Tony Rice has never played that guitar as well as Clarence White. It sounds pretty poor these days, after being submerged in a flood, despite all that Martin could to to repair it. Pity
@thebeauhooligan That isn't the 1935 D-28 that Tony Rice now owns. Clarence is playing a D-18 in this video. In fact, most of his recorded lead flattop playing was on a D-18, rather than the D-28.
I have been a Clarence White fan since 1966 or 67 when I was in college and working a summer job in an aerospace plant in southern California. The secretary in the lab where i worked was named Samantha Bush (yeah THAT in itself is confusing "Sam Bush") but anyway her husband, stationed in Vietnam at the time) was a friend of members of the Kentucky Colonels and she turned me on to the band. I've been trying to figure out how to flat pick like Clarence ever since! Miss you Clarence - what a loss!
Clarence's taste, timing and economy stagger the mind. He said so much more with half the notes that a lot of today's hot pickers throw into a simple fiddle tune. He was a musician first and foremost, and a picker second. You always hear music, never his ego. Rest with the Saints, mr. White. I hope to meet you in that Happy Land.
Man! Those guys are just incredible. Clarence White is still one of my top favorite guitar players. From the Kentucky Colonels to The Byrds, to his 33 Acoustic Sings album, he never lets me down. I wish he were still with us today.
Clarence tragically died in 1973 - can you believe that someone so young could have played flatpicking like that back then - he is truly an inspiration as is his brother Roland on Mandolin. Many of us are still trying to learn from these guys all these years later.
Clarence White is such a killer picker. People often forget about him, but he was one fo the original creators of the bluegrass guitar style. I love that he played a classic fiddle tune like Soldier's Joy too. I teach this tune for the fiddle on my channel. I post a new lesson for fiddle, guitar, and mandolin there every single week! You can also get the full lesson and the sheet music on my website, including transcriptions of Clarence White!
Clarence White was awesome and a Huge influence on Tony Rice and many other bluegrass and electric players. this is a great video thanks for putting it on
Clarence was a prodigy and died trajicly when hit by a drunk driver,,,,,he started it all for guitar players taking the guitar to new heights as a lead instrument. I am grateful to have seen this one...thanks
@wick2107 You might be suprised. some folks are hardheaded but most I know will tolerate some crossover from grass to country or revesrse. Theyre close akin, but this version of I am a Pilgrim is very bluesy, if anything that token might loose him. give it a try. what snags up most country and other folk about bluegrass is usually the vocals or higher speeds, theres neither here. try em.
Clarence White's phrasing does throw off the listener, which I suspect is exactly what he intended. His playing is devious, but in a great way. Willie Nelson has a little bit of that too. Both really stoned?
@emr3413 stoned, maybe. but then Louis Armstrong was doing muggles between takes for the Hot Five and Hot Seven records that invented modern jazz. The key tie here is that Clarence did not just listen to the bluegrass roots- Bill Monroe and all, great as they are- he listened to everything, and adapted it, via his genius, into what had been "traditional" music. One of the all time greats. Pilgrim is like listening to Charlie Parker play bluegrass guitar.
How come when I play "soldier's joy" it doesn't sound like that? (LOL... as if...) Clarence you left us way too soon, like so many other greats. I just love that I am a Pilgrim... so bluesy and mellow, like a warm summer breeze.... God he was just that rare, perfect musician. A great inspiration. I think his cross-picking is totally unique. Seems nobody else does it the same way, in terms of technique. He doesn't simply alter strokes, it's a down down up or s/t like that.
@agalligani You're right about his cross-picking. Nobody quite did it like Clarence. But I'm particularly blown away here by the phrasing with the pick and fingers. Now I know how he got that special sound. Genius!
@adamschlenker Clarence White has been my favorite guitar player for many years. He's one of those rare guys, like Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Christian, or Django Reinhardt, and a few others, whose technique, soul, and musical personality are so sparkling that there never needs to be any qualifier to the compliments that he's given.
As as lifelong kinda pro player myself, I'm awestruck by how original Clarence's timing is. It's like Billie Holiday is to jazz singing. You cannot teach this. God know we have a lot of brilliant blue/new grass players now- Tony huge among them- but they all owe an unpayable debt to Clarence White. RIP.
What a true guitar hero! Especially on Soldier's Joy, which almost apears to be an optical illusion to watch his left hand in contrast to the smoth up and down of his right.. The rest of the players seem to be thinking the whole way through, "why did we let CW set the tempo?!?". Did you notice that even Roland, along with everyone else except CW, would get swallowed by the tempo a few measures into their breaks?
this version of Soldiers Joy is superb . It rates even with Doc Watson's version. Too bad they never player together it would have been the "mother" of flat pickers!
According to somebody very close to Clarence, Byrds, Ky Col etc the whole festival was filmed by a team who was there to cover Bob Dylan but the whole festival was filmed...My information sourse claims that the footage is in a vault somewhere in the North East waiting for whenever Dylans people will show an interest...I don't know any details but it sure sounds interesting...
