-7 LEVELS of the PURPLE RAIN Intro! Check out all my lesson vids at: www.the-art-of-guitar.com Facebook: / fansoftheartofguitar / theartofguitar Thanks!!!
True Story: It took me four times to make this video. First three had technical issues and had to be tossed. It wasn't until the fourth time that I decided to wear my jacket. I use it in my Heart tribute but it has a bit of a Prince vibe. No issues this time. Pretty sure Prince was like, "I ain't letting it through until he puts on something classier than just a t-shirt. 🤣 He sure made me work for this one. ☂☔
Prince smiling down on you right now. I knew a few of these methods to play Purple Rain, but now I have a few more ways in my pocket which will be great to teach my little nephew who is interested in guitar and just learning.
You sure did it justice and then some. It's gonna be fun trying out all these different ways to play it. Prince is pretty much the reason I want to get a Telecaster.
I can barely play it while practicing at home. Massive props to Wendy at 19 y/o for having to play it live repeatedly for up to 10 minutes while Prince did a costume change. Legendary stuff.
19. Just like the 19 year old Pilots that flew 4 engine bombers to England during WW2 Wendy did something in this intro that was truly beyond her years. What a Musical Talent!
Prince has said that the intro to Purple Rain was ALL her. Said she came into rehearsal with that iconic, ‘unicorn’ of a chordal progression worked out and ready to go! He saw & _knew_ that her musical vision matched what his lyrics were trying to convey. They were a ‘perfect storm’ together.
In a recent interview, she said Prince had the chords to the song, but they were basic triads. She took those and "spread them out" on the guitar. Brilliant work.
Ok, now do level 7 in a superbowl stadium in front of millions of people, sing like a virtuoso, incorporate some dance moves, and all while in the rain.
I was staying in a Double Tree in Minneapolis & wondered down to a bar, where a jazz trio/quartet was Going Off around ‘99. I still know nothing about Jazz’s history & heroes, but I knew I loved the performance & chatted with the guitar player on their break. I wanted to tell him that I loved his guitar tone & playing. it was an old old old Gibson arch-top something & he introduced me to the guy I was sidled up next to at the bar, who came to watch his gig. it was John Blackwell. I was 21 yrs old & those guys were extreme cool to me. they were introducing me as a musician from ATL & invited me for a late dinner after the gig. we talked gear & ridiculous gig scenarios and stories. it was a rad time
Wendy is such an underappreciated musician, songwriter, singer and performer. Always loved her work. Cheers for this insight. Already crying at the thought of the Andy Summers like finger stretches!
As a die hard metal fan (also from Minneapolis) back when Purple Rain came out, I wanted to hate this song. But after a couple listens and some amazing guitar work on this and other songs from the album, I had to concede that this is one of the most talented songwriters I had ever encountered. Prince had a bit of everything, sex appeal, blistering solos, universal emotion, fun onstage, amazing chops, and hometown pride. Thank you for this breakdown (I was a bassist) and for guiding us forward in understanding and appreciation of a legendary song.
I love heavy/thrash/death/black and any other metal you can think of but on my very humble opinion Purple Rain is the greatest song ever written. It makes me FEEL things and the intro makes the hairs stand up on my neck every time. Glorious.
WENDY BREAKS DOWN HER MOST ICONIC GUITAR PARTS is the name of the vid. At about 9:30 she starts it. If you're old enough to have seen it when it came out and during his Little Red Corvette/Party 1999 and when he was a monster on Mtv, the instant she strums that first thumb over chord and the chorus is just dripping off, it takes you back about 35 years. Pretty amazing.
Yess! This is perfect. One of the best damn intros of all time. It's actually been on my mind lately so I must get and learn it. This song us pretty much the reason that when I get round to buying my first oedal, it's gonna be a chorus. I've loved this song and Prince since I was a kid. I used to take a Prince best of CD with me every day on my paper route after school. Congrats on 810k Subscribers!
@@HannahCope88 Prince could pull a guitar out of the trash and make it sound amazing. i always wanted a cloud guitar but I have a Jem by Ibanez which is a joy to play. I don't play well enough to deserve a cloud guitar but the guy in this video does.
