintage

sound. Songs like Ray Charles Whatd I Say, Marvin Gayes I Heard
It Through the Grapevine, and Becks Where Its At are just three of
the countless Wurly classics.
My rig of choice these days is a Wurlitzer 200A with a MIDI con-
troller on top and my MacBook Pro on the side, loaded with Ableton
Live and other goodies. I feed my Wurly into the laptop through a MOTU
UltraLite interface for realtime processing, sampling, and looping.
The Wurlitzers sharp attack and full, barking low end are great for
rhythmic, percussive playing that borrows ideas from strummed acoustic
guitar, bass, and even drums. In Ex. 1, I put a spin on a classic funky
figure that recalls the Hohner Clavinet as well as slapped electric bass.
Notice the beefed-up bottom end and the auto-wah. Extreme articula-
tion really makes this figure work, so spank the accented beats and
barely touch the ghosted sixteenth-notes for that muted string effect.
Ex. 2 is another rhythmic pattern, with strummy right-hand
octaves and crunchy left-hand power chords. I process the sound with
Albetons Saturator overdrive and highpass EQ, and use compression
to bring out the grit and crackle. Work on keeping your right hand
steady and relaxed here.
In Ex. 3, Im playing a gentle 6/8 pattern, atmospherically enhanced
by the Grain Delay effect in Live, bandpass EQ, and a touch of slow Leslie
speaker simulation courtesy of Native Instruments B4. Try it yourself
with different keys and chord progressions, keeping consistent octaves
and fifths in the right hand, and basic two-note voicings in the left.
Ex. 4turns up the groove with a steady eighth-note hi-hat and
snare in the right hand, and a syncopated bounce in the left. Remem-
ber that the Wurly is all about articulation and feel. Keep the backbeat
strong, the upbeats laid back, and dig into the bass notes.
The dreamy, percolating sound of Ex. 5 shimmers from timed
reverse and filter delays. Turn the tremolo up, roll the right-hand octaves
and fifths lightly for waves of texture, and use wide left-hand intervals
to create full, pulsating pads. The trick with a sound like this is to find
open voicings that carry over well into the next chord.
Daniel Mintseris
ON CREATIVE WURLY COMPING
LESSONS

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Ex. 1
Ex. 2
20 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 6 . 2 0 1 0

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Esus2
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Fsus2/A Gadd4/B C Fsus2/A Gadd4/B

Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/june2010
Mintseris plays MP3
examples of these lines.
The inner workings of
the Wurly.
More on Mintseris
experimental album.
More Online
Daniel Mintseris is known for his work with artists like Marianne Faithfull, Peter
Cincotti, Martha Wainwright, and Teddy Thompson. He and cellist Dave Eggar
just released Convolutions for Cello, Piano, and Electronics, an experimental
album inspired by 20th-century classical music. Jon Regen
Ex. 3
Ex. 4
Ex. 5
21 0 6 . 2 0 1 0 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M
Larry Goldings has injected his signature Hammond organ and multi-keyboard
sound across funk, pop, jazz, and alternative music. He has toured and recorded
with Pat Metheny, Maceo Parker, Madeleine Peyroux, and James Taylor, and his
songs have appeared in Space Cowboys, Proof, and The Office. Jon Regen
LARRY GOLDINGS

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1. Go to church.
In this Gospel accompaniment idea, I harmonize a melodic line. In the first bar of Ex. 1a, I alternate between a Bb triad and a C minor
triad. Note that the inversions change as the line descends. As the idea nears its resolution in bar 2, I pass to the last chord with a dimin-
ished chord. Ex. 1b is similar to Ex. 1a, but with rhythmic variation. When Im playing organ in this style, I typically use a very transpar-
ent drawbar setting, such as pulling out only the 8' or 4' drawbar. The Leslie would be fast, with no chorus/vibrato. Using such an airy
sound really lets you stand out without getting in the way texturally. Hear this kind of playing on my CD Quartet, on the track Hesitation Blues.
2. Chord symbols are just suggestions.
When given a chord chart, take tasteful liberties that improve on the existing harmonies. In Ex. 2, Im using clusters in bar 1 (which
sound great on organ) and fourths in bar 2 (also a strong sound), while ascending step-wise with the top note. This provides good voice-
leading to resolve on an unexpected F minor/major seventh chordnotice how rich a sound you can achieve with these types of voic-
ings. When Im comping, I typically have the first and third drawbars out, and the second drawbar out halfway. Use the C3 chorus/vibrato
setting on your Hammond or clonewheel, with the Leslie effect braked. Check out my CDs Moonbird and As One, especially the songs
Woodstock and Mixed Message, for many related examples.
LESSONS
Ex. 1b