@mosrite60 - There is a KY Colonels album entitled "Long Journey Home" that has a six song set of Clarence and Doc playing together. The audio quality isn't great, but it is a fantastic listen. That same disc contains a Bill Keith banjoy "workshop" that is phenominal (The Colonels back him up).
Clarence White rules. Grier comes closest to his style in my opinion. People refer to his use of synchopation...I would characterize it more as what's called rubato....literally "robbing time" within a measure.
Not once is Clarence out of tempo. He does use, in addition to syncopation, some fascinating polyrhythms: not just triplets or subdivided triplets but even hairier stuff, like 5 over 2 or 7 over 4. It would take multiple careful listens to figure out exactly what he's doing. But he's always aware of where the beat and changes are.
Obviously someone's not getting the point here - this guys are Acoustic Royal-T, and I can guarantee, the timing is EXACTLY as they wanted it to be ; )
Just great. But as you develop your own style, remember the saying "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." And never forget what the old Bluesman said, "Son, it aint the notes you play, it's the notes you leave out."
I think Clarence earned the benefit of the doubt. I mean he was one of the very best guitarists ever. Any musician should watch and learn. Watch. Learn.
man i dunno what yall talking about off tempo and chit, this was a jam improve around melody and if I had been there i think I would have been on my feet applauding..this is a jewel of a video, just no way to criticize chit in it
Is it just me or is Clarence's tempo off a number of times on the first song? It seems he goes off on these tangents then settles back down to get in tempo. Clarence was a great guitarist but that first song just seemed disjointed as all get out.
I think you and I have TOTALLY different definitions of syncopation then. Syncopation has nothing to do with tempo but rather the accent on normally unaccented notes or the lack of accent on normally accented notes. For instance, if I do rhythm with the notes struck on beats 1, upbeat of 2, 3, and 4, that's a syncopated rhythm due to resting on the 2 downbeat while playing the upbeat of 2. Playing notes out of time is just that. Syncopation is just an emphasis change not a timing change.
I don't think "not bendable" was associating Tempo with syncopation. Rather to me he was talking about the unique ways, with respect to rhythm, that Clarence would choose to place his notes relative to the song and his current musical intention(s).
you are correct. I believe what he is thinking about is referred to as polyrythms I BELIEVE but am not certain... But he uses syncopation also. I guess its more opinion than anything else. His timing was so developed its kinda hard to even understand what he is up to a lot of the time. Breaks like these do sound different and a little "overdone" to some especially in traditional songs like these that arent meant to be played that way...However, I totally dig it :)
His spirit is alive in every flatpicker in the world from Rice to Sutton ,from Grier to every lone ranger picker who is chasing after THE sound...Amen
clarence you havent been forgotten buddy=) not by anybody who plays a guitar and has ears.......you continue to be the player with the most heart ever............
clarence white was one of the most original, inventive, poetic guitarists in the history of American music. Any bluegrass or country player that followed his all too brief life owes him a debt- and that includes me, with a bluegrass (sorta) gig in about three hours. We'll play this song, and I'll have Clarence in my ear, if not my fingers! Genius.
What a fantastic jam, and they all seemed to be enjoying it. To know this must have been one of the last recordings the one Mr. White recorded adds meaningfulness to an already astounding session of music.
I have to say this, it's amazing that I too have learned some tasty licks from watching this video. It makes you feel good to know that even after being gone for 35 years, Clarence is still teaching people like us to really "play" the guitar. Indeed he was
"THE MAN." Thanks Clarence White. Your elegance and style are still very much alive.
The banjo picker is Alan Munde. I think at the time of the video, Alan had only been playing for about 5 years. He later went on to play with the Country Gazette...and taught banjo for many years at Levelland College in Texas.
Bob Baxter was a fine acoustic guitarist and teacher who wrote a popular column in Guitar Player magazine named "Easy Guitar" in the 1970's before retiring from music reportedly to join a perfomance/therapeutic acting group.
The guy playing rhythm is not JD Crowe and I dunno Eric Idle... but he looks at Clarence in utter amazement, especially on Soldier's Joy. The loss of Clarence White was an indescribable tragedy! Who knows what guitar magic he would perform today?!?
I can assure you that multi-thousand dollar Martin isn't hurting his playing any. I'd like to anybody could play that well with a guitar like that, but they can't..but it would certainly help.
It's a Martin D-28. He gave it to Tony Rice before he died, and Tony still has it. Somebody carved out the soundhole and made it bigger because of some "cosmetic" damage, but it actually made the sound and tone alot better. Infact Martin now makes his signature model called the Martin D-28CW, which has the enlarged soundhole.
that's not his 28...looks like his 18 that was backed over. no white binding plus white sold his 28 and didn't own it at the time of this recording. rice didn't get the 28 back until '75
Actually. this is NOT Tony's guitar. I happen to know Tony's guitar very well. Clarence did NOT give the guitar to Tony. Tony told me that he had to track it down through two subsequent owners to find it and buy it...for $550.00!
