Wendy Breaks Down Her Most Iconic Guitar Parts and Her New Rig!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Do you have questions about Wendy's Pedalboard? Tell us in the comments below! Also, tell us which tones you dug the most!

[@thanehtike]

My favorite tone was from the Sheryl Crow song. I am curious about the JBL Mark 1's. I looked them up and they were monitor speakers. Was that what she used live on stage?

[@VertexEffectsInc]

@@thanehtike JBL speakers in a Mesa Boogie Mark 1

[@peterschaefer1665]

Awesome interview. I remember learning this song by watching the video. Great set of chords for that one!

[@thanehtike]

@@VertexEffectsInc Ahhhh.... Got it! I'm not much of a gear head. My Strat plugs right into the Blues Jr and I call it a day. I'm a new fan... your videos make me wanna go out and buy "Stuff"... lol... keep up the entertaining content... cheers...

[@micktheman6]

No questions but looks good and very professional

[@boomerdell]

Wendy Melvoin! What a treat. She is such an incredible guitarist and artist, and I hope she gets so much more recognition as such. Absolutely deserves it.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for watching!

[@marcusdc2]

This woman is one of the most badass guitarists of her day. Not just via skills but via performance on stage. She knew how to sell a show.

[@elainewalls1965]

150%

[@lucianoromero777]

Prince was a perfectionist and only surrounded himself with like minded musicians such as himself 💜 Wendy has my respect 🙌

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Agreed!

[@gatorgrass3]

Prince was definitely an emotional player, that was very freestyle which is not a perfectionist, he might have been a perfectionist in finding people/players that fit his leadership and music ideas. If I’m wrong convince me, his show was full of people completely directed by him

[@gatorgrass3]

Love Sheryl Crow and I’m sure her guitarist is full of thoughts 😮 listening to that rhythm of favorite mistake 😊, love your style but your board is something that belongs to you, it would take me hours to master changes, I would prefer a tech to program a boss 1000 into a nice pre tube for true dynamics 😅

[@badumtss10]

God, that intro to Purple Rain. She could play it in a loop for eternity and I'd stay put, listening to it without ever getting bored.

[@Anoalekontrieger]

It is a peace of heaven, what an amazing intro.

[@RJRonquillo]

What a great chat. I hope she's aware of how many people play (or attempt to play) the Purple Rain intro whenever they try out chorus pedals. Such an iconic riff, paired with that effect It's like that and Message In A Bottle are my go-to chorus riffs lol.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Wow! Yes, so true! Know we all know her voicings!

[@acemechanical275]

Jamie West Oram/The Fixx is my chorus go to.

[@kckrye]

RJ! Da Maaaaan!

[@RockyH.]

I Love Wendy! She is truly a guitar hero to me. I know she misses her friend Prince and I hope she lives a long successful musical life.

[@tomcoryell]

Yo RJ. Thanks for everything I’ve learned from you.

[@SeanHollingsworth]

So she was 19 when she had this riff immortalized. Incredible!!!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜☔️☔️☔️

[@diegorhoenisch62]

I worked with Wendy's guitar tech at Ocean Way in the late 1980s and he was floored by her chord vocabulary. She has a remarkable ear for chordal harmony. Her father was also a fucking legend. Cheers, Alan Tomlinson

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for chiming in!

[@jholtz9970]

I'm sure it didn't hurt that her father Mike Melvoin was a prominent L.A. area jazz musician for many years. I'm sure it rubbed off!

[@poppycock6572]

Wendy is just as cool as it gets. Talented and so down to earth.

[@yzth3ory630]

Purple Rain is an eternal classic .. can’t help but get goosebumps hearing it. It’s haunting .. it’s beautiful arrangement. Prince was fortunate to have Wendy on the team .. she’s badass

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Yes indeed!

[@lauraveney1412]

See here we go he was fortunate to have her when he employed her. She was lucking he gave her a job.

[@rufuscrowder1309]

@@lauraveney1412 Those Purple Rain chords and sound are historic. The first chord and the sound of it makes stadiums erupt. If those were Wendy's, then Prince was fortunate to have Wendy on the team. Wendy was very fortunate that Prince allowed her to be on the team. Two things can be true at the same time.

