Prince paid a guest visit to the Ellen Degeneres show last week singing his cover rendition of “Crimson and Clover”.

As I listened and watched, I was reminded of what the judges say each week on American Idol…”Make the song your own” .

Price has always been considered a musical genius. Ellen calls him “Brilliant” after this performance. I have to agree…this is an amazing example of musical (and guitar) mastery.

One of my favorite stops at this years NAMM Show was the Taylor Guitar room. Not only were all of their beautiful guitar models on display (and able to be played) but Taylor brought in some amazing talent to perform live concerts right there on the Taylor stage…for FREE.

My favorite jam was Nashville super group Sixwire and their 10-minute medley of amazing guitar songs and solo lines. It recently showed up on the Taylor web site and YouTube.

The list of songs include: Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles), Day Tripper (Beatles), Up and Around the Bend (Credence Clearwater Revival), Reelin in the Years (Steely Dan), Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Jessica (Allman Brothers), Band on the Run (Wings), Sweet Child of Mine (Guns n Roses), Layla (Derek and the Dominoes), Peace of Mind (Boston), Beat It (Michael Jackson), Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison), Hold on Loosely (38 Special), Whole Lotta Love (Led Zepplin), Back in Black (ACDC), Aint Talking Bout Love (Van Halen), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), Another One Bites the Dust (Queen), Tush (ZZ Top), Freebird (Lynard Skynard), Do YOu Feel Like We Do (Peter Frampton).

Sit back and relax – This is AWESOME!

Robben Ford is one of the premiere electric guitarists today, particularly known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. A four-time Grammy nominee, he has played with artists as diverse as Larry Carlton, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Claus Ogerman, Michael McDonald, and many, many others…

Robben is a gifted player and a very effective teacher. Robben has released several instructional DVD’s that center around his blues improvisation skills.

Check out this video clip from “The Art of Blues Solos”: