Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/12tone Or go straight to The Ballad of John and Yoko: nebula.tv/videos/lindsayellis-the-ballad-of-john-and-yoko?ref=12tone Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) This solo was a huge pain to transcribe, so I wanted to shout out Jon Chorba of Really Easy Guitar Lessons, who had by far the most accurate transcription I could find: ua-cam.com/video/lPL4KfA1kg4/v-deo.html I still double-checked everything myself, and my transcription differs from Jon's in some places (Although who knows, maybe he's right and I'm wrong. there's certainly some parts I'm not confident on, and a few outright mistakes that I caught after filming, although nothing that would significantly affect my analysis.) but having such a good starting point made this process go a lot faster than it would have otherwise. 2) When I say Prince opted not to play the solo in rehearsal, that's glossing over a bit of nuance. Basically, Mann had been playing this song in other tribute contexts before, and so when they went to rehearse he basically assumed he'd be doing the same thing and played them by default. Gallen pulled Petty and Lynne aside to address Mann stepping on Prince's toes, but when he eventually talked to Prince himself about it, he told him not to let Mann take the middle solo. From what I can tell, it's not clear whether that had always been the plan or if he was adapting, and it's also not clear if Prince intentionally hid his solo or if he made that call once Mann interrupted him. I compressed that 'cause it wasn't the point of the story, but I wanted to acknowledge the fuller context. 3) Honestly there's not all that many F#s in the solo either: The major 6th clashes with the minor 3rd, and since the first five bars all have C in the harmony, he doesn't get a lot of space to use it. They mostly come as approach notes to G, until the octave section at the end where he does more clearly settle on the F# itself. Still, though, the complete lack of Fs makes it seem like he's thinking of the whole thing in Dorian, even if he's mostly drawing from a hexatonic pitch collection. (That is, minor with an added 2. I've seen some sources call this mainly pentatonic, but there's too much of an emphasis on B for me to feel comfortable with that analysis.) 4) Another difference between the two open-E 16th parts is that in the first one he does a really quick pull-off so you barely get the note, whereas here he lets it sit for a full 16th, giving it a clearer melodic shape. Didn't think of that 'til I was editing. 5) I realized after filming that the long gap in release between Godfather Part 2 and Part 3 might make the reference I made seem like I was saying Part _2_ was disappointing, but I was just really struggling to come up with a good pictogram for a bad sequel, and Godfather Part 3 is famously underwhelming. Sorry for any confusion. 6) In retrospect I wish I'd talked a bit more explicitly about his tendency to take an idea and repeat it over and over, and the impact that has in making his solo seem intentional and meaningful. I touched on it indirectly, but it's a really important point: A solo that's just one long string of unrelated ideas is less interesting than a solo that ties everything together, and those connections come from repetition. Sometimes this is really explicit, like that G-A bend or the lick he plays after the four-bar break, and sometimes it's more about playing around with a figure, like the pattern accelerations of that constant return to the A-B-A thing in different shapes, but the point is he's building something, and to do that he needs to acknowledge his foundation.
Irony...there was NOTHING gentle about the weaping of Prince's guitar. It was full throated sobbing and screaming in anguish. And we were here for every note of it.
he did not throw the guitar in the crowd. he threw it up, there was a stage hand who had to catch it and keep it from falling down. making the impression it just disappeared. the solo is fantastic, but this final surprise move makes it unforgettable.
seeing it thrown up without a fall actually made it feel like the guitar was an offering, wasn't sure if it was an editing trick, glad to know it was actually good stage work
It was an editing trick indeed. The same guy that held him on his back bend caught the guitar right in front of the stage. The original live cut of the performance (through a quick cut to Prince walking offstage) made it appear that the guitar disappeared. The “official” hall of fame cut totally ruined the illusion by showing the guitar being caught. Personal opinion: They should have NEVER released to 2nd edit… CHEERS!
Also, it wasn't just that he threw the guitar up in the air... It was on a strap. He lifted it up and over his head *and* his giant red hat *without touching his hat!*
When I worked at the House of Blues Sunset Strip, we had Prince come play a full 2 hour set in the concert hall, then do an hour acoustic set in the restaurant, then play another 2.5-ish hours of jazz-fusion jam session with his band in the upstairs bar/lounge area. Over the course on the night he played literally every single instrument on every stage better than almost anyone else I’ve ever seen. It’s one of my fondest memories of my time there, and really cemented him for me as probably the greatest single musician of all time. Dude was a fucking legend.
That was right after he leaned off the stage and his bodyguard or whoever caught him. I thought he looked back at Dhani as if to say "Yeah dude... I totally just did that!|
@@moustachio334 That's a myth. Jeff and the others including Dhani didn't approve of exactly what the little jackass did, which was to make this tribute to Harrison about Prince, which is what Prince always did all the time. He wasn't friends with Harrison or any of the others nor did particularly care about Harrison. I am not sure how Prince got onstage but I believe he managed it bc his management was good friends with the producer of the show. Someone might know better how Prince did it.
I was watching this live on TV as it happened (or as it was broadcast), and I did an immediate 180 on Prince. I was 12 and had only known Prince as the guy from that weird movie that was played on cable constantly. As I type this, I'm suddenly realizing I started playing guitar that same year. I might have started playing because of Prince, and never realized it.
He's an easy guy to underestimate. If you had only heard his radio hits, you could be forgiven for thinking that he's just a talented pop musician. But he's also one of the best guitarists of all time, with a thorough understanding of how to express himself on the instrument that I'm not sure anyone can match. He sung on a guitar just as surely as he did with his voice.
@bronsoncarder2491 the underrated part a lot of the mainstream didn't know about Prince was just how good he was on other instruments. The man was a virtuoso on the piano and played a mean set of drums.
I remember watching this on tv, too. I was 18. Being freshly familiar with both the song and Prince in general, when he first showed up on stage I knew to buckle up. I’m not sure if it’s his very best solo. Something like When Doves Cry is hard to beat. But for people whose ears aren’t tuned to 1980s R&B and Pop, this was the moment when his talent was on display in a way Beatles fans could immediately understand. Crazy that a Hall Of Fame performance the year you are inducted can actually garner you more recognition.
I’m a little fuzzy on the timeline, but I had the same experience with one difference: I had heard (I think before this performance) that Clapton said in an interview that Prince was the greatest living guitarist. I think it must’ve been in response to Rolling Stone’s recent list of 100 GOAT guitarists that snubbed Prince with Eric at the top. This performance wasn’t just a tribute to George, it was also a middle finger to RS (who would correct this error in their revision of the list years later)
@@bronsoncarder2491 I think it's because Prince played all the instrumentals (in the recordings) that most people don't know he's a great guitarist. The whole songs are his show. Whereas in most bands, it's like the singer and lead guitarist are a bit in opposition - singers don't sing when the guitarist gets to go off and vice versa. But each individual wants a moment to shine. Prince only had to cater to himself, so he created his vision instead of making way for somebody else.
I was never a fan of Prince. Then one day my wife said that her friend couldn’t go to a Prince concert with her and she asked me. I reluctantly agreed. What followed was the best-and still the best-concert experience of my life. Prince live was many orders of magnitude better than recorded Prince, which is itself-as I now know-sublime. Man, do I miss that guy. A highlight was seeing him from 2 feet away playing in his short lived residency in a small club in Vegas. Amazing.