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Use left hand for bottom
note, if necessary
Ex. 1a
Takes Your B-3
Playing to the
Next Level
22 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 6 . 2 0 1 0

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G7 Em7 Edim Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 C6

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3. Less is more.
When your left hand is busy playing bass lines, your right-hand chords can only have five or six voices. But a big sound with lots of
harmony is possible with just two notes, particularly if one of them is moving. Use this idea to think about moving inner voices. Because
it sustains, the organ is perfect for this. Notice how the bottom line in the right hand creates dissonance and suspensions in the har-
mony. Ex. 3 is particularly useful on a ballad.
4. Comp Freddie Green style.
Guitarist Freddie Green played with the legendary Count Basie, and organ players can learn a thing or three from him. His kind of
accompaniment, shown in the chord sequence in Ex. 4, is all about voice leading, thirds and sevenths, and groove. Comping like
this can also be effective behind a guitar solo, since that instrument is no longer providing the pulse if its soloing. If youre playing in
half time, this can inject a nice, light swing feel into the music. Dont rushlay back, and dig in a bit more on beats 2 and 4.
Ex. 4
Ex. 3
Ex. 2
23 0 6 . 2 0 1 0 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M
5. Add second and third voices to your melody.
I often improvised a harmonized, secondary melody in one lower voice, as in Ex. 5a. It could be a sixth below a voice that moves
in contrary motion to the melody, or simply a strong second line that implies more harmony, adding shape and color. When your left
hand is playing bass lines, this is a great way to fill up the sound without resorting to block chords, which sometimes sound too
heavy-handed. Ex. 5b adds a third voice, harmonized with the interval of a second. This sounds much less predictable than play-
ing block chords. Pull out your first three drawbars, and set percussion to third harmonic, soft, and long decay. Use C3-setting cho-
rus. My lower-manual bass setting is typically the first and third drawbars out all the way, and the second drawbar halfway. Again,
try a braked Leslie setting. A good example of this is on I Think its Going To Rain Today from my CD Moonbird.
6. Think shapes.
To play outside of the harmony, I think less in terms of modes and scales, and more in terms of shapes. In the ii-V-i progression of
Ex. 6, I start by outlining the D half-diminished chord to create a clear jumping-off point. Then I alternate between two shapes:
fourths and triads. My goal is to land on my feet once I get back to the C minor chord. This wide intervallic sound is great on the
organ, and is all over my playinglisten to Zoloft off Moonbird, and If from Trio Beyonds Saudades CD.

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LESSONS
Ex. 5b
Ex. 5a
Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/june2010
Larry Goldings plays
these examples for you.
Carson-era Tonight Show
footage of Goldings funking
it up with Maceo Parker.
Goldings and Steve
Gadd play Chega de
Saudade.
More Online

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Ex. 6
24 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 6 . 2 0 1 0
When I was first learning jazz piano, McCoy Tyners style
had a big influence on my playing. Years later, during a set with
saxophonist Gary Bartz at a jazz club in Washington, DC, I was
doing my best McCoy emulation when McCoy Tyner himself
strolled right past my piano! After the set, he was extremely com-
plimentary of my playing, which made me feel great. Later, I
asked him, How do you feel that so many pianists have copied
your style? He replied, I consider it a compliment. Just then,
an eavesdropping friend sung her best air McCoy impression:
Fifth, fourth . . . fifth, fourth, fourth. Tyner smiled at her and
replied, Theres a lot more to it than that! To play like McCoy,
its important to understand a few basic building blocks of his
immediately identifiable piano sound. George Colligan
5Ways To
Play Like
MCCOY TYNER

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F7

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F7
1.Fifths in the Left Hand.
One of McCoys signature sounds is playing fifths in his left hand, usually the root and fifth of whatever the designated chord is. In
Ex. 1, were voicing an F7 chord in this way by simply playing F and C in the left hand. Much of the music Tyner played with John
Coltrane was modal or pedal-point based. Playing the root and fifth in the lower register solidifies the harmony, and can also set up
a dialogue with the drummer.
2. Perfect Fourths in the Left Hand.
We tend to think of Western harmony in terms of thirds, but during the Middle Ages in Europe, thirds were thought of as dissonant. Inter-
vals of fourths and fifths were considered resolutions. An added advantage of playing the perfect fourth in the left hand is that it gives a
grounded, home base quality to the harmony. In other words, fourths sound solid. Tyner often plays two perfect fourths based on the
root, as in Ex. 2, where an F7 chord is voiced using the notes F, Bb, and Eb), or he might play one with the root on top (for example,
F7 as G, C, and F).
LESSONS
Ex. 1
Ex. 2
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26 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 6 . 2 0 1 0

