The Organ Forum

So......

I struggle with this contiunally as I play mostly solo stuff at home.

When self-accompanying I either

1. Work off arrangements already written or write my own. (usually piano books that I tweak to work on hammond)

2. Try to arrange on the fly by referencing the chord symbols on the written page and adding the extra notes as harmony on the right hand - perhaps by adding a lower note and playing parralel thirds and such

3. Come up with a funky bass line and just improvise on the fly with a mostly monophonic melody.

#1 Seems to me, arrangements either a) employ a monophonic or octive bass line in the left, and chords on the right that have the top not of the chord act as the melody, or b) function more like a hymn transcription where the left hand carries 2 notes of the chord, and the right another 2.

#2 Is difficult for me to do at any sort of speed, If I write it all down and play off that (make my own arrangement) its better.

#3. My solos kinda sound really cliche and repetitive.

I ran into the same issues when I played piano, although there you had a sustain pedal and could cheat alot.

 I'm pretty capable at playing a bass line with 1 hand and monophonic melody with the other, but often this sounds to 'empty', as if there are not enough chords filling out the tune.

Suggestions/help?

I'm really starting to get 'down' on myself about this as I love playing solo or with a drum machine and I am not interested in pedals really.