You can find a range of crappy tabs on the internet, all claiming the title as the "original fingering of Hotel California", but you cannot argue when Don Felder himself is sitting down to school you. Don Felder you rock!
Honestly, Don Felder nowadays only player a stripped down version of the original progression. Watch this to get the real deal: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Zv4qBlU1bIk.html
+Ian Leo I would say underrated. He was an amazing guitarist and musician. I would say he's under looked or others see better people. Its mainly based if you're an eagles fan or not.
check the definition of underrated please,you are a million miles away from reality on your definition. this gentleman is one of the most loved,recorded,revered and mimicked guitarists in the world of rock n roll and is in no way ,shape or form underrated by anyone on earth,you sir have a very minimal understanding of the word underrated.please take a break from youtube to educate yourself on word meanings .
+German Hockey check the definition of underrated please,you are a million miles away from reality on your definition. this gentleman is one of the most loved,recorded,revered and mimicked guitarists in the world of rock n roll and is in no way ,shape or form underrated by anyone on earth,you sir have a very minimal understanding of the word underrated.please take a break from youtube to educate yourself on word meanings .
+wayne smith I do not mean he's not loved/respected, I mean he doesn't receive the correct attention he deserves. E.g. I don't see his name in most of the "top guitarists of all time" lists
Me Too, man....without Hotel California almost all the other songs will eventually fade over time in to thin air, especially all those folk songs created by Glen Frey or Don Henley. HOTEL CALIFORNIA has stood the test of times, from its inception in the 70's to this day, spanning so many generations, from Grandfather to grandchildren. And then in the 90's Don Felder made an acoustic version of HOTEL CALIFORNIA, in effect resurrecting the EAGLES reunion for a MAJOR comeback that was well received by old and new fans. Don Felder is the heart and soul of EAGLES in the same way Steve Lukather is for TOTO. In TOTO 's case Steve kicked out Bobby Kimball, instead of the other way around for EAGLES.
Thank you Mr. Felder for sharing this wonderful classic. You have made many aspiring guitarists smile as only the original fingers can explain the nuances. Lovely...and love it.
How can you dislike this video?.The man who co wrote one of the greatest songs in the history of modern music and here he is showing you how to play it perfectly. Imagine if all guitar players were gracious enough to do this. Respect Don Felder.
The Solo is THE most beautiful solo in the history of rock music! It's difficult/complex but not shreddy, it fits the harmony perfectly, yet it retains an own singing quality voice with so many facets. I love it so much, God bless you, Don! This was a stroke of genius!
+Daniel Blackard You would, if your name was Henley or Frey (rip). Those 2 guys heads disappeared so far up their own keisters, it's not funny. Money and power corrupts everyone.
+Daniel Blackard: They needed Don to create something they could arrange and create a melody. They all needed each other but their egos probably could only realize this concept in retrospect.
+CaptainGreyboots The talent in the Eagles was Henley, Felder, Leadon and Walsh. Frey needed outside writers to make sure he got his 33% and shafted everybody else in the name of his own financial gain. Henley was just the wimpy kid who hangs out with a bully who when the bully says "Gimme your lunch money!" he goes "Yeeeeaaah! Give him your lunch money, dweeb!"
amillwardmusic, that comment shows your age. How the hell do you know what was going on with those guys, which happened long before you were even born.
I would not like to work with Glen Frey. He is a bully, for how he treated Don Felder. After all Frey only plays Acoustic Ryithem Guitar Felder is a first class Lead Guitarist , who pisses all over Frey. However Don Henley is a Brilliant Lead Singer and Drummer. And without a shadow of doubt the leader of the Band.
i think Don Felder and David Gilmour are my favorite lead guitarists. They play so precisely, wringing every nuance out of every note. Nothing wasted, nothing sloppy, just music of pure emotion from the heart. And man, can they bend notes!
Agree! I learned to bend playing these guy's solos and my bandmates are like "how the fk did you get good at bending?" Gilmour, Felder. And I'm not that good a player, but their solos will lift your game, every time.
Wonderful stuff - who ever thought they'd hear this played by Felder himself in isolation and in crystal clear quality. This helps us to appreciate the creativity and musicianship that Felder brought to the Eagles.
