Below is the lesson for “When Doves Cry” by Prince.

Helpful Tips

This arrangement is chock-full of the elements that made Prince great; from sick guitar licks to funky piano riffs and an attitude driven lyrical melody. One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of Prince songs are how beat driven they are. This is one area I tried to address in this arrangement by adding percussion hits to the uke’s body and slaps on beats 2 and 4.

While the verse and chorus are fairly straightforward, I believe the tricky parts lie in the Intro and the Piano Riff. The Intro is adapted from the guitar lick that begins the song. As such, it is heavy with techniques common on the guitar. We have quick hammer-ons and pull-offs, a rake, and vibrato. I explain all of these techniques in detail in part 1 of the lesson. Use the on-screen tab viewer to slow down the lick and work it up to speed.

The Piano Riff is funky… I love it! My best advice is to sing along with the performance and/or the actual song to get the rhythm stuck in your head. One section is syncopated, meaning the hits are off the beat, but it is catchy which makes memorizing it easier. Remember, if you can sing it, you can play it. Have fun with this tune!

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson

Part 2 – For Premium Members

Tab Play Along