@@HiVizCamo he was explaining why he wrote blackbird; when the Beatles first came to America they were all surprised about the racial tension. And then he said that
If you’re trying to play exactly like Paul, I read in an interview that playing that way was killing his fingernail, so he had a ladies’ press-on nail put on his finger for concerts. Smart fella.
Dude. I used to annihilate my finger cubicles. Right where nail meets finger. Always played with no pick regardless of the song but nowadays I use a pick when appropriate to play louder
Watch Mdou Moctar play (here on youtube), he has this crazy fast index finger technique he can keep up for hours without destroying his fingernail or skin.
@@jonny-b4954 , I think you mean cuticles, unless you're really hard in the little box where you work in an office bldg.! 😅😂 Take care, and God bless you!😅
Saw this Wings Tour in the 70’s, where I was finally able to watch him play it live. It was a surprise to see how he actually played it with his right hand moving way up the neck just as you did without missing a single note. The man was always clutch and made everything look effortless. There is a concert video of Wings Over America from what I believe is the last night of the North American Tour in Seattle, WA. A great show.
It's really not all too hard a song to learn the fingerings for. The technique definitely, but if you play it fingerstyle it still sounds wonderful. You should look up a tutorial online if you'd like to learn it. It really is quite easy, just supremely well written
Paul McCartney and Wings were one of the best bands in the 70s w straight up rock and roll and really good melodies and lyrics like Magneto Titanium Man. Medicine Jar is great as well.
@@Davidgilmourswhammybar Ha. Funny you should say that because my dad, a true audiophile, never cared much for The Beatles, but really dug McCartney’s solo & Wings stuff.
Yeah.. it's the "strum" while picking that becomes the challenge. Blackbird was the first song I learned in it's entirety. My interpretation of how it sounds has changed over teh decades quite a bit.. sometimes picking, sometimes strumming. it's an awesome tune. If you can learn Blackbird you can be guaranteed you can learn anything.. given enough time and practice. Thanks for the tip.. I will try it out.:)
I've not played this song before, but I started using this technique after I started making my own song that used it, it came about when I was trying out Ben Howard's pick-n-go technique.
Still got my ticket stubs, he stayed in Dallas while they were practicing/preparing for Wings over America and his first show (first time in concert since The Beatles) was in Ft. Worth. Dallas based Showco did the lighting/stage for the tour and he did some recording at January Sound Studio in Dallas also. So was extra cool to see his first concert.
Yeah, That's the "Sir Paul" style 👌,man. If U may remember, back in the late 90's, On the TV family drama show "7th Heaven", that they incorporated that "Sir Paul "McCartney acoustic guitar 🎸 style on the shows soundtrack? "Rock-On", man......
It's been 20 some years ago he did a concert on TV. When he played Black Bird he hid his guitar behind an upright piano. So, all you could see was his face.
I've been playing it differently for many years. First ,how my teacher taught me. Then many years later I saw him in concert and noticed how his fretting was different and I started playing it like that. Now I hear the difference in how your strumming it and realize that's what Paul was playing cause it sounds right. So now I'll try I like you're doing it.
Reminds me of John mayers “easy” technique for songs like neon and stop this train where it’s not using multiple fingers for multiple strings but instead using only about 2 to brush over strings
I just went to listen to it and ur right.... I can actually hear it.... I wish I hadn't seen this video cuz im curious if I would've caught that on my own.... I probly would have but there's a chance I wouldn't have 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Yeah it’s the motion Mayer based his “hammerclaw” technique on. The nice thing is both sound lovely and you don’t need to play percussively to get it right.
Honestly Blackbird is one of my favorite songs by the Beatles. In large part it's because of Paul MaCartney's instrumentation with the guitar. The buzzing twang of the guitar really tugs at the heart strings.
Gen Xers had guitar tabs. Every guitar player I knew all played the same songs 'cause of Guitar for the Practing Musician. Blackbird was one of those songs everyone played. (I thought then) it was because of tabs for the song. Other fingerstyle songs I played was Clap, Mood for a Day, Horizons, & Dear Prudence.