[@jessejordan8116]

Feel bad for the folks so triggered by how awesome she is to write negative comments. If Prince wants you to play guitar on his records, I’m open the idea you might be pretty amazing.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Wendy is great, if they can't see it, it's their loss!

[@cjkupa]

She is a amazing and so late need and who cares about those losers, so no need to give them any further platform

[@mcirone]

Agreed - There’s no way you’d hang with Prince (a prodigy) if you couldn’t hang musically or pass the vibe check. The avg listener or novice musician doesn’t realize the chords/progression from one chord to another are very difficult in some of Prince’s tracks. Not sure if this is due to Wendy being double-jointed, Prince writing songs on Piano first or what. Took me learning multiple tracks in his/their catalogue for me to grasp. Timing of simple funky riffs, variations on these riffs and surprisingly difficult chords are all small parts of the whole that makes the music and sound more complex. Simply underrated/under-appreciated due to the focus being on Prince, I think.

[@Compassiron1]

What negative comments!? Not seeing anything but thoroughly deserved love and respect

[@williamdon3442]

She played with prince. Enough said.

[@christopherspillman3870]

I love her candor and honesty. Not all techs are artists and not all artists are techs. She’s an artist who knows what she wants. I love it

[@VertexEffectsInc]

The best!!!

[@zaggnutt]

Didn't know who she was before this video. I'm blown away. Thank you for this! What a legend!

[@GabiWilsonTV]

I spent 4 hours trying to dial in my daughters VOX amp effects, to get the tone Prince once used on the Purple Rain tour. I had to use a separate distortion and sustain pedal to get it close. I then paid her $100 to learn the “Purple Rain” solo on the night he played in Syracuse in 1985. I kinda already knew it myself so, she had a head start with me teaching her what I knew already.lol Long story short, she goes by the artist named H.E.R. now and has 5 Grammys and an Oscar. I was blown away when she told me she would be doing the Grammy Tribute to Prince show. She has a signature Strat now too and a guitar tech that doesn’t have to spend 4 hours dialing in her pedal board.😂👍🏾🙏🏾🎸🥰

[@VertexEffectsInc]

👍👍👍

[@TBoogy3]

Is she really your daughter? Props to her. I dislike most new music but she's on a very small list of new artists I give props to whenever I'm in a musical discussion. I look forward to seeing her continued growth in the field. As good as she is, I know she'll only get better. After all, Purple Rain is actually Prince's 6th album.

[@GabiWilsonTV]

@@TBoogy3 Yes,Gabi is my oldest daughter. I have two other girls, no boys.lol I am more of a blues guitar player but Prince has been a HUGE influence on me since 9th grade of high school when Purple Rain debut in theaters. I always reminded Gabi that there has NEVER been a black female pop artist that could play guitar like Prince or Jimi and sing like Aretha Franklin.Sure, there are many female “guitar shredders” but in my opinion, their songwriting isn’t great and their vocals are mediocre. Gabi is a phenomenal pianist too by the way. It’s what I taught her how to play first. By age 12, she could play and sing better than most keyboard players I knew personally.😆

[@TBoogy3]

@@GabiWilsonTV were almost the same age. Your influence set her on the right musical path. Lol. Props to you too, for a job well done. And best wishes for your personal endeavors as well.

[@TBoogy3]

@@GabiWilsonTV of yeah, and I've seen her playing piano as well. :-) And that clip of her being interviewed as a child. She's definitely a prodigy, just like our friend Prince.

[@darincampbell467]

I have always loved Wendy. She is a top of the line guitarist. Prince thought so much of her to be in his band. Amazing that she was only 19 when she did Purple Rain. Prince had excellent taste in picking band members. i wish, Wendy, the very best moving forward in all that she does.Peace

[@CGCEifel]

Just learned that she also did the intro to Sheryl Crow's "my favorite mistake". Damn do i adore that riff. What a legend.

