Study in Paul Butterfield blues harmonica
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
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In this video I analyze and break down a short solo from the
song "Mary Mary" from the album East West. Here is the link to
CZcams video with audio for the exact audio of song I'm using:
• Paul Butterfield Blues...
Hope you enjoy and check out my website for more in depth
harmonica instruction via my live online classes:
www.harmonica12...
![Paul Butterfield Band • “Goin’ Down/Be Good To Yourself” • LIVE 1978 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xf0s9zkMuY4/mqdefault.jpg)
thanks, that's how i learned to play primarily. i would sit and put on CDs and sit and listen to the harmonica solos over and over and over until it would click. the more i did that the better i became at imitating them and figure out where they were on the instrument. it's a fun challenge and very enjoyable the more intimately you get to know your instrument.
Really good stuff!!
His voice and his harp was like no other, so emotional and chilling.
Butterfield's playing is all about rhythm and syncopation. That is what is so unique about his play: his licks fill in his approach to the blues in an innovative rhythmical way
Never saw him the same way you do. He was and probably is the greatest harmonica player any of us will ever hear. Sort of like Paganini but just wrote it off the cuff. Walk in and take over. Wait 500 years and Paul Butterfield will still be popular. He is one of the greatest musicians of all time.
You can hear him if you try, don't try to imitate cuz you probably can't, but you can find refuge if you play your own stuff.
The best things to try on Butterfield, which are pretty easy if you try, are the the 'send out' notes, at the end of the song. He practically gives them to you, and they are about the only things about Butter which are easy to play, Enjoy!
Don't know about the greatest, but he help introduce blues to a lot of people and helped it's influence on Rock & Roll.
Paul Butterfield was my very first influence in Harmonica, later when i could play butter well, was when a Blues Band picked me up. "Was the Best years of my life " !
I like the Little Sonny record on the wall. My friend who plays Harmonica turned me on to him I have that one. It has the Bar-Kays on it. I also have is Little Sonny's New King Of The Blues. That is the type of vibrato I have and Paul Butterfield's vibrato. I'm influenced by their vibrato and Andy Just and Mark Ford Robben Ford's brother Mark Ford and my friend's vibrato. Rick Estrin has a wicked vibrato. I heard Rick playing Live at a Blues Festival one time and it was mind-blowing. I also have a CD that is out of print called The Paul Butter Field Blues Band Live at Winterland which has Paul Butterfield Better Days. with Paul playing a lot of great-sounding vibratos. Thank You! for sharing it was very insightful.
Here is another harmonica player I like Will Wilde that you may like. He is pretty Badass sounding. Your not bad yourself. He was one on the vibrato. This called (Dark Southern Rock Harmonica (1st, 2nd & 3rd Position) Give that a listen. I look forward to hearing and seeing more from you.
czcams.com/video/ECo3ug0qt58/video.html
My favorite live performance footage of PB is Driftin' Blues (Monterey 1967). His solo midway is enough to bring you to tears!
Good harp can bring tears to your eyes
Paul Butterfield was the best Blues Harp player in the world even though he's not with us anymore.As Al Kooper said even if he was a Tunafish Sandwich he was the Blues.
Yeah
It was Mike Bloomfield that said that.
Thanks for doing something on Butter. He's been a huge influence, particularly because he has a very unique tone that is often thought to be with the tongue blocking technique, but actually he was primarily a pucker method. If the solo on the live cut of Driftin' and Driftin' doesn't hit your spine...I think the word you were looking for was Emotion. He pours it and emotes into his playing like no other. Thanks again!
amen
Live version of Driftin' was what I practiced to every day, in 1970 or whenever it came out. I was in college. Marine bands cost 5 bucks, then the Hohner Blues Harp came out and it was 7.50. I should have saved my harps. lol
Paul Butterfield was a highly trained classical flutist studying under masters before he took up harmonica. He approached the instrument like a saxophone with a very high degree of precision. And you will note that his later bands had top horn players like David Sanborne. Butterfield got the best players.
