While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Dublin CA fans were saddened to learn that acclaimed guitarist and musician Prince has died at age 57.  Not only was Prince an incredible and creative songwriter and a great performer on stage, but he also was a highly experienced guitarist who often put jaws on the floor when he took a solo. Prince’s full name was Prince Rogers Nelson. He was a guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and could play multi-instruments. He and his music revolutionized the industry. Prince was known for his diverse on-stage work, flamboyant stage presence, extravagant dress and makeup, and wide vocal range.

The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can – Prince

Quartz points to an interview in which Miles Davis discussed Prince: “His father took him to see James Brown when he was young, he got on the stage and danced with him. He has that, he has Jimi Hendrix, and Marvin Gaye. … He combines all that, all the time. That’s what he is. And his concept on the stage is like Charlie Chaplin.” Davis later compared Prince to Brown, Gaye, Hendrix, and Chaplin again in his 1989 autobiography, this time adding Sly, Little Richard, and Duke Ellington to the mix. “I think Prince’s music is pointing toward the future,” he wrote.”
He was born in Minneapolis in 1958 and developed an interest in music when he was very young. He bagged his first recording contract with Warner Bros. at the age of eighteen. Prince released his album ‘For You’ in 1978. His album Prince (1979) went multiplatinum, while his other three records ‘Dirty Mind’ (1980), ‘Controversy’ (1981), and 1999 (1982) also received success.

Rolling Stone had placed him at number 33 among 100 Greatest Guitarists. According to Rolling Stone he arguably played the greatest power-ballad guitar solo in history (“Purple Rain”), and his solo on an all-star performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” during George Harrison’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2004 had jaws on the floor. But he could also bring the nasty funk like Jimmy Nolen and Nile Rodgers (listen to the groove magic of “Kiss”) or shred like the fiercest metalhead (“When Doves Cry”). Sometimes his hottest playing simply functions as background “Gett Off” and “Dance On.” Prince got a lot of Hendrix comparisons, but he saw it differently, “If they really listened to my stuff, they’d hear more of a Santana influence than Jimi Hendrix,” he once told Rolling Stone. “Hendrix played more blues, Santana played prettier.”

He was a legendary music player from 1980s until his death, and he was best known for songs such as “Purple Rain”, “Little Red Corvette”, “1999”, and “When Doves Cry”. Prince the singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive guitarist.

I am Rex Lee Bell and I am the founder of Guitar Confidence which provides mobile guitar lessons. I normally go to my client’s home to give personal one-on-one lessons in the privacy of their own home. Guitar Confidence covers Dublin, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Livermore and all cities in east and south bay.

Prince’s death is a great loss to the entire music industry, he was a true performer. A person that departs from this earth never truly leaves, and for someone like Prince he will always live in our hearts and minds, through us, they live on. We in Dublin, though saddened by the loss, and while our guitars gently weep, bid Prince a’safe travels to his next engagement.

Watch this video of Prince playing with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others perform “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at the 2004 Hall of Fame Inductions. Only he could steal the stage from a group of performers who were on that stage.

In-Home Guitar Lessons – Danville

You don’t have to be a professional to play music. Close your eyes, take a deep breath.. And let it out. Let the violin dance, the guitar fascinate, the flute sing, the piano composes. Just. Let. It. Go. – The Baka Violinist

Learning how to play the guitar in Danville CA does not have to be difficult, or scary. It more convenient and easy to learn guitar with in-person guitar lessons. Today, many people wanting to learn how to play the guitar try to use online videos,  but online videos cannot assess your current skills and help you take guitar playing to the next level.

The number one thing any aspiring musician needs is discipline and a timetable to make sure you practice with a strict, yet flexible schedule. Virtual guitar lessons give you the flexibility, but not the discipline.

At GuitarConfidence.com, we look at all the variables that give students the confidence to master their instrument in the real world. How do I hold it? How do I operate the knobs on the head? What part of my finger should be hitting the string on the upstroke? At Guitar Confidence, our instructor Rex Lee Bell will give you all the necessary instruction, demonstration, and exercises for the very basics of operating a guitar so that you can master them in literally no time, and quickly move on to thinking about taking your guitar learning skills to the next level.

