"Stairway to Heaven" Reaches a Milestone Birthday.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's magnum opus, "Stairway to Heaven". The song, which is nearly ten minutes long, is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Composed in late 1970 by band members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, it was released on the album Led Zeppelin IV in November 1971. 

The song contains a variety of guitar parts and techniques. The first part, soft sounding arpeggiated chords, is played finger style on an acoustic guitar. These chords are played throughout the song when the verses are sung and are the most recognizable sounds for most people. The remaining parts are played on electric guitars, both six string and twelve string. Jimmy Page would usually use a double necked guitar when playing the song live so he did not have to switch guitars in the middle. As the song progresses, it becomes more of a hard rock tune. Page's guitar playing and Plant's singing become more and more rock, or even metal sounding, as they drive the song through the thought-provoking lyrics.

The verse chords are not that uncommon, but later in the song Page employs variations of these more familiar chords. For someone still learning to play the guitar, like me, this is a great song to spend time on. The chord shapes for the verses are pretty simple although playing bar chords is always good practice. Playing arpeggiated chords is always a challenge for me, but when this song is played well the sound is magical. Learning the chord variations and where they go in the song is a great way to practice moving my left hand around on the fretboard.

The solo, considered by many to be the best rock solo ever, is beyond my skill level. It is still fun to just play the chords while Jimmy is wailing away. One interesting tidbit about the solo is that Page has said that he played is using a Fender Telecaster. He is usually identified as a Gibson Les Paul played so it is interesting that he used a Fender on one of Led Zeppelin's most iconic songs. 

When I began learning to play guitar, my teacher showed me the opening chords to this song pretty early in my lessons. So, I have known the shapes for a long time. Every once in a while, I will get the urge to try and get a little better at playing this masterpiece of rock music. The fact that I pulled it out again so close to the 50th anniversary of its release seems to have a little bit of karma to it. 

History Museum at the Castle Guitar Exhibit

There is an exhibit titled "Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll" at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. It features some of the iconic guitars that helped musicians such as Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen create their own unique sounds. A trip to the Big Apple is not on my agenda, so I was excited to learn that the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton, Wisconsin was hosting a guitar exhibit this summer.

"Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World" is on display from June 2019 through January 2020. This traveling exhibit has something for anyone, of any age, who has an interest in guitars. It features a floor length electric guitar and a multitude of Fender Stratocasters hanging from the ceiling. There are displays explaining the science behind the sounds created by acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and amplifiers.

The best part of the exhibit, however, is the collection of guitars that the exhibit brings together.

Fender Stratocaster

My favorite guitar, and the only electric I own, is the Fender Stratocaster. They had a vintage model in blue with a rosewood fretboard that is an excellent example of a Strat. Players who are associated with the Stratocaster are Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton and the incomparable Jimi Hendrix.

Gibson guitars were also well represented with a Les Paul SG and an ES 355 that B.B. King made famous. He named his guitars Lucille after he had run back into a burning bar to retrieve his guitar when a fire broke out during a gig. The fire had begun over a dispute involving a woman named Lucille and he wanted to remember never to run into a burning building because of a guitar. Gibson began to produce guitars with "Lucille" embossed on the headstock.

Lucille

The curators chose a Martin D 28 as an example of an acoustic guitar that influenced the rock and roll world. Rock musicians as diverse as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page and Neil Young all played Martin acoustics on some of their most well known songs. The leather bound example on display indicates that it was also a favorite of country and western guitar slingers.

Martin D 28

If you have an interest in guitars, rock and roll or otherwise, I recommend a visit to the History Museum at the Castle.