The smile that Dhani gives Prince partway through the solo is one of the best parts for me. You can reinforce your solo with all the theory and technique you want, but the son of the man you're paying tribute to grinning ear to ear at you is the ultimate impact.
As someone who grew up obsessively playing Guitar Hero as a kid, I've always had a fixation on guitar solos, but I noticed that a lot of music analysis videos hardly ever devoted much time to breaking them down. I always wondered if the generally fast and chaotic nature of solos just didn't really lend themselves to detailed analysis, and perhaps they were simply better enjoyed "from a distance" instead of under the microscope of musical theory. Actually seeing a bar-by-bar breakdown of a guitar solo like this is genuinely fascinating to me.
I highly recommend you guys go check our Polyphonic here on UA-cam. He has stepped away for mental and health reasons. But before he did, he did a 5 or 6 video series on the history of the guitar solo... and it is fantastic. Stretching all the way back to the 1910s and 20s. All the way to current day.
@@ag7898 Polyphonic's guitar history series has some real flaws, though. So be aware. For one thing, he focuses on Nirvana as the pinnacle of grunge, as a rejection of traditional guitar rock, which is...Certainly a take. Cobain definitely was refining Jesus Lizard and Mudhoney, but you also had major bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and others that had multiple guitarists. hell, Nirvana brought in Pat because Cobain was kinda bad at guitar, even when sober, and they needed another who actually could reliable play. It's not a BAD history. But it is flawed. I would also say, if you're interested in solo breakdowns, look at videos focusing on jazz. Even if you aren't a jazz musician, the forms are basically the same. This is across instruments, too, for the fundamentals.
This is coming from someone who used to play Jazz. I figure guitar solos are to a degree improvised, so whereas the verse is written out, the solos have chords and scales that should be followed but no specific notes. Which is why you'll see some variation in live performances and different takes. In terms of what's written, you're just breaking down the chords. In terms of what's played, you're putting to paper something that was improvisation. Also, because solos are largely improvisation, each solo is different-sometimes minor, something major. I agree with the comment above on taking a look at jazz, because jazz is all about improvised solos. A lot of sheet music for jazz will have the chord changes written on top of the bar, as a guideline for what chords this part is and what notes to focus on for that part in a solo (though we were at a low level, so we were allowed to just make sure we were in the right scale). Though we were told those were added after the fact, and most of the greats just had an ear for knowing how to do it.
"He's more painting a picture of A Dorian..." Oh man, I don't know whether to give you a standing ovation or a hearty Bronx cheer for that one. So bad and so very good!
when all the legends are staring at you with their mouths open... i think thats proof you are the best guitarist they've ever seen ! RIP Prince Rogers Nelson. an amazing force for music.
Thank you for this analysis. I watched this solo so many times over the years. Not only because of Prince's playing, but also because of the looks of delight and disbelief on Dhani Harrison's face; that's priceless.
Another note to put the solo in "historical context": A few months prior, Rolling Stone magazine had published its first list of "100 Greatest Guitarists". As is par for the course with these lists, there were some real head-scratchers: Eddie Van Halen at #70 but Kurt Cobain at #12. Joan Jett was on it, but one name totally absent? Prince. Of course Rolling Stone and the RRHoF are (were) both controlled by Jann Wenner. So there's no doubt in my mind that part of Prince's motivation to empty his entire bag of tricks onto that solo was to send a message to Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone.
Yeah, Prince effectively wrote his message in Sharpie on the camera lens. I can understand commenters saying Prince hijacked the occasion, but that provides the perfect reason to fly that plane wherever the eff he wanted... with incredible power and finesse at that.
@@donnydarko7624I remember seeing it in the first broadcast (2004 was a banner year in my mind. Harrison, Seger, ZzTop, Jackson Browne, Prince, the Dells, and Traffic) and seeing Lynne, Petty and Dhani just smiling at his skill…
Saw this live and I remember thinking "well that was probably the greatest live solo I've ever seen, and of course it was prince. This human is an enigma."
What I love most about this solo is the absolute mastery he demonstrates here. Harrison was a legend and plenty of artists would feel intimidated to to anything but justice to the song. The way he was so comfortable with playing with a iconic song and making it his own so easily is just, beautiful. Humbling. It ascends arrogance, because arrogance fails to deliver. Prince always delivered.
I was a tour guide at paisley park for a while and it was such a treasure getting to walk into work every day and see and talk about the madcat guitar he played this solo with. fun fact! it looks like a telecaster but it was actually a cheap knockoff that, according to himself, he bought in front of a gas station from a guy for 50 bucks when he was on his way to play a show and forgot his guitar
I'm an old school "metal head" who spent high school (late 80s) and beyond listening to lots of thrash metal, speed metal, death metal, etc. Even back then, Prince was one of my "guilty pleasures", before I had ever heard that phrase. His musical IQ was so far ahead of the pack, and his feel was just mind blowing! The fact that he could take such an ICONIC song, make it his own, all without ruining the original song, just shows his mastery of his trade!
He spent the entirety of his popularity hiding his virtuosity from his pop audience… letting everyone pay attention to everything except his playing. Then every once in a while he would play guitar and surprise everyone. I wasn’t a huge fan of his music, but I was always floored when I saw him play.
If you go to the Rock hall, they have a show designed to give you the feel of attending an induction ceremony using archival footage. The solo is so legendary that it's what they use to close the show. If I had a nickel for every time Prince did a mic drop moment, cementing himself as the greatest to do a show ever, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird that I have two; one for the Rock Hall and another for the Superbowl. The man was legend.
I remember the Super Bowl halftime show! I was really looking forward to his performance, amd when he started, some of the guys I was watching the game with started making rude comments. (How weird he looks, what a wacko he is, how this show was going to suck, etc.) I finally turned to them and said "If you don't mind, SOME of us want to hear this! I guess you have no idea how good he is live?" Then, when the rain started, I took it as a sign from above! Just an AWESOME performance from a master showman!
Prince was the most phenomenal musician anyone I know has ever experienced. His guitar mastery and technique is belied by what I have come to call “Prinsimplicity”. Keep Bustin’ We miss you 💜
I’m not a musician, but I know this solo by heart. I watched it live and it felt like I was watching the moon landing (which is similar to how I felt watching Prince’s halftime show). I’m so glad to see it get the attention it deserves!
The first time I heard this solo was a life-changing experience; there were chills, goosebumps, the whole 9 yards. Sadly it was after Prince himself had passed, as well as Petty, so the experience was poignantly bittersweet. Thank you for doing this passionate cry justice.
@@micmathers1 Ok I was asking because I see there is some kind of cult around that particular performance. I get it, it's the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and a lot of people who were not "into" Prince woke up that day... But still to me it was just one of his many performances, and I don't see how this one is better than many others he's done for decades. I just watched a TV show he did in France in 2011 and his guitar playing there to me is even better than this. His playing in Montreux in 2009 is also mesmerizing. The same year, his performance on "Dreamer" on Jay Leno is mind blowing... And the list goes on. It's all there on UA-cam...
@@3ver4fter53 He is definitely one of the most underrated guitarist and song writers ever. I think you're right that because of the high profile coverage of the venue, many people became aware of his prowess. but even Clapton thought he was the best in the world.
I like the points you make about the rests/pauses. Silence and the space between notes were important to Prince/his music. He's mentioned how Miles Davis' music had that.
@@mjt5576 And the solo is all about his technical ability and totally misses the point of the song, Clapton's original solo is far superior as it really compliments the song.
