Well, like the name of this blog suggests, I most enjoy it when guitarists get up on the tiny strings for a solo. It’s that magical time in the song when the bassist and drummer put away their fantasies about being Les Claypool and Neil Peart, respectively, and the overbearing singer finally shuts up, allowing the most important member of the band to shine for anywhere from 15 seconds to 15 minutes (the longer the better, right?).

OK, so maybe it’s not always like that. Maybe sometimes the guy who is shredding his fingers off is also one of the most successful pop artists of all time.

This little video features a man formerly (and currently) known as Prince, who, until the Super Bowl a few years back, had kept his guitar virtuosity a bit of a secret. Here, he joins an all-star band that includes Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra) and George Harrison’s son Dhani for Harrison’s classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” in tribute to the quiet Beatle being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

The good part begins at about 3:30 into the video, with Prince producing stinging blues bursts out of his Telecaster. He then breaks out some fluid bends before executing some nifty pull offs. And that’s all just in the first 40 seconds of the solo. Later on, he gets reacquainted with the high E string, bending it almost to the point of no return, getting the most satisfying notes this side of Hendrix.

It really must be seen to be understood. Comprehension is another story.

So … yeah. Take that, drummers.