[@csharp57]

Never knew that 😮

[@NeRo-zd1fv]

11:45 Make it sound like a real "clangy tang tang twang telly"! Awesome! Just awesome! ❤ Much love for Wendy and Lisa! ❤❤

[@chrismannion3418]

Wendy is one of the most underrated guitarist ever. A huge influence on me. Thanks for sharing this

[@JeromeKJones]

Just seeing this. I have to say that just hearing her play the "Purple Rain" riff, with Prince being gone now and knowing she played it in to history, is pretty magical. Sitting next to her probably has 10x the magic.

[@danielfischer922]

She was 19 when she did purple rain ... amazing

[@JDrumUK]

I have loved "My Favorite Mistake" for 25+ years and never had any idea Wendy was playing on it. Thanks for that special surprise in a fun video.

[@Redtenbachersfunkestra]

Thank you for sharing. Wendy is obviously a TOTAL legend!

[@scramblerland2648]

Can we just appreciate for a second the beauty of this woman? Magnificent proffessional, guitarist and artist. Thank you.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Couldn't agree more!

[@ozziemartinez1484]

The gift of music harnessed by Wendy priceless. Thank you for Purple Rain riff.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜

[@jemwand2530]

Wendy is bona fide musical royalty. Such an amazing musician with a fabulous catalogue of iconic music, having worked with so many top tier artists, especially her work with Lisa Coleman. The fact that she dresses like a normal person, shows that there is no ego involved, she embodies the mantra "serve the song". One of my favourite musicians of all time.

[@TheMrdhyde]

The guitar chords in Purple Rain is some of the most beautiful sounding guitar you will ever hear. ICONIC!!!!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Yes!

[@ccollins9981]

I joined the Navy in June of '83 got out of boot camp spent 10 months in Millington Tennessee then on to aircrew school in Pensacola Florida..... When the movie came out. I was 21 driving a 78 Datsun 280Z burgundy with gold pinstripes blasting the movie soundtrack every minute of every day I was in that car. Man what some awesome memories! Thank you Wendy!

[@aniquinstark4347]

I love seeing session musicians getting the credit they deserve. They're the unsung heros of the recording world.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Yes!!!

[@nursebridgie]

Absolutely!!!

[@punkywozza4330]

Let's not forget that this is the woman who could hang with Prince and sometimes even out shine him on guitar

[@TimDBarnett]

Haters go crawl in your hole! This lady is an amazing guitarist-songwriter that was a huge part of music history. I have always adored and idolized Wendy Malvoin, along with the rest of the musicians that made up Prince’s incredible group of vocalists and musicians.

[@rodeo4786]

Below ground dwellers 😂

[@buzzardluck]

Her scores are awesome. Carnivale was a great show with a great soundtrack.

[@mattmoore9387]

Oh, and I do know where those two Rickenbacker guitars are. I really do.

[@billwayzata]

I was a bouncer at First Avenue 7th Street Entry and Sam's as it was called just prior while at the University of Minnesota. I saw the very first of Prince and crew as they played and hung out there. I worked most of their shows. I did appreciate their abilities for sure but I almost regret to say I did not appreciate them enough or certainly not as much as I do now. Awesome tech talk here.

[@KyOte13]

Wendy is one of the goats 🐐, don’t get it twisted. Her chord play & rhythm guitar work is legendary. Prince recruited nothing but the best, and she is absolutely in that pantheon. If you think different or want to throw shade on her for any reason,, you’re a fool.

[@burrelleful]

That brief piece she plays starting at 15:46 is some special kind of magic that pulled on my heartstrings in a beautiful way. Haunting. Just gorgeous.

[@mcirone]

Real fans of Prince recognize the brilliance in Wendy. As a prodigy, I doubt he’d waste time on musicians that couldn’t hang. I replied to another commenter re: chords and her being double-jointed. I’m a huge fan of Prince (& The Revolution) and have played guitar for many years. By no means an expert, but most have considered me “good” - The avg listener or novice musician doesn’t realize the chords/progression from one chord to another are very difficult in some of Prince’s tracks. Not sure if this is due to Wendy being double-jointed, Prince writing songs on Piano first or what. But I am 100% on your side with this. Took me learning multiple tracks in his/their catalogue for me to grasp. Timing of simple funky riffs, variations on these riffs and surprisingly difficult chords are all small parts of the whole that makes the music and sound more complex.

