Nile Rodgers ftw. I'll never get over the crazy magic he pulled on Bowie's Let's Dance, the entire album. Even Bowie said the results left him in a daze, because it wasn't what he had in mind at all.
***** Yeah when Bowie first played Rogers Lets Dance on acoustic, Rogers said it needed to be improved and that no one would dance to the original version. Rogers recomposed the song and blew David Bowie away. I always thought Stevie Ray Vaughan did most of the guitar work on that album including the riffs and all for China Girl. It was actually Rogers who played and wrote all of that with SRV doing a few minor solo's.
stockjonebills Awesome. Love the stories behind that album. Every time I listen to it all I can think of is how frustrated SRV must have been being so restrained. But he probably needed to be for the album to work.
Those ain't power chords. They are 6/5 string voicings. Ironically power chords would be more in line with whst he's teaching because"less is more" you'd just be missing the third to have the basic (unambiguous) harmonic information.
Saw Nile and Chic in Tokyo about 2 weeks after the tsunami. The audience went off and were able to forget their horrors for a couple of hours. Now one of my favorite musicians.
I'm a big Nile Rodgers fan, and a long-time guitar instructor. What I like - among everything about the Hit Maker's guitar style is - he makes my students want to play jazz chord voicings like 6ths and 11ths because Rodgers makes it sound so incredibly cool.
This guy is a BEAST and has made an impact in the music world both as an artist AND a writer for others. Check his background...he's made hits for lots of people. Sooooo....can anyone tell me why Fender has NOT created a Nile Rodgers Signature Stratocaster? Lots of artists with LESS credentials than him have one, why not Nile?
+mrcjjr they actually did give him a sig model a couple of years ago- basically a replica of the axe he has here with all the aging. If you've got $4800 to kick around it'll surely make a great addition to your collection!
im a drummer trying to learn guitar, and nile's concept of clear harmonies is so brilliant. every self taught guitarist i know plays muddy chords hitting all the strings, and I'm glad i stumbled across this video to teach me otherwise. and holy fuck he went so hard at 8:47. that was the coolest thing I've ever heard someone do on guitar.
As a self guitarist of a whopping 3 months, I'm glad to have read your comment! I've been struggling to reduce muddiness because it sounds like shit but after seeing this video, I have learned that you don't have to hit all the strings at once for it to sound good. I really love the extra nuance and character you can achieve with alternating between the bass and treble strings during the strumming.
@@7860hassan7860 It's the strings in the middle of a chord that has to be muted is the challenge for me. Especially with fast strumming happening. Definitely takes work but if it gets you closer to achieving Niles' sound, all the awkward feeling practice will be well worth it. If I feel I improved over the past few days, I'm excited !! This man is a true icon. I don't know if he's in the R&R Hall of Fame, but he will be !!!! He should be today ! PEACE from Philadelphia
This guy has Written, Produced and Played on some of the best music ever recorded. Can't believe many of the greatest are knocking 60 now. What we gonna be left with? I truly hope he recovers from his cancer.
Nile I love you man. You, Bernard and Tony ran the tightest ship on the groove planet. Thank you so much for your inspirational playing. Get well soon Mx
I was a kid in the 70s, picked up guitar in 84, got into metal. Went to music college in 1990 and all these black guys where going on about Nile Rodgers. I ignored it and had virtually no use for the theory as it was jazz / funk. Then, in 2013, Chic played Glastonbury and suddenly I heard all these f*ck'in amazing tunes from my childhood, now I'm pulling out my 50s strat, using the clean channel and using chorus and flanger pedals for the first time and I'm having more fun than ever. Really enjoying music, writing proper music and finally finding a use for the theory I learnt. God bless you Nile! :o)
Hi hear you Prince. When I was in high school all of my friends were into rock. Peter Frampton, Bad Company, Kiss etc. Which is fine, I liked that too. But as a guitar player my favorite stuff too play was funk/rythmn guitar. Chic, Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band... I just loved the clean sound of that style of playing. Lots of guys can play great rock guitar solos but can't play rythmn. Nile Rodgers is also one of my favorite players.