Martin also has made an HD-28LSH ("large sound hole") and an HD-28LSV (large soundhole vintage), both "copies" of Tony's/Clarence's guitar.
The soundhole modification in Tony's guitar remains a mystery. IN a video Tony made for Happy Traum & Homespun, he explians that the rumor was that Clarence supposedly snuffed his cigarette out on the soundhole rim before taking a solo, but, again...that's only a rumor. If Tony doesn't know how the soundhole got enlarged, we surely dont!
I've heard that Clarence would sometimes use a metal pick, even a 50 cent piece on occasion, and the soundhole edge then became shredded. Also, friends who saw him play in L.A. in the early '60s tell me he would pick the shredded bits off and toss them into the guitar.
It's VERY inlikely the soundhole was shredded from a pick. 99.99% of soundhole wear is from fingernails...NOT picks.
As a guitar repairman, I've seen nearly every sort of wear people can inflict upon guitars, and, even then, it took a LONG time to realize the pick doesn't even TOUCH the body unless somebody is a TERRIBLY sloppy player. Clarence wasn't. Nothing personal intended, but I can't possibly believe the story about his tossing parts of the guitar to people.
Watch how Clarence picks in this video, and you can easily see the pick doesn't come CLOSE to doing any damage. This guitar would have shown the same sort damage Tony's guitar does it a pick had done this.
Well, again, the guitar in the video is not Tony's old Martin, anyway.
Thanks for the vid, clamp. It would be nice to see the rest of it sometime, where Bob B is asking Clarence about his picking style, timing, whether he wears pajamas to bed etc........this stuff is the best, and must see material for those not familiar with Clarence's amazing legacy.
In 1965 the band recorded some tunes with scotty stoneman, my all time favorite fiddler. The CD is entitled "Livin in the Past". Clarence's break on pilgrim is just unbelievable. And if you haven't heard scotty's fiddle playing, well...speaking of hendrix...
Scotty was terrific, my favorite too. Some friends of mine used to see the Colonels all the time at the Ash Grove, often with Scotty showing off his trick fiddling techniques. I wish we could hear more of him.
I think Jimi would've probably died to play like Clarence on an acoustic guitar, just like Clarence would have died to play like Jimi on an electric.... and since both are dead they're probably playing their heads off in heaven right now :)
i think jimi also said djanjo was his favorite guitarist and even named one of his bands after him. I still think jimi got everyone beat based on his creativity and approach.
By both Gene Parsons' and Roger McGuinn's accounts, there instances where Hendrix sought out Clarence and highly praised him. And what about that tale when Jimi came backstage when Clarence was still in Nashville West? Just goes to show you, great minds can identify other ones!
If I had to guess, its more likely his Noble guitar. The detail around the sound hole doesn't quite look like a D-18. Also, this is a little later in his career (life) and he surely had that Noble by this time.
YES!!
anitadavideduo 2 days ago
Clarence White is God.
southernbelle816 1 week ago
クラレンスとローランドの演奏、素晴らしくてexciteしてます。
sh1nnosuke7 2 months ago
Tony Rice has never played that guitar as well as Clarence White. It sounds pretty poor these days, after being submerged in a flood, despite all that Martin could to to repair it. Pity
thebeauhooligan 2 months ago in playlist More videos from clampittandgaddis
@thebeauhooligan That isn't the 1935 D-28 that Tony Rice now owns. Clarence is playing a D-18 in this video. In fact, most of his recorded lead flattop playing was on a D-18, rather than the D-28.
ressalg 2 months ago
I have been a Clarence White fan since 1966 or 67 when I was in college and working a summer job in an aerospace plant in southern California. The secretary in the lab where i worked was named Samantha Bush (yeah THAT in itself is confusing "Sam Bush") but anyway her husband, stationed in Vietnam at the time) was a friend of members of the Kentucky Colonels and she turned me on to the band. I've been trying to figure out how to flat pick like Clarence ever since! Miss you Clarence - what a loss!
callbill2 3 months ago
Clarence's taste, timing and economy stagger the mind. He said so much more with half the notes that a lot of today's hot pickers throw into a simple fiddle tune. He was a musician first and foremost, and a picker second. You always hear music, never his ego. Rest with the Saints, mr. White. I hope to meet you in that Happy Land.
TheTimothyjtaylor 3 months ago
Is that Peter Rowan on the other guitar?
satijournal 3 months ago
@satijournal The other guitar player is Bob Baxter.
ressalg 2 months ago
I'm diggin' on it, Stratboy!
guitargirl4scrabble 4 months ago
guitargirl...... Dig this!
Stratocaster65 4 months ago in playlist Clarence White and Roland White
Man! Those guys are just incredible. Clarence White is still one of my top favorite guitar players. From the Kentucky Colonels to The Byrds, to his 33 Acoustic Sings album, he never lets me down. I wish he were still with us today.