[@lbateman55]

This was so great to watch. Wendy is incredibly talented and humble, I have always admired her from back then and still. Thanks for putting this together!

[@RJ-go3sn]

Wendy has ALWAYS been a fantastic guitarist....Prince knew that! She is so fun to watch and such a talent. Have loved her for over 40 years now!(Only wish Prince and she could rock together still today.) Great interview and tour of her rig!

[@lifeisbeautiful9455]

Why am I crying 🥲… hearing those sounds brings back to my childhood… I miss my mom, sister, brother so much who passed! Things were rough back then but we always had music. We were so connected. I was 4 when Purple Rain came out… changed my life as a kid. I always wanted to be in the band.

[@mattmorris2867]

Man up.

[@pagejackson3389]

Wendy is such an undercelebrated guitarist. I just love her.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Agreed!

[@peterpedersen1641]

Would love to see her interviewed by Rick Beato! Get into it real deep and show her professionalism as a player, songwriter, arranger. Always dug her style.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

That would be cool!

[@cracklinjack___9466]

Wendy, hey girl. Great to see you in 2022. Watched you throughout the '80s and you blew me away, similar to Prince. I loved Prince and I totally respected his decision to have you and the rest of the Revolution as his band. You guys just gelled. And changed my life. Thank you.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Wendy rocks!

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

This is one of those interviews I cannot stop watching, especially since Wendy played such a huge role in the magic Prince put out during this era. People have to remember that she absolutely floored Prince, who similarly to Michael Jackson was notoriously difficult to please.

[@lifeisbeautiful9455]

Amen to that!

[@asha8859]

Wendy is so freaking bad ass. I remember being a kid and always waiting for Wendy to do her thing when Prince would perform.

[@ruechel]

Whoever this guy is, he really knows his shit, did his research well and that makes for a great interview! Thanks so much - so great to listen to this great artist and how she achives her sound!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Thanks for watching Nick!

[@Fakename70]

You should also listen to Wendy and Lisa interviewed on Questlove Supreme. In fact, the entire surviving members of The Revolution are included, as well as Cymone and Dickerson. Hell, even her sister has a segment.

[@sebastienbeaubois9195]

Flood of beautiful memory filled with joy and melancholy swept over as soon as she strummed that first chord.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

She's the best!

[@thebeatnumber]

@@VertexEffectsInc I always thought Prince composed EVERYTHING on Purple Rain and that he was a control freak type who wouldn't allow other band members contribute musically to the project .

[@randymiles-j1w]

People talk all the time about underrated guitar players in the guitar community. Most have it wrong because they don’t follow the artist/player. In Wendy’s case, she really is underrated. She has been a force in amazing music for 40 years or more, and a lot of people don’t even know her name or give her the credit for the things she’s done. She’s been one of my favorite musicians since purple rain. She’s one of the big reasons I picked up a guitar myself. So thank you Wendy. You’re a damn rock star.

[@rb032682]

I got off the road and was playing guitar in a local cover band in 1984. I was told to learn Purple Rain. Fortunately, I was able to watch Purple Rain and learned how to play the 4th chord, the E-flat add 9. A most lovely chord. Thank you, Wendy! And, Thank You, Prince for featuring Wendy playing the intro to Purple Rain so I could learn that magic chord.

[@itsdonaldo]

That was THE chord shape of 1983. It was all over "message in a bottle" and "every breath you take".

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Rock on!

[@Breakbeats92.5]

If your not a musician, this conversation might as well be in Mandarin. This is top tier music nerd stuff and I'm here for it!

[@DDD11239]

16-year saxophone player here. Basic skills on guitar, but this is pretty interesting.

[@bigkev10101]

Awesome video. Prince knew this lady is special.

[@brianjones4026]

Yes indeed and so was he ! Sadly Missed !

[@davidsavala7286]

I’m a drummer, and man, the Prince fan and gear-head in me loves and appreciates the insight shared in this video and the “lifting of the curtain” so to speak. Wendy produced magic 🪄 Thank you for sharing this.