The best thing about McCartney's concerts is the in-between song stories. If you're going to video his concerts record that. You already know the songs. You'll be glad you did. 🎼🎵🎶🎸👍
This was in a guitar tab I borrowed from a library and it was,I think,a series of rather hard---at least for me--chords to fret. I THINK I might improve if I watch you here. Buddy of mine used to be in a band and he played some of it for me when he came to visit. Should have asked him for help then(he's in a different province now). Decades ago a cousin played it for me. Can't ask him now. He's in Australia. lol. Thanks.
I've always considered myself a serious Beatles fan but I always assume George Harrison played that. I guess we really can learn something new everyday.
Fellow Gen X'r here, it was good when we didn't have youtube to watch and imitate musicians. I really think that's why we got such great music in that era and everything sounds the same these days.
@@jackronan8355 I think my dose of OCD had something to do with it. I can play Classical Gas note for note as per Mason Williams too and I learned that in the 70s.
For a full lesson on this song in which I explain the picking patterns exactly, and I mean EXACTLY as Paul plays them on the White Album, go to my channel.
He also just after that said “I thought America was the land of the free” and the crowd erupted. As I Canadian-American, I was laughing my ass off
That Commie bastard! HOW DARE HEEE
What was he referring to?
@@HiVizCamo he was explaining why he wrote blackbird; when the Beatles first came to America they were all surprised about the racial tension. And then he said that
Pssst...guess what? There are no Chinese sub-police stations in America, either. Hahahaha!!!!
@@starjunkie5328 Pssssst… guess what?
Chicken Butt
If you’re trying to play exactly like Paul, I read in an interview that playing that way was killing his fingernail, so he had a ladies’ press-on nail put on his finger for concerts. Smart fella.
Dude. I used to annihilate my finger cubicles. Right where nail meets finger. Always played with no pick regardless of the song but nowadays I use a pick when appropriate to play louder
More like fart smella
It was one of his daughters who suggested the press on nail. Can't remember which one.
Watch Mdou Moctar play (here on youtube), he has this crazy fast index finger technique he can keep up for hours without destroying his fingernail or skin.
@@jonny-b4954 , I think you mean cuticles, unless you're really hard in the little box where you work in an office bldg.! 😅😂 Take care, and God bless you!😅
Damn, I was only waiting for this moment to arise. Now I learned to to play it like Sir Paul.
Saw this Wings Tour in the 70’s, where I was finally able to watch him play it live. It was a surprise to see how he actually played it with his right hand moving way up the neck just as you did without missing a single note. The man was always clutch and made everything look effortless. There is a concert video of Wings Over America from what I believe is the last night of the North American Tour in Seattle, WA. A great show.
It's really not all too hard a song to learn the fingerings for. The technique definitely, but if you play it fingerstyle it still sounds wonderful. You should look up a tutorial online if you'd like to learn it. It really is quite easy, just supremely well written
@@grimtapestry5585 😊
Holy fret buzzing
Paul McCartney and Wings were one of the best bands in the 70s w straight up rock and roll and really good melodies and lyrics like Magneto Titanium Man.
Medicine Jar is great as well.
So I’m guessing your favorite album was Venus and Mars?
Ah Wings.......the band the Beatles could have been!
@@Davidgilmourswhammybar Ha. Funny you should say that because my dad, a true audiophile, never cared much for The Beatles, but really dug McCartney’s solo & Wings stuff.
Just gorgeous!! That's one of my favorite songs.
O. M. G. Thank you for finally clearing up what I’d heard years ago - that no one plays blackbird correctly. I had no idea what that meant. THANK YOU!
Interesting, this is almost like playing the guitar like a ukulele. Very cool to see improvised techniques like this from such iconic songs!!!
Great job, sir!!
