Homespun

On this powerful and important series of lessons made a few years before his death in 1987, one of the great blues harmonica players of all time teaches the techniques he developed during a lifetime of musical experience.

Paul Butterfield honed his harp and vocal style in the clubs and bars of his native Chicago, and was known worldwide for the purity and intensity of his tone, his sustained breath control, and his unique ability to bend notes to his will. He takes all these elements apart for the learning player, providing rare insights into his approach to his music and his instrument.

You'll learn invaluable playing secrets: good sound production, using the tongue for "choking" and "blocking," reed bending, trills, octaves, the tremolo and tremulant, rhythm playing, phrasing, acoustic versus electric harmonica, mic technique and much more. Paul plays some very soulful harp as he teaches classic blues, spirituals and folk songs, including "Rock Me Baby," "My Babe," "St. James Infirmary," "Nobody's Fault But Mine," "Key to the Highway," "Caress Me Baby" and others.