+clarkewi good to hear exactly the case cheers
In 1969 I met Paul butterfield I’m pelaluma Ca on the river. Paul was playing that weekend with Michael Bloomfield at Fillmore West. He came to see a friend of his which was my buddies older brother. We just happened to be there. He turned me on to the harp and loved it. He showed me a few things and had at it. Paul was a cool dude, miss ya man
Wow, what a great lesson. I'm a huge Butterfield fan and play a few of his songs in our band, and you have broken it down better that anyone I've heard. PB's triplets and intensity are what make him special and you do a good job of explaining the technique. Thanks!
Still watching. You are the best I've seen at listening and repeating. You know that instrument.
Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonny Boy, etc. gave the blues harp legs.
Paul Butterfield gave it wings.
He was the Charlie Parker of the blues harp.
I saw him live only three times, each show priceless. Was fortunate enough to hear him with Bloomfield and co. at the Club 47 date referenced in Horn From the Heart.
More than anyone else, he brought attention to his blues forefathers. And with an integrated band. Almost unheard of at the time.
IMHO, he played with more soul than any other blues harpist before or since.
This lesson is just awesome. Fun to watch a great player just breaking down licks in real time. Especially intense Butterfield licks.
Nice job breaking down his riffs, thanks. I wasn't familiar with the song.
His "Better Days" album from 1973 was great I remember diving on that when it came out...seemed it was very clean, changing from his style of many notes to really clean sustained style of few notes and getting more out of them
Buried alive in the Blues and Rule the Road are great examples of that style and of course we loved the rest of the tunes on that back in the day....
Thats a great one,my favorite Butterfield tune is "Blues with a feeling"I think he redid it,it was recorded originally by Little Walter if I'm not mistaken."Thanks for all you do for the harp world"
Heck of an ear Ronnie. I can hear the notes and then you play them exactly to the song. Very impressive.
It is totally amazing the way you listen and then identify the lick so precisely. In my opinion, Paul is THE harp man! I am so surprised he played upside down. I cannot follow the "3in out blow, 4 bend..." but when you pull it out, I can hear and copy it. Thanks for a great job. Again, you're an amazing ear.
why thanks Wendell
i'll check it out, thanks for the suggestion. i have listened to enough Paul Butterfield to know that I haven't heard enough. I intentionally chose a short solo for the sake of having time to break it down in a digestible video. Soon, I will have live online classes which might be a better forum for breaking down such a song. If you're not on my newsletter, please join at Harmonica123 so I can keep everyone posted on this.
Hi, superB tutorial, I love the Paul Buterfield's licks and you gave me new homework, great! Thanks a lot! KR
Ronnie, I remember one writer referring to Butter's style as "concise and dead serious". That always rang true for me.
Butterfield's style, so intense, punchy - I think it made it easy to forget the wealth of ideas in his solos.
Excellent video-! You teach & explain & DO - do-- very well-- thank you for remembering Paul Butterfield- his Tones-- oowwwee'- yea..
Thank you for your lesson. I have always liked Paul Butterfield. I have several of his albums, but my favorite is Live at the Troubadour, April, 1970. A great jazz-blues fusion double album. His solo on Driftin' and Driftin' is memorable, I believe. I'm been trying to improve my playing again after a long absence. Gotta ways to go. I'm on my own, no band. Your lesson here was very helpful, I'm having fun practicing..
I just finished watching your video...I didn't read all comments so you might know this already. I believe Paul played the harp backwards. The low end on the right.
Tim Klein movies
Sonny Terry played upside down, too. I never noticed Butter’s placement, even tho I saw him play twice in intimate clubs. Quite possible he played that way, though.
Mitchel Evans it’s pretty well known he did play upside down. You can tell pretty easily in live footage. What’s not known for certain is his blocking technique although U blocking seems most likely.
