Big Walter Horton explains his tecnique

Big Walter "Shakey" Horton explains how he makes his big tone.

[@norfolknwhey4787]

I got to meet him when I was 11. I brought my harp everywhere, and he was playing in our small town grassroots festival. When he came down for a break, I patiently waited what felt like forever to meet him and ask him how he played the octave intro to Boogie… he said: “You got one of them fancy harps in A?” “Yes Sir! I do!” “Lemme see it…” *hands him my only A marine band “Aight, it goes like this…you ready?” *Plays the intro like only he could *hands me back the harp “Now get away from my stage” I just stood there… stuck in awe and a bit freaked out that he played my harp, and didn’t help me at all. I didn’t realize the lesson he was teaching me at the time, but almost 25 years later I had a similar encounter with a young harp player at a gig… I gave him the same lesson Shaky gave to me. Only slightly nicer 😂 RIP Shaky Horton… one of the best musicians to ever live

[@bobcondon9602]

He told me that tone comes from breath control and that's it's all in the diaphram. He was a great man, and I think the best harp player who ever lived, although he said that it was Little Walter. In another interview, he was asked about people adopting or stealing his style. He said if they take my style, I get me another. I saw him do things that are out of this world and that no one will ever duplicate. Truth. When I asked him if there was anyone who he respected, he said Kim Wilson. That was in 78 or 79, Kim has another 40 years of experience.

[@marybethhempel9101]

Thank you for sharing this Bob!! And Kim is awesome!! 🙂

[@Loc_87cdp]

we love Big Walter!!!

[@hubertsumlin9697]

Pretty cool he mentioned Kim. I know Muddy thought highly of Kim as well.

[@jimsliverootsculturemusic]

Willie Dixon, who played sessions for all the great Chicago blues harp men, said that Big Walter was the best of them all, that nobody could get more tones out of a harmonica.

[@CrossBonesAlex]

That's a very good lesson in the use of hand effects - this shows that you could let a single tone sound in so many different ways

[@hnkland5317]

Love the dramatic hand switch at 0:53, with that strange meaty sound.

[@dot18]

Actually I think he does his best to avoid explaining his technique -the vid Title is rather misleading really -because it's almost all Mr Horton actually playing ,which is fabulous of course !

[@chriszenko6355]

Was lucky to see him once at Tramps in NYC in the 1980s one of the best shows i have seen

[@sallyoliver147]

Love the sound of those hands.

[@SchmidtBo116]

No mic or amp in the world needed. Perfect tone just by itself. Big Walter Horton!

[@davekeating.]

+Marina “SchmidtBo” Schmidt Don't go near a mic or amp until you first develop your technique and tone acoustically...

[@noddatellayu4144]

except for the low volume level of this KZbinr, EmaBluesHarp ! Deplorable

[@SeanEmmettGuitar]

yeah well there's also no drummer around either.

[@meatpackingdistrict]

Very detailed explanation! But, wow, he’s a genius. :-D

[@norfolknwhey4787]

They were lucky to get that much out of him. I got to meet him when I was very young, and asked him how he played his octave split intro to boogie. He grabbed my harp, played the lick, and handed it back to me and said, “Now get away from my stage” 😂

[@harpothehealer]

No seen this before very interesting. Big Walter a master a doing a lot with less .Excellent

[@j1m1jam]

Listen up children and learn from one of the MASTERS of the blues harp.

[@andydunn5673]

Great re post He is the man

[@painlessremovals4447]

Sure you can get some great effects using your hands but a lot of Walters tone comes from his throat & of course his fantastic tongue blocking technique...

[@pedroaguilar6483]

I believe that's Ronnie Earl on guitar

[@elwoodbirgden342]

It is.

[@marybethhempel9101]

Cool!

[@Vodichka9]

He's not giving away any secrets here :-)

[@gebremenfeskidus9567]

He and Little Walter stand alone in my book!!!

[@jozefjoze5742]

The final climax is epic "Wah wah wah wah!"