True story. In 1990, I had started playing guitar. First song? Stairway To Heaven. In guitar world. Then a few months later, I picked up another issue. Had this and thunderstruck (think was late 90 or early 91). It had the level seven version in it. Since the song was written on piano, the guitar chords transition to what we know. The REAL trick is, Wendy only plays that F5add9 ONCE at the beginning, and pretty much does a straight F major for the rest. You watch the video/movie, you’ll see it. And you can do like Prince does and Hendrix that chord to do the fills throughout the song. A friend of mine who plays semi professional (he has a day job but gigs a LOT) is a Prince disciple and plays level five. When I showed him how I played it, he goes “no, I’m not going to play eight minutes of barre chords” and showed me the easier way, lol! He knew how to play it level seven, just chose not to. Mostly because of that last Eb shape, which is ridiculous despite that F chord, so even if you drop to F major throughout, and you want to be authentic that Eb will kill you. With it being a clean tone, you can’t hide behind distortion if you mess up, and it’s vital to hit all strings in it to get the lushness of it. So if you good, people will know. In and of itself it’s an easy song as you’ve shown. The complexity comes from the chord fingerings and how authentic you wish to be.
I think Prince would definitely approve of that cool jacket. Saw him in concert 3 nights in a row as a teen, New Years Eve/Day 1984. I've seen hundreds of concerts and he was just beyond any I've seen to date. The Revolution are truly accomplished musicians, as well. Awesome video! Something for everyone~
It is pure euphoria to play it and it's not too bad but man that final Eflat is a killer....was never able to switch to it fast enough. Thanks for showing a few different ways to play it
This is a chord progression that you can just not get sick of hearing or playing for that matter - so beautiful, melancholic and ethereal. Hats off mate, brilliant job - those finger stretches are killer!
Reportedly after this was written, Prince called up Jonathan Cain of Journey and played it for him, asking if it was too similar to Faithfully. He said although it shares the same chord progression, the rhythm and phrasing was different enough to distinguish it and gave him his blessing.
Wendy never gets enough credit for writing the guitar into to purple rain. It’s the most recognized guitar intro of all time. The first live performance Prince had her play the intro for 10 min.
Even though I am 63, I emigrate big Prince fan and revolution I'm a left-handed electric guitar player I also play acoustic guitar some. But I decided to start learning the intro and now I want to learn the solo but thank you so much for showing us this intro in your love and affection you had for Prince's obvious and I have my prince jacket too. My wife was looking at your bracelet she makes bracelets that I think I said yeah I bet that's a prince! Lol. Anyway buddy I've been wanting to thank you for a long time now for your lessons and your support and your encouragement you don't know me from Adam I'm just Dennis from Tulsa but I'm here for you if you ever need me Brother. It may not be popular but I grew up with Jehovah's witness like distance Prince. I know those in Minnesota know the story well just as I do hear in Tulsa. Again thank you for this lesson it really touched my heart so that's why I say I'm here for you brother I like your style and you're a damn good little guitar player to Buddy!!! If you want me to I'll send you a tape once I master it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend Buddy. With love from the Dennis Pointer family in Tulsa.
I haven't heard "Purple Rain" with so many dynamics. I've heard this song MANY times, and it always gives me chills. Hearing it broken down....brings another respect for how musicians can keep his music inspirational, educational, and his spirit alive. That's so awesome Mike! 🤘♀️
switched over after watching wendy melvoin explain her new pedal rig and demo-ing the intro to purple rain....such an iconic intro. not a guitar player, i play drums but with just that one strummed chord i know in a millisecond what the song is.
Best teaching of this song I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried to study that same video of Wendy playing it and my fingers just couldn’t do it. So I can’t get level 7, but these others make it sound close enough. Well done!!!
It took me 4 days to figure this out after the movie came out. Without the the help of RUclips, or digital recordings. Just me, my Charvel, and a cassette boombox. Ah, the memories.
wow I've always been playing the 7th level since day one and I didn't even know it was so "right" to play that way, i saw it once in a video many years ago and never changed the chords since
Strangely, my favorite Prince album is around the world in a day, so I’ve heard it more than purple rain, and I keep singing in my head the song “the ladder” to these chords! I wonder how similar they truly are?