He is such a humble and grounded Genius! How many guitar superstars as busy as Don do you know, who still do the small things, and take time out to teach learning players. He hasn't changed a bit since the early years. He is still that same young guitar whizz in that music shop teaching people how to play, all those years ago. Along with Clapton he is one of my very Favourite Idols.
a civilized society would have kids learn from this man at the youger age. i mean, you have one of the most legendary pieces of music ever played, hubmly explained and taught by the composer himself, as he was talking 'bout the weather. such a great great guy
It's been said before that he is so generous in spirit. I started to learn this solo and it made me realise just how complex and beautiful it is. I've heard him play on acoustic, double-neck SG and the Les Paul but he always makes it look effortless. A true musical genius and so humble.
There is nothing better in the world when the guitarist who made a song/riff famous - does a lesson and demo on it. This is close to the best I've seen!
The thing that creates Don from most guitar players is creativity. Shredders and scale players are a dime a dozen. I read his book and while he was very candid about a lot of the BS from Frey and Henley, he was very professional and gentlemanly about it. Way to go Don. You don't have to worry about your legacy, anybody can see how much your talents brought to Eagles' music.
I've watched loads of lessons of this song but there's something about watching the actual writer playing it that makes it MORE. It must be like watching Michelangelo actually painting as opposed to seeing the finished product displayed. Masterful.
I use RU-vid all the time to learn new songs and licks. Thanks, Don Felder, for being so generous with your time and talent to show us your leads for this great, classic song!
I can't keep my eyes off of that beautiful flamed maple top Les Paul. That is some of the best looking matchbook flamed maple I've ever seen...just gorgeous. The playing is equally as gorgeous.
+Geo B This is THE best-looking top I've seen. Gibson made a limited-edition Don Felder artist-model fake '59 LP Standard for a BIG price. It doesn't look anything like this one tho. Probably modeled off of something he bought when he was a bit less wealthy.
I must applaud Mr Felder,i just love his guitar playing,and mature approach to the instrument.I just cant get over how weĺl he can compliment a song.Thanks for your gift here sir.
What an incredibly generous man. So creative and such a guitar genius, responsible for so much of the Eagles sound. Thanks for posting this and for being You.
The kids are so lucky these days! They don't have to play the album over and over to get this. They can get from the guy who...ahhhh. Awesome. Thanks, Don!
@@lacroix9407 YES !! exactly - but that's progress I guess - sadly the younger guys - seem to think they know it all - never spent hours 'in front of a cassette or turntable - trying to work it all out
Don, Thank you! How awesome it is that you put it out there for us to see and hear. I just wish I had one once of your talent. I am 53 yrs old and trying to learn the guitar. I gotta a long way to go, but I just wanted you to feel my appreciation for sharing your gift to others.
@@stratman9449 I think those little clicks and rakes are part of his sound. I've been listening a lot to The Eagles lately and it's really audible especially in their live recordings from the 70s.
you can say that again...i'd say this solo is (on a guitar and musical view) above stairway to heaven......much more structured and cleaner.... but over all Led Zeppelin are my favorite super group still...
Indeed. One of the greatest solos of all time. Don Felder, however, appears to have changed it slightly over the years (something we often naturally do as musicians, without realizing it). If you can find the original multitracks/guitar only track, you may notice this - especially if you slow it down - and then take the audio from this video and do the same but also raise the pitch a whole step. It's just a note or two, here and there, but VERY CLOSE, of course. And such beautiful guitar work - he's such a phenomenal guitar player! From all of us guitar players, thank you Don for sharing this!
Florent Cochet That makes it that much more epic to me. He left out the pick slides so its not the true version they played on the Hotel California tour. My pops said they did the duel pick slides when he say them in Gulfport, MS on the Long Run Tour!!!
Really appreciate that Don has given his time on this - a lesson from the world's best is priceless ! The clarity and precision here is mind blowing. Thank you Don.
Great to see someone like Don Felder actually showing us how to play.. Rest of them you have to pay to join their fan club before they will show you anything. Thanks Don from Scotland
I always thought this was one of the most creative and innovative solo's of all time. It blew me away the first time I heard it. I don't think it's ever been bettered in my humble opinion. It still gives me goose bumps.
how fortunate are we to get a personal guitar lesson from a legend in our time. thank don for taking time out to show us hacks your techniques. forever indebted!
