GET SMART

Mar 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Marty Cutler

BERKLEE PRESS

Whether you play the real thing or its software equivalent, Dave Limina's Hammond Organ Complete ($24.95) could prove useful for getting the most out of your instrument. Subtitled “Tunes, Tones, and Techniques for Drawbar Keyboards,” the book explains and helps you strive for mastery of the combined use of drawbars, the expression pedal, and the Leslie speaker speed switch.

The book guides you step-by-step through drawbar-organ-playing techniques, one skill at a time. Limina reveals special effects used by the great Hammond organists, including unique tips and tricks for all drawbar instruments. Subsequent sections teach authentic rock, jazz, blues, and funk comping techniques. The book explains all the parts of the organ and how to use them, including percussion, expression pedal, vibrato, chorus, and the Leslie speaker.

Once you have mastered the basic skills, you receive instructions on playing idiomatic gospel, R&B, jazz, blues, funk, and rock with a series of hands-on exercises. The CD that accompanies the book includes 21 exercises as well as performances of 8 songs. Versions of the songs from which the organ parts have been removed so that you can play along. Berklee Press; tel. (617) 747-2146; Web www.berkleepress.com

HAL LEONARD

Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool represents the collaborative efforts of some of bebop's most fertile composers and arrangers. Birth of the Cool: Scores from the Original Parts ($24.95) contains restored versions of the charts that Miles Davis created in collaboration with such notables as Gil Evans, John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan, and John Carisi.

The publication is the product of more than two years of preparation. Although much of the material relies on transcriptions, some of the arrangements are derived from copies obtained from esteemed arranger and composer Gunther Schuller.

The volume begins with a short, colorful history of the origins of the songs and arrangements; that is followed by brief biographies of the project's core constituents. Before leading into the scores, editor Jeff Sultanof provides an interesting and illuminating section detailing the restoration of the charts.

Among the included charts are “Move” by Denzil Best; “Boplicity,” by Miles Davis; “Budo,” by Miles Davis and Bud Powell; and “Israel,” by John Carisi. Arrangements include annotations accounting for variations between live performances of the material and recordings and details for optional endings. Hal Leonard Corporation; tel. (800) 637-2852 or (414) 774-3630; Web www.halleonard.com or www.musicdispatch.com.

BACKBEAT BOOKS

Ironically, guitarists and bass players who build personal studios often have difficulty capturing an ideal recording of their own instruments. Recording Guitar and Bass ($29.95) by Huw Price is a hands-on guide that describes the steps involved in getting a good recording from the bottom up.

The book provides practical advice for building your personal studio and choosing amplifiers and microphones. In addition, it describes an assortment of miking techniques that range from simple to complex. Price also covers processing and sound enhancement with effects and offers specific techniques for recording acoustic guitar and electric guitar and bass.

The book includes interviews with top technicians, producers, and musicians revealing some of their tricks of the trade. Interviewees include Steve Albini, Bob Brozman, Alan Moulder, and Chris Tsangarides.

Price's book comes with a 63-track CD that demonstrates sounds created by different amplifiers and microphones, the effects of mic positioning within the studio, and the use of EQ. Backbeat Books; tel. (866) 222-5232; e-mail backbeat@rushorder.com; Web www.backbeatbooks.com.