Monukkha 4 months ago
wow, this is great!!
flylotusfly 5 months ago
Flat - Freaking - AWESOME~!
Schneidawg 5 months ago
Great camera angles on the finger work, way to cater to us guitar players!
southrules 5 months ago
I've listened to this a hundred times, I always know exactly what he's going to do, but his phrasing still always gets me!
Z7scavengerZ7 6 months ago 6
True genius at work. Just revel in it and be thankful it is preserved for generations to come
TheFizz40 6 months ago
The best!!! I'll never get over his technique.
clampittandgaddis 6 months ago 2
"Farther Along" - Remembering Clarence White today: June 7/44 – Jul 15/73
rocktenniscat 6 months ago
for god sake clarence!
artiscrap 7 months ago
Clarence tragically died in 1973 - can you believe that someone so young could have played flatpicking like that back then - he is truly an inspiration as is his brother Roland on Mandolin. Many of us are still trying to learn from these guys all these years later.
leocrossfield 7 months ago
God, Bob Baxter is such a fag.
wimpyliberalbuster32 8 months ago
Clarence White is such a killer picker. People often forget about him, but he was one fo the original creators of the bluegrass guitar style. I love that he played a classic fiddle tune like Soldier's Joy too. I teach this tune for the fiddle on my channel. I post a new lesson for fiddle, guitar, and mandolin there every single week! You can also get the full lesson and the sheet music on my website, including transcriptions of Clarence White!
FiddlinMikeRolland 8 months ago 2
Big like!
thestillsons 8 months ago
Raw, pure talent. Clarence is about as good as it gets.
Oneilius1981 9 months ago
A-list rednecks.
xxjustanothersoulxx 9 months ago
Why don't my fingers move like that!
mdmccarty9 9 months ago
Clarence White was awesome and a Huge influence on Tony Rice and many other bluegrass and electric players. this is a great video thanks for putting it on
nicechuck1956 1 year ago
All I can say is Hot Dammmm!
Guitback2 1 year ago
all these guy are badass!
sonorgeek44 1 year ago
Clarence was a prodigy and died trajicly when hit by a drunk driver,,,,,he started it all for guitar players taking the guitar to new heights as a lead instrument. I am grateful to have seen this one...thanks
cheifjoseph 1 year ago
I haven't yet told my 6 yo daughter why she's named "Clare".
2soakers 1 year ago 25
@2soakers give her a guitar with a clarence white album on it then.
wick2107 11 months ago
@2soakers oh and a book of guitar tabs and say start learning now.
wick2107 11 months ago
Legendary!
Bluehill29 1 year ago
on the very short list of world's greatest guitarists
Raymantico 1 year ago
That is some fine picking!
bulbheadmyass 1 year ago
you might have problems with your gender if you do not like Clarence .
bigmrclean 1 year ago
I wonder... if I play this to my friend who is all about country, will he like it?
Answer for those who were curious: No, because country fans don't dig bluegrass...where the true talent is.
wick2107 1 year ago
@wick2107 You might be suprised. some folks are hardheaded but most I know will tolerate some crossover from grass to country or revesrse. Theyre close akin, but this version of I am a Pilgrim is very bluesy, if anything that token might loose him. give it a try. what snags up most country and other folk about bluegrass is usually the vocals or higher speeds, theres neither here. try em.
olatsmith 1 year ago
@olatsmith I did, after 1 minute he put on his headphones and put on Brad Paisley.
wick2107 1 year ago
Fricken Awesome Man!!!!
Byrds1967 1 year ago
this is amazing
Tavernman06 1 year ago
Go Clarence and Roland!
TruegrassBoy 1 year ago
nashville cats
reissue 1 year ago
Clarence was a genius. I have met and picked with his brother, Roland. Nice, nice man and a fine picker.
Mandotwang 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I like this, because this is my family.
ronsmapmedia 1 year ago
I like this, because this is my family.
ronsmapmedia 1 year ago
oooooowheeeeeeeeeee!
52joan 1 year ago
Blown away.............
blondehairrocks 1 year ago
some of the finest guitar playing you will ever see anywhere, what a special talent...clarence left the world way to soon
lgjones88 1 year ago
My God...this is f*ing gorgeous.
thatsrightdotcom 1 year ago
That drunken SOB who killed Clarence should have been drawn and quartered for taking him away from us so soon.
jbluemel 1 year ago
INCREIBLE
CHAVAJ 1 year ago
Clarence White's phrasing does throw off the listener, which I suspect is exactly what he intended. His playing is devious, but in a great way. Willie Nelson has a little bit of that too. Both really stoned?
emr3413 1 year ago
@emr3413 stoned, maybe. but then Louis Armstrong was doing muggles between takes for the Hot Five and Hot Seven records that invented modern jazz. The key tie here is that Clarence did not just listen to the bluegrass roots- Bill Monroe and all, great as they are- he listened to everything, and adapted it, via his genius, into what had been "traditional" music. One of the all time greats. Pilgrim is like listening to Charlie Parker play bluegrass guitar.