In the late 1950s, Paul visited blues clubs in Chicago, where musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Otis Rush encouraged him and occasionally let him sit in on jam sessions
cool
ya this tune just caught my ear, first one i found, when i typed in Paul Butterfield in CZcams. it's a great example of his style, passion and execution.
ronnie I have been aound the blues a long time I met W Clarke saw him in person, C Musselwhile, Sonny Terry, J Cotton, Kim Wilson, an I will say you are one of the better harp players I have seen, or heard rather.
dan roach
w. Clarke... blowin' like hell. wicked.
Just want to say big thanks for your passion on teaching! Your videos help me a lot :)
Smooth like Butter! Gotta love Paul Butterfield and Ronnie Shellist! Two of my favorites! Your lessons and audio cd's have brought my playing a long way in the past 3 years. I can't thank you enough! Mark in Minnesota
He had that staccato like attack in his playing style, one of my first inspirations to play the harp
thanks for tuning in
Mr. Ronnie very interesting and instructive this approach of you to point and delucidate Paul’s thing I mean that force that drive that power of him
I am just an old harmonica learning player but I can tell you are a proffesor level player And it is advantageous to pay attention to your explanations
and I am going to be following your tips
Thank you very much
As I said an old (well not so) playing learner from Baja Mexico
Daniel
right on!
I think he played so hard on the lower end because it seems he never went above the 6 in most cases. Either way he was a monster learning from the old masters of Chicago. You do a hell of a job too. THanks for your lessons.
For me Paul had the ultimate tone, dirty, dirty harp ..... no treble, almost overdriving the amp he's blowing through .... so amazing. Great playing dude !!
Ronnie’s class on Born in Chicago is a must! Get it !
thanks for the endorsement.
I have been influenced tremendously by Paul, I started playing harp in 1969 when I was 16 and am still playing today, my passion for the blues is very strong. You can check out my playing on my you tube video, type in Bluesman Ron, I do the song The Sky Is Crying.
Very good lesson...the best from Paul Butterfield is the song "The thrill is gone"....it comes just from his soul...
Kind of reminds me of the great Greg Izor. I miss hearing him here in Austin!
Brilliant tips thanks man....I love Paul Butterfield....i started playing it pre youtube days trying to find the sounds painstakingly i must add.....after sometime another player pointed out i had been learning to play it upside down! oops. Was a huge relief to discover so did Mr Butterfield ....few. Theres still hope....I find it impossible to flip it round now....peace
There's a Levon Helm interview where he shows how Paul Butterfield taught him how to play single notes on the harp by making a U shape with your tongue. Pretty interesting way of tongue blocking. I wonder if that is some sort of flute technique.
The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw is one of Butterfield's greatest albums. Give it a listen.
Dam dude, I just bought a C and a D, Hohners, Big River Harp series at a pawn shop!!!! They sound super nice.... Just beginning to play but a longtime blues guitar player and rocker, metalist, flamencoist, etc. Thanks for such a really user friendly video series. Oh ya, Paul is way up there in my favorite ripping blues albums, I think "East Meets West" and their Monterrey Pop performance was killer, "Driftin Away" (I think that's the name), that's etched in my mind forever! Chicago blues lives on forever!!!! Keep up the videos man, you are extraordinairily great!
JR Rosalez I know you posted a long time ago but i think you meant "Driftin' and Driftin'" from MPF.
You wanna play with something cheap which delivers? Try HotMetal from Honhers which actually delivers. Though ain't so great and sometimes you have to deliver it before it delivers you.
Means that often times you have to tune it up before it evens plays for you. Other than that, It will play as great as any other harmonica you know. And I have played tons of them. The only one I really don't like is the Hohner Marine Band, cuz it makes your lips bleed.
Butterield's best sols have a linear quality like a saxaphome. He never plays more than one note at a time. But he just brutalizes the note. Tears its balls off.
clarkewi Butterfield often plays double stops as well as warbles.
I call his playing style choppy :) thank you for everything!!! Definitely learning from you my friend
thanks
I really don't think PB ever gave any of this much thought. Blues with a feeling not a peeling.