@@mjt5576 yeah it was about him he was inducted that night...He reminded YOU ALL the reason you love the guitar is because Hendrix showed YOU the light. Clapton is average at best.
Prince is a very underrated guitar player. As soon as I clicked the video I knew you was gonna mention this performance. Real fans know this performance. R.I.P Prince.
@@chrismiller5875 he has more than one solo. Many, and when I mean many I mean stuff ranging from his studio work to the bagillion live shows he did over his career. From the big Stadiums, small clubs, and even the recorded jam sessions he had with all the people he worked with over the years. whether it was electric and/ or acoustic.
@@Panda_man.. I have heard him extensively over 40 years, have heard him play awful too...better than me for sure but not elite, compared to most guitarist he has a small library
@@cloudtowerphotography815 The comments show not everyone knew or knows. And I feel like he’s often overlooked when people talk about great musicians, singers, and guitar players.
@@cloudtowerphotography815 And yet not long before this concert, he was completely absent from Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Yet people like Joan Jett and Kurt Cobain were on there. Don't get me wrong, I love both of them but they don't hold a candle to Prince. People that knew, knew he was great but because he was from outside of the traditional rock, blues, metal and jazz world that dominates most such discussions, he was often overlooked. This performance and the super bowl performance that came a few years later are what finally began to change that perception.
I've never been a particular fan of Prince, not that there's anything wrong with his work its' just not my thing, but whatever else you want to say about the man, could certainly play the dang guitar. RIP
It always amazed me how few of my rocker friends failed to recognize Prince's guitar genius even when they were fans of Prince. The man murdered on guitar.
Really just par for the course for Prince, most people just never realized it because he mostly saved guitar lead cathartic extravaganzas for his live shows and not as much on singles or albums. If you didn't go, then you didn't know...
To throw another reason on the people not realizing is due to listening to classic rock stations that cut off songs like Purple Rain right before the solo because the lyrics are done or the outro solo in Let's Go Crazy. Pains me everytime. Those solos are so iconic.
"If you didn't go, then you didn't know..." Yeah, I've always found that fascinating. It's like he worked hard not to be pigeonholed as a guitar hero. Maybe he didn't think guitar heroics belonged on studio work, or maybe he didn't like "guitar hero music". I have no idea; it's just so unusual for a player of his caliber to deliberately focus attention away from his virtuosity and bust it out so selectively. Such an enigma. RIP.
Prince! This caliber of talent WE'LL NEVER SEE IT AGAIN IN THIS GERNERATION!!! He possess SICK ASS guitar chops and his ON THE SPOT improvisations is definitely on point!!!.....He is soooooo missed 😢 😪😭!
It sort of feels cliché praising Prince’s talent as a performer, but he just embraces this historically meaningful moment and hits the ball clear out of the stadium with the bases loaded. Some might think of him more as a songwriter and singer, but here he is the embodiment of the quintessential rock star/guitarist, completely at ease holding everyone’s rapt attention as he confidently scorches the earth with burning lead guitar lines that unfold as a perfectly structured instrumental solo in a song about what else? A weeping (electric) guitar. It wasn’t just great - it was truly…nay, it was F***ING awesome!
And on top of it all he was a brilliant dancer. I think in some ways its his gift to be able to move so beautifully as well as his innate theatricality that takes his perfomance to levels very few dare or are able to even reach.
@@magicdog5623 -- yes. He was absolutely electrifying. His mega stardum caused him to drift away from what he did best. He needed someone to guide his career. I would have liked to see a lot more of "Don't Stop Till..." and a lot less of him rowing a boat across the night sky singing a sacharin sweet love song to E.T.
I've always loved this solo, but I never realized just how appropriately the notes in it were chosen. This is instantly one of my favorite videos you've done.
Since the mid-90s as a teen, I have been the biggest Prince fan, grabbing every bootleg concert and aftershow I could, and have been representing his stature as the best guitar player imaginable, and people have no clue, knowing only the sexuality and pop side. Thank you for giving him his due, and teaching me just how appropriate all his choices are in this epic solo.
The best part of the video recording of this is the dude playing guitar behind everyone. The dude with the mid-2000s style bowl-cut. He knows exactly what is about to happen when Prince walks up and they kind of give eachother a little smile. And then he is having the most fun of anyone on stage.
This solo is one of the best pieces of content that UA-cam has to offer, period. I think more should see it. I'm surprised but so grateful you made this video on it!!!
Wasn't a large part of Prince's performance that night based on the act of his getting snubbed on the Rolling Stone's top Guitarists of all time list? I don't recall if that was the exact situation off the top of my head, but I remember learning about the solo myself from that
This is definitely a big part of the legend, for sure, and a likely culprit. He's been acknowledged as asking friends why his guitar playing was never acknowledgedin reviews. It's never been 100% confirmed.
This rendition of While My Guitar...was a powerful musical moment, for which no music lover needs an explanation. But anyone who plays music wants an analysis of what went into making it so powerful. I hereby declare you the most powerful music theorist ever. I don't know anyone who could have broken this great performance down in a better way. I can say that every bit of Prince's solo was While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and at the same time, entirely Prince. Thank you for being entirely 12tone.
Your intrinsic jokes are killing it! The Dr Manhattan when playing loose with time, the Dire Wolf of Game of Thrones while talking of a disappointing ending? Savage. I love it!!!
I know you think this is giving him praise or something, but he definitely knew what he was doing. He spoke the language. He wrote songs and gave them as gifts to other artists he liked so they could have huge hits. He knew. And it's not "mumbo jumbo." Music theory is the foundation. It's how you set your intention and express it. He knew.
I know Prince did that end part in Let's Go Crazy and the intro part to When Doves Cry, but I had no idea he was such a serious rock guitarist until I heard this, and that was shortly after his death. Yeah, I came late to the game, but I'm glad I didn't miss it. I knew he liked classic rock, but I never heard that in his music. This solo was breathtaking!
Prince's legacy is a touch weird to me, the man famously refused parody whatsoever until relenting somewhat in his later years, though he maintained an almost petty relationship with Weird Al. His estate is also infamously controlling and litigious of his music and image. Which is a shame because the man also did some incredibly selfless philanthropy he would keep anonymous about just because he wanted to. And he was such a god damn showman, as evident by this performance and the Super Bowl halftime where he ascended above everyone to ever do that gig. We really did lose the man too soon.
This solo is good, I wish it was on DSPs. It perfectly has all the flare, theatrics and build up of a guitar solo. Seeing the video is almost as important as hearing the solo itself
I just watched this on Nebula. Helpfully, it included a link to the performance on UA-cam, which of course I had to play immediately. And this here was at the top of the Recommendations in the right margin! Perfect!
My appreciation for Prince's talent went skyhigh after I saw this solo. I must've watched it a hundred times. The best guitar solo performance I've seen. Just unbelievable!!
...and you gotta love Tom Petty. Every time they cut to a wide shot or over to him, he just glowing with "dont talk to your pitcher during a perfect game" energy. Love to see how mortals react when legends are going off. For me, this is up on the Mount Rushmore of reimaginings with Jimi's Watchtower and Buckley's Hallelujah, even though it's just the solo.
It says something that I knew exactly which Prince performance this was about before I opened the video. "I think he knew what he is doing," basically sums up everything about this solo.
