Big Walter "Shakey" Horton explains how he makes his big tone.
Пікірлер: 91
@norfolknwhey478710 ай бұрын
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
@bobcondon96023 жыл бұрын
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.
@marybethhempel91012 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing this Bob!! And Kim is awesome!! 🙂
@Loc_87cdp2 жыл бұрын
we love Big Walter!!!
@hubertsumlin9697 Жыл бұрын
Pretty cool he mentioned Kim. I know Muddy thought highly of Kim as well.
@jimsliverootsculturemusic Жыл бұрын
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.
@CrossBonesAlex10 жыл бұрын
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
@hnkland53173 жыл бұрын
Love the dramatic hand switch at 0:53, with that strange meaty sound.
@dot186 жыл бұрын
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 !
@chriszenko63553 жыл бұрын
Was lucky to see him once at Tramps in NYC in the 1980s one of the best shows i have seen
@sallyoliver1477 жыл бұрын
Love the sound of those hands.
@SchmidtBo11610 жыл бұрын
No mic or amp in the world needed. Perfect tone just by itself. Big Walter Horton!
@davekeating.8 жыл бұрын
+Marina “SchmidtBo” Schmidt Don't go near a mic or amp until you first develop your technique and tone acoustically...
@noddatellayu41447 жыл бұрын
except for the low volume level of this KZbinr, EmaBluesHarp ! Deplorable
@SeanEmmettGuitar7 жыл бұрын
yeah well there's also no drummer around either.
@meatpackingdistrict5 жыл бұрын
Very detailed explanation! But, wow, he’s a genius. :-D
@norfolknwhey478710 ай бұрын
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” 😂
@harpothehealer9 жыл бұрын
No seen this before very interesting. Big Walter a master a doing a lot with less .Excellent
@j1m1jam7 жыл бұрын
Listen up children and learn from one of the MASTERS of the blues harp.
@andydunn56734 жыл бұрын
Great re post He is the man
@painlessremovals44477 жыл бұрын
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...
@pedroaguilar64835 жыл бұрын
I believe that's Ronnie Earl on guitar
@elwoodbirgden3423 жыл бұрын
It is.
@marybethhempel91012 жыл бұрын
Cool!
@Vodichka97 жыл бұрын
He's not giving away any secrets here :-)
@gebremenfeskidus95674 жыл бұрын
He and Little Walter stand alone in my book!!!
@jozefjoze57429 жыл бұрын
The final climax is epic "Wah wah wah wah!"
@mrarkane3 жыл бұрын
Great stuff!! Thanks for posting.
@andy-b7 жыл бұрын
Young Ronnie Earl on guitar!!!
@alearon8110 жыл бұрын
Lovin it. Every tone
@jefgat1559 жыл бұрын
Yep, ONE of the best...
@rolfr66622 жыл бұрын
Serious as a judge😍
@13XtrM11 жыл бұрын
ONE of the best harp player!!!
@markwathen84383 жыл бұрын
That quick sleight of hand
@rapidrhinoplumbing-monrovi32693 жыл бұрын
Play every day,,learn everyday ,,you will get the tone you want ,,take the high road,,,,i t is worth it,,,
@jamesbueker11Ай бұрын
Greatness
@garethhughes83913 жыл бұрын
this video seems to have lost its audio? anyone else experiencing this?
@rizdraver7 жыл бұрын
It doesn't hurt to have 11" hands.
@pedropinon25535 жыл бұрын
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)
@petehokenson94488 жыл бұрын
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.
@solomanhill8 жыл бұрын
Its not from the hands really but I get your love for what he says Pete.
@petehokenson94488 жыл бұрын
+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
@SeanEmmettGuitar6 жыл бұрын
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.
@srrlIdl4 жыл бұрын
@@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.
@sonnyburnett87449 жыл бұрын
The greatest innate tone ever...fact
@MegaBoomer6665 жыл бұрын
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
@JFGPass3 жыл бұрын
@@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
@MegaBoomer6663 жыл бұрын
@@JFGPass Vielen Dank das werde ich mal versuchen Alles gute aus Deutschland
@jawboneandjolenekenyon13983 жыл бұрын
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!
@noddatellayu41447 жыл бұрын
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.
@zenitheuphemia30043 жыл бұрын
awesome
@jupitor9192 жыл бұрын
His hands are his filter and his wah pedal.
@paulblaesing46157 жыл бұрын
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 Жыл бұрын
@@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 Жыл бұрын
@@paulblaesing4615 sorry if I was abrasive. I wish you the best.
@jrb49356 ай бұрын
It's an A harp.
@paulblaesing46156 ай бұрын
@@jrb4935 , thanks.
@James09457 жыл бұрын
3 jealous amateur harp players disliked this
@boydross3 жыл бұрын
I subscribed to your channel
@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward5 ай бұрын
Good thinking.
@jonathanbgejensen19568 жыл бұрын
Well I guess, the less sentences, the more important...
@huguinishuguinis4114 жыл бұрын
Tiró la armonica?
@beng.50958 жыл бұрын
great! but who's the guitarman?
@andrewgillis85727 жыл бұрын
ronnie earl circa 1982
@DoctorHarmonica7 жыл бұрын
Paul Osher on guitar? Pretty Sure!
@doesitreallymatternope96417 жыл бұрын
Ben G. Walters "making that sound with his hands too" hahaha
@buddypeiser85447 жыл бұрын
My guess is Ronnie Earl
@markhobbs2572 жыл бұрын
Ronnie Earl, fo sho
@cristianobrito90447 жыл бұрын
Mestre!
@HazySpirit2 жыл бұрын
The title of this video is entirely wrong and misleading... just to get some clicks.
@raphaelrousso71242 жыл бұрын
Ouais ouais Bébé tu le fais bien tu fais le Bien
@MarkTheRealtorNY7 жыл бұрын
is that Brian Bisezzi on guitar?
@buddypeiser85447 жыл бұрын
Again, my guess is Ronnie Earl
@gidneyandcloyd5 жыл бұрын
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.
@laurencegoldman46394 жыл бұрын
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.
@HazySpirit2 жыл бұрын
Can you explain why the coulour of the skin matters in your (very bizarre) statement ?
@jrb49356 ай бұрын
@@HazySpirit ((Goldman))
@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward5 ай бұрын
You don't like the cardboard cutout minions wearing circular hats? Not very nice
@abelotus30893 жыл бұрын
second position = A
@FreeDanielLarson2025 Жыл бұрын
Best comment thanks
@erranteist9 жыл бұрын
Who´s the guy on the guitar??
@RobbieHillMusic9 жыл бұрын
Ronnie Earl of course (:
@alprice59 жыл бұрын
Hi Alex. I'm pretty sure it's Ronnie Earl mate. Guid player.
@erranteist9 жыл бұрын
Not used to see Ronnie at that age! thanks !!
@alprice59 жыл бұрын
Nae probs Alex. There are a couple of great live albums recorded around this period. Worse checking out.
@jozefjoze57428 жыл бұрын
Alex you're a bitch bro
@pedropinon25534 жыл бұрын
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!
@walterpaisley62609 жыл бұрын
Shakey is fibbing. He's also bending those notes with his tongue, mouth/jaw.