Here is the reason why I personally have found more success as the sole keyboardist using Hammond Organ or MIDI keyboard solutions to same in cover band work of this type:

The target recording that has the Horn Section in it likely always also has keyboard parts in it, and when we are talking Motown recordings of that era, more than likely there is more than one keyboard in there as well. Not uncommon for the Funk Brothers to have a Pianist on an Acoustic Piano plus at least the Mighty Hammond in there. Or Pianist on Wurlitzer Electric Piano and again the Mighty Hammond in there, at least padding away as only the Hammond can do. There can also be Vibes as well. Or Clavinet. etc.

This type of keyboard ensemble work took some thought and quite literally some communication between the players as to who would play what and when they would play it in an arrangement, quite often the keyboard players would not be playing full two-handed style, but playing just enough with one hand, or just utilizing a rather small number of notes fro each keyboard, yielding a sound in the mix that was not going to muddy things up. "Put one hand in yer pocket" was the mantra delivered on how to accomplish this sort of thing in studio work.

But out there playing live in a combo situation, with only one keyboardist available, concentrating on only the Horn Parts leaves the rhythm section sorely lacking.

Some keyboardists attempt to do both tasks simultaneously, using two or more keyboards, setting one keyboard for a Horn Patch and another for Piano, etc. I have yet to hear one that could do the Motown thang much justice by attempting that, although I suppose it could be possible - with a lot of work on the part of the keyboardist.

But Motown backing is more about the GROOVE than about covering all parts heard on the studio cut.

Of all the keyboard sounds available to us, the Hammond Organ is the one that can bring all aspects of what is needed to the song by simply playing what is needed to played at each certain point in the song. Judicious use of Patch Changes or Drawbar Settings throughout, coupled with things like Leslie spinups and spindowns, use of Hammond Percussion when the percussive sound of piano or electric piano is needed, all of these can work in your favor and make the performance so much more of a success than attempting to be a Horn Section that it is what I choose to do the majority of the time.

Horn Section should be saved for the time when the group can afford to utilize two or more good real horn players.

Avoid the Cheese, man, go for the sound of "Music's Most Glorious Voice" as Laurens Hammond used to advertise his creation.

Try it.

It works.


--Mac

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