Sometimes I wonder whether all the work put into drawing is worth it, but it's moments like Kirby (9:40), Ozymandias (21:16) and Game of Thrones (22:24) showing up that make me go "Yep, totally worth it."
I love UA-cam. You've obviously been around for a while, but just found you tonight (through a rabbit hole involving Big Country and Level 42). This is the most brilliant, imaginative format for music/audio channels I've ever seen. Congrats on being THIS talented! Insta-sub.
So what your saying is that Prince is ( I say is because he lives on through his music) a thoughtful musical genius who genius is still being discovered. My favorite artist who I miss dearly.
I genuinely believe Prince is the greatest musical genius America has ever produced. Sometimes I just fall down a hole watching Prince videos on youtube and feeling sad he's gone.
I've always been a huge Clapton fan, and I still cry when I hear this cover. I don't even care that much about George Harrison (I mean he's an amazing artist but we have a whole hall of fame full of those), but the sheer raw power of this solo honors Clapton's original, but adds all the emotion of the many years that came after Clapton originally wrote it. Prince did such an amazing job capturing the essence of what this song was always supposed to be.
I enjoyed watching this on so many levels - an incredible performance by a legend, insightful musical analysis, and beautiful artwork decorating the sheet music created before our eyes - THANK YOU!!!
If you ever get a chance to go to The Rock and roll hall of fame there's a room with incredible speakers and incredible sound and they play this and it just blew me away
Please examine something by Björk some day. There’s plenty there to analyze with her vocal melodies alone and you’d be one of the only people outside of David Bennett to make a video on her
@@solipsismworld Prince made the whole thing about himself, and though technically brilliant the solo didn't fit the song at all, Clapton's original solo really complimented the song, Prince's didn't.
This performance brings tears to my eyes every single time.. Speaking of which: I’d love you to dissect Steven Wilson’s Drive Home one day - not in the last place for the guitar solo.
tbf Prince is viewed as more than a guitarist compared to those guitarists in those lists, which is true cause he did everything, but he should be top 20/top 30 at least
A huge part of the reason Prince did this is cuz Rolling Stone Magazine did a list of the 500 beat guitarists in pop music, published shortly before the ceremony, and Prince was pissed that he wasn't included. So he was literally proving a point, that he desrved to be somewhere on that list. And I'd say, point taken.
Prince is an untouchable guitarist, but I have a pet theory that his control freak tendencies sometimes bit him in the ass. Like, "I'm gonna write my own songs, perform all the instrumental tracks and do the mixing myself" is impressive as hell, but he could have trouble being objective, sort of wanting to spotlight everything at once. The guitar solo on Little Red Corvette is fucking AMAZING but it's kind of buried in the mix, I guess because he didn't want the work he put in on the other parts to get lost or whatever. I really wish it came through better.
Truly, Prince would've conquered the world with a good producer (eg Jackson and Q). The production/engineering on a lot of Prince's early albums is horrendous, even from a basic gain/level standpoint
Fascinating analysis of a wildly memorable moment in rock history. Would have loved to have seen Prince play this live with George…but hey, that’s for an alternate universe. Subscribed! 🎸
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Some additional thoughts/corrections:
1) This solo was a huge pain to transcribe, so I wanted to shout out Jon Chorba of Really Easy Guitar Lessons, who had by far the most accurate transcription I could find: ua-cam.com/video/lPL4KfA1kg4/v-deo.html I still double-checked everything myself, and my transcription differs from Jon's in some places (Although who knows, maybe he's right and I'm wrong. there's certainly some parts I'm not confident on, and a few outright mistakes that I caught after filming, although nothing that would significantly affect my analysis.) but having such a good starting point made this process go a lot faster than it would have otherwise.
2) When I say Prince opted not to play the solo in rehearsal, that's glossing over a bit of nuance. Basically, Mann had been playing this song in other tribute contexts before, and so when they went to rehearse he basically assumed he'd be doing the same thing and played them by default. Gallen pulled Petty and Lynne aside to address Mann stepping on Prince's toes, but when he eventually talked to Prince himself about it, he told him not to let Mann take the middle solo. From what I can tell, it's not clear whether that had always been the plan or if he was adapting, and it's also not clear if Prince intentionally hid his solo or if he made that call once Mann interrupted him. I compressed that 'cause it wasn't the point of the story, but I wanted to acknowledge the fuller context.
3) Honestly there's not all that many F#s in the solo either: The major 6th clashes with the minor 3rd, and since the first five bars all have C in the harmony, he doesn't get a lot of space to use it. They mostly come as approach notes to G, until the octave section at the end where he does more clearly settle on the F# itself. Still, though, the complete lack of Fs makes it seem like he's thinking of the whole thing in Dorian, even if he's mostly drawing from a hexatonic pitch collection. (That is, minor with an added 2. I've seen some sources call this mainly pentatonic, but there's too much of an emphasis on B for me to feel comfortable with that analysis.)
4) Another difference between the two open-E 16th parts is that in the first one he does a really quick pull-off so you barely get the note, whereas here he lets it sit for a full 16th, giving it a clearer melodic shape. Didn't think of that 'til I was editing.
5) I realized after filming that the long gap in release between Godfather Part 2 and Part 3 might make the reference I made seem like I was saying Part _2_ was disappointing, but I was just really struggling to come up with a good pictogram for a bad sequel, and Godfather Part 3 is famously underwhelming. Sorry for any confusion.
6) In retrospect I wish I'd talked a bit more explicitly about his tendency to take an idea and repeat it over and over, and the impact that has in making his solo seem intentional and meaningful. I touched on it indirectly, but it's a really important point: A solo that's just one long string of unrelated ideas is less interesting than a solo that ties everything together, and those connections come from repetition. Sometimes this is really explicit, like that G-A bend or the lick he plays after the four-bar break, and sometimes it's more about playing around with a figure, like the pattern accelerations of that constant return to the A-B-A thing in different shapes, but the point is he's building something, and to do that he needs to acknowledge his foundation.
I would have to say this entire exercise is a practice in "how to destroy an intuitionist". And also how to dissect an intuitionist.
Watching this, I'm mostly just heartbroken that we've lost Harrison, Petty, and Prince.
Totally. I agree.
Me too! I get very sad to know it would have taken only one true friend to save Prince. 😢
What happened next was Devine!
Blind Jeff, Stevie Ray, and Eddie.
Facts. X 3
Irony...there was NOTHING gentle about the weaping of Prince's guitar. It was full throated sobbing and screaming in anguish. And we were here for every note of it.
Commented I read on one of the videos of this performance:
"Prince's guitar aggressively wailed."
Well said
"full throated sobbing and screaming in anguish." that's an emotional thing you wrote right there. thank you.
I was screaming in anguish for the relentless jackass to shut up.
he did not throw the guitar in the crowd. he threw it up, there was a stage hand who had to catch it and keep it from falling down. making the impression it just disappeared. the solo is fantastic, but this final surprise move makes it unforgettable.
seeing it thrown up without a fall actually made it feel like the guitar was an offering, wasn't sure if it was an editing trick, glad to know it was actually good stage work
It was an editing trick indeed. The same guy that held him on his back bend caught the guitar right in front of the stage.
The original live cut of the performance (through a quick cut to Prince walking offstage) made it appear that the guitar disappeared.
The “official” hall of fame cut totally ruined the illusion by showing the guitar being caught.
Personal opinion: They should have NEVER released to 2nd edit…
CHEERS!
