“Every day I feel is a blessing from God, and I consider it a new beginning. Yeah everything is beautiful” – Prince 

When George Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, as a mark of respect, Mr. Harrison’s one of the famous Beatles song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was performed on stage by a group of legendary musicians which included Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison (George’s son), Prince and others. Then guitarist Marc Mann played Eric Clapton solo from the album version of the song. During all this time Prince whose performance went unnoticed burnt the stage. Prince, who essentially stood in the dark for most of the performance, burned the stage to the ground at the song’s end in the last three minutes. It is quite possibly the greatest guitar solo ever by Prince at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Here are some of Prince’s greatest Billboard hits:

“When Doves Cry”

Prince wrote this song for his movie Purple Rain. “When Doves Cry” is the first worldwide hit of Prince, mainly for being the central theme of his 1984 movie Purple Rain. In the opening stanza of this lead single from Purple Rain, Prince teases listeners with guitar pyrotechnics, then picks it up again and continues wailing away on his instrument until the end of the song.

“Kiss”

“Kiss” is a 1986 single by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Parade. The “Kiss” track is just forever, it has to be one of the most played club song of all the time. It is so popular that even today you will find it playing in some of the most recognised clubs around the world. They way Prince played his guitar is truly a class act.

 

“Let’s Go Crazy”

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate this thing called life”. This song is one of the main highlights from the classic Prince and the Revolution album Purple Rain. It was the opening track on both the album and the film Purple Rain. “Let’s Go Crazy” is one of Prince’s most popular songs and is one of the greatest guitar solos of all time.

 

“Cream”

“Cream” is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls. This song was written by Prince. In the US, “Cream” hit number 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in November, 1991.

“Batdance”

“Batdance” was a funk-hip-hop-rock fusion that incorporated actual dialogue from Michael Keaton’s Batman and Jack Nicholson’s Joker over its driving beats. Anything but conventional, fans loved it. “Batdance” became Prince’s fourth number-one single. The hit single is from the 1989 film ‘Batman’.

For someone as multi-talented as Prince, it’s hard to highlight any one as aspect of his amazing craft. In this blog I have tried to highlight some of his best music which were a Billboard hit plus liked by me. The list of music is endless and we at GuitarConfidence.com and the city of Dublin will miss this famous guitarist for rest of our life.
My name is Rex and I am the founder of GuidarConfidence.com which provides mobile guitar lessons. I have over 40 years of experience as a musician, music instructor, arranger and performing artist. Guitar Confidence provides private in-home or studio guitar & banjo 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.

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Do you think you paid a lot for your new acoustic or electric guitar? Take a look at the prices paid for these guitars.

Number 10 is Jerry Garcia’s ‘Wolf’ Guitar – $789,500

“Wolf” was created by Doug Irwin and was played by Jerry Garcia during 1973 and 1993. Jerry got Doug Irwin’s first guitar in 1972, it was called Eagle. Jerry liked the guitar so much that he asked Irwin to design more guitars for him, and Jerry got the “Wolf”.Jerry Garcia’s will stated that after his death, all the Irwin designed guitars should be returned to Doug Irwin. Irwin sold “Wolf” at an auction for $ 789,500.

Number 9 is Eric Clapton’s 1939 Martin 000-42 -$791,500

Eric Clapton sold this acoustic guitar for his Crossroads Rehabilitation Center, a charity organization. He played one of his famous songs “Tears in Heaven” using this guitar, and laterappeared on MTV Unplugged performing an all acoustic set using his 1939 Martin.

Number 8 isEric Clapton’s1964 Gibson ES-335– $847,500

It was purchased by Clapton in 1964, he used this guitar throughout his career with the likes of Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and his solo career. In 2004, it was auctioned off for $847,500.

Number 7 is Jerry Garcia’s ‘Tiger’ Guitar – $957,500

Jerry Garcia’s ‘Tiger Guitar’ was designed by Doug Irwin. The guitar is called Tiger because of the tiger image on the preamp compartment cover. This was Jerry Garcia’s main guitar, which he played during the period 1979 to 1989.

Number 6 is Eric Clapton’s‘Blackie’ (a 1950’s Stratocaster) – $959,000

In 1970, Clapton changed his guitar to Fender Stratocastersfrom Gibson guitars. This switch was because he was influencedby Jimi Hendrix and Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood. The same year he purchasedsix 1950s Stratocasters. He gave one each to George Harrison, Pete Townshend, and Steve Winwood, while he took the best parts of the remaining three to assemble “Blackie”, named so because of its black finish. He played this guitar till 1985 both on and off the stage. After a tour concert in Hartford in 1985,Blackie developed neck issue and had to be retired.