Briefly said hi at Steve Vai’s concert last year in the winter in Minneapolis. Love your videos and glad to have another fellow Minnesotan represent online 👍
On RUclips Prince’s 1983 First Ave concert is available, where he introduced songs from Purple Rain for the first time (and the debut of The Revolution’s guitarist Wendy Melvoin). Highly recommend watching it if you haven’t already.
A few weeks ago I found the Bluray of Purple Rain in a Bargain bin, so I got just because it included ALL of the music video, including from The Time, and a bunch of behind the scenes content. The 5.1 mix was really nice, really brought the sound track to life like it was the first time I was hearing it. The HD wide screen was also really nice, so much more immersive. I was surprised how much we enjoyed watching the film again.
Great lesson. The chorus, chord voicings and subtle little notes give it a surreal vibe to an otherwise standard 1 6 5 4 chord progression. I like how you taught it.
Dude. Perfectly timed. I listened to purple rain on my new cassette deck yesterday end to end and I don’t even know it was the anniversary! It’s a sign 🔥
Great lesson. I dived in that song a few years ago (after I saw "Wendy & Lisa" live and fell in love with that two girls...) and it was not easy to get it right. Took me quite some time...!!! After all these years it´s still amazing for me to see which amount of craftsmanship is behind tunes that you feel familiar with the first time you hear them... "...the hardest thing is to make that sound simple..." (I forgot who said this, but it´s oh so true. Thumbs up and thank you!
this is a brilliant idea for a video and brilliantly done, the song is instantly recognisable from level 1 and just gets more accurate as we go up the levels, fantastic
Between this and that amazing Jack White video from a year or two back you’ve really provided a framework for my entire approach to the guitar. Many thanks!
Видеоклипы
True Story: It took me four times to make this video. First three had technical issues and had to be tossed. It wasn't until the fourth time that I decided to wear my jacket. I use it in my Heart tribute but it has a bit of a Prince vibe. No issues this time. Pretty sure Prince was like, "I ain't letting it through until he puts on something classier than just a t-shirt. 🤣 He sure made me work for this one. ☂☔
Prince smiling down on you right now. I knew a few of these methods to play Purple Rain, but now I have a few more ways in my pocket which will be great to teach my little nephew who is interested in guitar and just learning.
Nice! You are looking badass in that jacket man. Great video, will be hanging up my controller for the guitar for a bit. 🎸☔️
You sure did it justice and then some. It's gonna be fun trying out all these different ways to play it. Prince is pretty much the reason I want to get a Telecaster.
Y’a i believe it , finger stretching chords😲🙃🎸
Ohhhh that's freaking classic ❤❤😂😂
Those opening chords to purple rain are ethereal
Wendy ❤
Yep. Very near the top of my favorite guitar intros of all time.
Purple rain was also the first ever live recording one take
If you like this, try listening to Stealing Fire era Bruce Cockburn.
Fuck does that mean?
I can barely play it while practicing at home.
Massive props to Wendy at 19 y/o for having to play it live repeatedly for up to 10 minutes while Prince did a costume change.
Legendary stuff.
My Mom is gonna kill me because I have at least 5 videos of "purple rain". That's gonna be the sixth.
Massive respect to Wendy. She played those killer chords while live performing at 18ish age !
19. Just like the 19 year old Pilots that flew 4 engine bombers to England during WW2 Wendy did something in this intro that was truly beyond her years. What a Musical Talent!
@@fukhue8226?? Ok?
Prince has said that the intro to Purple Rain was ALL her. Said she came into rehearsal with that iconic, ‘unicorn’ of a chordal progression worked out and ready to go! He saw & _knew_ that her musical vision matched what his lyrics were trying to convey. They were a ‘perfect storm’ together.
In a recent interview, she said Prince had the chords to the song, but they were basic triads. She took those and "spread them out" on the guitar. Brilliant work.
This is one of those songs that is so iconic, you can recognize it from the very first chord.
Ok, now do level 7 in a superbowl stadium in front of millions of people, sing like a virtuoso, incorporate some dance moves, and all while in the rain.