slownoman 1 year ago
How come when I play "soldier's joy" it doesn't sound like that? (LOL... as if...) Clarence you left us way too soon, like so many other greats. I just love that I am a Pilgrim... so bluesy and mellow, like a warm summer breeze.... God he was just that rare, perfect musician. A great inspiration. I think his cross-picking is totally unique. Seems nobody else does it the same way, in terms of technique. He doesn't simply alter strokes, it's a down down up or s/t like that.
agalligani 1 year ago
@agalligani You're right about his cross-picking. Nobody quite did it like Clarence. But I'm particularly blown away here by the phrasing with the pick and fingers. Now I know how he got that special sound. Genius!
georgiabluesman 1 year ago
Every flat picker should watch Mr White often. That way we can be reminded of what we are really trying to accomplish.
Phrasing just doesn't get better than this.
adamschlenker 2 years ago
@adamschlenker Clarence White has been my favorite guitar player for many years. He's one of those rare guys, like Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Christian, or Django Reinhardt, and a few others, whose technique, soul, and musical personality are so sparkling that there never needs to be any qualifier to the compliments that he's given.
itmightbetime2012 1 year ago
@itmightbetime2012 Add the Rev Gary Davis to the list. Both changed the world.
saullouis 1 year ago
As as lifelong kinda pro player myself, I'm awestruck by how original Clarence's timing is. It's like Billie Holiday is to jazz singing. You cannot teach this. God know we have a lot of brilliant blue/new grass players now- Tony huge among them- but they all owe an unpayable debt to Clarence White. RIP.
slownoman 2 years ago
the music speaks 4 itself as always kinda cuts thru the b s
buckbuck666 2 years ago
truth!
aspalding 2 years ago
Never heard one pickin with that much authority. Like T. Rice but a little smother, more elegegant. What a shame his untimely death was........
billandgates 2 years ago
Clarence is the apex -times infinity ..and then some!
skydogz1 2 years ago
guitar workshop ya say? the idea beeing ta dis-courge others from ever picking up a geetar agin?
lumpythefish 2 years ago 4
@lumpythefish LOL!
inky960 1 year ago
Wow.
Citadin 2 years ago
What a true guitar hero! Especially on Soldier's Joy, which almost apears to be an optical illusion to watch his left hand in contrast to the smoth up and down of his right.. The rest of the players seem to be thinking the whole way through, "why did we let CW set the tempo?!?". Did you notice that even Roland, along with everyone else except CW, would get swallowed by the tempo a few measures into their breaks?
chapmasc 2 years ago
Very cool - is that Byron Berline on fiddle?
TruegrassBoy 2 years ago
@TruegrassBoy yup
Dukegrievousangel 2 years ago
@TruegrassBoy - It is. And Alan Munde on banjoy. Heck of a band!!
dubltini 1 year ago
I love the way CW watches his left hand. He knows what is important.
barimando 2 years ago
eh, he watches his right...
Mulwany 2 years ago
Just realized I effin wrote the wrong hand down. Sorry I obviously meant his right since he stares at it like a hawk. My bad.
barimando 2 years ago
wherer's Duane McCumbers when ya need him...Dobro....
yippierb 2 years ago
this version of Soldiers Joy is superb . It rates even with Doc Watson's version. Too bad they never player together it would have been the "mother" of flat pickers!
mosrite60 2 years ago
They did play together at the '64 Newport folk festival. There are recordings available of several songs both on Clarence White cds and Doc's cds.
morrishmoon 2 years ago
Hey morrishmoon,
'
According to somebody very close to Clarence, Byrds, Ky Col etc the whole festival was filmed by a team who was there to cover Bob Dylan but the whole festival was filmed...My information sourse claims that the footage is in a vault somewhere in the North East waiting for whenever Dylans people will show an interest...I don't know any details but it sure sounds interesting...
dt
dagetage 2 years ago
@mosrite60 - There is a KY Colonels album entitled "Long Journey Home" that has a six song set of Clarence and Doc playing together. The audio quality isn't great, but it is a fantastic listen. That same disc contains a Bill Keith banjoy "workshop" that is phenominal (The Colonels back him up).
dubltini 1 year ago
clampittandgaddis Thank you so much for this post. CW... one of my all time gtr heroes. So awesome he was.
ImpulseGuy2006 2 years ago
RIP Clarence you changed so many lives for the best
ray8up 2 years ago
Hard to take them seriously with those bell-bottom pants. :P
Good music.
ColdFusionGames 2 years ago 2
clarence and roland had the greatest feel for music of anybody
buckbuck666 2 years ago
he was flat and fingerpicking at the SAME TIME people.
at the same time.
flatpick650 2 years ago
I do it all the time. It's not that big of deal
edmunk 2 years ago
ya its referred to as hybrid picking...not hard to do...although it is to do it like him
DisposableHero187 2 years ago
Comment removed
DisposableHero187 2 years ago
It is a Roy Noble
pauljcat 2 years ago
I think the guitar Clarence is using is a Roy Noble.