Number 5 is Bob Dylan’s 1964 Fender Stratocaster – $965,000

1964 Fender Stratocaster owned by legend Bob Dylan was auctioned for $965,000 at Christie’s. Bob Dylan played this electric guitar in his famous performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, during which he was backed by an electric band for the first time. This particular piece was left on a plane after the 1965 performance and was missing for the next 47 years until recently, when a team of PBS’s History Detectives told New Jersey resident Dawn Peterson that she had it in her home.

Number 4 is Keith Richards’s 1959 Gibson Les Paul – $1million

Richards is mostly known for playing Fender Telecasters, but during his early days, he used to playa 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. This guitar was his main guitar during the early years of The Rolling Stones, including the band’s famous tour of the US in 1964. It was sold to a private collector for $1million.

Number 3 is Bob Marley’s Custom made Washburn 22 series Hawk – $1.2million-$2million

The Jamaican government has classified this guitar as a national asset. Bob Marley played only seven guitars during his entire lifetime, and Washburn 22 was one of them, this itself increased its value a lot more.

Number 2 is Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Fender Stratocaster – $2million

Jimi Hendrix played this guitar at Woodstock in 1969 and it was purchased by Paul Allen of Microsoft in 1998 for $2million. As Jimi was left handed, he flipped the guitar upside-down and reversed the nut at the top in order to string and play it properly.

At Number ONE is ‘Reach out to Asia’ Fender Stratocaster – $2.7million

The world’s most expensive guitar was auctioned in Doha in 2005. The guitar was signed by19 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.

So, if you are thinking of picking up a guitar, get a Fender, it might fetch you millions in the future. And if you are thinking to learn it as well then I can help you with. I’m Rex Lee Bell with 40+ years of experience as a musician; I’m also a music instructor at “Guitar Confidence”. Check my website www.GuitarConfidence.com and give me a call, I will come to your home to give you one-on-one lessons. I cover Dublin, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Livermore and all cities in east and south bay.

Also, this #labor day, buy one month lesson and get the second month at 50%

Visit www.guitarconfidence.com for more info.

“The electric guitar may be the most important and popular instrument of the last half-century in American music. Certainly its introduction brought a major change to American musical technology and has shaped the sound and direction of modern musical styles.” – Smithsonian Institution

It was 1931, when George Beauchamp and Adolph Rikenbekeromcreated the first electric guitar. Since then it has taken the music industry by storm. Play rock, blues, jazz or pop music using an electric guitar. Most guitarists will remember the first time they plugged in and played an electric guitar it,gives a breath-taking experience. Electric guitar has to be plugged into an electric amplifier for any noticeable sound to be heardas the sound is produced by the amplifier and not the guitar itself. Most of the electric guitars have a solid body, uses steel-strings with no sound holes. The strings used in electric guitar are markedly thinner than the acoustic guitar, as the sound is produced by the amplifier and not by the guitar itself. These guitars can be heavy, so wearing a shoulder strap is recommended. The size, number and shape of the pickups may differ for each electric guitar but they all fulfil the same result of being used for heavy metal, blues,rock, and jazz music.

Guitar players constantly looked for ways to increase the sound of guitars in the early days. This quest for guitars producing louder noise intensified during 1920s when big music band and music recording companies were all interested in inventing loud guitars.

By this time musicians and instrument makers had intensified their research to build a guitar that could produce loud noise. At the same time John Dopyera from National String Instrument Corporation amplified acoustic guitar by creating a steel body guitar with a resonator-amplifier built at the top. All the efforts of instrument makers paid off when George Beauchamp and Adolph Rikenbekeromcreated the first electric guitar in 1931. However the sound it produced was different from an acoustic guitar and musicians found it difficult to accept.

During this period of time, a few instrument makers experimented with a differenttype of electric guitar. They used the same pickup as the prior designs but mounted the pickup on a solid block of wood. At around 1940, Les Paul a guitarist and an inventor, built a guitar made of solid block of pine and nicknamed it “The Log”. He mounted strings and pickups on the pine block to minimize vibrations in the body of the guitar.