"The next chord might give you nightmares for a while." So deadpan and matter of fact literally made me lol. 😂
I was staying in a Double Tree in Minneapolis & wondered down to a bar, where a jazz trio/quartet was Going Off around ‘99. I still know nothing about Jazz’s history & heroes, but I knew I loved the performance & chatted with the guitar player on their break. I wanted to tell him that I loved his guitar tone & playing. it was an old old old Gibson arch-top something & he introduced me to the guy I was sidled up next to at the bar, who came to watch his gig. it was John Blackwell. I was 21 yrs old & those guys were extreme cool to me. they were introducing me as a musician from ATL & invited me for a late dinner after the gig. we talked gear & ridiculous gig scenarios and stories. it was a rad time
Wendy is such an underappreciated musician, songwriter, singer and performer. Always loved her work. Cheers for this insight. Already crying at the thought of the Andy Summers like finger stretches!
Having done this live many times, those articulations in Level Seven are vital for changing chords smoothly. Wendy is amazing.
As a die hard metal fan (also from Minneapolis) back when Purple Rain came out, I wanted to hate this song. But after a couple listens and some amazing guitar work on this and other songs from the album, I had to concede that this is one of the most talented songwriters I had ever encountered. Prince had a bit of everything, sex appeal, blistering solos, universal emotion, fun onstage, amazing chops, and hometown pride. Thank you for this breakdown (I was a bassist) and for guiding us forward in understanding and appreciation of a legendary song.
Except he didn't write this song
That chorus pedal sounds amazing
you should hear the album
It’s crazy how Wendy came up with that purple chord progression at such a young age,it’s amazing,such talent
I love heavy/thrash/death/black and any other metal you can think of but on my very humble opinion Purple Rain is the greatest song ever written. It makes me FEEL things and the intro makes the hairs stand up on my neck every time. Glorious.
Bbsus2/D sounds so magical.
Thank you! Woke up today needing to learn this song
WENDY BREAKS DOWN HER MOST ICONIC GUITAR PARTS is the name of the vid. At about 9:30 she starts it. If you're old enough to have seen it when it came out and during his Little Red Corvette/Party 1999 and when he was a monster on Mtv, the instant she strums that first thumb over chord and the chorus is just dripping off, it takes you back about 35 years. Pretty amazing.
Yess! This is perfect. One of the best damn intros of all time. It's actually been on my mind lately so I must get and learn it. This song us pretty much the reason that when I get round to buying my first oedal, it's gonna be a chorus.
I've loved this song and Prince since I was a kid. I used to take a Prince best of CD with me every day on my paper route after school.
Congrats on 810k Subscribers!
*pedal. haha. damn typos 😂 Also Prince is the reason I want a Telecaster.
@@HannahCope88 Prince could pull a guitar out of the trash and make it sound amazing.
i always wanted a cloud guitar but I have a Jem by Ibanez which is a joy to play. I don't play well enough to deserve a cloud guitar but the guy in this video does.
True story. In 1990, I had started playing guitar. First song? Stairway To Heaven. In guitar world.
Then a few months later, I picked up another issue. Had this and thunderstruck (think was late 90 or early 91). It had the level seven version in it. Since the song was written on piano, the guitar chords transition to what we know. The REAL trick is, Wendy only plays that F5add9 ONCE at the beginning, and pretty much does a straight F major for the rest.
You watch the video/movie, you’ll see it. And you can do like Prince does and Hendrix that chord to do the fills throughout the song.
A friend of mine who plays semi professional (he has a day job but gigs a LOT) is a Prince disciple and plays level five. When I showed him how I played it, he goes “no, I’m not going to play eight minutes of barre chords” and showed me the easier way, lol! He knew how to play it level seven, just chose not to.
Mostly because of that last Eb shape, which is ridiculous despite that F chord, so even if you drop to F major throughout, and you want to be authentic that Eb will kill you. With it being a clean tone, you can’t hide behind distortion if you mess up, and it’s vital to hit all strings in it to get the lushness of it. So if you good, people will know.
In and of itself it’s an easy song as you’ve shown. The complexity comes from the chord fingerings and how authentic you wish to be.
Wendy is an incredible musician.
Wendy Melvoin is such a great player. She's played on a lot of songs and done a ton of soundtrack work, too.
I think Prince would definitely approve of that cool jacket. Saw him in concert 3 nights in a row as a teen, New Years Eve/Day 1984. I've seen hundreds of concerts and he was just beyond any I've seen to date. The Revolution are truly accomplished musicians, as well.