When it cuts to the wide you can see the guitar falling back down
Nah it’s with him in heaven. It just got a head start.
Also, it wasn't just that he threw the guitar up in the air... It was on a strap. He lifted it up and over his head *and* his giant red hat *without touching his hat!*
When I worked at the House of Blues Sunset Strip, we had Prince come play a full 2 hour set in the concert hall, then do an hour acoustic set in the restaurant, then play another 2.5-ish hours of jazz-fusion jam session with his band in the upstairs bar/lounge area.
Over the course on the night he played literally every single instrument on every stage better than almost anyone else I’ve ever seen.
It’s one of my fondest memories of my time there, and really cemented him for me as probably the greatest single musician of all time. Dude was a fucking legend.
Hands down a genius
He was up there....I've never looked at art as a competition though...
@@isaacshaver6218 nor did Prince.
What year was this?
@@joelee1195 2011, I think?
Prince told them "don't worry about it." Around the 5-minute mark of the song he smiles at the rest of the band as if he was saying "see? I told you!"
Jeff Lynne insisted Prince not to play the second solo. Prince looks at him and the other guitarist with that look for that reason.
That was right after he leaned off the stage and his bodyguard or whoever caught him. I thought he looked back at Dhani as if to say "Yeah dude... I totally just did that!|
@@Ed7501 Dhani, if I remember right, was in a bad mood and prince did that to cheer him up. Atleast that is how I heard it.
@@poppi3362he certainly did, just look at the smile little Harrison did immediately after
@@moustachio334 That's a myth. Jeff and the others including Dhani didn't approve of exactly what the little jackass did, which was to make this tribute to Harrison about Prince, which is what Prince always did all the time. He wasn't friends with Harrison or any of the others nor did particularly care about Harrison. I am not sure how Prince got onstage but I believe he managed it bc his management was good friends with the producer of the show. Someone might know better how Prince did it.
The best part is him throwing the guitar in the air and it never landed
It’s in the skies
George caught it, and you cannot convince me otherwise.
You know it’s a good solo when the stage dive/lean isn’t the only thing mentioned
Ascend to the rafters.
He was putting it away for later.
I was watching this live on TV as it happened (or as it was broadcast), and I did an immediate 180 on Prince. I was 12 and had only known Prince as the guy from that weird movie that was played on cable constantly. As I type this, I'm suddenly realizing I started playing guitar that same year. I might have started playing because of Prince, and never realized it.
He's an easy guy to underestimate. If you had only heard his radio hits, you could be forgiven for thinking that he's just a talented pop musician.
But he's also one of the best guitarists of all time, with a thorough understanding of how to express himself on the instrument that I'm not sure anyone can match. He sung on a guitar just as surely as he did with his voice.
@bronsoncarder2491 the underrated part a lot of the mainstream didn't know about Prince was just how good he was on other instruments. The man was a virtuoso on the piano and played a mean set of drums.
I remember watching this on tv, too. I was 18. Being freshly familiar with both the song and Prince in general, when he first showed up on stage I knew to buckle up.
I’m not sure if it’s his very best solo. Something like When Doves Cry is hard to beat. But for people whose ears aren’t tuned to 1980s R&B and Pop, this was the moment when his talent was on display in a way Beatles fans could immediately understand. Crazy that a Hall Of Fame performance the year you are inducted can actually garner you more recognition.
I’m a little fuzzy on the timeline, but I had the same experience with one difference: I had heard (I think before this performance) that Clapton said in an interview that Prince was the greatest living guitarist. I think it must’ve been in response to Rolling Stone’s recent list of 100 GOAT guitarists that snubbed Prince with Eric at the top. This performance wasn’t just a tribute to George, it was also a middle finger to RS (who would correct this error in their revision of the list years later)
@@bronsoncarder2491 I think it's because Prince played all the instrumentals (in the recordings) that most people don't know he's a great guitarist. The whole songs are his show. Whereas in most bands, it's like the singer and lead guitarist are a bit in opposition - singers don't sing when the guitarist gets to go off and vice versa. But each individual wants a moment to shine. Prince only had to cater to himself, so he created his vision instead of making way for somebody else.
There will never be another Prince.
He was a goddamned miracle, and a gift to the world.
Rest in peace, you absolute legend.
God I hope there will be another Prince that'd be lit
theres certainly been musicians just as brilliant but no not another Prince
@@8bitbreadbox Prince was the fullest rockstar we'll ever have. Hes a Mozart, Versace, James Brown, and an Aristotle in one man.
Bravo 👏
I was never a fan of Prince. Then one day my wife said that her friend couldn’t go to a Prince concert with her and she asked me. I reluctantly agreed. What followed was the best-and still the best-concert experience of my life. Prince live was many orders of magnitude better than recorded Prince, which is itself-as I now know-sublime. Man, do I miss that guy. A highlight was seeing him from 2 feet away playing in his short lived residency in a small club in Vegas. Amazing.
The smile that Dhani gives Prince partway through the solo is one of the best parts for me. You can reinforce your solo with all the theory and technique you want, but the son of the man you're paying tribute to grinning ear to ear at you is the ultimate impact.
Dhani knew what was about to come, he gave Prince a smile and a look right before the start of the solo.
So true Mike!
@@DietmarEugenI saw that too... Sooo good to catch Dhani like a little kid, jeje Surprise every one
Apparently he didn’t like it he thought it was showboating. At least that’s what he said in an interview after the performance
Amen.
As someone who grew up obsessively playing Guitar Hero as a kid, I've always had a fixation on guitar solos, but I noticed that a lot of music analysis videos hardly ever devoted much time to breaking them down. I always wondered if the generally fast and chaotic nature of solos just didn't really lend themselves to detailed analysis, and perhaps they were simply better enjoyed "from a distance" instead of under the microscope of musical theory. Actually seeing a bar-by-bar breakdown of a guitar solo like this is genuinely fascinating to me.
I wish there were more solo breakdowns.
I highly recommend you guys go check our Polyphonic here on UA-cam. He has stepped away for mental and health reasons. But before he did, he did a 5 or 6 video series on the history of the guitar solo... and it is fantastic. Stretching all the way back to the 1910s and 20s. All the way to current day.
@@ag7898 Polyphonic's guitar history series has some real flaws, though. So be aware. For one thing, he focuses on Nirvana as the pinnacle of grunge, as a rejection of traditional guitar rock, which is...Certainly a take. Cobain definitely was refining Jesus Lizard and Mudhoney, but you also had major bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and others that had multiple guitarists. hell, Nirvana brought in Pat because Cobain was kinda bad at guitar, even when sober, and they needed another who actually could reliable play. It's not a BAD history. But it is flawed.
I would also say, if you're interested in solo breakdowns, look at videos focusing on jazz. Even if you aren't a jazz musician, the forms are basically the same. This is across instruments, too, for the fundamentals.
@@ag7898 Thanks for the tip. That sounds great.
This is coming from someone who used to play Jazz. I figure guitar solos are to a degree improvised, so whereas the verse is written out, the solos have chords and scales that should be followed but no specific notes. Which is why you'll see some variation in live performances and different takes. In terms of what's written, you're just breaking down the chords. In terms of what's played, you're putting to paper something that was improvisation.
Also, because solos are largely improvisation, each solo is different-sometimes minor, something major.
