Scuttle Buttin main phrase

Ben Eller had a lesson on this some years ago

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Uncle Ben’s sliding makes a difference…that might be key here in finding the sound I’m going for…I’ve been focused on the right hand. Thanks for that.

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Slide or a bend is obvious :joy:
Good luck.

Stevie nearly always played that half-step thing on the G string with slides and pull-offs as has been mentioned above. Took me a while to figure that out.

The guy from Texas Blues Alley on YouTube explains the really tricky part here-basically the same as Guthrie Govan explained it…

My band and I played “Scuttle Buttin’” at my senior high school talent show in 1990…back then I followed the Andy Aledort transcription that was in Guitar For The Practicing Musician which was wrong. I used straight picking then, but both Guthrie Govan and this Texas Blues Alley guy have it right.

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This is great. Very specific. Glad I’m not the only one that never felt like I could make it ‘sit’.

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Damn, that 4k video enhancing looks great looking at the videos directly on his YouTube channel! Maybe we could get the same process done for videos where the quality is lacking, e.g., Shawn Lane’s Power Licks/Solos? :face_with_monocle:

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Paul Davids made a great video on this song a couple of days ago that offers some more insight on the live versions compared to the studio recording. :slightly_smiling_face:

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That bend thing, Greg Kotch had a paid DVD lesson on SRV, he did it the same way.

This was a great video from PD as usual. I’m going for it slowed down and I think the descending phrase (right before the open low E string) on the G string is ‘wrong’ (loose term for this song). I hear that string starting on the A note (second fret) followed by a bend and release (to Bb) then pull off (sorta like Voodoo Chile)…where PD suggests it goes to Bb, then pull to A and pull to open G. My reference is the very first time it happens in the studio recording as he used.

What works pretty well for me is to play two first notes of the main phrase with upstrokes.
It is also extremely important to keep picking hand relaxed.
Well… no more words. See the video and tab below.

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Sounds great! Nailed the tone too.

Dude…

Nice work! That looked effortless and sounds really good.

When Stevie played this live he always played the G string notes in the last part of the first bar starting on the 2nd fret, sliding up to the 3rd fret, quickly sliding back down to the 2nd fret and then finally pulling off to the open G. I think the album version had different articulations, but live he always played it this way. Andy Aledort and I worked this out together last year and I feel pretty confident that this was the case.

I agree he slides the articulations on this riff live which is different from the recording. I read/heard somewhere he did this to save his hands when touring.

I can’t speak to that, but I think this may have been closer to how Lonnie Mack originally played the lick.

Huh. I’m thinking now I may not know the history of this tune. What is Lonnie Macks connection to this tune?

“Scuttle Buttin’” is essentially a tribute to Lonnie Mack, in the same way that “Rude Mood” is a tribute to “Lightnin’ Sky Hop” by Lightnin’ Hopkins.

I think “Scuttle Buttin’” was really based on “Coastin’”:

And “Chicken Pickin’”:

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Hey that’s great. I’ve never heard Lonnie Mack. Those are definitely inspirations for Scuttle B.

The first record Stevie ever had was a 45 of “Wham!” which Stevie obviously played live a million times and made a studio version of and of course he played live with Lonnie and produced and worked on his ‘Strike Like Lightning’ record.

Wow, the link is strong here, thanks!