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(Homepage
- http://www.shirleyjbutler.ic24.net)
Ted, Muffy
and Me
My husband Ted plays the harmonica and bass guitar, and sings a bit
when the neighbours are out. Our cat, Muffy, doesn't play guitar much
but she's into scratch music more than anything (has a quick scratch
at my guitar's gigbag), and she tends to keep clear of violins. We've
been trying to get Muffy to learn to play flute but she doesn't see
too interested. Anyway between the three of us we have some musical
evenings.
I enjoy the music
of Dire Straits, Chris Rea and Ry Cooder. My music tastes are very wide
from old blues music right up to modern day. Basically I like what hits
my ear. Occassionally I like to play things like "Summertime",
"Fly me to the moon", "As time goes by" on the guitar
as instrumentals.
I
began my musical life at the age of 10 years old playing violin. I also
learned to play harmonica from my dad. At the age of 18 years old I
took up the guitar. It was a cheap old guitar that cost me about a fiver,
but it actually played quite well and was good enough to learn on. I
don't know what happened to it, I think kept it for about three years
and then passed it on to someone else to learn on it. Anyway, whilst
I had that particular guitar, I learned to play folk music on it and
within a year of starting to learn I was doing my first actual gig.
My first performance
was unpaid, playing on stage to a pantomime audience during the time
the stage hands were changing the scenery. My next gig, which was a
paying gig, was a nine week contract at a holiday camp - which I
had to initially audition for. I went on from that broadening my repetoire
and music playing in pubs, clubs, nightclubs, folk clubs, private functions.
I also played in various groups and combos, and did session work in
recording studios.
I have three electric
guitars and one electro-accoustic. I like electric guitar and I have
earned a lot of money playing one, but I equally like playing accoustic
guitar. I also enjoy writing music, poetry and short stories. I like
playing music, but I rarely listen to music radio or watch music programmes
on television unless they are programmes that are of real note (excuse
the pun, it wasn't planned), or about music that really interests me.
I like some jazz
such as the guitar work of Charlie Bird and Django Reinhart. I enjoy
the violin music of Stephan Grapelli. I love Dixieland Jazz. One of
my favourite pieces of music ever is Basin Street Blues, especially
if it is sung by Betty Miller. I have my favourites when it comes to
folk musicans, and they are Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, The Pentangle,
Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, to name but a few.
The sound of
music (not likely)
I think the most horrible piece of music that I ever heard was a dirge
being sung (or being horribly slaughtered more like), which was being
televised one Christmas. It was a disturbing piece in many ways and
generated an element of unease and fear that I cannot really begin to
describe, or want to describe. I jest not, and in my opinion whilst
it was being performed there should have been a public health warning
displayed to say that the dirge could have an adverse affect on one's
sanity. It was truly the most ghastly sound that I have ever heard and
I will never understand (to my dying day) how the television company
could be so evil as to put it on at Christmas, and I pray with all my
being that I never hear it again - at any time of the year.
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Three of my favourite films
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All these films are about music in one way or
another.
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Film One
One of my very favourite films is Streets Of Fire. I like this
film, and we have it on DVD. Its called a Rock-n-Roll Fable, and
the atmosphere and the music is great, and the lyrics in the songs are
terrific. It's a bit difficult to determine when the action in the
film was supposed to have taken place. It's about Eileen Aim, lead
singer of The Attackers, who gets kidnapped by a gang from Battery
Park. Cody, Eileen's old flame, is hired by her manager Billy Fish
to go to the battery and get her back. The DVD release of this
film is only on Region 1, so you will at least need an a multi-region
DVD player like we have - or get it on VHS tape.
The principle
characters are played by Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis and Amy
Madigan. Musical scoring is by Ry Cooder.
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Film Two
I remember a very memorable performance by Clint Eastwood in the 1982
film The Honky Tonk Man, about Red Stovall a guitarist, composer and
singer in the 1930's who suffered from a condition or disease of the
lungs. In the film Red Stovall was taken ill, collapsing during a
recording session and died in a small hotel room. It has become
one of my favourite films. I am on the look-out for this one on
DVD However, I am not sure whether Red Stovall was a real person
or not.
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Film Three
Another of my favourite films is Crossroads starring Ralph Macchio and
Joe Seneca, with the superb blues guitar music being supplied by Ry
Cooder and Steve Vai, ending with a fierce guitar battle being played
out between the lightening boy and the devil's guitarist. It's
the story of Willie Brown who, when younger on a desolate crossroads
in the deep south, sold his soul to the devil, as did his friend Robert
Johnson before him. At that time the devil was going under the name of Legba,
and later changed his name to Scratch In the movie, Willie is
journeying back to Mississippi to confront Scratch and get the contract
for his soul cancelled. The film is also about Eugene who wants to record
the last song that Robert Johnson ever wrote but never recorded himself,
and he thinks that Robert's one-time friend Willie Brown knows the song.
In the early part of the film Willie is being held in a secure nursing
home due to his age, and on the promise of being taught the song in
the state of Mississippi, Eugene (nicknamed Lightening Boy) breaks him
out of the nursing home and the adventure begins. If you aint
seen the film then see it. The music is superb, the acting is
very good and believable. By the way, Robert Johnson was born
in Hazelhurst near Crystal Springs, Mississippi on May 8 1911.
We have the film on video tape but I would like to get it on DVD.