Yeah.. it's the "strum" while picking that becomes the challenge. Blackbird was the first song I learned in it's entirety. My interpretation of how it sounds has changed over teh decades quite a bit.. sometimes picking, sometimes strumming. it's an awesome tune. If you can learn Blackbird you can be guaranteed you can learn anything.. given enough time and practice. Thanks for the tip.. I will try it out.:)
So this is why I mix this tune up with some John Mayer songs
I Like the Jeff Beck “Black Bird”. Makes me Cry. Makes me Love you and all People and Animals. Makes Me Humble.
Incredible! Thank you.
I always played like this because 1) it sounds right and 2) it's easier to play 😂
Almost like a Mayer “stop this train” kind of technique
Except Paul McCartney came up with it first.
@@sarahfullerton6894 wow thanks for your brilliance
Thank you for showing us that we must pay closer attention to the details.
Thats actually how I play it because I tend to use Mayers neon fingerpicking style
I've not played this song before, but I started using this technique after I started making my own song that used it, it came about when I was trying out Ben Howard's pick-n-go technique.
I was at that concert, Los Angeles’s sofi stadium. Hilarious when he said that
Pretty sure it was every night of his Got Back tour, as he said the exact same thing at Fenway lol
Me too. I got Covid. Nice to see him though.
Nice it’s the little details . I had to learn on one of them little black, Panasonic, cassette players I swiped from the library at school.
I've always heard that along with the foot tap.
That change really did make it sound more like McCartney. At that slightly slower speed I was actually hearing a moment of Mother Nature's Son
That's a big one. It does make all the difference
I was at that concert. Paul is a fricking great musician 👏. And for sure a LEDGEND
Still got my ticket stubs, he stayed in Dallas while they were practicing/preparing for Wings over America and his first show (first time in concert since The Beatles) was in Ft. Worth.
Dallas based Showco did the lighting/stage for the tour and he did some recording at January Sound Studio in Dallas also.
So was extra cool to see his first concert.
Almost with a claw hammer style
Really enjoying this kind of content.
I remember doing this because it seemed to sound right and my guitar teacher would pull me up and make me use three fingers lol
I was there! he said this right before playing blackbird in Baltimore
Me who learnt from TH-cam and plays it right “my cuticles are non-existent”
Thank God I always played it correctly. It just felt right, and sounded right.
I learned that song in the late '70s and I never played it like that. I just enjoyed playing it on my 12 string.
Thanks for the chords
Quoting my son: Hey, that's the Boss Baby song.
I went to that concert, it was the second show when he came to the t mobile arena in Vegas
Bruh I saw someone playing this at my school today wondering what it was called then the first yt short i see is this lol
Yeah, That's the "Sir Paul" style 👌,man. If U may remember, back in the late 90's, On the TV family drama show "7th Heaven", that they incorporated that "Sir Paul "McCartney acoustic guitar 🎸 style on the shows soundtrack? "Rock-On", man......
Thank you!! I knew something was off when I was playing it. I would try and pluck the G string twice but even tho it sounded closer it wasnt right!
It's been 20 some years ago he did a concert on TV. When he played Black Bird he hid his guitar behind an upright piano. So, all you could see was his face.
That's exactly how I heard it and play it.
Paul has a funky six string strum!
I prefer the first version
But Paul can't do it that way. Haha.
I heard him say that! Nice licks man! 🎉
I always knew how he played it, but always played it how I felt like playing it lmao
Love you content Brother. ⚔️
New strings? The attack and crispness is crazy.
I learned it on guitar when I was also learning banjo so I play it like I'm playing banjo
I've been playing it differently for many years. First ,how my teacher taught me. Then many years later I saw him in concert and noticed how his fretting was different and I started playing it like that. Now I hear the difference in how your strumming it and realize that's what Paul was playing cause it sounds right. So now I'll try I like you're doing it.
The frist way sounds better though the actual way sounds to scratchy
I'm not changing the way I play Blackbird. It was too hard to learn to unlearn.
