NWBN: Hi, Chris! Well, you’ve threatened to vanish from Skelmersdale to the USA for a long time, so we thought we couldn’t let a well-known North West ‘all-rounder’ ’grasser with your experience and skill go without parting with his secrets. So how’s about telling us all about yourself? Things like “How did you come to play guitar”?
CHRIS: Well, flattery will get you everywhere! But seriously, I’ve been playing the guitar for 41 years now. Before that I played piano and - wait for it - harp . Honest!. But I’ve no desire to play any other instrument now - I just want to play as many sorts of music as possible on the guitar.

NWBN: What was it attracted you from the harp to the guitar - did six strings seem easier?
CHRIS: No, it was hero worship - The Singing Cowboys, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter were my initial inspiration, but I had to wait until the Skiffle - Rock’n’Roll boom, with Lonnie Donegan, Elvis, etc., when guitars were too expensive for me. I was 15 when I started, back in 1956 - I remember that help was virtually non-existent and tuition hard to get.

NWBN: Well you’ve come on since then! What about practising?
CHRIS: I practise hard - you’ve got to enjoy it or you’ll lose heart. It should be challenging enough in order to progress. But I think no time with your instrument is ever wasted - sometimes you’ve got to make the time, but 5 minutes is better than nothing. There’s two kinds of practise - one when you’re learning a BIG piece (something to show people how clever you are!) and the other involves just keeping your hand in, refreshing your memory or spicing up some old favourites. It’s never wasted - you’ve just got to do it!

NWBN: Do you make your own arrangements?
CHRIS: If I can get an existing arrangement, tab or ‘dots’, I’ll use that, and alter it to suit me if need be. By the way, I’d advise any player who can’t read music to make the effort. Now, if there’s no arrangement (e.g. Doc Watson’s Bye - Bye Blues) then I’ve got to try to learn it from the record. It’s good for developing your ear and a good test of it, but frankly it’s a pain in the a**e - but if there’s no alternative...

Sometimes I have to improvise. That’s not as hard as it sounds. There are only 13 notes (the rest are the same but just higher or lower). No matter how flashy it sounds it’s based on the backing chord - you just have to use the notes of the appropriate scale, like a C scale if it’s a C chord. See my comments on ‘Practise’ if you don’t understand this, and if you still don’t after hours of practise don’t worry - that makes two of us!

If you want to be a successful BG musician then you’ve got to try hard and master your chosen instrument. You’ve got to go and see and listen to all the best musicians you can - they don’t have to be ’grassers - as long as they’re accepted as ‘the top of the tree’ in what they do then you’ll learn something.

Chris with his Gallagher

NWBN: How did you become aware of Bluegrass?
CHRIS: I always listened to the CM stations like the AFN’s Hill Billy Hit Parade (Wed. 4.45 to 5.15 a.m. - honest Guv!). They played quite a lot of BG, like Reno & Smiley, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, so it seems like I’ve always been aware of it. The BIG thing for BG was The Beverley Hillbillies in which Flatt & Scruggs made appearances - that was a golden era. I don’t remember being particularly struck by their music, but I was a guitar player and BG guitar was a pretty basic thing then.

NWBN: Have you ever teamed up with anyone other than Dave Frets?
CHRIS: Well, I haven’t played in many bands. I started one off when I was 20 years old but pressure of work made me give it up. While 3 of the band went on to better things I played trains with Dr.Beeching. I was in a trio playing in a large social club for a while and made a few bob at that, but most of the time it was work - the music was just a nice hobby. It’s only in the last 5 years that I’ve had chance to go out and meet other musicians and pick with them. Currently Dave Bresnen and me go out as a duo - we used to be a trio but, sadly, our mandolinist Dave Day passed last March and we haven’t replaced him.

NWBN: So what comes next?
CHRIS: Well, I don’t see any radical changes in the future. I’ve played Skiffle, R&R, jazz, ragtime and classical so I’ll just carry on as I am – unless Elvis comes back and wants a guitar player!

NWBN: Any tips on buying a guitar? And what about strings?
CHRIS: Buy the best instrument you can afford. It will play easier, sound better and hold its value when it’s time to trade in for an upgrade – and this doesn’t just apply to guitars. And for strings, it depends on the guitar. If it’s a dreadnought then a 12 thou’ to 54 thou, light-gauge set is the lightest you can consider. For a different style of guitar then have a word with your dealer and if he doesn’t know then find one who does. The ‘action’ is personal – the lower it is the easier the fretting but you can lose volume unless it’s a prime instrument, so it’s always a compromise.