[@destiny-theseries]

One of the most underrated, under appreciated musicians of all time.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@khismet]

Underrated, yes, but she still shines so radiantly💜deep respect for her talent and wisdom.

[@Bob-jl2oe]

How do you figure? How do you know she’s “under appreciated”? How are you measuring that?

[@eddievongrape2177]

She’s a legend!!! Her playing is iconic and shaped the development of popular music. What talent!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Agreed!

[@dovetalerwoodcraft]

Thank you so much for this! I've loved Wendy (and Lisa) since the early 80's. I was lucky enough to see her (along with Prince and the rest of the Revolution) at a surprise gig at the (now defunct) club Metro in Boston on infamous Lansdowne Street. It was 1985 or 86, I'd just turned 21 (or 22) and was working at my girlfriend's brother's graphic arts company near downtown Boston. While listening to WBCN radio, we heard tickets for the surprise show go on sale. We ran downtown to score tix and later that night were in the front row standing against Prince's piano. My gf accidentally shut the keyboard cover on Prince's hand! Iconic! One of my best life memories -- baby gays watching history in the making. Thanks for the gorgeous music, Wendy!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Wendy is an icon!

[@laurat1129]

How cool you got to see them back then here in Boston! In the early '80s, I was a preteen when they took MTV and radio by storm. So clubs like Metro were before my time, but we wore out "1999" on the turntable after school, then experienced "Purple Rain" in theaters. It was good to see Prince surrounded by female musicians like Wendy (and Lisa), though I didn't realize until I got older just how great they really were/are. Twenty years later, I finally heard/saw Prince at Staples Center, LA, in ~2004/05. One of the best concerts ever, and he proved himself a total showman. Not sure if Wendy was on that tour, but this interview with her proves how he surrounded himself with the best. Wendy & the Melvoin family are legends themselves.

[@erikhendrickson59]

The "Purple Rain Tone" is just *_unbelievable._* What a player.

[@someguy9440]

Listen to that tele weep. 💗 Great to see you still playing, Wendy.

[@brusschen]

Dont you just love this woman. I know i do! She is such a great guitarist, and a lovely person.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Couldn't agree more!

[@petervad]

Wonderful informative video with no hype, thank you. She is a legendary guitarist and always comes across as such a nice person. Mind-blowing she was doing all that incredible stuff with Prince at 19!!! Just WOW!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Our pleasure!

[@Schlumpf.Meister]

Wendy, it has not gone away, in part you made the soundtrack of my life. I am about your age and all my life the Purple Rain sound was there and it was always and continues to be beautiful. Thanks for it!

[@kelz4198]

I had such a crush on Wendy as a teen. This is a great interview. It's great to hear her "nerd" out about her gear.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@jkro30a]

Wow, I always assumed Wendy just played what Prince wrote but now I'm even more in love with her, and she nailed the iconic solo in the tribute too, what a player. And so normal. What a sweet person.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@HerrinSchadenfreude]

I had the biggest girl crush on Wendy back in the 80's after Purple Rain. I still remember working at a movie theater in LA in '87 that Prince rented out for a private showing where it was just he, Wendy, and Lisa. They were bracketing him and he was shorter than both of them. It was all I could do not to blurt out that I loved them all but everyone was required to stand there and not say a word.

[@bh613]

Wendy! 2024 and just realized how fantastic you are. Thank you for amazing your God given gifts are. This is way above me but so appreciate you.

[@robertstaufert2201]

I know nothing about the technical aspects of music-making but this was an enjoyable and very interesting video to watch. You can easily see the respect Wendy has for Vertex Effects and I'd like to compliment Mason for his easy-going personality and his knowledge and reverence for the history of guitar effects. It is clear from the video you both love what you do...

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@HarryFlashman.]

Wendy? Yes Lisa Is the water warm enough? Yes Lisa. Shall we begin? Yes Lisa. Love this talented lady x

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@bathstreetblues2588]

Do not care what anyone says this lady has that special touch all musicians hope to have, she's fantastic.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Agreed!!!

