Organ - Keyboard or What?

[Westgarth]

Hi All

I didn't want to hijack Mikes post regarding the organists on Britain's Got Talent so I've started a new topic.

Bill commented with the following...

"...mention the word organ and you automatically alienate yourself from 99% of the general public, as they automatically assume it’s either Church or Blackpool sound. (This is why if you want our modern entertainment organs to be accepted, the name organ has to be obliterated from them)".

He makes a good point. If we are discussing our hobby we tend to say we play keyboard or organ. Saying keyboard often attracts puzzled looks and saying the organ often leads to a similar reaction to the uninitiated!

I don't think the term "Arranger" will ever catch on

I was upstairs one day when my wife had visitors. They asked "Where's Steve?" she replied "he's upstairs playing with his organ", I couldn't show my face all evening!

So what are we supposed to call it?


Answers on a postcard or just post.

[Brian007]

I think first of all we are musicians, and after that we could say if you play the organ its an Electronic Organ as there`s not many people have original pipe organs for home use, and if you play Keyboards you play an Electronic Keyboard ?


Brian007

[Westgarth]

Hi Brian

It could be an Electric Organ. When we had the shop Dad would say if it had an electric pump it was an Electric Organ, valves and transistors meant Electronic. Her indoors thinks I call mine "Upstairs" as I keep saying I'm going upstairs for half an hour!

[andyg]

Tonewheel organs are usually classed as electric, though electromagnetic (or electrostatic in the case of the Compton Electrone) would be more accurate. And Wurlitzer and Everett made electric reed organs.

In the 80s, there was a trend towards calling home organs 'multi-keyboards', and we all know that Yamaha never made organs, only Electones. Digital Orchestra, Virtual Orchestra, I think lots of things have been tried, but if it looks like an organ, it's an organ it would seem!