Figuring out how to play the guitar, especially with no musical background, can be an endless journey. Rex will always encourage you to start this musical journey with small little steps. Most beginners who have tried to learn how this musical instrument with Rex, have found that slow and an easy paced approach were the best for them in the beginning of their guitar learning career. There is no falling behind when you practice with Rex, you may or may not race through, but if you need to drill on the basics. If you need more explanation on the fundamentals, then Rex will always be there to provide you with all the help which you need when you learn how to play guitar – with in-home lessons in Danville!.

Rex’s guitar teaching system is great for beginners and accomplished guitar players. He uses different sets of methodologies for teaching both beginners and accomplished players. And the best part about Rex is that he will come to your home and give you private lessons in the comfort of your home. Whether you just want to play for pleasure, or want to learn guitar, Rex will help you with your dream and provide you with one-to-one guitar instruction.

So, if you are a beginner, or if you have some knowledge about playing guitar and want to continue learning, then contact us and Rex can help you learn guitar at your home. Rex has been doing mobile guitar lessons for many years. Guitar Confidence covers over 30 cities in the East Bay and South Bay areas; including Benicia, Berkeley, Clayton, Concord, Crocket, Danville, Dublin, Fairfield, Hercules, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Vallejo, & Walnut Creek, CA.

“You can pick up a ukulele and anybody can learn to play a couple of tunes in a day or even a few hours. And if you want to get good at it, there’s no end to what you can do.” – Joe Brown

Led by pop culture stars such as Taylor Swift, Eddie Vedder and Jack Johnson, the resurgence of the ukulele particularly among the younger generation, correlates with its music carefree, delightful and fun. Let us take a look at some of the famous ukulele players who actually played or play ukulele as their primary musical instrument. Some might even surprise you!

Neil Armstrong: He has to be in this list. Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon just loved to play the ukulele. As a matter of fact after returned back from his moon mission he spent several weeks in quarantine while scientists at the time feared that he may have picked up strange bacteria while in space. But the reality was that he spent much of this time in quarantine strumming his ukulele.

George Harrison: An English guitarist, singer, and songwriter achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles, loved the ukulele. He even played the instrument on the Beatles Anthology album, adding a part to the album’s new offering from the Beatles.

Paul McCartney: He is an English singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and a composer. Along with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as the bassist of the rock band the Beatles. Paul McCartney is again a fantastic ukulele player. After the death of George Harrison, Paul McCartney paid tribute to George Harrison and the Ukulele on his world tour in 2014.

Jake Shimabukuro: He is a ukulele virtuoso and composer known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines basics of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Shimabukuro’s mother gave him an ukulele at age four and he quickly took an interest in the instrument, playing it many hours a day. His mother, an accomplished ukulele player and singer, was his first teacher. He came to limelight when someone posted a virtuosic video of him playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on YouTube. The video quickly went viral, and has received over 13 million views.

Taylor Swift: Pop culture stars such as Taylor Swift, has made ukulele very famous among teenagers. Ukulele which many people did not know has again come to life with these young pop stars taking up this musical instrument has made it very popular.

Eddie Vedder: The video for “Longing to Belong,” the first single from Eddie Vedder’s new solo album Ukulele Songs, is just as simple and low-key as the song itself. Abstracted footage of the ocean and Hawaiian palm trees are cut with images of Vedder, decked out in an uncharacteristically fancy suit, strumming his ukulele and looking very pensive.

For its dainty size, the ukulele can make a powerfully cheerful sound, and it’s an instrument both beginners and expert players can learn and easily carry around. So if you are pondering whether to buy a ukulele or not – just look what honoured company you will be in!

There are not many ukulele instructors around East Bay, so if you are looking for ukulele lessons then contact me @ (925) 695-7060. We provide private in-home ukulele lessons throughout the East Bay including: Benicia, Berkeley, Clayton, Concord, Crocket, Danville, Dublin, Fairfield, Hercules, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Vallejo, & Walnut Creek, CA. I am Rex Lee Bell and I have over 40 years of experience as a musician, music instructor, arranger and performing artist. I have been a guitar and ukulele player in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City recording and performing with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Wild Cherry, The Drifters, Tammy Wynette, Jackson Brown, The Pointer Sisters, Tower of Power and many others.

