This is written for no other reason than I like to talk and I like to use words. For listing to me blabber I have conjured up a contest. There is a prize for the winner also. I thought the prize might be considered invaluable. When I asked Ruthie for her opinion she said ‘What’s That?’ A rendition by You? Well, I told her, it will give me something to do. Besides, not everybody walks out of the room when I interpret things. Just because you do..... Come on, be nice. So hears' my mouth via my fingers.

Quote: “Touch sensitivity is NOT A REPLACEMENT for a properly used expression pedal”. So very true. True, true and true. Question: When is an expression pedal (swell pedal) proper? Answer: When used on an organ or a keyboard set up so as to be played as an organ. Up until recently organs had no touch sensitivity and limited after touch control, mostly on pipe organs. On the keyboards of today some of the organ voices still do not respond to key sensitivity. Therefore this pedal was mandatory on organs and is provided as an extra for those few who purchase a keyboard and want to set up and play it as an organ. No other way to increase or decrease the volume while playing on the thing set up as an organ. Now that the question of when an expression or swell pedal is proper let us delve into how an expression pedal is ‘properly used’. An expression or swell pedal is used to give a STERILE (no expression) organ sound, expression. You might say to swell up or down (swell pedal) in greater or lesser amounts of volume. Kind of like our bodies. We get a swelling and then we say the swelling is going down. A properly used expression pedal therefore is used to give an otherwise constant tone, life, excitement or the term ‘expression’. A properly used expression pedal brings up the suggestion of an improperly used pedal. How can an expression pedal be improperly used? A proper expression pedal use on either an organ or a keyboard programed that way can be improperly used as a foot rest and or to keep time, a favorite of many organ enthusiasts. Occasionally used to give accent to a sneeze or cough or among other things such as an itch or twitch in ones leg. Silence or a burst of volume when triggering a side switch on the pedal of an organ is another favorite trick of misuse on organs.

As for keyboards. If an expression pedal was essential for the performance of an arranger keyboard it would certainly be included as standard equipment by the manufacture. The fact that the expression pedal is able to be purchased as an extra is an indication it is an item to be used for a particular situation, not the normal use of the keyboard. The design of our keyboards is such that the method designed into it for full and complete expression of the same, is a completely different approach for expression, more refined and sensitive to that end than the organ approach. Therefore when an expression pedal is proper for the situation is when used on an organ or a keyboard set up and used as an organ. When an expression pedal is ‘properly used’ it is used for degrees of volume. When not properly used, is as stated above, for keeping time etc.. Larry, a great similitude, and Mike you are so right. As long as they are offered to keyboard players there will always be confusion. Confusion when there is reluctance to overcome an ingrained habit when using completely different technology. As an example: I can play my saxophone two different ways. I will take my sax or clarinet out of the case, slap on the mouthpiece and blow it. Blow harder and it is louder. Turn on my keyboard and play the sax. Hit the key lighter or harder and that is how I control loudness. When using my real sax I apply more and less pressure to the reed which causes the pitch of the note to be flat or sharp, which gives me vibrato. On my keyboard this is done electronically. Either programed in with the sound or triggered with after touch. The pitch of the note is varied by making it flat and sharp. Therefore complete control as on the real thing. Not so when using the expression pedal. The best that can be done to achieve vibrato is to wiggle the pedal back and forth to vary the volume. Very hard to simulate. Besides, true vibrato is varying the pitch, not the volume. The ability of an arraigner keyboard to reproduce these effects is the whole purpose and design of the product. The use of a leslie tone cabinet on a hammond organ is a mechanical example to accomplish this. I wonder how many know how and why the leslie will give this effect. Anybody that can come up with the physics of this, I might, if I have the time, energy or the music, to send you my rendition of ‘How Great Thou Art’ done on either the 6 or 7 thousand. I have both. Come to think about it, I will need the music, so send it with your entry if you think you got the right answer. Just send it to Dougies Dumb Contest, C/O SnythZone BBS Technics Discussion Forum in the Expression Pedal Slot. Otherwise just hit the reply button at the bottom of this page. Same thing. Ruthie says by the time I get done explaining something to her it’s time to go to bed. If you find me a bit too wordy I would like to say goodnight now.

Grandpa Doug, author and administrator of Dougies Dumb Contest. Ruthie will be the official judge so you all got a chance.