Well said! Every metal guy needs to follow your journey. Lots of guys get in to metal because of the obvious focus on guitars and particularly soloing. It's fun cranking up amplifiers, noodling away with heavy digital delay going on. However, in the process a lot of subtleties get missed. The guitar is primarily a rhythm instrument. It's main purpose is to lay down the backbone of a song. Metal chord structures are quite limited harmonically (mostly a root note and a 5th) and with lots of distortion being applied it quickly becomes quite limiting. Taking Nile’s approach you open up a whole new world of possibilities to build upon.
I also grew up in the 70's and took a few guitar lessons as a kid.... finally started playing around the time of your post. Big Baby Taylor made it real easy for me. This led to a strat on a clean channel and the occasional flanger and Wah pedal. I'm also having more fun than ever. Check out the band called Stuff: ruclips.net/video/MZcTP3-ARFQ/видео.html
To someone who noodles all day soloing away you may not get this video because its about rhythm. Great songs start with a great rhythm or riff with stuff layered on top. Not a solo with everything wrapped around that.
+Conall16 Im not saying guys who solo are doing it wrong. Lots of guitarists write some great instrumental stuff that are solo based. (Satriani etc). With that said, A lot of people that get into guitar focus so much on soloing and running scales. They forget that a lot of ;memorable songs start with a great rhythm and/or riff. I've seen many great technical guitarists that can blaze away but their music gets bland or boring.
When he said "you hear these chords, it's a lot of information" that blew my mind. For a split second I could understand hearing these things the way he does.
Everybody Dance stays in heavy rotation in my playlist. Actually A LOT of Chic songs stay in heavy rotation in my playlist. Thank you for such a great and generous history lesson. Lessons from the actual artist are far more better than some random guy who do not know the nuances of the playing style like "Less is more in my world." Only Nile Rodgers could have demonstrated that for these classics.
@@LuxPostNoctem A Lot, perhaps. I also love metal but I also love funk. The way I see it, you can learn a lot about playing technique from any genre of music.
@@andrewhinds6560 Me too. I play with different-bands that do: Sabbath, Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Van Halen and another band that does Chic, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. Makes me a more Versatile Player.
Had this vid up for an hour and a half, everytime I see him play I HAVE to play along I absolutely love his style and his is a fantastic teacher, much love man!
Saw him opening for Earth Wind and Fire, about a month ago in Pontiac/Detroit Mi, and he was great. He had the crowd on their feet for his entire set......great player, seems like a great guy.
Thank you so very much. It´s really important and such an opportunity for all of us, brothers and sisters in music, to watch some golden tips from one of our great masters. Specially when it comes to sharing tips and stories about gigging and music talk between Mr. Davis and Mr. Rodgers himself. True value right there. Cheers from Brazil.
Jimmy Nolan and Catfish Collins from James Brown and Boots Collins fame plus Al McKay of EWF and finally Nile Rogers are who I cut my funk and R&B rythm chops on. Now...that's 3 the hard way but probably better to say the 16th note funky way!
No doubt. A lot of guys had it down. Tony Maiden from Rufus and Chaka Khan, Bruno Speight from the SOS Band, and on the smooth tip...Teenie Hodges of Al Green fame. Man...The list goes on but these are the guys who all influenced me and my playing style to the day. You wanna learn pretty arpeggios and soulful double stops, then check out Steve Cropper of Stax records fame.
Oldskool Funk Al Mckay's lead playing was extremely tasteful as well, his phrasing was fantastic. I would also throw Prince out there as being a vital R&B/Funk rhythm player despite coming on the scene a little later then Catfish and Mckay
a great lesson from the master. Thanks for posting this. I play cover songs at clubs but I never really played much funk guitar and I was playing things like Get Lucky all wrong. Now i sound a lot better.
And that ladies and gentlemen is simply a peerless example of funk! There's magic in those hands, along with humility and knowledge up top, which makes him a legend. The one and only........CHIC Unique!
Nile is so cool. He is really like this = the Hitmaker !!! I've taken his Recording Classes and also hung-out 3x's ( clubbing ). He is so down-to-earth & a Brilliant Songwriter / Musician / Producer. oNe LovE from NYC
i always loved something about us from daft punk..the beautiful strat jazzy solo even years ago i thought, wow nile could do some great work with these guys because the foundation is already there....I cant wait to hear what they have come up with..nile is amazing..and his brand of funk and dance is just as important as it was ever..cant wwait to get the new daft punk album..ive got everything else they did
This was awesome!!! Learned a lot about playing rhythym guitar and what notes not to play. Great advice!!!! Watched a RUclips of Niles jamming with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Very cool. He has a nice demeanor and vibe about him that makes you feel good!!!!