[@sterlingspencer2934]

Wendy and Lisa are fantastic musician and Prince as great as he was , was lucky to have them!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Hear hear!

[@Smokemifugotem]

18:23 so beautiful! I’ve loved Wendy since 85. She was my first girl crush and still keeps me entranced with anything she does. 💜💜

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Wendy rocks!

[@Jaake-my2rq]

Back in the early 90's I picked up a copy of 'Eroica' out of sheer curiosity because I love everything about The Revolution, and of course by that time Prince had reinvented his sound and approach at least three times. So after I had put that album on steady rotation it became very obvious to me that Wendy and Lisa had been a big part of creating that absolutely LETHAL melancholy push-pull that defines my forever infatuation with the Purple Rain album. And yes, Eroica is a fantastic record with strong material from start to finish. Thanks for the music Wendy; you'll always be one of my favorites.

[@phillipclarke8871]

Wendy's right hand technique is brilliant. No chica chic here, it's all individual string brilliance. I love the downstrokes on the trebble strings, I had to slow it down to see how she does it. Thankyou Wendy and all the best wishes forever.

[@jermainebradshaw5143]

I have always loved Wendy as an Artist. Thanks for this...Really! R.I.P. Prince.

[@jaltsch1]

Amazing! I didn't know the first chord of Purple Rain had a D (3rd) on the bottom! I always played a plain Bb sus2, but with the D on the bottom adds something real special! That's what was missing! Thank you Wendy!!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Rock on!

[@RyanMaziarz]

Yep, that D is the key to getting it to sound right. Also, a couple times on the album version and in many live vids from that period she was adding the third (A at the 2nd fret on the G string) to that big stretched Fsus2 chord too, which is a super awkward fingering, but again nails the sound. A lot of tabs show it as a normal F major - nope.

[@jasoncherry3404]

She an amazing artist that has a deep knowledge and passion for music, she really is a master of her craft with a broad range of musical skill and knowledge. If Prince gives you a solo in his show and brings her into his band that says volumes about his impression of her skill set. What an incredible talent and amazing artist.

[@mcole442]

She was all of what, 18 or 19 years old, when she joined the band? Whatever she had to offer, it was good enough for Prince, so it was good enough for me🤣 Go Wendy👈

[@joesimonetti]

It's amazing how down to earth she is...just the stories she could talk about in her lifetime would be outstanding.

[@scflair6916]

I am mesmerized by how she played the Purple Rain intro. She is a real pro!!

[@youngum78]

She wrote it

[@gluonjck63]

Icon! Killer! Underrated! Wonderful! Wendy is the best. Not all people shred. But her backing was delicious every time.

[@300rivers7]

I would LOVE to see her play today. I really enjoyed her when she was with Prince, then her stuff with Lisa Coleman. Those were the days!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

She's the best!

[@XoXo475]

She plays her chords just so dang clean. Beautiful

[@elnavales]

Wendy in Purple Rain = My first Woman guitar player crush. I taught my daughter to play guitar and I've always referenced Wendy for examples and inspiration. She loves rock guitar playing.

[@ericgelders]

Happy to know I'm not the only one who had a crush on her 😅, which got only reinforced with her appearance in the 'Kiss' video 😊. Great woman, great musician, love her craftsmanship and playing.

[@percynorris2498]

Give this woman her flowers man she's something special 🌹

[@jodip699]

When I watch Princes live shows, especially Suracuse, your solo moments were unbelievable. I am in awe of your playing. You are so iconic. Love you for your abilities. My cousin actually saw you with Prince at First Avenue before y'all made it big. Such great moments

[@magnust3347]

So great to see Wendy again! She has a beatiful mind, soul and personality! My heart is in harmony just by listening to hear her speak and to hear her play!

[@TheCrazybusa]

I could just get lost listening to her play anything! Phenomenal talent!

[@mikeferris408]

Her ability to fret the purple rain cords are INSANE!!!! its probably in my top 5 favorite of all time ballad guitar pieces.

[@ducksoff7236]

It's "INSANE!!!!" because why?

[@phunkyjunkee]

Wasn’t she in the band? Lol

[@dominey]

Wow - 19 years old when she was doing this. Never realized how young she was back then. Incredible.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Unreal!

