Bruce Welch (Shadows) is interviewed in his studio by Lee Hodgson

Here Bruce discusses the Shadows' career in the Key of A minor and explains some of his guitar techniques and preferences. This video was originally published by Pierre Antoine (with French notes) and features an interview by Lee Hodgson of Guitar Interactive Magazine with whom copyright is acknowledged.

[@paigeroth402]

At last a vid showing Bruce Welch's technique. I enjoy when he is interviewed as he has such a pleasant demeanor.

[@petebest22]

What a great nice warm hearted person 😃👍 shame there ain't many people about like Bruce .

[@digitalmediafan]

Hank Brian Bennett and Cliff...they are also 100%

[@TheXeroid]

A top guy. You were so lucky to spend some in time in the company of this lovely man.

[@richardsyoutubechannel995]

This is brilliant . This just shows what a legend bruce is. The fact he likes the sound of the chords hes playing but has no idea what there called. Theres so many guitar heros from the 50s and 60s like this kids who learnt to play guitar by listening to there heros on the radio or on watching on tv self teaching them selfs and then making it big in a band living legends i did the same from being 16 .i had a few lessons then teached myself. You ask any famous guitarist now from hank marvin to mark knopfler to brian may to paul McCartney and i garantee they will tell you they learnt to play from teaching them selfs .bruce is a living legend what id give to be in his company and learn some history .long live the shadows 👍

[@eosroydon]

I've had Bruce as a rhythm guitarist a number of times. At such moments I play my solo parts flawlessly. His guitar playing has such a direct positive impact on my own solo parts. I've never experienced anything like this before.

[@barryarcher6158]

I love the fact that he doesn't know what the chords are called. plays them because he likes the sound. He possibly doesn't realise what an important part of the Shadows sound he has been all these years. His rhythm playing his been fabulous all through their long and illustrious career. Many thank's Bruce

[@lioncurlew]

That's why these Musicians succeeded. Pure talent. The Instrument is just a tool to their talent. It opened up millions of people to want to learn an instrument.

[@susanroycroft89]

Yes indeed, what a genuinely nice fellow 😊😊😊

[@GRfourfun]

Met him when I was a child at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Left on his own after the concert at the rear door, ran after him and got his autograph. He was lovely.

[@BassistPaul]

Lucky enough to have met and chatted with Bruce at a couple of London charity shows in the 80's/90's when I was backing another artiste. Lovely man - and of course for a musician of my vintage, an absolute hero!

[@monikahaderblom1675]

One can not imagine that a person with such a beautiful face is almost 80 years old 🤩💐🌹

[@simonlilley]

The tune Bruce sort of plays at 8:20 sounds a bit like the opening of Tiny Robin.

[@sirstiffpilchard]

Bruce is a very interesting person to listen to. His rhythm guitar work with the Shadows was superb

[@susanroycroft89]

What a Fantastic rhythm guitarist, Great video 😊😊😊

[@jeffhawkins1293]

What a lovely , nice , down to earth guy

[@370458]

Simply a real master of the guitar rhytmic. Greetings from Chile

[@thefilmandmusic]

They always had a lovely rhythm sound

[@digitalmediafan]

Just brilliant and didn't know that story about Yesterday...decent humble guy as are all the shadows and Cliff

[@rickcurtis2983]

What a great guitarist and friendly person....I wish I could meet him!

[@davidbeech7201]

British rock ‘n’ roll forever Always and always will be🎤🎸🥁🎧🎼❤️😀

[@vinceball355]

Thanks for sharing this video 👍 I learnt to play rhythm from listening to Bruce although I play lead. He's precision mastership and style is second to none. I met Bruce at the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth. I had tickets for their show that night but hours before I went round to the back stage door when the Shads were doing a sound check. Bruce came out with his famous Strat and let me in to watch them. The Strat then was white. Hank was using his Roland Re 301 or 201. I remember the tape broke and a technician replaced it. Think his name was Lionel. Thank you so much Bruce for the music and for letting me in to watch you all that afternoon. I'll never forget it. 🙏🎸

[@michelcalteau5231]

Si les Ventures ont été les précurseurs des Shad's, je pense que les Shadows en Europe, ont été à leur tour ceux qui ont jeté les bases constituant la composition d'un groupe de Rock and roll : 3 guitares et une batterie...Ici Bruce Welch explique les subtilités harmoniques des accords qu'il utilise parfois et à bon escient, comprenez la petite tonique qu'il rajoute à un accord standard et qui va sonner en apportant le petit plus...Ce qui fait toute la différence souvent...J'ai entendu dire que Bruce Welch ne connaissait pas la musique, mais alors quel brillant autodidacte ! Il explique aussi le jeu rythmique et l'importance du médiator...Pour exemple prenez un bon gros médiator bien raide et essayez d'accompagner "Savage" et vous comprendrez de suite...J'ai toujours été admiratif envers Bruce Welch et je pense même qu'il est l'alter ego de Hank Marvin...Ceux qui pratiquent la musique des Shadows ont compris le cadre précis dans lequel s'inscrit l'interprétation faite de rigueur et qui ne laisse aucune place à l'approximation...De plus si vous rajoutez la signature perso de Hank Marvin et son jeu subtil du vibrato puis le son (The sound !) qui font la marque des Shadows, vous obtenez cette musique qui traverse le temps et donc gagne en intemporalité...The Shadows for ever !