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Dorian Mode

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3. Augmented and Perfect Fourths in the Left Hand.
These voicings have more tension due to their use of the tritone interval: a sharp fourth. Tyner will often shift from this voicing to our pre-
vious voicing and back. So, for a Bb7 chord, he might play Ab, D, and G as in Ex. 3a, then hell shift to Bb, Eb, and Ab as in Ex. 3b.
In Blues on the Corner, he plays F, B, and E against a Bb7 chord, (Ex. 3c), which is quite dissonant. Tyner is a master of tension and
release, and Ex. 3d shows how Tyner combined perfect and augmented voicings on his version of the Antonio Carlos Jobim classic
Wave, from the album Supertrios.
4.Chromatic Playing and
Two-Handed Comping.
Planing refers to intervals that remain intact
as they move around. In Ex. 4a, were
planing a series of left-hand fourth voicings.
Diatonic planing stays in the current har-
monic key or mode, as in the Dorian mode
of Ex. 4b, and chromatic planing moves
without regard to the key center, as in Ex.
4c. Tyner sometimes keeps the same left-
hand voicing intact, moving it relative to a
home key, until he resolves it. Also notice that
4band 4c use combinations of fourths and
thirds to make smooth voicings across both
hands. Listen to John Coltranes A Love
Supreme for examples in context.
Ex. 4a
Ex. 3a
Ex. 3b
Ex. 3c Ex. 3d
Ex. 4b
Ex. 4c
27 0 6 . 2 0 1 0 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M
5. Using the Pentatonic Scale.
We often hear five-note or pentatonic scales (Ex. 5a) in Asian
and African music. Tyner uses his unique improvisational sense
to manipulate them in this example from his song Blues on the
Corner (Ex. 5b). Often when a chord is dominant, Tyner will
play a minor pentatonic based on the fifth of the chord. But he
might also play a minor pentatonic based on the root of the
dominant chord, then go off in another direction (Ex. 5c).

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1 3 4 5 7
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LESSONS
George Colligan is a pianist and composer who has worked with Cassandra
Wilson, Buster Williams, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, and many others. Most
recently, he joined drummer Jack DeJohnettes new quintet. Colligan has appeared
on over 100 CDs, 19 of them as a leader. His latest release is Come Together
on the Sunnyside label. Colligan is Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano at the Uni-
versity of Manitoba. Jon Regen
Ex. 5a
Ex. 5b
Ex. 5c
Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/june2010
Audio examples of these
lessons on our site!
Find out where McCoy
Tyners playing live.
Hear McCoy use these
techniques on a killer solo
rendition of Giant Steps.
More Online
28 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 6 . 2 0 1 0
Composer and synthesist Suzanne Ciani is a pioneer in electronic music.
She has released 15 albums, ten of them on her independent label Seventh
Wave. A five-time Grammy nominee in New Age music and a winner of
the Indie Award, her career has also spanned film and TV scoring,
notably the pop and pour sound for Coca Cola, created on a Buchla
modular synth. Jon Regen

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Snow Crystals
A lot of my compositions are influenced by the idea of a sequencer, since in the early days I didnt use a keyboard to play the
Buchla synthesizer. Now when I play sequences on a keyboard, I just change the eighth-note figures to easily change meters. Im
using a Celeste-like sound here. The song Snow Crystals is all about patterns, and changing from a 5/4 pattern to one in 6/4
is very comfortable. You can hear this piece in full on my CD Silver Ship.
LESSONS

4
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4
4

let ring
L.H.
,

Get these links and more at keyboardmag.com/june2010

Audio and video of
Suzanne on the Buchla
modular synth.
Three more new age
synth lessons and full
audio examples.
Suzanne demos synths on
vintage Letterman and
3-2-1 Contact.
More Online
SUZANNE CIANI
On New Age Synth
30 K E Y B O A R D M A G . C O M 0 6 . 2 0 1 0