Always wondered what influence Paul's flute playing had on his mastery of the harp. Was his embrochure influenced by the flute playing? Never have I heard anyone duplicate his acoustic tonal quality...It sounded incredibly muted, yet powerful, as if playing thru a tunnel.
This is great man! Thanks for doing this. I"m working my way into the harp. More difficult than it looks if you want to sound good.
Thanks very much,Ronnie. Love Butterfield & love your harmonica mastery. Regards.
(P.S. I reckon he really influenced British blues harmonica.)(Australian opinion )
You do an nice job. Thanks for the lesson.
One person must have been looking for another kind of Harp ! Thumbs Up Ronnie !
i worked on “Butterman’s” licks way back when i was playing in bands in the ‘70’s. Then i stopped music from ‘86 until 2013. i got serious with my harp, and discovered I still ‘owned’ Paul’s licks. i could duplicate Born in Chicago note for note after over two decades. Butterfield and Sonny Terry were my early influences. Of course, when I started getting serious about my playing, i discovered all the bad habits i had. Including playing way too hard, ala PB, who sounded like he was destroying the harp(in a good way). Thanks to good folks like Shellist, I have attacked my habits, and become a pretty good player these days. Thanks, Ronnie, for the nod to the Butter.
if you were ever half as good as Butter i will eat my shoes. Show me.
Thank you, Ronnie.
always a pleasure to watch your videos !
You can sound like all the great harp players Ronnie and also have you own sound. Thanks for the lessons.
I've yet to find a CZcams harmonica guru who addresses Butterfield's acoustical tonal quality, and what embroucher allowed him to achieve it. I have personally never come close.
big ask..kinda like saying..I've yet to meet someone who can explain all the mysteries of the universe ;)
Just discovered your videos, and they're great! Really helpful. Thanks.
thanks for tuning in
Thanks! I appreciate that. It's nice to put it into action..that's where the fun begins.
those harps play well. i have one from 6,7 years ago and it sounds great and plays well.
3:55 Butterfield plays hard, fast and awesome. great lesson btw
Butters didnt rock or fusion ..pure Chicago
Thanks, Ronnie ! I steal many lick from this video.
Aggressive is how I'd describe Butterfield's approach.
Do you think that because he played back-to-front that it was always going to be slightly different and difficult to replicate unless one played the same way.To me its like trying to write with my left foot.I have always been intrigued by this scenario.Sonny Terry played the same way too.I sat with him once before he played for an hour and thats when I realised that he was a back to fronter.Good stuff Ronnie.Jim.Liverpool.
Butterfield had so many great attributes, but the one that immediately jumps out at me when I hear his records is his really powerful vibrato on the bent notes. The way he milked emotion out of every note is unrivaled.
no but good idea. he certainly has his own thing going on. going to see him Monday night in Boulder I believe.
I think the word you're looking for is grace notes:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_note
The pilot for this series uses the PBBB's Mary, Mary in a scene where the main character, Mary Shannon, walks into a biker bar. www.imdb.com/title/tt0935095/
click bait
My largest influence...from the age of 8. That “guttural” sound butter could make, gritty and growling...only butter could do.
Ps: I like how break down his licks...also, what mic is that you often seeing butter using where the mic stand/handle is cut...? Like a stadium mic...?
Subbed & thumbs up!
The Mic is a Shure PE54 Series 2.
Good stuff Ronnie.
Gotta 💘 it
Paul Butterfield played upside down does this make his attack more difficult for right sided players. I play upside down it's just the way I taught myself. Tim Klein just noted your comment.
True that and most guys don't know this about him. Butter was a early influence on me beginning in the late 60's. Only when i took up harp more seriously around 1998 and later read that he played upside down, did I understand how that effected his approach and why I might not be able to easily duplicate some of his stylings. I also think it it's interesting how he rarely used trills, didn't employ tonguing that I'm aware of and didn't chase that slightly distorted, ball mic with old element, holy grail amp rig thing. Just clean and precise notation............
