Learn to Play Guitar
Paul Butterfield – Blues Harmonica Master Class: Book/CD Pack
- ISBN13: 9780793581306
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product DescriptionPAUL BUTTERFIELD TEACHES BLUES HARMONICA is part of the Listen and Learn series from Homespun. Paul explains some of his playing techniques that made him famous such as note-bending, tongue-blocking, and tremolo. . . . More >>
Paul Butterfield – Blues Harmonica Master Class: Book/CD Pack
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If you are a beg/int Blues Harp Player this is a great instructional tool.
Each time you hear Paul Butterfield say “Hi, my name is Paul Butterfield and I’d like to share a few insights on the harmonica if I could. . . ” in his somewhat crackly worn voice, you’ll be filled with a premonition that he’s about to leave us. And it’s sad to know that he only had a few years left when he made this recording with Happy Straum. But you can’t help but love the recording, though I guess I’d almost prefer to have bought it alone without the mediocre, error-riddled book that accompanies it. Here’s what the recording has to offer.
1. A conversation between Paul Butterfield and the listener that almost makes you feel like he and Happy are with you. Paul’s language is different/better than plain old English. He says stuff like, “Happy and I are going to do a little guitar/harmonica thing. ”
2. Funny moments like when he says that he’s playing a Marine Band harmonica with wooden stops and little metal reeds, and you can hear Happy laugh in the background. And another after he’s done playing a tune with Happy and he exclaims, “Well, that was fun!”
3. Performance quality songs, with Happy playing guitar, that are so raw you’ll tingle when you hear them. Of the 76 or so tracks on the CD, about 10 are full-on recordings of 12-bar blues songs, and each one of them is a gem. You’ll be surprised when you hear Paul Butterfield sing too. Though his voice is somewhat tired, it is quintessentially bluesy and gritty. You won’t want the songs to end.
The material itself is incredibly advanced. Even the first simple riff he introduces, upon which you are supposed to build and advance, has several nearly impossible-to-reproduce pre-bends and bends. Just a few pages later, the material is so dense that each page will take you weeks to get through. If you’re a beginner, don’t even think about learning anything from this material. This is a course solely for experts. But you might still consider getting the recording just so that you can hear Paul and Happy. It generates some of the same ruminations as The Last Waltz: These are extraordinary people from an era in our history when people dared to be different, creative, and free, and they will never come again.
Butterfield is not a bad technician when it comes to playing the harmonica (assuming the accompanying CD is him). There are several riffs that are very impressive and entertaining. But when it comes to trying to provide the listener with instructions, he falls quite a bit short.
I found that he tends to speak in generalities and makes some assumptions that, had he clarified, would have added volumes to the listener’s understanding. I listened to the CD several times and never could find an instance where he actually indicates where he is about to start on the harmonica (4th hole draw, 6th hole blow, etc. . . ) It is this lack of clarification that I found very distracting, and often downright frustrating.
The turnaround riffs starting around track 45 are excellent. But they require the student to have mastered bending. A tough task for a newcomer.
He almost has a great teaching tool here — but I was hoping for a little better than almost. . .
This is a good book for intermediate and advanced players to pick up licks from the music on the CD on their own. For this reason, I liked this book. The instruction is way poor. Butterfield was straight out one of the best, but he was a lousy instructor.
Paul’s Blues can be simple and as artistic as only he can make it. Anytime someone can take the time to explain their insight into the Blues it is worth the investment.