I agree with the comment above on taking a look at jazz, because jazz is all about improvised solos. A lot of sheet music for jazz will have the chord changes written on top of the bar, as a guideline for what chords this part is and what notes to focus on for that part in a solo (though we were at a low level, so we were allowed to just make sure we were in the right scale). Though we were told those were added after the fact, and most of the greats just had an ear for knowing how to do it.
"He's more painting a picture of A Dorian..."
Oh man, I don't know whether to give you a standing ovation or a hearty Bronx cheer for that one. So bad and so very good!
Oh dang I completely missed that while trying to figure out why he drew a fish before remembering that Finding Nemo exists 😂
@@emilyrlnoh wow
I listened to this on Nebula, and had to come here to find out what listeners had to say about that line.
THE BRONX MENTIONED 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
when all the legends are staring at you with their mouths open...
i think thats proof you are the best guitarist they've ever seen !
RIP Prince Rogers Nelson. an amazing force for music.
He's no Yngwie
The very first time I heard this solo it seared into my soul. Even though I was alone I yelled " And THAT is how you play electric guitar!"
I had never heard this tribute song.
I'm in tears after listening to it for the first time.
Don’t you just love it when you happen upon a treasure?
Thank you for this analysis. I watched this solo so many times over the years. Not only because of Prince's playing, but also because of the looks of delight and disbelief on Dhani Harrison's face; that's priceless.
Another note to put the solo in "historical context": A few months prior, Rolling Stone magazine had published its first list of "100 Greatest Guitarists". As is par for the course with these lists, there were some real head-scratchers: Eddie Van Halen at #70 but Kurt Cobain at #12. Joan Jett was on it, but one name totally absent? Prince. Of course Rolling Stone and the RRHoF are (were) both controlled by Jann Wenner. So there's no doubt in my mind that part of Prince's motivation to empty his entire bag of tricks onto that solo was to send a message to Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone.
Yeah, Prince effectively wrote his message in Sharpie on the camera lens.
I can understand commenters saying Prince hijacked the occasion, but that provides the perfect reason to fly that plane wherever the eff he wanted... with incredible power and finesse at that.
@@kjaze Since he was also being inducted the same year the idea that he somehow hijacked the occasion seems preposterous.
@@donnydarko7624 I can see how getting snubbed from the Rolling Stone list would put a chip on his shoulder, but I do see your point.
@@donnydarko7624I remember seeing it in the first broadcast (2004 was a banner year in my mind. Harrison, Seger, ZzTop, Jackson Browne, Prince, the Dells, and Traffic) and seeing Lynne, Petty and Dhani just smiling at his skill…
@@donnydarko7624 No it doesn't at all and yes he did much to the disappoint of Harrison family members.
Saw this live and I remember thinking "well that was probably the greatest live solo I've ever seen, and of course it was prince. This human is an enigma."
Prince was a goddamned fucking genius and we lost so much with his death.
He stole the show. Then followed that performance with the superbowl halftime show three years later and blew everyone’s mind yet again.
22:25 "How can you possibly bring this to a conclusion without disappointing?" Draws a House Stark crest.
What I love most about this solo is the absolute mastery he demonstrates here. Harrison was a legend and plenty of artists would feel intimidated to to anything but justice to the song. The way he was so comfortable with playing with a iconic song and making it his own so easily is just, beautiful. Humbling. It ascends arrogance, because arrogance fails to deliver. Prince always delivered.
I was a tour guide at paisley park for a while and it was such a treasure getting to walk into work every day and see and talk about the madcat guitar he played this solo with. fun fact! it looks like a telecaster but it was actually a cheap knockoff that, according to himself, he bought in front of a gas station from a guy for 50 bucks when he was on his way to play a show and forgot his guitar
I'm an old school "metal head" who spent high school (late 80s) and beyond listening to lots of thrash metal, speed metal, death metal, etc. Even back then, Prince was one of my "guilty pleasures", before I had ever heard that phrase. His musical IQ was so far ahead of the pack, and his feel was just mind blowing! The fact that he could take such an ICONIC song, make it his own, all without ruining the original song, just shows his mastery of his trade!
He spent the entirety of his popularity hiding his virtuosity from his pop audience… letting everyone pay attention to everything except his playing. Then every once in a while he would play guitar and surprise everyone. I wasn’t a huge fan of his music, but I was always floored when I saw him play.
If you go to the Rock hall, they have a show designed to give you the feel of attending an induction ceremony using archival footage. The solo is so legendary that it's what they use to close the show. If I had a nickel for every time Prince did a mic drop moment, cementing himself as the greatest to do a show ever, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird that I have two; one for the Rock Hall and another for the Superbowl. The man was legend.
He certainly has more spots in the top 10 list of best live performances ever than anyone else
I remember the Super Bowl halftime show! I was really looking forward to his performance, amd when he started, some of the guys I was watching the game with started making rude comments. (How weird he looks, what a wacko he is, how this show was going to suck, etc.) I finally turned to them and said "If you don't mind, SOME of us want to hear this! I guess you have no idea how good he is live?" Then, when the rain started, I took it as a sign from above! Just an AWESOME performance from a master showman!
I’ve been a guitarist for many years, I’ve seen all the greats, Prince impressed me the most.
Prince was the most phenomenal musician anyone I know has ever experienced. His guitar mastery and technique is belied by what I have come to call “Prinsimplicity”. Keep Bustin’ We miss you 💜
I’m not a musician, but I know this solo by heart. I watched it live and it felt like I was watching the moon landing (which is similar to how I felt watching Prince’s halftime show). I’m so glad to see it get the attention it deserves!
The first time I heard this solo was a life-changing experience; there were chills, goosebumps, the whole 9 yards. Sadly it was after Prince himself had passed, as well as Petty, so the experience was poignantly bittersweet. Thank you for doing this passionate cry justice.
Nearly 20 years later and I'm still processing that performance.
Have you watched other performances by Prince on guitar since ?
@@3ver4fter53 Ya. Superbowl performance was pretty epic. He was also my first concert, but I was 11 so I couldn't comprehend it then either. 🤣
@@micmathers1 Ok I was asking because I see there is some kind of cult around that particular performance. I get it, it's the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and a lot of people who were not "into" Prince woke up that day...
But still to me it was just one of his many performances, and I don't see how this one is better than many others he's done for decades.
I just watched a TV show he did in France in 2011 and his guitar playing there to me is even better than this. His playing in Montreux in 2009 is also mesmerizing. The same year, his performance on "Dreamer" on Jay Leno is mind blowing... And the list goes on. It's all there on UA-cam...
@@3ver4fter53 He is definitely one of the most underrated guitarist and song writers ever. I think you're right that because of the high profile coverage of the venue, many people became aware of his prowess. but even Clapton thought he was the best in the world.
We will never see his like again, and the world is poorer for it.
I like the points you make about the rests/pauses. Silence and the space between notes were important to Prince/his music. He's mentioned how Miles Davis' music had that.
The moral of the story: Contrasting flavours are the spice of a good solo.
Knew it would be this performance. I love how Tom Petty and Steve Winwood go from annoyed to stunned while Prince shreds on
Yeah. They were stunned that Prince decided to make the moment about him.
@@mjt5576 And the solo is all about his technical ability and totally misses the point of the song, Clapton's original solo is far superior as it really compliments the song.
@@mjt5576 yeah it was about him he was inducted that night...He reminded YOU ALL the reason you love the guitar is because Hendrix showed YOU the light. Clapton is average at best.