Although I've heard hotel california ten thousands time, I'm amazed by this lesson with mythic Don Felder, which kind of motivating me to start the guitar, as it seems so easy with him, but bearing in mind that perhaps no other human can render hotel california like that. Each time Don Felder is proudly playing Hotel California at the guitar, he proves he is Mr Hotel California music creator/master.
Once I got done salivating over that Les Paul I realized what a great tutorial Don offered here. Is that a AAAAAAAA x10 Les Paul top? I can't get over it....
I never get tired of hearing Don Felder play this even though I've heard it 10,000 times. The only thing better than this video is when he plays it with Joe Walsh. Otherwise very few guitarists can play this right. It's an amazing achievement in the art of rock lead guitar.
Thanks Don. I really appreciate you took the time to do this for us. Not only showing us the great solo but also the reasoning and recording history behind it.
This video (and after all this time) proves again the importance of Don Felder in making the legacy of the Eagles as a band. When I hear his playing I feel the original spirit of Hotel California. Thanks a lot to Guitar World for making this demonstration possible by the architect himself.
I think one reason for why so many musicians hesitate or aren't interested in giving lessons teaching how to play their songs, is that it's very easy to come across as being a pompous, self-centered prick. Not Don, though! :)
DoofsterDan The guy who got kicked out of the eagles. FYI. But not because he was a bad guitarist or a bad bandmate but because Henley was such a prick.
Did u see docunentry. The got mad at felder because he wasn't into a politician they actually cussed him out on stage after ,and he wanted to sing 1 song.they said no way with all those albums if Felder wanted to sing 1 song, let him ..it wouldn't have a made a difference.
Well, you to have to think of this sort of people: "hey, here is a cup of coffee for you, right as you like!". "No, I like tea now!". "Ok, ok, here is your tea". "No! I like... don't know what I like... I hate everything, myself too".
The seventies rock bands really featured a lot of these kinds of extended melodic solos usually split up between two or three axemen trading licks or doubling up on harmonies etc. Younger players should also check out bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd,The Little River Band,Wishbone Ash,The Allman Brothers(of course)and Thin Lizzy among others to hear more of those beautifully constructed,powerful,almost "cinematic" solos. Also "Layla era" Clapton trading licks with Duane Allman is guitar Gold.
To me the song is a stroke of genius. It evokes a stony Twilight Zone-ish dreamy mysterious allegory of that crazy state and state of mind we call California. One of the Top Ten Songs in the past 60 years.
The whole song is killer good and one of my all time favourite tunes with such tasteful guitar playing throughout--like a huge rock lesson all rolled into one--I love it!
Damn you, Don Felder! (Shaking fist) Why can't I play this? It's frustrating!! Once I got to where I could make it through the first part of the outro slowly and with some timing issues still, the high E started breaking at the 7th fret. Such a great song. I will figure out what I'm doing wrong if I have to go through 100 sets of strings. ...maybe I should just move up to 10's. What do other people use? Are 9's just too light for the bends he does? So glad he put this video up. What an awesome guy.
I was wondering why no one is talking about it! I mean, I've always been a Fender guy but this Les Paul sound? It just let's you see why it is so famous. Well deserved fame, that is.
I was realy looking for how you play in many videos but I am lucky here to see you playing this iconic song by you. You are real Legend in the music world. I know present Eagles party member neglecting you but we are here for you as you are the real Architec of Eagles greatest Hit.
I get goose bumps when I hear and see these guys play this song....A MASTERPEICE! They are perhaps the best songwriters and musicians this planet has ever had...
You might never read this Don, but your guitar work, explained the way you did, add a another dimension to the greatness of Hotel California. We all know that the Eagles wrote a bevy of great songs. The question is, would they still have become a larger-than-life band without this song?
Glad to see Mr. Felder break this down for the world to see. Lots of imitators, even the good ones, hack away at this classic and never get it quite right. Now there is no excuse. This great classic can now live on in live performance forever and be played just as it was intended to be played!