[@mrarkane]

Great stuff!! Thanks for posting.

[@andy-b]

Young Ronnie Earl on guitar!!!

[@alearon81]

Lovin it. Every tone

[@jefgat155]

Yep, ONE of the best...

[@rolfr6662]

Serious as a judge😍

[@13XtrM]

ONE of the best harp player!!!

[@markwathen8438]

That quick sleight of hand

[@rapidrhinoplumbing-monrovi3269]

Play every day,,learn everyday ,,you will get the tone you want ,,take the high road,,,,i t is worth it,,,

[@jamesbueker11]

Greatness

[@garethhughes8391]

this video seems to have lost its audio? anyone else experiencing this?

[@rizdraver]

It doesn't hurt to have 11" hands.

[@pedropinon2553]

We all probably have two useful hands and can mimic what he does with his... but man, can any of you get that tone doing something that simple? I doubt it. The fact that he makes it look simple doesn't mean it is simple at all, and if it was, he wouldn't be so recognised by his tone... He is brilliant because he's able to do what no one does: the fullest harmonica sound ever played. So after all, we have to admit it ain't that easy, there's a lot of technique he's omitting behind that modesty... or perhaps just an enormous natural talent that not even he is able to know where is come from. It might've been the devil who gave it to him haha (I don't know)

[@petehokenson9448]

Walter Horton says the sound is generated from his hands. I would never have thought that. The hands is the primary source of the sound. I thought the hands assisted in making the sound from the mouth. But according to the video this is not the case. It is in the hands. This is good to know.

[@solomanhill]

Its not from the hands really but I get your love for what he says Pete.

[@petehokenson9448]

+jay mckay think about it. You can only make so much sound on a harmonica without the use of the hands. The hands control the sound.. Horton is the expert here, I don't believe he's sitting there making it up

[@SeanEmmettGuitar]

yeah sure - but the guy had MASSIVE tone without the hands. think of all the times hes wasnt using hand techniques and embellishments while using a bullet mic.

[@srrlIdl]

@@petehokenson9448 The hands only mute the sound, making the tone less bright. But Walter had a huge tone with and without his hands. Obviously the sound has more to do with his breathing, embouchure and attack.

[@sonnyburnett8744]

The greatest innate tone ever...fact

[@MegaBoomer666]

Ich schreibe in Deutsch da ich nicht so gut bin in Englisch Die haben alle Blues Harps gespielt mit Holzkamm Wie haben sie die Holzkämme bearbeitet das sie nicht aufquellen ? Wissen Sie das ? Haben sie einen Tipp für mich ? Gruß aus Deutschland

[@JFGPass]

@@MegaBoomer666 Hallo Kumpel, wie geht es dir? Ich habe Ihre Frage in den Kommentaren gesehen und obwohl Ihre Frage 2 Jahre alt ist, möchte ich meinen Vorschlag machen, ok. Ich komme aus Brasilien und um die Holzkämme nicht zu durchnässen, haben wir Bienenwachs geschmolzen und die Waben in das geschmolzene Wachs getaucht...wir haben es ein paar Minuten stehen lassen und dann entfernt...wir haben den Überschuss mit einem Stift entfernt, geschliffen und die Mundharmonika zusammengebaut... .So wird der Kamm nicht mehr mit Speichel aufgesogen....Ich hoffe, ich habe dir geholfen. und sorry, wenn die Übersetzung nicht gut ist, hier sprechen wir Portugiesisch und ich habe die Übersetzung mit Google Übersetzer gemacht... J.Francisco

[@MegaBoomer666]

@@JFGPass Vielen Dank das werde ich mal versuchen Alles gute aus Deutschland

[@jawboneandjolenekenyon1398]

Watch, WORK, and learn. He was a true giant. I may be mistaken but it looks to me like he kind of crushed the covers a bit. But hey, it's just a harp!

[@noddatellayu4144]

between Google interrupting my enjoyment with their sign in deflection, Norton 'safesearch' filtering of my results, and lousy audio quality like ,EmaBluesHarp's KZbin channel, KZbin is killing free speech, and I can't turn my volume up loud enough to hear Big Walter Horton explain his technique.

