Cat Stevens playing guitar

[greg]

Does anyone know more about how Cat Stevens learned to play the guitar? Did a friend teach him? Did he teach himself from books? Did he take lessons? I have never seen this really discussed in interviews, articles, etc... I did hear Yusuf say in the interview on the Majicat DVD that his first guitar was a "cheap" italian guitar.

[Chris]

I don't think he took lessons. I read once that he taught himself to play after getting his first guitar at the age of 15. I also read once that others had offered to teach him to play better. But he never took them up on it, that he liked and enjoyed the way he played.

[Ovationguitar]

I know that he had a friend who plays guitar, and this friend teach him the first 3 or 4 chords.
After that he bought a guitarschool book and learn for hisself. The first chords he can play were E, E7, A, D. With these chords he composed "I love my dog". In a Interview from the ´70 he says that they are many chords he hates and never play!
The story with the cheap italien guitar is right. It was a nylon string guitar and on the "Mona Bone Jakon" album he uses this old guitar for 3 songs: "Lady D´Arbanville", "Katmandu" and "Time/Fill my Eyes"!
As his second guitar he bought his 12-string swedish "Hagstrom" guitar, and then a "Gibson ES-355 Stereo" that is an electric guitar, and soon after he was in hospital he bought his famous black "Gibson Everly Brothers".
If anybody want´s a full list of all of his guitar modell´s let it know me.
Then I make a reply with all full modell types.

Best regards from germany, Ovationguitar.

[Celticat]

I often wondered if Cat had ever had lessons too. It kind of gives me a bit of hope that you actually can teach yourself if you try hard enough ... and I'm sure that is exactly how he learned, by a good ear for music and a lot of practice!

Jackie

[Leonard]

I am of the opinion that he did not take lessons, too. Which isnt bad. By that time, it was quite common. But he also had Alun Davies later on, who was a great addition to his musical repertoire. A really good team.

I took up playing guitar due to the beauty of Cat's songs. I can only recommend it to everyone. But best is to pay some bucks for a teacher; there are some things, some real ugly mishabits you might get when doing it on your own, that you wont get rid off so easily.

I really like the way Cat plays guitar. Using non-barré (laying Finger 1 across all the strings) is not bad in my opinion - its very practical, for you dont have to change the position of your hand under the neck - which can get on one's nerves... Using the thumb + the rest of your fingers is quite as good, although no guitar teacher, not even mine, would agree, I guess.

I am still working on some, I hope, real good TABs of some of Cat's songs: Lady D'Abanville, Sad Lisa (Fingerstyle), Moonshadow, Where Do The Children Play, ...
With MUCH more detailed explainations on how to play it the Cat-way. I will most likely make use of the Power TAB Editor, being free and which is a powerful tool to document the songs, and how you should play it (http://www.power-tab.net/).

Ovationguitar, if you would be so nice and list up all the guitars that Cat Stevens used throughout his career. That would be very nice, for this kind of info is really hard to find.

I, personally, think that he did not use his 1st guitar for Lady D'Abanville - for you know a 15 pound guitar sounds really, really, really bad. I dont think he used that one in the recording sessions of Lady, or any other song on Mona Bone Jakon. I think he used his Everly Brothers, made by Gibson - but its only my opinion. Correct me, if I'm totally wrong about this one.

Jacky

[Ovationguitar]

Hello Jacky!
Go on the homepage from here to: "Photos" than to "Miscellaneons" than to "Rare and out of print" and the 3th photo show´s Cat with his first 15 Pound Guitar!
I for myself have also Photos from Cat where he is about 16 / 17 years old and one from 1968.
And on both Photos he plays the same Guitar as on the later photo on this site here!
And i have never seen Cat with another nylon string guitar! Because that, I think that the nylon guitar ( and on "Mona Bone Jackon" he uses for sure a nylon for the songs "Lady Dárbanville" "Katmandu" and "Time/Fill my eyes") is also the same !!
But for sure is it not!!
The best way to find it out is that i pick up the phone and call Yusuf and ask him!
But I am very shy!! :-) :-)

The guitar list follow´s soon!!

Best regars Ovationguitar!

[Ovationguitar]

HERE IS THE LIST OF CAT´S ( YUSUF´S ) AND ALUN´S GUITARS:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(maybe not all her guitars but all that i can find out. The guitars with the * i have myself)

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1.) The Italien Nylon string guitar

2.) "Hagstroem" B12 (12-string)

3.) "Gibson" ES 355 Stereo Black *

4.) "Gibson" Everly Brothers (the black with the stars on the fretboard) *

5.) "Gibson" J-200 Natural finish *

6.) "Guild" E50 Natural finish with double pickguard (Cat uses in TV show "Disco" 1976)

7.) "Gibson" Les Paul modell

8.) "Yamaha" F-130 ( 12-string) *

9.)"Martin" 3/4 travelling modell ( Cat uses in the Promo Video for "Banapple Gas")

10.) "Ovation" Custom Balladeer 12-string

11.) "Ovation" 1712 Custom Balladeer *

12.) "Ovation" 1614 "Folklore" (with the slow head and the wider fretboard "Majicat" DVD) *

13. Many other "Ovation" 6-string modells!! But all in "Natural" finish.

-------------------------------------------YUSUF---------------------------------------------------------------------

1.) The guitar from the "Tsunami" Concert (6-string steel, but the modell i don´t know :-( )

2.) