The web is full of resources; some good and some bad. This is particularly true with all things Stairway. It might just be a reflection of how beloved the song is but there are some amazing (and some really not so amazing) web tutorials out there showcasing people of all skills levels playing and teaching the song – particularly the solo. The inspiration to share seems to exist across the spectrum.
One of the finest solo tutorials comes from Sean Boothe’s Youtube channel. Here he not only demo’s the solo at full speed, but he also offers it at half speed to really help you follow what he’s doing and to get an ear for what he’s playing. There are one or two tiny fingerings (positions) or phrases that some players may disagree with, but it’s pretty hard to argue about the overall accuracy of the presentation, and impossible to argue about the quality. This is a veritable masterclass on how to execute a good YouTube tutorial.
Here’s Sean’s 1/2 speed version. Look how he gives you three different view of the guitar including the player perspective which is just fantastic.
At full speed he nails the feel pretty close considering it’s a cold start, and he gets a real nice vibrato on the bends (I actually like the vibrato he does in the half speed version more) which can be tough to pull off and stay in tune.
Who is Sean Boothe? It looks like he’s a UK based guitarist who teaches and does film scores, but we don’t know much else about him – we’ll find out more for sure. He has some other really first class tutorials and lessons on his YouTube channel so definitely check him and those out. And can we say what a nice Les Paul he’s playing too! That’s a gorgeous looking Goldtop! Well done Sean and thanks for putting these tutorials together. When recording for the original Stairway Project was underway, Sean’s videos were go-to resources for us. We’ll talk more about the solo in the Original Stairway Project in future articles, but until then please enjoy Sean’s fantastic tutorial.
If you know more about Sean feel free to share.
Feature photo credit “1988 Greco Bullion All Gold Les Paul” by The Donotron, C.C. 2.0 Generic