Clive Carroll: Remembering John Renbourn

[@ryandeakin5878]

Renbourn will always have a special place in my heart...

Saw John once live. Rode my motorcycle at night in the pouring rain to get there. Totally worth it

[@ianevans67]

John and Bert were both fine players I was privileged to meet both of them over the years sometimes in pub gigs. Sometimes in the Royal festival hall. Either way they would love to talk to you. The world is a much sadder place without them.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

i met john briefly when i used to have lessons with duck baker, in the 70's, renbourne was complaining that he had to get his passport renewed and he'd had to buy one of his own records to show he was "a professional musician".

[@zootszabo2415]

Thank You Clive for keeping this great music alive. Well done!

[@stevewhiteley9249]

Best 22.31 mins I’ve spent in ages. My favourite guitarist talking about one of my other favourite guitarists. What could be better?

[@fastidioussloth]

One of my favourite guitarists talking about my favourite guitarist.

[@virgilioalbarese2603]

oh oh this man can play ! ....wonderful and versatile......in memory of John Renbourn

[@spinecat]

John Renbourn was, in addition to being an amazing musician, a natural storyteller and an incredibly warm human being. I had the great fortune to hang with him on a few occasions. My god he could drink!! RIP John.

[@Trombonology]

Many thanks for this! Clive's reminiscences and beautiful playing should be heard by all Renbourn enthusiasts.

[@cramster3495]

That was one of the most interesting and entertaining Guitarist interviews. Thank you Clive

[@rocketpost1]

What a wonderful film with plenty of superb playing from Clive. I'll definitely watch this many times, there is so much to learn. Back in the mid to late sixties I was bowled over first by Davey and later by Bert and John then Pentangle. I didn't know about the ping pong ball trick but it makes sense when you think about it. Loved his story about the 2000 grade sandpaper. The last tune Lord of all Hopefulness is also the tune to the song Banks of the Bann. Took me a while to remember.

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

What a wonderful interview! Renbourn was my main influence on acoustic guitar for eons. Clive has a lovely deft right hand technique similar to Johns.

[@mariajosemorenoguerrero8638]

Thank you John. Everytime with you

[@grendel_nz]

This is amazing info! And really great to hear someone carrying this wonderful music forward.

[@jtpinnyc]

Re: fingernails. I struggled for years in keeping my fingernails in good shape for playing steel string. I play classical as well and they were fine for that, but I always ended up breaking or "nicking" them on steel strings. These days I don't have that problem, and I much prefer the tone of a combination of nail and flesh than the tone you get from ping pong balls or fake nails. My secret these days is diet and dietary supplements - if you get a good amount of assorted minerals, especially zinc but also the trace minerals, your nails are super strong. I also take collagen powder, MSM and silica. All of these things give you super strong nails, and I can happily play steel strings with nails without worrying about them breaking. A couple of tips though: 1) Don't grow them too long - the longer they are, the more prone they are to breaking, and you also get less of the flesh element of the sound which gives the guitar body and warmth. I find my sound too thin and brittle playing with longer nails. Mine are about as short as they can be whilst still giving the sound some attack, and I also file them in a ramp shape like many classical guitarists - this gives the string an easier, smoother exit from the nail, facilitates speed and dexterity and also makes them less likely to break 2) File them regularly. Even when I'm not playing, I will give them a quick file a few times during the day just to remove any rough edges. It's when your nail edge develops rough edges and ridges that they catch on things and break. 3) To shape them, I first file with a good glass file. These are the only files I will use now. Always file in one direction, never back and forth. After shaping, I will then use one of those buffing blocks that has different grades on it, to first remove ridges, then to smooth and shine the nail. You can also do this with a couple of fine grades of sandpaper. Then, I polish them off with a piece of cardboard to give them a perfect, glasslike finish. They never break and I get an awesome tone from them. Another tip - water can weaken your nails, so avoid soaking them for too long. If you partake in underwater activities like swimming, consider using a clear protective lacquer on your nails to protect them.