Nile breaks the technique down and it still looks like magic to me.
Insane talent.
Am I the only one who wished Bernard Edwards was still alive to do Bass tutorials like this?
His technique is so sick.
No there are plenty of us Bernard Edwards fans who would die for a tutorial by the master
@@michaell8722 Ross Bolton is a master too;)
Or Al Greens Jamieson in bass too (also brown bread)
What about Jimi
Niles is so generous to share his secrets.
If you play guitar, or better still, funk -- this is a must-watch clip. Without a doubt RUclips has changed our ability to learn from these masters.
Nile Rodgers ftw. I'll never get over the crazy magic he pulled on Bowie's Let's Dance, the entire album. Even Bowie said the results left him in a daze, because it wasn't what he had in mind at all.
***** Yeah when Bowie first played Rogers Lets Dance on acoustic, Rogers said it needed to be improved and that no one would dance to the original version. Rogers recomposed the song and blew David Bowie away. I always thought Stevie Ray Vaughan did most of the guitar work on that album including the riffs and all for China Girl. It was actually Rogers who played and wrote all of that with SRV doing a few minor solo's.
stockjonebills Awesome. Love the stories behind that album. Every time I listen to it all I can think of is how frustrated SRV must have been being so restrained. But he probably needed to be for the album to work.
***** True. You know SRV wanted to go off, but the restraint made for a great song.
stockjonebills ***** if you guys are interested about how he recorded it with bowie, you should read his autobiography
His take on club players playing a power chord version of freak out is funny. Nile is a great writer and strat player.( with a sense of humour)
Dee Em the guy's a genius. living legend. his style is unique and extremely influential.
Played it once live without rehearsing, coming from rock/metal I played almost like Nile showed here:DDD Hell of a man, Mr. Rogers.
Those ain't power chords. They are 6/5 string voicings. Ironically power chords would be more in line with whst he's teaching because"less is more" you'd just be missing the third to have the basic (unambiguous) harmonic information.
Finally, I understand the meaning of "It's not what you play, it's what you don't play".
Saw Nile and Chic in Tokyo about 2 weeks after the tsunami. The audience went off and were able to forget their horrors for a couple of hours. Now one of my favorite musicians.
I'm a big Nile Rodgers fan, and a long-time guitar instructor. What I like - among everything about the Hit Maker's guitar style is - he makes my students want to play jazz chord voicings like 6ths and 11ths because Rodgers makes it sound so incredibly cool.
They're always cool. For me it was learning T-Bone Walker tunes
Nile Rogers is the reason why I play rhythm guitar the way I do. To say that this brotha is a MAJOR influence on my playing is an understatement.
This guy is a BEAST and has made an impact in the music world both as an artist AND a writer for others. Check his background...he's made hits for lots of people.
Sooooo....can anyone tell me why Fender has NOT created a Nile Rodgers Signature Stratocaster? Lots of artists with LESS credentials than him have one, why not Nile?
+mrcjjr they actually did give him a sig model a couple of years ago- basically a replica of the axe he has here with all the aging. If you've got $4800 to kick around it'll surely make a great addition to your collection!
+Joe Head Thanks for the tip. I did some research and saw they made a limited run (it was called the "Hitmaker") of 100. It was at the 2014 NAMM.
They finally fid
@@pugforce8315 you beat me to it!
Now they made it, love that!
im a drummer trying to learn guitar, and nile's concept of clear harmonies is so brilliant. every self taught guitarist i know plays muddy chords hitting all the strings, and I'm glad i stumbled across this video to teach me otherwise.
and holy fuck he went so hard at 8:47. that was the coolest thing I've ever heard someone do on guitar.
As a self guitarist of a whopping 3 months, I'm glad to have read your comment! I've been struggling to reduce muddiness because it sounds like shit but after seeing this video, I have learned that you don't have to hit all the strings at once for it to sound good. I really love the extra nuance and character you can achieve with alternating between the bass and treble strings during the strumming.