SantaCruzOM 2 years ago
OUTSTANDING!
pretourious 2 years ago 2
Really?
raftzzzz 2 years ago
Clarence White rules. Grier comes closest to his style in my opinion. People refer to his use of synchopation...I would characterize it more as what's called rubato....literally "robbing time" within a measure.
Awesome stuff. He left way too early.
rollo083 2 years ago
not rubato - metric modulation
mitjazz 2 years ago
Clarence White, Norman Blake, Tony Rice . . . We listeners are so blessed!
dustyturtle 2 years ago
Not once is Clarence out of tempo. He does use, in addition to syncopation, some fascinating polyrhythms: not just triplets or subdivided triplets but even hairier stuff, like 5 over 2 or 7 over 4. It would take multiple careful listens to figure out exactly what he's doing. But he's always aware of where the beat and changes are.
moosebites 2 years ago 2
0O00000000=-=-
buckbuck666 2 years ago
does anyone know for a fact what brand/gauge of strings Clarence used on his martin and/or tele?
crosbystillsnash68 2 years ago
bluegrass flatpickers use medium-heavy gauge....
you can find the same effect in the string that I get: D'Addario EXP Medium Gauge phospher bronze
Zephyre187 2 years ago
so would that mean that the G string is plain steel or wound?
crosbystillsnash68 2 years ago
I always use wound because I like the lower strings to have a louder and fuller sound
Zephyre187 2 years ago
Martin says they recommend their "Martin Studio Performance Phosphorus Bronze" medium guage strings for all of their drednaught guitars.
edmunk 2 years ago
i would love more stuff on clarence,a hero on the guitar!
stellingbanjos 2 years ago
Check out "THE KENTUCKY COLONELS"..if you want to hear some great Clarence White..
SteveGaines 2 years ago
Obviously someone's not getting the point here - this guys are Acoustic Royal-T, and I can guarantee, the timing is EXACTLY as they wanted it to be ; )
Thanks for sharing this.
GodsFavoriteBassPlyr 2 years ago 12
@GodsFavoriteBassPlyr well said
faithwillwin 9 months ago
Just great. But as you develop your own style, remember the saying "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." And never forget what the old Bluesman said, "Son, it aint the notes you play, it's the notes you leave out."
mainemichael 2 years ago
I totally dig bluegrass and Clarence White.
TruegrassBoy 2 years ago
MAN, Clarence rocks the house!
Byrds1967 2 years ago
you think that boy can pick eh?
crosbystillsnash68 2 years ago
Oh yeah!
Byrds1967 2 years ago
I think Clarence earned the benefit of the doubt. I mean he was one of the very best guitarists ever. Any musician should watch and learn. Watch. Learn.
woodycobain 2 years ago 2
man i dunno what yall talking about off tempo and chit, this was a jam improve around melody and if I had been there i think I would have been on my feet applauding..this is a jewel of a video, just no way to criticize chit in it
MrBruceBarham 2 years ago 2
sweet rope strap on the mando
jaredfogel 2 years ago
"It seems he goes off on these tangents then settles back down to get in tempo. "
You sound like one of those people who learn songs out of books... That is called improvisational feeling.
c6th 2 years ago 3
roland sounds so good here.
adamschmalenberger 2 years ago
Is it just me or is Clarence's tempo off a number of times on the first song? It seems he goes off on these tangents then settles back down to get in tempo. Clarence was a great guitarist but that first song just seemed disjointed as all get out.
jocwalk 3 years ago
must be the shrooms.
styleomatic 3 years ago
You must be talking about Clarence because you sure as heck aren't talking about me.
jocwalk 3 years ago
if you already knew this, why reply?
styleomatic 3 years ago
It's his syncopation... a big part of his style. He does it more in acoustic settings. It's a little of the Django influence.
;)
Pushing and pulling the timing of his notes to create tension and momentum. I love it!
notbendable 2 years ago
I think you and I have TOTALLY different definitions of syncopation then. Syncopation has nothing to do with tempo but rather the accent on normally unaccented notes or the lack of accent on normally accented notes. For instance, if I do rhythm with the notes struck on beats 1, upbeat of 2, 3, and 4, that's a syncopated rhythm due to resting on the 2 downbeat while playing the upbeat of 2. Playing notes out of time is just that. Syncopation is just an emphasis change not a timing change.
jocwalk 2 years ago
I don't think "not bendable" was associating Tempo with syncopation. Rather to me he was talking about the unique ways, with respect to rhythm, that Clarence would choose to place his notes relative to the song and his current musical intention(s).