Playing or listening to some of your favorite guitarists can instantaneously rejuvenate you and is perhaps the most popular modern instrument. It is perhaps the versatility and the charisma of this musical instrument that has seen it become the central instrument in the vast majority of popular music.

Think you know a lot about guitar trivia? You will find people spreading incomplete or partial knowledge about guitars. Let me provide you with some guitar facts which you probably never knew.

1. The first musical instrument to bear the name Guitar appeared in the 13th century, it has its origins in the Latin word Cithara. It was not until the 1200s that an instrument began to use the name. Guitarra Moresca, the Moorish Guitar and Guitarra Latina the Latin Guitar. The Spanish Vialo do Mano was perhaps the modern guitar’s closest ancestor, however. Appearing in the 15th century, it usually had 6 strings, and a familiar body shape, resembling a modern acoustic.  
2. Playing guitar or listening to music keeps brain healthy: Music is a great medicine for brain and reverses the aging of brain. Research conducted have found listening to music improve cognitive function. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.” – Charles J. Limb, M.D., Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist.
3. ‘Reach out to Asia’ Fender Stratocaster is the world’s most expensive guitar priced at $2.7million: The world’s most expensive guitar was auctioned in Doha in 2005. The guitar was signed by 19 performers – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Mark Knopfler, Ray Davis, Liam Gallagher, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi, Angus and Malcolm Young, Paul McCartney, Sting, Ritchie Blackmore, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams. “Reach Out To Asia”, what this project came to be known as was an idea to raise funds to help the victims of the 2004 Tsunami Disaster. The music world came together to help aid the massive disaster that affected millions.
4. Fender factory makes around 90,000 strings per day. This is over 20,000 miles a year, enough to circle the world. The company also makes around 950 guitar necks a day.
5. Leo Fender who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company and the inventor of Fender guitars was as saxophonist and never learned how to play guitar. In addition to that, he in fact was an accountant before losing his job in the Great Depression. After losing his job, he decided to turn his hobby of tinkering with electronics, radios, amplifiers, and the like, into a business, “Fender Radio and Record Shop”, which eventually led to what is now known as the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

I am Rex Lee Bell, a guitarist and a guitar instructor with over 40 years of experience as a musician. I have been a studio guitarist in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City recording and performing with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Paul Simon, Michael Jackson and many others.

If you are a beginner or if you have some knowledge about playing guitar and want to continue learning then contact me, I can help you learn guitar at your home. I have been doing mobile guitar lessons for many years. Guitar Confidence covers over 30 cities in the East Bay and South Bay areas; including Benicia, Berkeley, Clayton, Concord, Crocket, Danville, Dublin, Fairfield, Hercules, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Vallejo, & Walnut Creek, CA.

 

“Love is like nothing else on this earth, but only when it is shared with someone wonderful like you.”- Mandy Moore

Valentine’s Day is approaching and nothing says “I love you” better than a gifting your valentine a gift which he or she will cherish throughout their life. Finding the right valentine gift can be tricky because this special day carries varying levels of significance for different couples. Valentine’s Day can also be a minefield. You do not want to go overboard and freak him or her out, and you might also still be recovering from your Christmas expenses. Nevertheless, let us be honest, not doing anything probably would not go over so well. So, how about chocolates and flowers? Chocolate and flowers are great, but if you are looking to really wow that person in your life this Valentine’s Day, then you will have to think outside of the heart-shaped box.

Take a break from the usual boxed chocolates, flowers, and greeting cards this Valentine’s Day. Instead, gift your valentine a Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo or Mandolin lesson. No love story can be complete without music and we will provide that music in your life, not just provide the music we will help you learn that music so that music never leaves your beautiful life. Also learning any musical instrument is a great way to keep yourself occupied and define a new you. It always brings out the best in you.

So, now if you are looking for a gift other than a teddy bear and chocolates for Valentine’s Day, look no further than Guitar Confidence. Love is a wonderful feeling, and there is no better way to express it than with music. Just words are rarely adequate to describe the different feelings in love, be it the joy, the passion or the ardour. We, at Guitar Confidence understand it very well and we have crafted the perfect gift offer for your valentine!