@@7860hassan7860 It's the strings in the middle of a chord that has to be muted is the challenge for me. Especially with fast strumming happening. Definitely takes work but if it gets you closer to achieving Niles' sound, all the awkward feeling practice will be well worth it. If I feel I improved over the past few days, I'm excited !!
This man is a true icon. I don't know if he's in the R&R Hall of Fame, but he will be !!!!
He should be today !
PEACE from Philadelphia
Have you learnt guitar yet?
This guy has Written, Produced and Played on some of the best music ever recorded. Can't believe many of the greatest are knocking 60 now. What we gonna be left with? I truly hope he recovers from his cancer.
I'm pleased to say that he is still here and still a legend, let's hope for a long long time yet. The world needs great guys like Nile in it.
One of the most incredible funk guitar videos on here. Nile is a Master.
Nile I love you man. You, Bernard and Tony ran the tightest ship on the groove planet. Thank you so much for your inspirational playing. Get well soon Mx
The amount of tunes this guy has written that are so well known to literally millions of us, so many excellent songs! Amazing talent, an innovator
Amazing breaking it down having the confidence of knowing he is the master of the technique but he shares it with us. Nile thanks for the lesson .
An amazing rhythm machine that man is, and with a tone to die for. One of the true strat-masters.
I was a kid in the 70s, picked up guitar in 84, got into metal. Went to music college in 1990 and all these black guys where going on about Nile Rodgers. I ignored it and had virtually no use for the theory as it was jazz / funk. Then, in 2013, Chic played Glastonbury and suddenly I heard all these f*ck'in amazing tunes from my childhood, now I'm pulling out my 50s strat, using the clean channel and using chorus and flanger pedals for the first time and I'm having more fun than ever. Really enjoying music, writing proper music and finally finding a use for the theory I learnt. God bless you Nile! :o)
He's an absolutely amazing and under-rated guitarist!
Shit bro! That comes from the heart! God bless you, God bless music
Hi hear you Prince.
When I was in high school all of my friends were into rock. Peter Frampton, Bad Company, Kiss etc.
Which is fine, I liked that too.
But as a guitar player my favorite stuff too play was funk/rythmn guitar.
Chic, Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band...
I just loved the clean sound of that style of playing. Lots of guys can play great rock guitar solos but can't play rythmn.
Nile Rodgers is also one of my favorite players.
Well said! Every metal guy needs to follow your journey. Lots of guys get in to metal because of the obvious focus on guitars and particularly soloing. It's fun cranking up amplifiers, noodling away with heavy digital delay going on. However, in the process a lot of subtleties get missed. The guitar is primarily a rhythm instrument. It's main purpose is to lay down the backbone of a song. Metal chord structures are quite limited harmonically (mostly a root note and a 5th) and with lots of distortion being applied it quickly becomes quite limiting. Taking Nile’s approach you open up a whole new world of possibilities to build upon.
I also grew up in the 70's and took a few guitar lessons as a kid.... finally started playing around the time of your post. Big Baby Taylor made it real easy for me. This led to a strat on a clean channel and the occasional flanger and Wah pedal. I'm also having more fun than ever.
Check out the band called Stuff: ruclips.net/video/MZcTP3-ARFQ/видео.html
The harmony of his chord choices got me hooked on Chic's music when I was a teen in the 70s and it's still my favorite music of all time.
I understand the theories better now. Back then it just touched our souls. That part hasn't changed.
Such an underrrated guitarist , he makes the song come alive
The Grand Master Of Funk!
I was an out and out metal head until I heard him!
Great guitarist.
He just catches your ear and you know it's him!
he played on some Duran Duran stuff too
To someone who noodles all day soloing away you may not get this video because its about rhythm. Great songs start with a great rhythm or riff with stuff layered on top. Not a solo with everything wrapped around that.
+Conall16 Im not saying guys who solo are doing it wrong. Lots of guitarists write some great instrumental stuff that are solo based. (Satriani etc). With that said, A lot of people that get into guitar focus so much on soloing and running scales. They forget that a lot of ;memorable songs start with a great rhythm and/or riff. I've seen many great technical guitarists that can blaze away but their music gets bland or boring.