[@The96410]

Great stuff, lovely bloke Bruce and far better on guitar than he lets on.

[@aderrrt]

Bruce....Mr.Rhythm !!!!.....I learned so much technique from this master.

[@martinr5235]

Bruce Welch Absolute Legend

[@petertyler9796]

great guitar player, seen many times in Portsmouth with Hank

[@davewoodley3716]

I could spend hours listening to Bruce reminisce about the early days with the Shadows. I learned to play Rhythm guitar from listening to Buddy Holly and watching Bruce on TV.

[@cloudhop]

This guitar sounds really sweet

[@ChristianSleepSingerSongwriter]

Believe it or not, I was in that room in the early nineties, I asked if I could try that guitar (the Strat) especially considering it's heritage :-) I had a bit of a wincey moment, I lifted the guitar in the air to put the strap over my shoulder and banged the head stock on the ceiling, Bruce was very good about it, although he did go red when it happened, not sure if it was as red as me though. I also played his Martin Acoustic, which if I remember correctly he bought off of Al Stewart of Year of the Cat fame. That Martin sounded amazing, the low E sounded like the bottom end of a piano.

[@papprajoosachanarayana2834]

What a group The Shadows The South African Indian public were hooked on playing the Shadows tunes including me from 1963 onwards Happy retirement HANK MARVIN BRUCE WELSH BRIAN BENNETT R.I.P JET HARRIS TONY MEEHAN JOHN ROSTIL LICORICE LOCKING

[@joenvargas5931]

Es un agazajo, acercarse, a casi saludar al gran guitarrista Bruce Welch...

[@telecaster0123]

He is playing on a strat unplugged, wat a guitar!

[@rogerevans425]

In my view rhythm guitarists are so undervalued. The two greatest, in my view, Bruce and Malcolm Young.

[@richardbrown8099]

Rick Parfitt deserves a mention as well

[@alanwann9318]

Read his biography he is a British pioneer

[@undercrackers56]

Music theory? Modes? Scales? Nope! Just pure musicianship and decades of perfecting his technique.

[@logotrikes]

I always underestimate the part that the rhythm guitarist plays in a band, instead concentrating like every bugger else on lead. One forgets that the the rhythm provides the body and fullness. He's not the engine as others have noted, that's the drummer. His fundamental beat, echoed in the mother's heartbeat whilst the child is in the womb, is why we're so drawn to the hypnotic sound of drums, and by extension, this style of melody that the Shadows are so famous for...

[@paulwatson9217]

It’s also the kick drum frequency is usually around 60Hz the same as a mothers heart beat. So it’s the rhythm & frequency that matches what we remember from the womb.

[@unclebigkid1020]

Like Bruce I Don’t know what the name of the chords are but I can play the guitar..

[@johnnorth2600]

The best rhythm guitarist.

[@user-un9go4qe5i]

8:20 - some of that sounds a bit like the intro to 'Tiny Robin'.

[@ignaciocordovadonoso8662]

I can tell he really likes Buddy Holly

[@anthonykerr311]

Hank marvin head on the table 😆 🤣

[@alexhamilton4084]

I always play the D chord that way because I have sausage fingers and can’t get them in such a small area. 😂

[@debbiekerr7659]

Bruce misses King Hank 💔💔💔😥😥

[@johnnyofthesticks7260]

Im so sad he tried to commit suicide... at least he had the liberty to do it. No matter if he made or not, that is fate, destiny, the important thing is he could take the decission. Some people dont have the guts to allow that to happen, and thats quite indicative.

[@toptechsys]

Hey! Bruce reckons he heard the very first public performance of Yesterday? Well I'd say that was actually more accurately the first Private performance maybe. But I, aged 9, actually witnessed what I believe to be the first real Public performance of Yesterday at a rehearsal for their live performance on the Mike and Bernie Winters show at a theatre in Blackpool in August 1965! My older cousin Dianne Fleet worked there as an usherette and managed to get us front row seats in an otherwise empty theatre! Just me, my sister and my 2 cousins and the Fab Four! And Paul played Yesterday solo for what I believe was the very first time! Absolutely true! It changed my life and I became a musician myself as a result 👍

[@dappledorchard5691]

What is it ? Sounds like " from the beginning " Greg Lake.

[@Shadowsmix1]

All he asked Shane was ‘you only having a cheese roll’.

[@gershonperry5952]

Anelectric guitar should be payed with a good amplifier.

[@susanroycroft89]

Yes it helps

[@deepdiver51]

“Yesterday”?? I don’t think so, Bruce. Macca is left handed.

[@user-un9go4qe5i]

So you think he's lying...???

[@brianhone6869]

O77

[@D800Lover]

That guitar is worth a huge fortune and he pinched it.

[@kevincasson9848]

A true Buddy Holly fan!! And a great artist himself!!

[@peepsibhoy]

Is that Hanks red Strat?

[@fenderac3049]

No it's Cliff's. Cliff bought it for Hank in'59 which gave birth to the Cliff & the Shadows sound, but more so the Hank sound. Bruce asked Cliff if he could borrow the Strat and has never returned it!

[@ernielamprell4532]

It's the Srat that Hank recorded the early big hits on. It's super resonant.