[@zenitheuphemia3004]

awesome

[@jupitor919]

His hands are his filter and his wah pedal.

[@paulblaesing4615]

Does anyone know which actual harp key he is playing. I would guess it he is playing in 2nd position, but which actual harp?

[@paulblaesing4615]

@@hubertsumlin9697 Hubert Sumlin died in 2011. But thanks for the advice! I usually just figure out the key by jamming to recordings with my guitar. I only play harp in either 1st or 2nd position, have all 12 keys in harps, can bend some notes, but not very advanced. Still I enjoy listening and playing However I mostly plat guitar. Oh, it fried fish only for me.😎

[@hubertsumlin9697]

@@paulblaesing4615 sorry if I was abrasive. I wish you the best.

[@jrb4935]

It's an A harp.

[@paulblaesing4615]

@@jrb4935 , thanks.

[@James0945]

3 jealous amateur harp players disliked this

[@boydross]

I subscribed to your channel

[@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward]

Good thinking.

[@jonathanbgejensen1956]

Well I guess, the less sentences, the more important...

[@huguinishuguinis411]

Tiró la armonica?

[@beng.5095]

great! but who's the guitarman?

[@andrewgillis8572]

ronnie earl circa 1982

[@DoctorHarmonica]

Paul Osher on guitar? Pretty Sure!

[@doesitreallymatternope9641]

Ben G. Walters "making that sound with his hands too" hahaha

[@buddypeiser8544]

My guess is Ronnie Earl

[@markhobbs257]

Ronnie Earl, fo sho

[@cristianobrito9044]

Mestre!

[@HazySpirit]

The title of this video is entirely wrong and misleading... just to get some clicks.

[@raphaelrousso7124]

Ouais ouais Bébé tu le fais bien tu fais le Bien

[@MarkTheRealtorNY]

is that Brian Bisezzi on guitar?

[@buddypeiser8544]

Again, my guess is Ronnie Earl

[@gidneyandcloyd]

That's Ronnie Earl, alright. I knew him back then and recognized him immediately. He accompanied Walter frequently (and expertly) toward the end of his career.

[@laurencegoldman4639]

There are very few white guys today that get it. There’s lots of white guys who can play all the notes, who can play all the riffs, they can “do” Big Walter Horton, they can “do” Sonny Boy but there’s ALWAYS something that doesn’t quite fit, that needs to be fixed. This IS it, not like it. It CAN NOT not be it. He’s not playing a million notes, everything is completely natural, fits, of one piece. The train is always on the track.

[@HazySpirit]

Can you explain why the coulour of the skin matters in your (very bizarre) statement ?

[@jrb4935]

@@HazySpirit ((Goldman))

[@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward]

You don't like the cardboard cutout minions wearing circular hats? Not very nice

[@abelotus3089]

second position = A

[@FreeDanielLarson2025]

Best comment thanks

[@erranteist]

Who´s the guy on the guitar??

[@RobbieHillMusic]

Ronnie Earl of course (:

[@alprice5]

Hi Alex. I'm pretty sure it's Ronnie Earl mate. Guid player.

[@erranteist]

Not used to see Ronnie at that age! thanks !!

[@alprice5]

Nae probs Alex. There are a couple of great live albums recorded around this period. Worse checking out.

[@jozefjoze5742]

Alex you're a bitch bro

[@pedropinon2553]

thanks big walter! before this video I never knew where 'all the secret sounds" of the harmonica came from, but with this awesome explanation I can, further than understanding, play it even better than you. hhhahahaa obviously it's a joke... You are God on harmomica, but the devil when it comes to teaching... you're just showing off maan!

[@walterpaisley6260]

Shakey is fibbing. He's also bending those notes with his tongue, mouth/jaw.

[@jozefjoze5742]

idk man. he's the best.

[@bsiordiaful]

He didn't explain shit!

[@boydross]

love it