This is great. I keep coming back to it. Nile and his interviews and master classes are some of the best things on RUclips for guitar players.
Funk/R&B rhythm virtuoso..
I give up! I'll never be this funky! Nile Rodgers is a God!
When he said "you hear these chords, it's a lot of information" that blew my mind. For a split second I could understand hearing these things the way he does.
The Best Guitar Lesson I have ever seen on RUclips! Thanks to the incredible Nile Rodgers
Everybody Dance stays in heavy rotation in my playlist. Actually A LOT of Chic songs stay in heavy rotation in my playlist. Thank you for such a great and generous history lesson. Lessons from the actual artist are far more better than some random guy who do not know the nuances of the playing style like "Less is more in my world." Only Nile Rodgers could have demonstrated that for these classics.
I remember a metal lead guitarist laughing about how easy rhythm guitar is. Bookmarked for future reference.
Lol. A damn LOT of Metal players are so stuck up in their ass, it's nuts.
@@LuxPostNoctem A Lot, perhaps. I also love metal but I also love funk. The way I see it, you can learn a lot about playing technique from any genre of music.
They lack something: WIT.
@@andrewhinds6560 Me too. I play with different-bands that do: Sabbath, Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Van Halen and another band that does Chic, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. Makes me a more Versatile Player.
That Everybody Dance chord sequence is absolutely heavenly!
Great post !
I'm a 1000 % fan of the Groove Master Nile "CHIC" Rodgers.
Thank's !
So I just got a funk guitar lesson from Nile Rodgers... *FREAK OUT!!!*
Had this vid up for an hour and a half, everytime I see him play I HAVE to play along I absolutely love his style and his is a fantastic teacher, much love man!
This might as well be titled "all you know about funk is wrong"
What an awesome advice from the king of funk.
Saw him opening for Earth Wind and Fire, about a month ago in Pontiac/Detroit Mi, and he was great. He had the crowd on their feet for his entire set......great player, seems like a great guy.
Thanks for that! I love it when the masters take time out to share their techniques and playing style.
Thank you Mr. Nile Rodgers for for having come down to earth to create all this great superior music til the day.
Absolutely amazing. One of the best of several generations.
Thank you so very much. It´s really important and such an opportunity for all of us, brothers and sisters in music, to watch some golden tips from one of our great masters. Specially when it comes to sharing tips and stories about gigging and music talk between Mr. Davis and Mr. Rodgers himself. True value right there. Cheers from Brazil.
Astonishing player - one of my all time guitar greats.
A legend.
No effects, no sofisticated equipment........ just heart and funky Soul!
Great Nile!!!!!!!
Been getting into funk rhythms a lot lately, so I found this very interesting and helpful. Thank you Mr Rodgers
Jimmy Nolan and Catfish Collins from James Brown and Boots Collins fame plus Al McKay of EWF and finally Nile Rogers are who I cut my funk and R&B rythm chops on. Now...that's 3 the hard way but probably better to say the 16th note funky way!
So true....Al McKay....EWF was so strong with him. No disrespect to Johnny Graham, but Al torched that rhythm. Peace.
No doubt. A lot of guys had it down. Tony Maiden from Rufus and Chaka Khan, Bruno Speight from the SOS Band, and on the smooth tip...Teenie Hodges of Al Green fame. Man...The list goes on but these are the guys who all influenced me and my playing style to the day. You wanna learn pretty arpeggios and soulful double stops, then check out Steve Cropper of Stax records fame.
Oldskool Funk Al Mckay's lead playing was extremely tasteful as well, his phrasing was fantastic. I would also throw Prince out there as being a vital R&B/Funk rhythm player despite coming on the scene a little later then Catfish and Mckay
thanx for this clip - great to see nile was playin gigs recently & still recovering after his serious illness
absolutely wonderful musician and person. written classics that never age. a lesson for every guitarist
This is simply THE BEST VIDEO I EVER FOUND ON RUclips.
Man, about 8:58 into this he goes into a psycho-funk riff. Awestruck!
I know I had to rewind that a few times!!
breaks laws of guitar
Nile is responsible for my left-hand "pinky" developing so it has a mind of it's own, it plays the melodies all by itself now, thanks Mr R!!
