Richard
Hawley's top 5 tips for guitarists
Introduction: on the road
again
Last September, Sheffield’s guitar-toting musical maverick Richard
Hawley released his eighth studio album, Hollow Meadows. The platter’s 11
superb cuts once again served to illustrate his untouchable genius both as a
singer and a songwriter.
As
ever, Hawley’s six-string playing is also absolutely top notch, from the
echo-drenched melodies of album opener I Still Want You through the
garage-psych stylings of Which Way right the way across to the gentle sweet
pickings of What Love Means.
When
we catch up with Richard on the phone to run through his top five tips for
guitarists, he’s enjoying a bit of downtime at home before launching into
another concert trek across the UK. His last British tour, towards the end of
the last year, was an experience he particularly savoured.
I just feel really
connected with the audiences and I don’t feel like a salmon swimming upstream
any more
“Generally,
I’m loving playing live more than I’ve ever done in my life,” he tells us. “I
just feel really relaxed and happy with playing the music. It’s very simple,
and getting to the simplicity of playing is the essence of what I’ve always
tried to do with me and the guys.
“I
just feel really connected with the audiences and I don’t feel like a salmon
swimming upstream any more. There’s some folks out there that actually get it
now! I’m enjoying whatever it is. I don’t really know what it is but whatever
it is, I hope there’s some more of it!”
The
European leg of the tour, however, was foreshadowed by November’s horrific
shootings in Paris. It was a matter of brave faces all round for Richard, his
band and his crew.
“The
flower seller gets his flowers out in the morning, the baker bakes his bread,
the café owners open up the café and they do what they do, and musicians turn
up and entertain people in the evening,” Hawley says.
“It
was really important to be part of that arc to the day and not kind of opt out
of that and run away. It was important to just simply do what you do and be
part of the whole thing.
“There
was a gentle bravery in it all from everyone concerned - the audiences, the
crew, the band, everyone. They all contributed and we just gently and quietly
got on with what we do rather than be defeated by mindless hatred.”
Did
Richard initially consider pulling out of the gigs altogether?
“No,
I personally didn’t,” he quips. “I’d have got onstage with a fucking scuba
outfit and a banjo… although, thankfully that didn’t come to pass!
“But
I did call all the band and all the crew and said, ‘Look, if anyone doesn’t
want to go, I completely understand’ But everybody - all the boys and all the
girls - just said, ‘No fucking way, we’re going!’ I was really proud of them
for that.”
We
gave Hawley a few days' pre-emptive warning on quizzing him about his top five
guitar tips, and it turns out he’s put quite a bit of thought into them.
At some point in your
life, you were just a wide-eyed kid and hopefully you’ll never really lose that
“I
think this kind of thing is really important, especially for younger readers
and players who are really wide-eyed about the whole thing,” enthuses Richard.
“It’s
important not to make it inaccessible. All of us, anyone who plays guitar,
whatever music you make - at some point in your life, you were just a wide-eyed
kid and hopefully you’ll never really lose that.
“I always like to try
and help out enthusiastic kids. There’s so many of them, and I need them and I
try to not be a dickhead or a rockstar… that’s horrible, that! You just realise
that whatever age you’re at, you’re still not that far away from that little
kid who was completely blown away by listening to the tunes, and I still am
amazed by listening to music. I hope these tips can inspire a few people.”
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