@@mjt5576garbage take
I thought it would be this too, but also thought the superbowl performance may have been the pick too
Prince is a very underrated guitar player. As soon as I clicked the video I knew you was gonna mention this performance. Real fans know this performance. R.I.P Prince.
Honestly believe he is slightly overrated..one good solo don't make you an elite player
@@chrismiller5875 good thing he has multiple good solos
@@chrismiller5875 he has more than one solo. Many, and when I mean many I mean stuff ranging from his studio work to the bagillion live shows he did over his career. From the big Stadiums, small clubs, and even the recorded jam sessions he had with all the people he worked with over the years. whether it was electric and/ or acoustic.
@@Panda_man.. I have heard him extensively over 40 years, have heard him play awful too...better than me for sure but not elite, compared to most guitarist he has a small library
Prince is just underrated generally as a musician. You never hear anyone going on about him, even his fans are just like ‘yeah, he was alright’.
Prince is by far one of the most underrated musicians in rock and pop history. Thank you for giving him his due.
He was never underrated. Everybody knew how good he was.
@@cloudtowerphotography815 The comments show not everyone knew or knows. And I feel like he’s often overlooked when people talk about great musicians, singers, and guitar players.
@@cloudtowerphotography815 And yet not long before this concert, he was completely absent from Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Yet people like Joan Jett and Kurt Cobain were on there. Don't get me wrong, I love both of them but they don't hold a candle to Prince. People that knew, knew he was great but because he was from outside of the traditional rock, blues, metal and jazz world that dominates most such discussions, he was often overlooked. This performance and the super bowl performance that came a few years later are what finally began to change that perception.
I've never been a particular fan of Prince, not that there's anything wrong with his work its' just not my thing, but whatever else you want to say about the man, could certainly play the dang guitar. RIP
He played everything well. Really well. Drums, bass, keys etc
It always amazed me how few of my rocker friends failed to recognize Prince's guitar genius even when they were fans of Prince. The man murdered on guitar.
Really just par for the course for Prince, most people just never realized it because he mostly saved guitar lead cathartic extravaganzas for his live shows and not as much on singles or albums. If you didn't go, then you didn't know...
To throw another reason on the people not realizing is due to listening to classic rock stations that cut off songs like Purple Rain right before the solo because the lyrics are done or the outro solo in Let's Go Crazy. Pains me everytime. Those solos are so iconic.
He shreds harder on his first two albums; go back and take a listen to one song in particular, "Bambi."
"If you didn't go, then you didn't know..." Yeah, I've always found that fascinating. It's like he worked hard not to be pigeonholed as a guitar hero. Maybe he didn't think guitar heroics belonged on studio work, or maybe he didn't like "guitar hero music". I have no idea; it's just so unusual for a player of his caliber to deliberately focus attention away from his virtuosity and bust it out so selectively. Such an enigma. RIP.
Exactly. He does this (and better) at every live show. I've see him play far more impressive solos live many, many times - While dancing and singing.
Prince! This caliber of talent WE'LL NEVER SEE IT AGAIN IN THIS GERNERATION!!! He possess SICK ASS guitar chops and his ON THE SPOT improvisations is definitely on point!!!.....He is soooooo missed 😢 😪😭!
Prince was always shaken it up!! Loved the guy
It sort of feels cliché praising Prince’s talent as a performer, but he just embraces this historically meaningful moment and hits the ball clear out of the stadium with the bases loaded. Some might think of him more as a songwriter and singer, but here he is the embodiment of the quintessential rock star/guitarist, completely at ease holding everyone’s rapt attention as he confidently scorches the earth with burning lead guitar lines that unfold as a perfectly structured instrumental solo in a song about what else? A weeping (electric) guitar. It wasn’t just great - it was truly…nay, it was F***ING awesome!
And on top of it all he was a brilliant dancer. I think in some ways its his gift to be able to move so beautifully as well as his innate theatricality that takes his perfomance to levels very few dare or are able to even reach.
@@magicdog5623 -- yes. He was absolutely electrifying. His mega stardum caused him to drift away from what he did best. He needed someone to guide his career. I would have liked to see a lot more of "Don't Stop Till..." and a lot less of him rowing a boat across the night sky singing a sacharin sweet love song to E.T.
I've always loved this solo, but I never realized just how appropriately the notes in it were chosen. This is instantly one of my favorite videos you've done.
this video fits that magical solo played by Prince in every way - thank you so much!
Since the mid-90s as a teen, I have been the biggest Prince fan, grabbing every bootleg concert and aftershow I could, and have been representing his stature as the best guitar player imaginable, and people have no clue, knowing only the sexuality and pop side. Thank you for giving him his due, and teaching me just how appropriate all his choices are in this epic solo.
“Because he’s Prince” words that say a lot.
Can’t believe you didn’t mention his awesome hat.
The best part of the video recording of this is the dude playing guitar behind everyone. The dude with the mid-2000s style bowl-cut.
He knows exactly what is about to happen when Prince walks up and they kind of give eachother a little smile.
And then he is having the most fun of anyone on stage.
3:30 I love that when he says “is gonna pop up a lot” he draws a zubat.
This solo is one of the best pieces of content that UA-cam has to offer, period. I think more should see it.
I'm surprised but so grateful you made this video on it!!!
I think over 150 million views on UA-cam satisfies your wish that “more should see it”!
Wasn't a large part of Prince's performance that night based on the act of his getting snubbed on the Rolling Stone's top Guitarists of all time list? I don't recall if that was the exact situation off the top of my head, but I remember learning about the solo myself from that
Correct 👍
This is definitely a big part of the legend, for sure, and a likely culprit. He's been acknowledged as asking friends why his guitar playing was never acknowledgedin reviews. It's never been 100% confirmed.
PRINCE Killed it !!!!!👌🏼
I only needed to hear that opening guitar note and I knew what performance we were going to be hearing about.
This rendition of While My Guitar...was a powerful musical moment, for which no music lover needs an explanation. But anyone who plays music wants an analysis of what went into making it so powerful.
I hereby declare you the most powerful music theorist ever. I don't know anyone who could have broken this great performance down in a better way. I can say that every bit of Prince's solo was While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and at the same time, entirely Prince.
Thank you for being entirely 12tone.
Your intrinsic jokes are killing it! The Dr Manhattan when playing loose with time, the Dire Wolf of Game of Thrones while talking of a disappointing ending? Savage. I love it!!!
I feel so lucky to find this analysis. The depth of observation and analysis is amazing.🤩
You could hear the stages of grief in Prince's solo.
Prince didn't even think about all this mumbo jumbo....he just felt the music and played.
THATS ALL HE DID....GOT TO BE BORN TO IT.
This is all I could think about during the video.
Bullshit. He knew theory. And it shows
@@risingphoenix1484 obviously you're not a golfer.
I know you think this is giving him praise or something, but he definitely knew what he was doing. He spoke the language. He wrote songs and gave them as gifts to other artists he liked so they could have huge hits. He knew. And it's not "mumbo jumbo." Music theory is the foundation. It's how you set your intention and express it. He knew.
Analysing this performance with anything approaching accuracy, is an achievement in and of itself. You should be proud.
I know Prince did that end part in Let's Go Crazy and the intro part to When Doves Cry, but I had no idea he was such a serious rock guitarist until I heard this, and that was shortly after his death. Yeah, I came late to the game, but I'm glad I didn't miss it. I knew he liked classic rock, but I never heard that in his music. This solo was breathtaking!