Nile, you're a MONSTER! Also, a very generous and humble human being...
This video is fantastic! Niles and Bernard are the TRUE dynamic duo!
a great lesson from the master. Thanks for posting this. I play cover songs at clubs but I never really played much funk guitar and I was playing things like Get Lucky all wrong. Now i sound a lot better.
That was really enlightening. Thanks to Nile for sharing some of his tips.
He's got such a great style. It's so iconic!
thank you Niall, not only for being the master of funk, but for sharing your understanding of why less really is more.
Thank you everyone involved in the creation and sharing of this video.
Absolutely fantastic video, I really enjoyed that, thanks so much for posting!
And that ladies and gentlemen is simply a peerless example of funk! There's magic in those hands, along with humility and knowledge up top, which makes him a legend. The one and only........CHIC Unique!
Love this man! Making a 63 year old strummer very happy! Thanks.
I resonate so much with him saying to go crazy with the extended voicings.
Nile is a master funk man! I love learning his songs! Have a few in my funk bag! 🎸
This helped me out so much, great. Thanks!
Nile is Genius. Fantastic video. Thank You !!
I first learned about how to “break up chords” via Eddie Van Halen as a youngster, that was his thing too.
Niles is awesome.
Beastly skills! Top authority on what's funk and what's not.
Great advice here, learning from the goat of funky rhythm guitar!
Wonderful and valuable lesson!
I'm very impressed. You this approach. This is guitar at its best.
Priceless video.
Over the years I've watched this video like 20+ times, but only now I've discovered 8:58. What was that?! How many notes was that?! Amazing!
what a man. a conduit for divine sound
A true guitar GOD! He is just about as Funky as it gets!
Thanks for sharing... that´s so cool and great footage..so interesting!
The amazing Nile Rodgers breaks it right down for us! Are we lucky or what?!!
Syncopation is the name of the game. Always loved Nile's music.
8:33 "That doesn't sound funky to me."
If Nile Rogers thinks it doesn't sound funky, then it is not funky.
i dont think he would think im funky :(
Is disco
@@nocturnalviewer7981 5 65
As funky as it gets!
Living *LEGEND!!!*
Fantastic guy … fantastic inspirational player.
Dope stuff. No unnecessary noodling. Just highly musical and groovy playing!
an understated master of the pick!
For the first time in years, I'm stunned watching an instructional video...
awesome, thank You, great inspiration,
Did anyone catch the 9:00 super sixteen triplet he threw down?.
Matthew Hackett thought it was a glitch
It’s not
Mad. I tried to work out how he did it - can't see it clearly even on .25 speed
insane
Yes, I was like WHAT? I Need to start incorporating that one!
The man can play! Awesome technique!
When my band Uptown played upstairs at Max's Kansas city around 1974 we were on rotation with you and your band . Good times ...
Amazing insight.
Nile is king. This is definitely helpful for playing stuff with groove
Fantastically Funky!!!!! I could listen to this cat talk and play all night !!
I love this guy! Absolutely fascinating.
Nile is so cool. He is really like this = the Hitmaker !!! I've taken his Recording Classes and also hung-out 3x's ( clubbing ). He is so down-to-earth & a Brilliant Songwriter / Musician / Producer. oNe LovE from NYC
This is awesome! Thank you so much for this.
i always loved something about us from daft punk..the beautiful strat jazzy solo even years ago i thought, wow nile could do some great work with these guys because the foundation is already there....I cant wait to hear what they have come up with..nile is amazing..and his brand of funk and dance is just as important as it was ever..cant wwait to get the new daft punk album..ive got everything else they did
This was awesome!!! Learned a lot about playing rhythym guitar and what notes not to play. Great advice!!!! Watched a RUclips of Niles jamming with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Very cool. He has a nice demeanor and vibe about him that makes you feel good!!!!
Nile Rodgers, Thank you for this as it is quite cool.
Thank you! I needed to know this!!!!!
this is pure gold
Excellent information and demonstration of his style
Thankyou very much for sharing! I found what I was looking for: the chords of Everybody dance!
I watched Chic live concert in Singapore. It was awesome.
Nice this really helped me open up
truly one of a kind!