J Dubbiyou it’s debated if he U blocked all the time. May have contributed to his killer tone.
in my opinion it doesn't matter at all that he played upside down. you can accomplish his riffs/attack just the same.
@@fauxbro I dunno about the rest of it but there were very few players who played upside down. only one I can think of is Sonny Terry. So where did Butterield get this idea?
In the early 80s, when I was learning to play, my favorite harp solo was on "Got My Mojo Workin' Pts I & 2" by Muddy Waters, credited on this Chess Records' French release "The Best of Muddy Waters" as Muddy's live version from the 1960 Newport Festival, with the great James Cotton on harp. Years later, I watched the video of this performance and the harp solo was way different. Turned out the version on that French Chess release was actually Muddy and Paul Butterfield from "Fathers & Sons" with Buddy Miles on drums.
czcams.com/video/c9zO7Hub0SY/video.html
I've been playing for about a month and this lesson took me over the hump. Switching from a C to a D harp seems to have helped as well. Easier to bend notes?
Steve Rubin he was a flute player
Steve Reis will u ever come back to nyc
He was one of a kind
Michael Rubin I went to 216st for lessons thought the guy was black. Opie opened the door Adam gussow
I traded r sliegh sheet music for his tools
excellent, thanks mr Shellist
thank YOU
Wow !
The scene starts at 23:00, the song at 24:00 czcams.com/video/SDS211La9yQ/video.html I was shocked when I first saw it.
Disciple of James Cotton I think 👍Great lesson 😎😊
Great video Ronnie, wish we could jam together sometime.
I may see him tonight in Michigan
I think you under rate Paul . He was the foundational interpreter of blues for white audiences. PB was the best diatonic player ever.
One of the best. Norton Buffalo was awesome too!
Brian Jones from the stones was a blues purist , exceptional on harp ....as will all instruments . But Brian Jones started an R&B band known as the rollin' stones (later to become The Rolling Stones )
Paul was one of a kind pivotal effect
Charlie Musselwhite
7:50
Double stops mean== 2 notes at same TIME
great lesson as always, but i would say that mary mary is not the best example of his playing, I would say "everything's going to be alright" the live version, or "born in Chicago" or "one more heartache". these show his soloing style very well. or driftin' where he has a 10 min solo.
thanks for this lesson!
Sweet interpretation
Ron
Try his Thrill is Gone
Jimmy
drifting and drifting would be a great break down....
thanks
yes it is but if you stick with it, i bet you'll improve. well worth the effort.
thanks!
Have you ever thought about doing Rick Estrin???
much appreciated
Paul played the Harp in an inversed way. 10 hole at right. I think because of this his riffs could be played this way. It doesn't mean this is easier. In fact, it's more difficult, because you have to do everything inversely, but it leaves a way to do another kind of interpretative skills.
I think this should read "10 hole on the left."
hey man thanks but if its not a pain can you write out the tabs but your a big help
having played in an orchestra playing flute
read how he practiced experimenting with what u can get out of it
jamming in ny boston chicago
especially harmonica george smith and muddy waters
listened to a session with jery lee lewis carl perkins keith richards
the black guys said later paul butterfield was the only guy who could jump into a jam session this tight and add some class
also read he was jamming at the carousel ballrom with fleetwood mac
only playing three holes to show the english boys how to play
keep it concise tight impact colour and feel
no kareoke or
give up hurting the general public they have a right to hear music
be your own master be creative
looking for the next butterfield not his clone regards will
What do you think of John Popper's playing style? Its also kind of rock-ish right?
Johnny B good Harmonica
Hello! Please tell me, SEYDEL 1847, a good tool?
Are you lip blocking or tongue blocking?
Is it true that Butterfield was strictly a pucker player?
Dov Landzbaum it’s a theory based upon a Levon Helm interview that he U blocked which is puckering with a U shape with the tongue touching just under the hole.
@@ER-me1ii Thanks for that info. Is there any advantage to that embouchure?