02x9 2 years ago
you are correct. I believe what he is thinking about is referred to as polyrythms I BELIEVE but am not certain... But he uses syncopation also. I guess its more opinion than anything else. His timing was so developed its kinda hard to even understand what he is up to a lot of the time. Breaks like these do sound different and a little "overdone" to some especially in traditional songs like these that arent meant to be played that way...However, I totally dig it :)
DisposableHero187 2 years ago 2
very nice summation!
LouGehrigsDisease 2 years ago
Clarence is my favorite guitarist!
eaglewheels1995 3 years ago
His spirit is alive in every flatpicker in the world from Rice to Sutton ,from Grier to every lone ranger picker who is chasing after THE sound...Amen
johntrik 3 years ago
Holy schmoly. He smokes that guitar.
vkanakala 3 years ago 2
sweet
ejc1974 3 years ago
I hate him he's so damn good
jtd663 3 years ago 3
I never tire of watching this video, and see something new every time. Clarence is still quite with us in spirit. Thanks.
panamintjoe 3 years ago
roy nobles guitars the best
AHUtch81 3 years ago
Best guitarist ever!
Musicians will know what i mean, when i say his playing can get your bursting out laughing and giggling with the sheer exhilarating brilliance
His syncopation is stellar.
(and no it's bob baxer and not jd crowe)
astrochicken 3 years ago 2
pretty much agree with all you said
blackdogleg 3 years ago
so would the guy sitting beside clarence be jd crowe, sure looks a lot like him!
sparky4661 3 years ago
It's actually Bob Baxter
BanjoBoyMatteo 3 years ago
clarence you havent been forgotten buddy=) not by anybody who plays a guitar and has ears.......you continue to be the player with the most heart ever............
buckbuck666 3 years ago 3
clarence white was one of the most original, inventive, poetic guitarists in the history of American music. Any bluegrass or country player that followed his all too brief life owes him a debt- and that includes me, with a bluegrass (sorta) gig in about three hours. We'll play this song, and I'll have Clarence in my ear, if not my fingers! Genius.
slownoman 3 years ago
What a fantastic jam, and they all seemed to be enjoying it. To know this must have been one of the last recordings the one Mr. White recorded adds meaningfulness to an already astounding session of music.
FascistStatement 3 years ago
cant tell you how much this video means to me.. not only is clarence white my grandfather, but im also learning to play! :) thanks so much!!
irunalotinky 3 years ago 8
Your Grandfather is the idol of a lot of pickers, including me.
CFMD28 3 years ago
ive learned tons of licks from this one video...cw was the man...
hutchflash 3 years ago
I have to say this, it's amazing that I too have learned some tasty licks from watching this video. It makes you feel good to know that even after being gone for 35 years, Clarence is still teaching people like us to really "play" the guitar. Indeed he was
"THE MAN." Thanks Clarence White. Your elegance and style are still very much alive.
CFMD28 3 years ago
Grandfather, wow.
I am a pilgrim is so beautiful. Ill try and learn it.
saullouis 2 years ago
The banjo picker is Alan Munde. I think at the time of the video, Alan had only been playing for about 5 years. He later went on to play with the Country Gazette...and taught banjo for many years at Levelland College in Texas.
elmar9 3 years ago
Bob Baxter was a fine acoustic guitarist and teacher who wrote a popular column in Guitar Player magazine named "Easy Guitar" in the 1970's before retiring from music reportedly to join a perfomance/therapeutic acting group.
easguitar 3 years ago
The cat on rythm guitar looks like JD Crowe / or Eric Idle from Monty Python....... I just can't tell................
Burtnernie 3 years ago
The guy playing rhythm is not JD Crowe and I dunno Eric Idle... but he looks at Clarence in utter amazement, especially on Soldier's Joy. The loss of Clarence White was an indescribable tragedy! Who knows what guitar magic he would perform today?!?
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rgtrgt 3 years ago
I believe this is the sound we all crave. Many try to attempt and so few get there. Thank you for sharing this wonderful music!
NoiseMostBeautiful 3 years ago
I can assure you that multi-thousand dollar Martin isn't hurting his playing any. I'd like to anybody could play that well with a guitar like that, but they can't..but it would certainly help.
bigdjindustriez 3 years ago
I can assure you that, this guitar Clarance is playing is not a Martin. It is a Roy Noble guitar. Sounds friggin' awesome though.
NOS454V8 3 years ago
It's a Martin D-28. He gave it to Tony Rice before he died, and Tony still has it. Somebody carved out the soundhole and made it bigger because of some "cosmetic" damage, but it actually made the sound and tone alot better. Infact Martin now makes his signature model called the Martin D-28CW, which has the enlarged soundhole.
bigdjindustriez 3 years ago
thats not his 28. thats an 18. white didn't own his 28 at the time of this recording. rice found it in '75
zjroyall07 3 years ago
that's not his 28...looks like his 18 that was backed over. no white binding plus white sold his 28 and didn't own it at the time of this recording. rice didn't get the 28 back until '75
zjroyall07 3 years ago
Actually. this is NOT Tony's guitar. I happen to know Tony's guitar very well. Clarence did NOT give the guitar to Tony. Tony told me that he had to track it down through two subsequent owners to find it and buy it...for $550.00!