[@Purple_flower09]

I was interested to read that Leo Kottke reached very similar conclusions about finger nails. After trying everything over the decades he found that finger with a bit of tidy nail is the best.

[@philiptrotter3856]

Thanks. Brought back some great memories of both players.

[@JohnMcPhersonStrutt]

Clive Carroll has just appeared on my list of guitarists to hear before I die ! Why did I have to wait till I was 59 before I learned of his existence ? ?

[@maxcuthbert100]

'Cos you never went down the folk club, that's why.

[@JohnMcPhersonStrutt]

And Clive Carroll was always frequenting folk clubs in Belfast, was he ? ?

[@SingSurfStrum]

Mind Blown, all gear now on Reverb.....taking up golf....

[@dommccaffry3802]

Ha ha ! Know what you mean. My band played with this guy and john in wadebridge not long before he passed. I felt like " i ll get my coat !! "

What a player! Wow never heard him before, amazing playing.

[@PhilTaylorGuitar]

This is an extremely enjoyable interview. Excellent!!

[@HenryMcGuinnessGuitar]

I had the pleasure of going to a couple of masterclasses with John & Clive. Almost all of the pieces played here are ones I worked out as a teenager from tapes of John's music. It was at one of the masterclasses John talked about Anji and how many guitarists of the time did a similar piece and "named it after their current girlfriend" - I assumed he was talking about "Judy"

[@spinecat]

That was great, Clive. You nailed the JR stuff!

[@zympf]

thanks Clive, for the memories

[@wowjef]

Brilliant guitarist and Mr Nice Guy to boot

[@lesmorton7662]

John was the first guitarist I aspired to play like. I moved on to other forms ( rock and jazz) but listening to this, I wish I’d stuck with it !

[@adampapadam7764]

It's very kind and touching from your part Clive!

[@demej00]

Just discovered John Renbourn today. Wow, what I have missed.

[@chrisdundas6670]

In the '90's I saw you with John in, of all places, Rockport, Texas, on the Texas Gulf Coast. Of course, you played in a lighthouse. The playing was delightful and full of fun. We talked about your ping-pong nail solution and you were very patient with my many questions. I had brought a young guitar player along with me and the music we heard that night forever changed how I play, and how he heard music. John was a seasoned, yet exuberant man, and you were in very good company at his side.

[@martinpleass913]

Superb.

[@SingSurfStrum]

Thank you Clive, what a lovely bloke

[@elektrolyte]

What an amazing interview!! Incredible guitarist... and legendary subject! I was lucky enough to just happen to be in London for a few nights on the way to somewhere else (I live in South Africa and had been listening to a stretched casette tape of Another Monday for years) and I picked up a copy of TIMEOUT Magazine. To my amazement I saw that JR was appearing for 2 nights only in a venue on the southern bank of the Thames. It was part of a 10 day festival with many other artists appearing at different venues. I could not believe what I was reading and had to read it a few times. It was an evening that I will never ever forget. And thank you Clive for keeping his music so relevant!

[@donaldgehre5964]

What a great interview! Great insight into one of the great guitarist of all time-heads and shoulders above everybody in my humble opinion. When I first heard "Light Flight" in early '68 the musicianship sent me on a journey discovering British guitarists that lasts until this day. Thank you John!

[@tudorrees7207]

Wonderful insights and tribute -

[@3340steve]

Thank you for posting this excellent music Clive.

[@AidanDoyne]

Magic

[@geoffreykelly5946]

Such an informative and enjoyable video. Gorgeous playing. Thanks so much Clive. Cheers Geoffrey

[@analogdesigner-Jay]

Thanks, superbly done!

[@3340steve]

I was lucky to see John a number of times, once memorably at a show in Toronto where the PA quit. This was a study in frustration for John who was there with Bert, who had opened the concert solo with intermittent power in the PA. Both played a full show and the crowd went crazy seeing their heroes . Another great show was John's Ship of Fools band. In later years, I saw John in Vancouver a few times at the Rogue folk club. He lived to talk and hang out but when on-stage was full on, even in the later years.

