You Tube Blues
You Tube is the now big thing for young people, computer literate pros and blues fans! Blues fans? In an unexpected bonus, the site that uploads thousands of home made videos every day and has hundreds of thousands of viewings on some clips that go viral, has hundreds of not so hidden blues videos. Here’s what to do to get started.
The website address/URL is www.youtube.com. On the opening page there’s a HELP button; it’s the quick way to the FAQ section that answers, “How do I join?” (Under Signing Up). You’ll need a stable e-mail address: Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. As a side note there’s a Video Toolbox in this area. I don’t make or upload videos, but given the interest in the BSWPA in getting on some other media beside YEP radio, this might be an alternate medium for the music. The toolbox is a handbook for designing, lighting, shooting and editing video.
So you are officially a registered member of You Tube. Go to the VIDEOS button at the page top. There’s a SEARCH window. This is where your free time disappears! There are an astonishing variety of videos about the blues available. For example, I remembered reading that there was only one clip of Little Walter playing. I believe it was on the 1967 American Folk Festival tour in Europe where he played in a backing band for Koko Taylor doing Wang Dang Doodle. I typed “Little Walter” into the You Tube search window and the second clip listed was, in fact, the Koko Taylor one. But the first one was the Hound Dog Taylor song “Wild About You Baby” with Walter standing front and center playing the harp! Much, much better.
The clips are usually one song long, 2 to 4 minutes. The older ones are B/W. The color ones are frequently amateur videos from club dates, dark, muddy, shadowy. But the sound tracks were all just fine playing through my PC with 2 small speakers. You Tube clips CANNOT be downloaded and saved. The clips are posted by the people whose handles are listed. There is no authenticity in terms of copyright --- it simply is not discussed.
When you are on a page there’s a temptation to play one of the clips, then another and so on. You will get much more from this new resource if you take time to familiarize yourself with the options and choices. A major help is the “Other play lists related to this video.” Each time you play a clip, the program offers “related lists” of videos compiled by prior users. One page I looked at had 52 other lists. Some were obvious: Chicago Blues (8), Blues Harmonica (25), Big Walter (2), Blues Guitars (117); some were personal: My Play list (575)(50), Everything (57).
I watched a clip of Sonny Boy Williamson playing Mojo with Muddy Waters and one of the later bands. Rhythmic, controlled, softly stated and played – I thought, “Here’s the answer to the high volume bands.” Then I looked two clips lower. Magic Dick playing Wammer Jammer with J. Geils band. Yes – the same Magic Dick who played at our Thunderbird a few months ago, where he did – Wammer Jammer and broke the house up.
There’s everything from blues harmonica lessons to New Blues, Blues stars (43) to second line and cover bands (Valentino and the Piedmont Sheiks). In the last year there’s been a flood of full length DVDs ranging from ten to thirty dollars. DVD labels like Bluebird, HIP-O, Winner, New West and Rhino make great additions to your Vinyl, CD and DVD recordings. Seeing them on You Tube for three free minutes is just wonderful.
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