“I hate guitar jams because they usually get competitive. You have to breathe, be true to yourself and think, ‘This has to be music’”: Folk icon Richard Thompson on tuning revelations, keeping his chops up, and why you won't find him in a guitar jam

Richard Thompson performs onstage during a daytime festival appearance with a Daphne Blue Fender Stratocaster – he wears a black shirt and black hat.

Dating back to his years with Fairport Convention and continuing through his solo career – which has included dozens of albums, memorable songs and notable collaborations – Richard Thompson has made a habit of upending the norms when it comes to folk music.

His use of altered tunings and myriad interesting arrangements has made him stand out as both a songwriter and a guitarist, since breaking onto the scene with his brooding, brilliant guitar playing with Fairport Convention in the ’60s.