Here is our Valentine’s Day Limited Edition!

Buy our V-Day package at 60% discount. Yeah that’s right not 20% or 30% but at 60% discounted price. The package includes the following things

• Six 30 minutes private guitar lessons
• Gift envelope with 6 gift certificates
• Two free Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo or Mandolin method books valued at $50

So, fall in love with savings this Valentine’s Day. You can get your sweetheart something special without emptying your wallet. We will provide you with the best gift to make your day a memorable one.

At Guitar Confidence, Rex Lee Bell provides lessons for Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo and Mandolin. We are confident that you will find our unique teaching style and vast experience perfect for taking your learning skills to the next level.  And, if you are located in the Greater East Bay Area, you have the option of having your lesson in the convenience of your own home! That is we will come to your home and provide private in-home guitar, banjo, ukulele, and mandolin lessons.

Rex’s way of teaching is great for beginners and accomplished Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo and Mandolin players.

Our master trainer Mr. Rex Lee Bell, Rex has over 40 years of experience as a musician, music instructor, arranger and performing artist. He has been a guitarist in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City recording and performing with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Wild Cherry, The Drifters, Tammy Wynette, Jackson Brown, The Pointer Sisters, Tower of Power and many others. His formal education was at Berklee College of Music, Boston MA where he majored in music arranging & composition. Mr. Bell studied classical guitar at New England Conservatory, Boston MA. He has studied under musical greats, e.g., Ron Parker, Harry Lahee, George Barrey, Warren Nunes, Don Haas and Judy Davis.

Come join us and feel the music within you!

Guitarists are hard to surprise, so if you are wondering what to give that special guitar player in your life, check out these gift suggestions especially for guitarists.

Last week it was my friend’s birthday, a guitarist. I gifted him a set of personalized guitar picks and he just loved it. I knew that he would like my gift because I’m a guitarist too and I know what guitarists love to carry with them. It was right about that time when I realized that many ofour friends and family members play guitars and sometime we may not know what to gift him or her on special occasions. Therefore, I decided to write this blog for my friends to help them with gift ideas for guitar players. No longer worry over what to buy for Christmas or on the birthday of your favorite guitar friend.

You could consider other expensive gift optionsbut sometimes finding the right gift for a person who is impossible to buy for means looking for something they never would have asked for. That makes it priceless!

Here goes the list of ideas…

Personalized Guitar Picks

Personalized guitar picks are one of unique gifts that nobody else will ever have. These are custom-made picks with whatever name and style you want, this will be something fun for them to have on hand.

Marshall Mini Guitar Amp

These little devils are styled on their Iconic big brothers and have become really popular for festivalgoer’s and buskers alike. Classic Marshall grille cloth; crunchy distortion; and plenty of volume for good, clean fun. Marshall mini amps, though small, pack a punch, are very cool, portable and no guitarist should be without one. These are fun,affordable and let you rock on the move, and are ideal gifts for any guitarist.

Rock Recycled Guitar String Bracelets

Somewhere there is a guitar string graveyard. Random strings that popped out or destroyed are getting another life. Thanks to these handmade Rock Recycled Guitar String Bracelets. Choose which color you want holding the bracelet together black, blue, red, or any other color and save a guitar string’s life.

Guitar LED Lighter

These replicas of a Classic Led Paul Guitar have real steel strings hooked up to replica tuning machines and features chrome “humbuckers” and contrast pick guard. Each lighter features a fully adjustable flame and electronic ignition. This will get everyone’s attention and makes a perfect gift for smokers who likes music and cool lighters.

Guitar Wall Clock

Thewall clocks designed in the shape of a guitar are a wonderful way to brighten up an office or a room with guitar décor. There are different types of guitar wall clocks to choose from, it all depends on what you think he or she would appreciate looking at on a daily basis.

Guitar Wallet

I’m not sure if you know this fact or not but guitarists are known for keeping an extra pick in their pocket or in their wallet, so why not give them a wallet that is designed to hold it? And let me tell you it looks pretty cool.