😂
so
very helpful. thanks for the info!
Great video sir thanks
It does sound great with that brushing technique.
Reminds me of John mayers “easy” technique for songs like neon and stop this train where it’s not using multiple fingers for multiple strings but instead using only about 2 to brush over strings
I really like the version that The Analogues do. He plays it really well.
Wow! That's amazing!
That sweeping index finger is the same one he always plucked his bass guitar with.
I still can't get over how every time I see you the dead milkmen shirt is hanging in the back i love it
I just went to listen to it and ur right.... I can actually hear it.... I wish I hadn't seen this video cuz im curious if I would've caught that on my own.... I probly would have but there's a chance I wouldn't have 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Yeah it’s the motion Mayer based his “hammerclaw” technique on. The nice thing is both sound lovely and you don’t need to play percussively to get it right.
I was at that concert, it was amazing
🤣
He did that when he played in Knoxville, TN. And I laughed in acknowledgement!
It's also a Civil Rights movement promotional song!!!
Honestly Blackbird is one of my favorite songs by the Beatles. In large part it's because of Paul MaCartney's instrumentation with the guitar. The buzzing twang of the guitar really tugs at the heart strings.
Paul’s way or no way!!
I thought this was hank green’s voice for a second
lovely!
Thanks for making my version of blackbird seem weak 💀
Gen Xers had guitar tabs. Every guitar player I knew all played the same songs 'cause of Guitar for the Practing Musician. Blackbird was one of those songs everyone played. (I thought then) it was because of tabs for the song.
Other fingerstyle songs I played was Clap, Mood for a Day, Horizons, & Dear Prudence.
He also uses this technique on Yesterday.
Awesome shirt on the wall....
I was at this concert and there wasn't a dry eye there during this song.
The best thing about McCartney's concerts is the in-between song stories. If you're going to video his concerts record that. You already know the songs. You'll be glad you did. 🎼🎵🎶🎸👍
This was in a guitar tab I borrowed from a library and it was,I think,a series of rather hard---at least for me--chords to fret. I THINK I might improve if I watch you here. Buddy of mine used to be in a band and he played some of it for me when he came to visit. Should have asked him for help then(he's in a different province now). Decades ago a cousin played it for me. Can't ask him now. He's in Australia. lol. Thanks.
I had that t shirt behind you! Im wearing in for my junior high yearbook!
That's kind of how I do it... Because I suck at finger picking.
I thought we were talking about Freebird and was very confused for a sec lol
Oh shit! You right! I’ve been doing the three finger thing.
I will still play it the way I do.
Spot on!
I've always considered myself a serious Beatles fan but I always assume George Harrison played that. I guess we really can learn something new everyday.
I do declare there was time when Ibwas so lonely I took some comfort in lalalalala
When i tried this i never learned finger-picking and just used my index finger to play black bird
Yeyyyy that’s how I play it!!
idk man i’m 16 and that’s how i play it
Fellow Gen X'r here, it was good when we didn't have youtube to watch and imitate musicians. I really think that's why we got such great music in that era and everything sounds the same these days.
I've always played it correctly since it was released.
nice
@@jackronan8355 I think my dose of OCD had something to do with it. I can play Classical Gas note for note as per Mason Williams too and I learned that in the 70s.
I play it like Crosby Stills And Nash southern sweet 😎
This is a pretty good channel. 👍
Lol he invented the proto nail attack
For a full lesson on this song in which I explain the picking patterns exactly, and I mean EXACTLY as Paul plays them on the White Album, go to my channel.
Paul is a genius
I thought thats how everyone played it
You have to use that technique for the short chords too, not just the longer held chords.
I always have played blackbird with two finger. Using my pointer finger to slip off the b string and strike the g string.
I've been flicking boogers since at a young age, so, it's not that difficult.
I just can't not use all my other available fingers!
Yeah thats how i play it too but with my middle finger
Brilliant
also note that Paul was not actually plucking with pointer but using his thumb instead
makes more sense