Blackbird

[stubby]

I was driving home from camping yesterday and Blackbird came on the radio. I hadn't listened to the song for a while and I got to wondering about the simple percussion beat that's kept throughout the tune. Anybody know exactly what it was played on? It has a very "click track" feel to it. Also, what about the bird sounds? How were they done?

[jimk]

I haven't listened to "Blackbird" in a long while. It seems to me that the percussive sound is either a hand clap, or possibly a leather shoe sole on a hard surface. I think the hand clap is the more likely. As to the bird song, I've no idea.
JimK

[bottom4]

McCartney routinely does hand/knee clapping, old school stuff – it has a nice effect. You can find vids of him tapping is feet while playing and signing BB. It’s most likely a combination of the two. Can’t help you with the birds

[Scastles]

The bird effects were just that, effects taken from the EMI library. The tapping sound has often been attributed to a metronome, but it wasn't one. The beats per second from the tapping vary in speed at times if you listen closely, which would have made for a really bad metronome. Recording the Beatles states they placed a mic at McCartney's foot and recorded his tapping as he played along. The song took 32 takes.

[servant]

...and originally they had the wrong bird on there. Nobody noticed until a person who knew birds heard it and said something like,

"Why have you got an African Swallow on a song about a blackbird?" The problem was rectified.

(Wrong quote, but I got to slip in a Holy Grail reference... )

[FretlessOnly]

I doubt McCartney was worried about the free air speed of said critter , but thanks, Stan, for clearing up something I was misinformed of; and to Dean for his aviarian trivia.

You never know what you're gonna learn here!

[JakeK]

A video of Paul recording "Blackbird" on "Beatles' Anthology" shows a metronome nowhere, but instead, shows Paul tapping his feet.

My bet was he was wearing tappers' shoes?

[Scastles]

A video of Paul recording "Blackbird" on "Beatles' Anthology" shows a metronome nowhere, but instead, shows Paul tapping his feet.

Must be an echo in here.

[tennis_nick]

A video of Paul recording "Blackbird" on "Beatles' Anthology" shows a metronome nowhere, but instead, shows Paul tapping his feet.

Must be an echo in here.

in here
......in here
.............here
..................ere