At the end of 1940s, Leo Fender, a radio repairman, introduced a mass produced Spanish style solid body electric guitar.This guitar model was replicated by Gibson which was endorsed by Les Paul himself in 1952.

With inventions and much iteration over the years, the issue like troubled with distortions, overtones, and feedback which were associated with the early electric guitars disappeared. Musicians readily accepted the new version of the electric guitar which sounded like a guitar and at the same time produced very loud music.

Popularity ofelectric guitar rose during 1950s and 1960s when it became the most important musical instrument in pop music. Electric guitar was a musical instrument that was capable of producing varieties of sounds and styles. It was instrumental in advancement of pop music, rock music, electric blues, rock and roll and different other categories of music.

Today in this 21^st century, electric guitar features in almost all types of music which is played around the globe and is love by men and women, young and old alike.

If you feel that you would love to learn this wonderful instrument, just give us “Guitar Confidence” a call. Our instructor Rex Lee Bell has now been doing mobile guitar lessons for many years and brings the joy of guitar to anyone who wants to learn. We travel to over 30 cities in the East Bay and South Bay areas; including Danville, San Ramon, Dublin & Pleasanton.

Also, this #labor day, buy one month lesson and get the second month at 50%

Visit www.guitarconfidence.com for more info.

It so astonishes that how we are all so familiar with guitar, but very few of us actually know its history or its origin.

I’m Rex, guitar instructor at Guitar Confidence and let me take you on a voyage make you see, feel and understand the origin and metamorphosis of this wonderful instrument known as “GUITAR”.

Throughout the years a musical instrument with strings has undergone metamorphosis to be known as what modern world today call it “GUITAR”! It is an ancient musical instrument and its existence can be traced back to more than 4000 years, although the exact time is still debatable. There are many theories about the invention of guitar and its ancestry. Mostly it is claimed that guitar was invented by the Greeks, this is mainly due to the fact that Greeks had a musical instrument known as Kithara. Kithara was a stringed instrument. It was also suggested that guitar was developed from lute, but in 1960 researcherDr. Michael Kasha proved that these statements were incorrect.

Around the same time in Egypt, there was an instrument “Har-Moses”, it had three strings and a plectrum suspended from the neck by a cord. It wasperceived to be one of the oldest instruments that resembled a guitar. You can find this ancient musical instrument at the Archaeological Museum in Cairo.

Where did we find the closest representation of a guitar like instrument then?

So, where and when in history did we find the closest representation of a modern guitar. Well, AlacaHuyuk in Turkeyhas a stone carving Hittite with a long fretted neck, flat top, flat back, and incurved sides. It is approximately 3300 year old and is the oldest recognizediconographical depiction of an instrument exhibiting all the features of a guitar.

Guitar the Name

“Guitar”the word was introduced into English from Spanish word guitarra in the 1600s. During the Middle Ages, gitter or the word gittern was used in England. Both guitarra and gitter came from the Latin word cithara, which in-turn came from the Greek word kithara.

Metamorphosis of Guitar

Before the development of the electric guitar and the use of synthetic materials, a guitar was defined as being an instrument having “a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides”. The term is used to refer to a number of chordophones that were developed and used across Europe, beginning in the twelfth century and, later, in the Americas.

So, the guitar’s descendants,mostly with four strings came to Europe from Egypt and Mesopotamia. Though there were many similar musical instruments with two, three, four and five stings during that period inhistory.

While by fourteenth 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.

In the sixteenth century, four strings “chitarra”was being talked about in Spain. During the same time five string guitarrabattenteappeared in Italy which slowly replaced the four strings chitarra.

Into the seventeenth century, the guitar was becoming popular in Europe, while toward the end of the eighteenth century, we could see guitar with six strings.

By early nineteenth century, we could start talking about the modern six strings guitar. While it was Antonio Torres, a Spanish guitar maker who increased the size of the body, altered its proportions giving shape to modern classical guitar, in around 1850.

And it was 1931, when George Beauchamp and Adolph Rikenbekeromcreated the first electric guitar. Since then it has taken the music instrument industry like a storm. Play rock, blues, jazz or pop music using an electric guitar.

At the end of twenty-first century, we all know what a guitar is, and we loving playing this wonderful musical instrument. But if you can’t then you can contact us and Rex can help you learn guitar at your home. Rex Lee Bell 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.

And on this Labor day, all family member are welcome to participate in guitar lessons for free, no extra charge.