[@tardx]

I remember seeing John at the Troubadour in Bristol in the late 60s. He played several tunes from the Bert & John album, which I’d recently bought. But what I chiefly remember is the way he wedged his lit cigarette between the strings on the headstock while he played, taking a puff between songs.

[@stewartconacher6552]

Very interesting interview.Cheers.

[@sasongs]

Great interview

[@scom3173]

Just great! Thank you so much!!!

[@djm_guitar]

This is fantastic. Thanks!

[@MedievalRichard]

This is a brilliant tribute to JR. I love how he plays John's classics so well. Especially where he plays "Three Pieces By O'Carolan" at 11:47. MR

[@MedievalRichard]

I was absolutely gutted about the death of John Renbourn. One of the best technical, classical, blues, medieval guitar players and songwriters ever to walk this earth. I was lucky enough to see him live in 2012 at the Mac theatre in Birmingham, right at the front, row A (I filmed it) ... Blew me away! MR

[@MedievalRichard]

My footage --> kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGbdeJ1jhc2ohrs

[@brucebherman]

Incredible character Ralph Bown, hahaha......indeed Sir!!!

[@alanhowell3646]

Lord of all hopefulness was stunning

[@philandhisukulele7964]

Delightful interview. I remember setting up the sound for John exactly as Clive describes. He was a lovely man and a tremendous artist. Thank you Clive

[@andrealuciani3083]

Many thanks!

[@colins2]

I was fortunate enough to see John Renbourn in the Apex in Bury, probably in 2012, were you with him then? There were 3 or 4 other players but I went to see JR and don't remember the others.

[@dommccaffry3802]

Bert jansch and john was qute a strange but wonderful combo in pentangle. Very different players

[@arctichare8185]

cool

[@naifabdalkreem8294]

what is he playing at 11:49 ?

[@swrbassamp]

Lovely! What was the tune played as a G minor tuning demonstration?

[@garysellars8914]

'Lament for Owen Roe O'Neill' i think.

[@wintermute0079]

@@garysellars8914 You are correct. I believe it was an inspiration for the 'Nine Maidens'. My favorite Renbourn instrumental.

[@resslerartstudios]

Those two akg 414's at a 45° angle...Id love to know which polar pattern is selected?

[@SingleMalt77005]

What tunings are used for "The Earl of Salisbury" and "Lord of All Hopefulness"?

[@greeneking77]

Renbourn played Earl in standard tuning

[@docbobster]

Does anyone know the name of the last song he plays here?

[@guitartec]

From a repair standpoint, 2 piece saddles are an unecessary pain to work on, but your Boun sounds amazing when you play it. No arguing that.

[@jtpinnyc]

That last tune he plays "Lord of all Hopefulness" I recognize from somewhere else, I'm sure John Doyle sings a song with a similar melody

[@mikelord9860]

Yes, otherwise known as Be Thou My Vision - the fine Canadian guitarist/songwriter Stephen Fearing has a nice version of it on his live album So Many Miles.

[@jtpinnyc]

@@mikelord9860 It's also the same tune as Banks of the Bann

[@bsaj1]

Please can you show us how you make your ping pong fingernails...wonderful anecdotes and what a guitarist...tks so much.

[@MIKE-TYTHON]

Was that an original song at the beginning?

[@jambonejim1249]

Watch the Stars, a traditional blues I believe, which John covered.

[@torreydunn2170]

If only I knew about guitarists like John and Bert when I was younger, thinking guys like Eddie Van Halen was the best !

[@botzees]

Try applying the ping pong ball nails with a hot glue gun.....you will never try it again!! :P

[@HighscoreCreative]

more like john renfair. nice.

[@jasonladd6400]

Eric Bristow?

[@celticguitarworkshop]

This is excellent. Thank you!