Awesome video! Something for everyone~
Love this whole album, it’s a masterpiece
This is the single best tutorial for this song I've ever seen! 7 tutorials in one. Well done!
Thank you, thank you thank you! ...finaly found someone who teach me that magnificent song!
The opening chords and the solo are the two reasons why I love this song, such a fucking classic
being 17 in 85 remember seeing this movie and being in awe of prince.. miss being 17 and the 80s
When someone says there's levels to this... and actually means it.
great lesson bro
This is like holy guitar ground and I'm a metalhead. Great guitar sound in the video, did the song justice
It is pure euphoria to play it and it's not too bad but man that final Eflat is a killer....was never able to switch to it fast enough. Thanks for showing a few different ways to play it
Massive respect. There's so much room for expressive bits of style and flourish with guitar.
This is a chord progression that you can just not get sick of hearing or playing for that matter - so beautiful, melancholic and ethereal. Hats off mate, brilliant job - those finger stretches are killer!
Reportedly after this was written, Prince called up Jonathan Cain of Journey and played it for him, asking if it was too similar to Faithfully. He said although it shares the same chord progression, the rhythm and phrasing was different enough to distinguish it and gave him his blessing.
Interesting!!
Level 4 is the highest for mere mortals.
Prince was such a musical genius. So glad he shared his music with us.
I had no idea the guitar was this complicated. Signed, a drummer.
Wendy never gets enough credit for writing the guitar into to purple rain. It’s the most recognized guitar intro of all time. The first live performance Prince had her play the intro for 10 min.
In 10min she went easily through those 7 stages
Purple Haze far more iconic intro
@@markkindermannart4028nope I think purple rain is defo more well known and iconic.
Finger buster to level 7 the way to go, for the closest sound.. nice work
Even though I am 63, I emigrate big Prince fan and revolution I'm a left-handed electric guitar player I also play acoustic guitar some. But I decided to start learning the intro and now I want to learn the solo but thank you so much for showing us this intro in your love and affection you had for Prince's obvious and I have my prince jacket too. My wife was looking at your bracelet she makes bracelets that I think I said yeah I bet that's a prince! Lol. Anyway buddy I've been wanting to thank you for a long time now for your lessons and your support and your encouragement you don't know me from Adam I'm just Dennis from Tulsa but I'm here for you if you ever need me Brother. It may not be popular but I grew up with Jehovah's witness like distance Prince. I know those in Minnesota know the story well just as I do hear in Tulsa. Again thank you for this lesson it really touched my heart so that's why I say I'm here for you brother I like your style and you're a damn good little guitar player to Buddy!!! If you want me to I'll send you a tape once I master it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend Buddy. With love from the Dennis Pointer family in Tulsa.
11:20 when I heard this.. my time passing slow and everything became purple ❤
Wendy has a video on here trying out her new padalboard and she plays it. Pretty awesome.
I haven't heard "Purple Rain" with so many dynamics. I've heard this song MANY times, and it always gives me chills. Hearing it broken down....brings another respect for how musicians can keep his music inspirational, educational, and his spirit alive. That's so awesome Mike! 🤘♀️
Fun fact, prince was meant to duet on Michael Jackson's bad but refused after the word butt wasn't removed from the lyrics.
Would have been awesome. I still love Weird Al's Fat better though. ;)
Wendy is a genius! And Prince saw that for sure. So glad she was asked to play on that song because it's such a big part of my life.
Super cool. That progression absolutely killed me 39 years ago and has never ever failed to give me chills every single time since.
Can’t Wait To See Who You Bring For The Solo!!
Beautiful Telecaster. It just rings!
One of my favorite chords progression ever
switched over after watching wendy melvoin explain her new pedal rig and demo-ing the intro to purple rain....such an iconic intro. not a guitar player, i play drums but with just that one strummed chord i know in a millisecond what the song is.
Best teaching of this song I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried to study that same video of Wendy playing it and my fingers just couldn’t do it. So I can’t get level 7, but these others make it sound close enough. Well done!!!
It took me 4 days to figure this out after the movie came out. Without the the help of RUclips, or digital recordings. Just me, my Charvel, and a cassette boombox. Ah, the memories.