 

 

 

 

Rex Lee Bell ,mobile guitar instructor for East Bay cities like Livermore and Pleasanton would like to share this excellent blog on Guitar Festivals.

Acoustic guitar and Electric guitar are the two most common types of guitars available in the market, but there are more including bass guitar,12 string guitar, 7 and 8 string guitar, etc.Let’s take a look at some of the most common and main types of guitars which you can buy depending on the type of music you like to play most.

Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic guitars produce the sound themselves, you don’t need an amplifier or any other device to play this type of guitar. Acoustic guitars are also called Dreadnaught guitar, folk guitar, flat-top guitar or steel string guitar (because of the kind of strings being used). The sound that this type of guitar produces is bright, brassy, deep and forceful which gives sheer pleasure to everyone’s ear. The guitar’s body is made of wood and the sound is produced from the vibration of the strings while the hollow wooden body acts like an echo chamber. 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. But know that steel-string guitar will be louder than the classical 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. Music style acoustic guitar supports are folk, country, ragtime, blues and pop.

Electric Guitar

It was 1931, when George Beauchamp and Adolph Rikenbekeromcreated the first electric guitar. Since then it has taken the music instrument industry like a storm. Play rock, blues, jazz or pop music using an electric guitar. Most guitarists will remember the first time they plugged in and played an electric guitar it,gives a breath-taking experience. This guitar has to be plugged into an electric amplifier for any noticeable sound to be heard as the sound is produced by the amplifier and not the guitar itself. Most of the electric guitars have a solid body; no sound holes, and uses steel-strings. The strings used in electric guitar are markedly thinner than the acoustic guitar, as the sound is produced by the amplifier. These guitars can be heavy, so wearing a shoulder strap is recommended. The size, number and shape of the pickups may differ for each electric guitar but they all fulfil the same result of being used for heavy metal, blues,rock, and jazz music.

Bass Guitars

Bass guitars have wide scale-length and thick strings which produces variation of notes that matches the lowest four strings of the guitar. Both acoustic bass and electric bass guitars are available in the market. The difference when it comes to bass guitar is that majority has four strings as compared to acoustic and electric guitars which have six strings.

12 String Guitar

12 string guitar is a variation of the usual six string guitar type. It has the normal six strings and another set of thinner strings. They are arranged in 6 courses in a set of 2 strings which are placed very close to one another. So, the strings form a pair and are played similar to a six string guitar. The main effect of the 12 string is that it is louderthan the six string guitar.

7 and 8 String Guitars

Seven and eight string guitars have one and two strings more than the usual six. Seven-string guitar is basically used to extend the bass range, it can also be used to extend the treble range of the six string guitar.Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to cultures such as guitarists from Russia and Brazil. Eight-string guitars are less common than six and seven string guitars, but they are used by a few classical, jazz, and metal guitarists. However, eight strings guitars are typical for lap steel and pedal steel guitars. The eight-string guitar allows a wider range, or non-standard tunings, or both.

So, if you live in San Ramon area then there are various shops around. Otherwise you can contact us and Rex our guitar coach can help you learn guitar at your home and recommend the right guitar for you.

 

Rex Bell ,mobile guitar instructor for East Bay cities like Livermore and Pleasanton would like to share this excellent blog on Guitar Festivals.

Guitar Festivals around the world have presented several hundred of world class guitarists from different parts of the world. The guitarists are the best ambassadors of this wonderful musical instrument. They play guitar to the crowd to honour and celebrate the guitar in over 40 guitar centric events, spanning across all music genres such as jazz, classical, blues, blues & roots experimental, etc. These guitar festivals are an absolute must for all the devotees of guitar and anyone who loves music in general. Some of the guitar festivals around the world are:

Crossroads Guitar Festival: It was first held in the year 1999 in Madison Square Garden, New York and again in 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2013. The festival is for the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. This guitar concert showcases a variety of guitarists. Some of the performers of 2013 concert were Eric Clapton, Albert Lee, B.B. King, John Mayer, Keith Urban, Earl Klugh, among others.

Guitar Art Festival: Founded in 2000 and in its 16^th year, Guitar Art Festival,has become a leading stage for guitarists from around the globe. It gathers classical guitarists of all kinds ranging from amateurs, primary and secondary music schools pupils, students, as well as their teachers and professors and eminent guests, leading world guitarists.