Prince, consumate songwriter, guitarist, performer, musician and a wonderful individual the likes of which will never be seen again 😢
Prince's legacy is a touch weird to me, the man famously refused parody whatsoever until relenting somewhat in his later years, though he maintained an almost petty relationship with Weird Al. His estate is also infamously controlling and litigious of his music and image. Which is a shame because the man also did some incredibly selfless philanthropy he would keep anonymous about just because he wanted to. And he was such a god damn showman, as evident by this performance and the Super Bowl halftime where he ascended above everyone to ever do that gig.
We really did lose the man too soon.
I love this explanation of one of my favorite solos ever! And I even like your illustrations!!💐
This solo is good, I wish it was on DSPs. It perfectly has all the flare, theatrics and build up of a guitar solo. Seeing the video is almost as important as hearing the solo itself
This cover is on spotify, if that's what you mean, on the album Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Volume 8
@@fox_power Oh wow, I wasn't aware. I'd searched for it before but couldn't find it. Thank you!
I’ve watched his solo hundreds of times. AMAZING is all you can say
I just watched this on Nebula. Helpfully, it included a link to the performance on UA-cam, which of course I had to play immediately. And this here was at the top of the Recommendations in the right margin! Perfect!
That's what I always liked about Prince is his emotional range and organic humanity in everything he does. There is nothing out of reach for him.
Dog I already KNEW what solo it was gonna be. I just already knew.
Me too. Legendary freaking solo.
Reads the title/
"This better be Prince at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"
Reads thumbnail: "It's Prince."
"YES!"
Me too! First thing that sprang to mind. Says a lot about that solo doesn’t it?
My appreciation for Prince's talent went skyhigh after I saw this solo. I must've watched it a hundred times. The best guitar solo performance I've seen. Just unbelievable!!
God, this cover is like a yawn! the second I even think about it I have to immediately go listen to it at least twice!
That was great. Truly one of the great performances.
...and you gotta love Tom Petty. Every time they cut to a wide shot or over to him, he just glowing with "dont talk to your pitcher during a perfect game" energy. Love to see how mortals react when legends are going off.
For me, this is up on the Mount Rushmore of reimaginings with Jimi's Watchtower and Buckley's Hallelujah, even though it's just the solo.
I’ve been saying this is one of the greatest guitar solos ever since I first saw it years ago.
Comes in and the spot hits him, leans back into the audience, throws the guitar and pimp-walks away, final boss.
It says something that I knew exactly which Prince performance this was about before I opened the video.
"I think he knew what he is doing," basically sums up everything about this solo.
Brilliant analysis. Thank you
Ide have to say Princes While my guitar gently weeps by Prince blew me away..Amazing..
Sometimes I wonder whether all the work put into drawing is worth it, but it's moments like Kirby (9:40), Ozymandias (21:16) and Game of Thrones (22:24) showing up that make me go "Yep, totally worth it."
Dr. Manhattan.
@@wbfaulk that's right!
I love UA-cam. You've obviously been around for a while, but just found you tonight (through a rabbit hole involving Big Country and Level 42). This is the most brilliant, imaginative format for music/audio channels I've ever seen. Congrats on being THIS talented! Insta-sub.
Prince is the Greatest of all time period Prince u are truly missed by the world💜 my brotha 4life and beyond see you soon in the purple💜 rain 💜🙏🏾
This solo is so much more than just the music too, the showmanship is easily the greatest ever.
Dude I needed this analisis. TY
So what your saying is that Prince is ( I say is because he lives on through his music) a thoughtful musical genius who genius is still being discovered.
My favorite artist who I miss dearly.
The Greatest Romance That's Ever Been Soloed
Phenomenal video. Thank you for this. What a great breakdown of a beautiful musical moment.
I genuinely believe Prince is the greatest musical genius America has ever produced. Sometimes I just fall down a hole watching Prince videos on youtube and feeling sad he's gone.
Probably because your music knowledge is very limited.
Oh brother.
That was a very cool video. Thank you
I've always been a huge Clapton fan, and I still cry when I hear this cover. I don't even care that much about George Harrison (I mean he's an amazing artist but we have a whole hall of fame full of those), but the sheer raw power of this solo honors Clapton's original, but adds all the emotion of the many years that came after Clapton originally wrote it. Prince did such an amazing job capturing the essence of what this song was always supposed to be.
Nope
I enjoyed watching this on so many levels - an incredible performance by a legend, insightful musical analysis, and beautiful artwork decorating the sheet music created before our eyes - THANK YOU!!!
25 or 6 to 4... same descending bass line over Am so D9/f# etc
which is why the Am focus works throughout
If you ever get a chance to go to The Rock and roll hall of fame there's a room with incredible speakers and incredible sound and they play this and it just blew me away
Please examine something by Björk some day. There’s plenty there to analyze with her vocal melodies alone and you’d be one of the only people outside of David Bennett to make a video on her
There's a UA-cam channel called Augusto that has done some videos analysing Björk's music.
Awesome. I knew the guitar solo you are talking about! I'm on my knees! Thank you!
Dhanis orgasmic glee at every moment of this solo is the best
Unfortunately Dhani's comments since the event have made it clear he didn't appreciate the solo. Disappointing.
@@solipsismworld Prince made the whole thing about himself, and though technically brilliant the solo didn't fit the song at all, Clapton's original solo really complimented the song, Prince's didn't.
This performance brings tears to my eyes every single time.. Speaking of which: I’d love you to dissect Steven Wilson’s Drive Home one day - not in the last place for the guitar solo.
Prince is never included in those stupid "greatest guitar player ever" polls you see on here, and that's a goddamn travesty.
tbf Prince is viewed as more than a guitarist compared to those guitarists in those lists, which is true cause he did everything, but he should be top 20/top 30 at least
A huge part of the reason Prince did this is cuz Rolling Stone Magazine did a list of the 500 beat guitarists in pop music, published shortly before the ceremony, and Prince was pissed that he wasn't included. So he was literally proving a point, that he desrved to be somewhere on that list. And I'd say, point taken.
As a beginner guitar player the way you use pictures and drawing to help illustrate the music is so helpful!
Prince is an untouchable guitarist, but I have a pet theory that his control freak tendencies sometimes bit him in the ass. Like, "I'm gonna write my own songs, perform all the instrumental tracks and do the mixing myself" is impressive as hell, but he could have trouble being objective, sort of wanting to spotlight everything at once. The guitar solo on Little Red Corvette is fucking AMAZING but it's kind of buried in the mix, I guess because he didn't want the work he put in on the other parts to get lost or whatever. I really wish it came through better.
That solo is dez Dickerson
Sheila E. was one of the few musicians who could tell him off and he'd listen.
Truly, Prince would've conquered the world with a good producer (eg Jackson and Q). The production/engineering on a lot of Prince's early albums is horrendous, even from a basic gain/level standpoint
Was he really an 'untouchable' guitarist, though?
@luke5100 He brought contemporary hard rock ideas into a funk context in a way that was fairly unusual for the time.
Fascinating analysis of a wildly memorable moment in rock history. Would have loved to have seen Prince play this live with George…but hey, that’s for an alternate universe. Subscribed! 🎸
My favourite cover of this song is probably the one by Jeff Healey. I'd love to see a video about some of his works
I've always felt that this was the best someone ever got to play the guitar, I showed all my friends it. Now I can show them this video!