Man... So many phantom snare hits in my head listening to this. The drummers curse.
wow I've always been playing the 7th level since day one and I didn't even know it was so "right" to play that way, i saw it once in a video many years ago and never changed the chords since
Sounds so simple, but a ton of work goes into nailing that properly. Bravo!
Strangely, my favorite Prince album is around the world in a day, so I’ve heard it more than purple rain, and I keep singing in my head the song “the ladder” to these chords! I wonder how similar they truly are?
With power chords it sounds like a nirvana riff
Briefly said hi at Steve Vai’s concert last year in the winter in Minneapolis. Love your videos and glad to have another fellow Minnesotan represent online 👍
Good lesson ! Same here , was at age of 14 when Purple Rain came out , still remember those moments dearly
On RUclips Prince’s 1983 First Ave concert is available, where he introduced songs from Purple Rain for the first time (and the debut of The Revolution’s guitarist Wendy Melvoin). Highly recommend watching it if you haven’t already.
Thank You! This song is one of my favourits ever. I'm a singer/guitarrist. Thank You so much! Frank (Budapest, Hungary, Europe)
Gorgeous melody
Wow! Level 7 is *JUST* like the recording! Amazing!!!
Such a great idea!
Huge Prince fan, his talent is just mesmerising.
Beautiful
A few weeks ago I found the Bluray of Purple Rain in a Bargain bin, so I got just because it included ALL of the music video, including from The Time, and a bunch of behind the scenes content.
The 5.1 mix was really nice, really brought the sound track to life like it was the first time I was hearing it.
The HD wide screen was also really nice, so much more immersive.
I was surprised how much we enjoyed watching the film again.
Such beautiful chords
So awesome to see the connection. Thank you.
Great lesson. The chorus, chord voicings and subtle little notes give it a surreal vibe to an otherwise standard 1 6 5 4 chord progression. I like how you taught it.
Brilliant tutorial for an iconic intro👏👏👏
Thanks so much for doing this one! Always been one of my favorites.
Great video. Will be watched many many times.
just perfect analysis, spot on. congrats.
Heavenly sounds ❤❤❤❤
Well done..thanks..great breakdown
fantastic sound!!! 😲😲😲
This intro and the first two lines by Prince get me every time. 😢
Thank you much, levels 1-5 are good, but leve 6 is hard for some of us, because some of us have short pinkeys.😅
Dude. Perfectly timed. I listened to purple rain on my new cassette deck yesterday end to end and I don’t even know it was the anniversary! It’s a sign 🔥
with humour:
new cassette deck? a company still make them? a 40yr old tape! sound quality!! (:
I prefer Digital now-a-days. CD's are the future!
Perhaps a "Sign O' the Times"???
😂See what I did there?🤣🤣
You have no idea how long I have been waiting for a good breakdown of the purple rain solo! Can’t wait!
Best video I’ve seen so far. Thank you
Excellent and extremely enjoyable vid. Thankyou
Fantastic mate, one of my favourite videos you have ever done,superb !
Most excellent lesson, probably one of your best!
I can't wait to get home and try this. Thank you so much for sharing.
Excellent vid. Thanks.
You're the best teacher, thanks
@TheArtofGuitar Thank you so much for this lesson.
Amazing song and one of my favourite albums ever
it has been and always will be to me the most beautiful chord progression I have ever heard...
I love when great teachers like you show us the hidden gems that are overlooked by the fans of these hits
the bike prince used in the movie is a honda 400 cm A . A stands for automatic gears .
Really great job explaining everything!
Great lesson. I dived in that song a few years ago (after I saw "Wendy & Lisa" live and fell in love with that two girls...) and it was not easy to get it right. Took me quite some time...!!! After all these years it´s still amazing for me to see which amount of craftsmanship is behind tunes that you feel familiar with the first time you hear them... "...the hardest thing is to make that sound simple..." (I forgot who said this, but it´s oh so true. Thumbs up and thank you!
Prince will always be a top 5 under-rated guitarist
Awesome ! Always wondered how she is exactly playing it . Great lesson ❤
That was educational. An eye opener and finger-buster moment
this is a brilliant idea for a video and brilliantly done, the song is instantly recognisable from level 1 and just gets more accurate as we go up the levels, fantastic
Between this and that amazing Jack White video from a year or two back you’ve really provided a framework for my entire approach to the guitar. Many thanks!
So beautiful
Really well done!