Cigar box guitar festivals: This is the world’s largest cigar box guitar/homemade instrument festival. It is also the longest running Cigar Box Guitar festival in the world, celebrating all aspects of Cigar Box Guitar folk culture. For the year 2015, they are scheduled to play in Birmingham, U.K. ,Tuscany, Italy, Albert, Texas, York, Pennsylvania, and Kansas City, Missouri. Most of these are free, and if you’ve never been to one, then you’re definitely missing out some wonderful music!

International Guitar Festival of Great Britain: It celebrated its 26th year in 2014. First concert being held in 1989, International Guitar Festival of Great Britain has come a long way playing some very diverse range of music from classical, folk, jazz, blues to rock music. This year’s one of the top performer is Nils Lofgren the legendary American songwriter, virtuoso guitarist and pianist, he will be performing this November.

Canadian Guitar Festival:Kingston, Ontario is the place where every yearCanadian Guitar Festival takes place. In its tenth year, the festival attracts some of the most talented acoustic guitarists in the world.Don Ross one of the greats when it comes to acoustic guitar performs every year, some other great performers include Dan Crary, Antoine Dufou, Tony McManus, Beppe Gambetta, Jon Gomm among others. The acoustics are wonderful, and can easily be enjoyed with families and friends under the beautiful sheltered outdoor amphitheatre. So sit back, relax and enjoy the best acoustic guitar music.

New York Guitar Festival: The New York Guitar Festival has been presenting many of the world’s most distinctive and influential guitarists at venues including Carnegie Hall, The 92nd Street Y, Merkin Concert Hall, Joe’s Pub, Barbes, (le) Poisson Rouge, and The World Financial Center Winter Garden since 1999.Performers have included: Pepe Romero, The Assad Duo, Eliot Fisk, Vernon Reid, Andy Summers, Daniel Lanois, David Torn, Jorma Kaukonen, Dan Zanes, Bill Frisell, Sonny Landreth, Cindy Cashdollar, Taj Mahal, Leo Kottke, Kaki King, Bon Iver, Bryce Dessner, Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, Lenny Kaye, Yamandu Costa, Bucky Pizzarelli, and surprise guests Bruce Springsteen, Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris.

So, if your fingers are itching to learn and play guitar then just give us a call. Our mobile guitar instructors will come to your home to give you personal one-on-one lessons. Rex Bell 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.

“I believe every guitar player inherently has something unique about their playing. They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it.” – Jimmy Page

There was a time, when the ability to play a musical instrument was considered an essential part of an individual’s basic education. But by 2000s, electronic diversions like music-playback machines and video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, made the effort of mastering an actual musical instrument somewhat less appealing. However as of today, there are more than 80 million musicians residing in the United States.

Whenever you think of learning a new musical instrument its goal is sort of bucket list item. But sadly most often they stay hidden in the bucket. Possibly you may have got yourself a guitar thinking to learn to play it and noodled around on it for a few days, before placing it back in the closet to gather dust.

So, why did you not learn the instrument? May be you did not find time out of your busy work schedule, may be you were lazy to go out and find a music class, may be you did not have a company. Whatever may be the reason, never give up on your passion. Take that guitar out of your closet and start practicing. We will help you with learning the art of playing guitar right at your home where you don’t have to move an inch.

You are not alone when it comes to learning guitar, there are many more students out there looking specifically for guitar lessons rather than any other musical instrument lessons. Orchestra and band continues to be the things that kids get involved in during high school, while pop music instruments especially guitar continues to be the dominant thing in American culture.

No human society has existed without music, and many people experience music as a crucial aspect of their everyday lives. Music offers numerous personal and social benefits, including improvements in cognitive-emotional awareness, enhanced self-regulating behavior, and enhanced social responsibility (Hargreaves & North, 1999; North et al., 2004). Probably because music is one of the most challenging tasks for the human central nervous system, we are all affected and fascinated by it.

So, don’t hesitate to take up your guitar. Listening to the music coming out of a guitar is the easy thing but creating it is the difficult part. Create music and the joy you feel will be priceless. Learn it, play it and in no time the guitar will become your best friend.

Whether you just want to play for pleasure, or want to learn guitar we can help you with your dream and provide you with one to one tuition in the comfort of your own house. Our mobile guitar instructors come to you to give you personal one-on-one lessons in the privacy of your own home. We travel to over 30 cities in the East Bay and South Bay areas; including Danville, San Ramon,Dublin & Pleasanton.