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Some other films I have been on the look-out for on DVD is:
Enemy of the State - not musically orientated
I found this one and bought it as a present for Ted. The happenings
in this movie are not beyond the realms of possibilities, especially
when I consider the events of a couple of months ago that I witnessed
personally, and even my very limited knowledge of the the dirty
tricks brigade.
The Green Mile - not musically orientated
Ted found this one and bought it for me as a present. It's a great
movie and probably the best one that Tom Hanks, in my opinion,
has made to date. If you haven't seen this film then see it, and
watch out for Mr Jingles - he'll gladden your heart.
Roadhouse
I still haven't found this one on DVD, but I expect it's available
on this media. It's a very good movie in my opinion, and we have
it on VHS but I would prefer it on DVD
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One of my
very favourite guitarists
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Stanley
Jordan
I had the great pleasure of seeing, and listening to, Stanley
Jordan, a real genius on the guitar, in concert, and I've never
been blown away like before or since. I've never heard anything
like it in my life. I've really got to hear more, so I shall be
seeking some of his CDs out in my local record store. Stanley
Jordan has a very interesting style of playing guitar which involves
using both hands for hammering on and pulling off from the guitar
strings to produce the ability of being able to play multiple
parts on the guitar. In effect this allows him to accompany himself
with chords, bass work and complex harmonies with one hand whilst
playing melodies with the other, similar to playing the piano.
Back
in the very early sixties BFP (Before Flower Power) I saw this style
of playing demonstrated, either by Les Paul or Barney Kessel, but this
was achieved with a specially rigged guitar. However, it was not a style
as developed and advanced as Stanley Jordans.
This
kind of guitar playing is an art and a disipline in itself. Although
there are a number of guitarists that have adopted this style, or a
similar style of playing, Stanley Jordan remains the virtuoso of this
art.
See some photos of
Stanley Jordan or visit the official Stanley Jordan website
More
stuff
Bach
Bach (nice doggie)
Some
people say they can hear Bach in my keyboard and synthesiser playing.
I have actually taken my keyboards and synths apart to find him so I
can let him out and give him his freedom, then he can get in his own
keyboards. However. So far these kind of searches have revealed nothing
and Bach remains in my keyboards - somewhere. I wouldn't mind him being
there, actually, if he paid a bit of rent and a few bob towards the
electricity and gas. But, as it is, I utterly refuse to have free-loaders
and non-payer-uppers hanging out in my musical instruments.
Little
known fact
Did you know that Sascha Distell (Rain drops keep falling on my
head) is in the who's who book of jazz guitarists.
Some of my stuff
My
Past Guitars and Musical Equipment
My Guitar Effects pedals
Studio talk
Amplifier talk
My Guitars
Something Really Cute
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Just
below is the multi-effects unit that I bought for my guitar. It's the
ZOOM 505II, and it's a hot, hot, hot piece of work. It has 9 more effects
than the 505 and it is cheaper. You can have upto 9 different effects
programmed into each of your own presets, of which there are over 30.
It's easy to use, and gives your guitar so many different sounds that
it could end up a complete schitzo. One of the things that I like about this little beauty is
that it has a built-in electronic guitar tuner as well, which is so
easy to use.
I
have always liked Fender amplifiers. At one time I had a Fender Bassman
40W top and speakers with treble and bass channels. However, I now tend
to go for solid state as the sound is a bit more cutting and smoother.
Anyway I decided I would get myself a new guitar amplifier. I always
thought it would be a Fender amplifier again, but I got a second-hand
HH Studio Fifty, solid state with reverb. It makes the guitar sound
really nice. My Ovation electro-accoustic also sounds really nice through
the HH amp.
 
The old and the new
Above,
on the left, is the Fender Princeton amplifier with reverb. It packs
65 Watts and it's called "a solid state amplifier that thinks its a valve
amplifier" and, believe it or not, it sounds really good at under £300.00.
It's great value and superb for studio or live stage work. It's powerful,
it's stylish and as I said it sounds good as well. I have tried one
of these, and if I hadn't got the HH amp then I would have gone for
this one.
Above
right is the Fender Bassman 40 Watt 1963 model that I had back in the
early 70's. The amplifier and matching tilt-back speaker cabinet were
covered in a distict coloured fawn coloured vinyl. The speaker cabinet
housed two 10 inch speakers and for the purpose of tilt-back the amplifier
top cabinet could be secured to the speaker cabinet. A real beauty,
and in many ways I wish I had never got rid of it.
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I'm a little cat, my name
is Muffy.
My fur is black and white, and fluffy.
I like cheese but I don't like toast.
I'm the sharpy-claw and the furry-most.
(by Shirley Butler 11/06/2002)
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Flute maker - Devon.
Tony makes flutes and whistles, and the bellows for Uilean
pipes. I bought one of his very nice hand-made pine flutes when
we drove down to Devon and visited him in his workshop in September
2002.
Tony also makes a composite flute come whistle which can produce a
very nice pure sound, They have an inter-changable flute and
whistle head, very reasonably priced too.
Click the above picture to visit his site where you can see some of
his wonderful flutes and whistles.
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A couple of Robert Johnson pics
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Stanley Jordan
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Shirley Butler
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Flying Pig
(open 7 days a week)
A great music shop
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Click to go to their website. This music shop is well worth a visit.
It is situated in West Ealing. They've got loads of guitars, amplifiers,
effects units. They are a very friendly bunch, very helpful too, and
their prices are insane. |
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