Martin also has made an HD-28LSH ("large sound hole") and an HD-28LSV (large soundhole vintage), both "copies" of Tony's/Clarence's guitar.
gtrpicker49 3 years ago
The soundhole modification in Tony's guitar remains a mystery. IN a video Tony made for Happy Traum & Homespun, he explians that the rumor was that Clarence supposedly snuffed his cigarette out on the soundhole rim before taking a solo, but, again...that's only a rumor. If Tony doesn't know how the soundhole got enlarged, we surely dont!
gtrpicker49 3 years ago
I've heard that Clarence would sometimes use a metal pick, even a 50 cent piece on occasion, and the soundhole edge then became shredded. Also, friends who saw him play in L.A. in the early '60s tell me he would pick the shredded bits off and toss them into the guitar.
panamintjoe 3 years ago
It's VERY inlikely the soundhole was shredded from a pick. 99.99% of soundhole wear is from fingernails...NOT picks.
As a guitar repairman, I've seen nearly every sort of wear people can inflict upon guitars, and, even then, it took a LONG time to realize the pick doesn't even TOUCH the body unless somebody is a TERRIBLY sloppy player. Clarence wasn't. Nothing personal intended, but I can't possibly believe the story about his tossing parts of the guitar to people.
gtrpicker49 3 years ago
Watch how Clarence picks in this video, and you can easily see the pick doesn't come CLOSE to doing any damage. This guitar would have shown the same sort damage Tony's guitar does it a pick had done this.
Well, again, the guitar in the video is not Tony's old Martin, anyway.
gtrpicker49 3 years ago
This is one of my most favorite songs that my brothers did.
1973sixtieschic 3 years ago
Thanks for the vid, clamp. It would be nice to see the rest of it sometime, where Bob B is asking Clarence about his picking style, timing, whether he wears pajamas to bed etc........this stuff is the best, and must see material for those not familiar with Clarence's amazing legacy.
panamintjoe 3 years ago
Clarence does this at a metronome setting of of 138 -- about 276 beats per minute. Damn....
FeralReason 3 years ago 2
Bob Baxter had a music book to go with this show.
spacepatrolman 3 years ago
In 1965 the band recorded some tunes with scotty stoneman, my all time favorite fiddler. The CD is entitled "Livin in the Past". Clarence's break on pilgrim is just unbelievable. And if you haven't heard scotty's fiddle playing, well...speaking of hendrix...
papaskip 3 years ago
Scotty was terrific, my favorite too. Some friends of mine used to see the Colonels all the time at the Ash Grove, often with Scotty showing off his trick fiddling techniques. I wish we could hear more of him.
panamintjoe 3 years ago
the greatest.
panamintjoe 3 years ago
Five star guitar picking. Thanks!!
oldcountrytunes 3 years ago
I think Jimi would've probably died to play like Clarence on an acoustic guitar, just like Clarence would have died to play like Jimi on an electric.... and since both are dead they're probably playing their heads off in heaven right now :)
JannoKlufs 3 years ago
i think jimi also said djanjo was his favorite guitarist and even named one of his bands after him. I still think jimi got everyone beat based on his creativity and approach.
btruboff 3 years ago
Jimi also told the guy from Chicago that there guitarist Terry Kath was better than him.
spacepatrolman 3 years ago
By both Gene Parsons' and Roger McGuinn's accounts, there instances where Hendrix sought out Clarence and highly praised him. And what about that tale when Jimi came backstage when Clarence was still in Nashville West? Just goes to show you, great minds can identify other ones!
Dukegrievousangel 3 years ago
i know clarence is using a martin d-28 but what is the other guy doing
flatpikinguitar 3 years ago
That's Clarence's D-18, not the -28. His -28 had the BIG soundhole (check-out Tony Rice, he owns and plays it now)....
Clarence played the -18 a lot more than the -28, especially on stuff like this. I think he maybe even had sold the D-28 when this was made.
blueridgekeith 3 years ago
That's Clarence's D-18, not the -28. His -28 had the BIG soundhole (check-out Tony Rice, he owns and plays it now)....
Clarence played the -18 a lot more than the -28, especially on stuff like this. I think he maybe even had sold the D-28 when this was made.
blueridgekeith 3 years ago
If I had to guess, its more likely his Noble guitar. The detail around the sound hole doesn't quite look like a D-18. Also, this is a little later in his career (life) and he surely had that Noble by this time.
atrailmike 3 years ago
"The other guy is doing" a D-45
blueridgekeith 3 years ago
who are the other guys
flatpikinguitar 3 years ago
Bob Baxter on guitar, Roland White (Clarence's brother) on Mando, Byron Berline on fiddle, and Alan Munde on Banjo.
blueridgekeith 3 years ago