NWBN: Have you ever used tutor videos?
CHRIS: I’ve not seen many videos (only from Sweden) but what I have seen look excellent – I wish I’d had something like that when I was starting off. Same with the books – I found the Dan Crary one excellent – there are some really good tunes in there. Same with Steve Kaufman, but if you can get a teacher so much the better. Also go and practise with your friends and to picking sessions to pick as many brains as you can.

NWBN: Who are your favourite guitarists?
CW: Well, Tony Rice for a start. He’s more of a jazz player now and doesn’t sing any more, but he’s still well worth listening to. Doc Watson is a must, a wonderful singer and a fabulous player, flatpick and finger-style. Then there’s Dan Crary, and David Grier, as well as our own Chris Moreton. But don’t just listen to BG players, try John Williams, Pepe Romero, Merle Travis, Django Reinhardt, really anyone you fancy – there’s something to be gained from all of them.

What I listen to depends on the mood I’m in. And it’s the bands they’re in as well, like Seldom Scene. I listen to Elgar, Vaughn Williams, I listen to all of it. When I was in my twenties (ah! Sweet bliss!) Hank Snow was my favourite singer, lovely guitarist, but when he faded, that’s when I found Doc Watson and that was that. But I’ve been influenced by many players over the last 41 years, not least John Williams.

NWBN: Your new guitar sounds good, eh?
CW: Yes, I bought it in Nashville at the back end of last year. It’s a Gallagher, Doc Watson (ITMA!) model - it was specially made for a famous Country singer Billy Grammer. But bear in mind 75% of the tone of an instrument lies in the hands of the player so it’s down to you in the end. Whenever I’m playing I try to stop all the notes cleanly and keep any fingers not in use well clear. Really it’s just down to practise (again!), playing slowly and cleanly, because if you can’t play a piece properly slowly you’ll never be able to play it up to speed.

NWBN: Have you any thoughts on popularising Bluegrass?
CW: That’s a tough one! Well, we’re part of the Country music scene whether we like it or not. Country music radio shows play BG records, so the rest of the world is aware of our presence. I know that some ’grassers may be a bit sniffy at playing a country music venue, you know, with its big hats, six shooters and all that sort of thing, but that’s what we’ve got to do, I think. If a couple of our top bands were to play at the Americana, for example, it would give them a wider audience and we’d gain a lot of friends. But if we don’t do it we’ll be picking fluff from our belly buttons for ever.

NWBN: Where do you reckon the balance between art and technique lies?
CW: Ah, I wondered when this would crop up! Look – if you don’t have the means to express yourself how can you be artistic? Virtually all the well-known American BG players are virtuosos, or nearly so, so they display a fluency that can be very deceptive. A young man I know, with his own country band, has a Doc Watson video – he told me “I’ve watched him time and time again and his hands never seem to move at all.” Once you’ve got the technique you can be arty-farty, but the two go hand in hand. By the same token I’ve seen some players who had excellent ability but not a great deal of artistic expression – they’ve just become slaves to their instruments. If you don’t understand this just listen to Django, Doc or Merle Travis and I think you’ll find the answer in there…. somewhere!

NWBN: A lot of Bluegrass beginners aren’t very interested in songs – do you have any comments?
CW: Without doubt ‘the song’ is most important. Bluegrass has now become concert music, you know, you sit on your bum and watch it. So, the message in the lyrics of a song can become of paramount importance. Years ago our stuff was dance music so the words or the tune didn’t matter that much so long as there was something to dance to. When you compare these to the songs of Hank Williams, Norman Blake, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Craft and Bill Monroe well… ’nuf said. Another point is that when The Seldom Scene were in Blackburn, well, they only played two instrumentals in the whole 2½ hours they were on stage, so that must prove something!

NWBN: What else do you do apart from Music?
CW: Oh, reading, poetry, water colour painting, photography and cycling. I used to play 5-a-side football ’ I got hurt in a car crash 2 years ago. I think cycling is my favourite after music.

NWBN: What a full life! Chris Wilson, thanks very much!

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Updated 23rd Jan 1999