Guitar Ice Cube Drink Stir Stick

This is for guitariststhose who love to drink. This guitar drink stir stick can be a perfect gift. The ice tray makes ice shaped just like the body of the guitar. It’s now time to kick back and chill with your guitar friend by dropping these groovy guitars into thedrink, and give it a stir. Just the thing for jazzing up the beverage.

LED Learning Guitar by Fretlight

Fretlight LED learning guitar lights is a great way to learn guitar. It uses LED lighting to show learners finger placement on a guitar neck, with lights triggered in response to video-based lessons and/or software on a computer.

Guitar Pick Maker

Almost every guitarist needs a constant supply of guitar picks so this Pick Maker allows punching out guitar picks from the likes of credit cards, loyalty cards or anything else that we can think of.

Guitar Coffee Mug

The guitar coffee mug is a cool gift; this gift is especially for your guitar friend who loves his guitar and at the same time need a constant supply of caffeine. A guitar lover would surely love this mug!

“In certain ways I still feel like I’m finding my way. I feel pretty comfortable playing acoustic guitar and singing, but then I feel pretty good sitting on a reggae groove as well” – Colin Hay

Acoustic guitars produce sound themselves; you don’t need an amplifier like an Electric guitar. Acoustic guitar is also known as Dreadnaught guitar, folk guitar, flat-top guitar or steel string guitar. The guitar’s body is made of wood and the sound produced by it is bright, brassy, deep and forceful which gives sheer pleasure to everyone’s ear.Acoustic guitar generates sound acoustically, which is by transferring the string’s vibration to the air through the bridge and saddle to the top plate of the guitar’s body. Today most acoustic guitars come in six or twelve string variation, but there are also custom-made acoustic guitars with higher number of strings or with a modified body.

Guitar is one of the most influential musical instruments in today’s culture, and acoustic guitar has retained its place for a long duration time and it seems that the legacy of acoustic guitar among music lovers will never fade away. People can easily recognize the sound produced by an acoustic guitar but very few would actually know the colorful history behind this wonderful musical instrument.

History of acoustic guitar dates back to over 4000 years. Throughout the years these musical instrument with strings have undergone metamorphosis to become the modern day acoustic guitar.

Guitar’s descendants,mostly with four strings came to Europe from Egypt and Mesopotamia. Duringfourteenth century, Latin and Moorish guitars were discussedas guitars. GuitarraMorescawas the name given to Moorish guitar which had a wide fingerboard, rounded back, and many sound holes. While the Latin guitar which was known as guitarralatina, was different from that of GuitarraMoresca,it had one sound hole and the neck was much narrower.By fifteenth century, guitars with four double stringbecame popular which were similar to lutes. In the sixteenth century five string guitarrabattenteappeared in Italy which replaced the four strings chitarra created during the same period. During seventeenth century, guitar became popular in Europe, and toward the end of the eighteenth century six string guitars started to appear.

By early nineteenth century, in around 1850, Antonio Torres, a Spanish guitar makerincreased the size of the body which made it louder, altered the proportions giving shape to modern acoustic guitar. It came to be known as Spanish guitar, which is still played in recent times.

So, that’s how acoustic guitar came into existence, which is used to play different types of music like folk, country, ragtime, blues, and pop. These guitars are available in two variants, one is the steel-string and the other is the classical. The steel-strings guitars produce a metallic sound that is a constituent of several trendy music styles while the classical guitars have a wide neck and utilize nylon strings. Steel-string guitar produces louder music than the classical guitar.

At the end of twenty-first century, we all know what an acoustic guitar is, legends like Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, Phil Keaggy, John Fahey, and the list goes on, all played and play acoustic guitar.

Whether steel-string or classical, playing acoustic guitars will strengthen your fingers as you press down on the strings to make chord shapes. So, it is one of the best guitars to start your guitar learning process. If you are a beginner or if you have some knowledge about playing guitar and want to continue learning thencontact us, Rex Lee Bell can help you learn guitar at your home. Rex has now been doing mobile guitar lessons for many years and brings the joy of guitar to anyone who wants to learn guitar.We travel to over 30 cities in the East Bay and South Bay areas; including Danville, San Ramon, Dublin & Pleasanton.