English singer-songwriter Ralph McTell gives a guitar masterclass and discusses his career on Vintage TV's Needle Time
Watch veteran singer-songwriter Ralph McTell demonstrates his blues fingerpicking and claw-hammer guitar techniques on Vintage TV's Needle Time in the above video.
Renowned as one of the most accomplished acoustic guitarists in Britain, the 68-year-old recalls how listening to blues players like Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Boy Fuller made him first realise "how expressive the guitar can be", with simultaneous bass lines and melody lines. "I left a trail of ruined albums across the whole of south London lifting the needle on and off to try and figure out how they do a certain piece," he jokes.
McTell is self-taught, doesn't read music, never practised scales, and admits he still doesn't know the names of many of the chords he plays, yet his fascination for the guitar shines through.
The singer-songwriter also reveals that for a long time he felt burdened by the success of his most famous song, The Streets Of London (a number two hit in the UK in 1974), but has come to appreciate the naivety and innocence that has made it a folk standard.
Approaching 70, McTell confesses that he doesn't know how long he will be able to continue performing. "A solo performer on stage needs everything working for him.
Coming off stage now, I feel like I've done three rounds with Mohammed Ali. I will need to slow down. But as long as the voice and guitar keep going, so will I."
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