[@Westsideauditor1469]

Neither did I, I was blown away when I read that not too long ago!!

[@kspan-xj4gs]

I remember watching Purple Rain when it first came out, ... I fell in love when I saw Wendy for my very first time. She was the most beautiful and talented girl in the whole movie. Watching her here now, leaves me in awe of her skills. I just love the sounds her fingers produce on the fretboard. After watching the movie was when I decided to learn to play guitar, ... Wendy's intro she plays here was and has been the inspiration that has kept me playing and enjoying guitar ever since she played it in the movie... Thank you so much Wendy, ... you've been a big inspiration throughout my whole life.

[@El_Chuncho]

Wow so SHE played the opening part to Purple Rain. Mind blown 🔥

[@psychodelicide]

Wow, all this tech talk is going right over my head - lol. It's cool to hear Wendy talk about it.

[@russelldavis8415]

Great guitar playing on purple rain both lead and rhythm, one of my all time fav tracks.

[@williamfreeman6935]

Wendy, you are such an amazing talent! So glad I ran across this!

[@krillinroshi9312]

That intro is so iconic that a whole generation of us are immediately translated back to those years every-time this intro comes on; Fact! Dont lie to yourself as it does! Wonderfully played; beautifully crafted; amazing sound!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

I could listen to that delicious first offering all day long. She really is a super talent.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

We agree!

[@0LASE]

That first Purple Rain chord is pure and absolute voodoo.

[@Cayres9]

The last chord looks like some Suspended Jazz Chord 😮

[@Alan-t7l9m]

Damn. What an incredible back and forth and showcase. Humbled and honoured to see her ability and the builder/ player relationship.

[@rareguitargallery2203]

Great video - she is a phenomenal player, who I think didn’t give enough credit to the peak Revolution- killer sounds and effects rig. Thanks for posting this.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

❤️❤️❤️

[@walshy2116]

Man what a delightful, beautiful, extremely talented woman! Bless her! I’m sure she’s top notch to have worked with the likes of Prince! Love her work!

[@tubester4567]

So this woman wrote some of Princes iconic guitar parts? Why isnt she more well known? I never heard of her.

[@TBoogy3]

@@tubester4567 that's a failure on your part. Lol. Teasing, but she's probably the most well known Prince band mate ever, unless you count Sheila E. They recorded many albums under the same name used for them in the movie... Wendy & Lisa. They wrote songs for other people in the 90s. Played on stuff, like the Sheryl crow song she touched on here, they went on to score Hollywood films and won awards for that work, and now is leading The Revolution in Prince's absence.

[@TBoogy3]

And, she was probably the best actor in the whole movie: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX7Ne2ppmpuDrdk

[@tubester4567]

@@TBoogy3 Yeh I remember Sheila E, and I remember Prince had mainly female band mates, but I dont remember her name. Then again theres a lot of things I have only learned in recent years. Like some of Michael Jacksons biggest hits were written by a white English guy, also called Mike Jackson!!. lol

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Couldn't agree more!

[@PatHaskell]

Just watched the Minneapolis 1983 video of the performance she referred to. Unbelievable, next level talent..and she was 19 at the time.

[@rokker333]

Thx. Did not know this vid and just watched it.

[@MrRossmeldrum]

Its brilliant to hear an artist talk about their craft. It was amazing to hear from Wendy.

[@aaronrojas5399]

Wendy is an amazing musician!! Really loved watching this.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

💜💜💜

[@Elsteveador2]

As a guitarist who’s played Purple Rain in many covers bands, it’s absolutely blown my mind that the root note of that first chord was never actually there, it was always implied. 🤯 Mind Blown!

[@VertexEffectsInc]

100% agreed!

[@kayokk-]

What a legend, what a beautiful touch and a calming player. Amen. 💌

[@VertexEffectsInc]

The best!

[@BlueSpruce2]

This is the most faithful rendition, as only the creator of the Purple Rain opening could duplicate, I have heard to date, and as I remembered it from the 80's! 👍 Wendy is a true original. Glad she's still around to inspire the next generation.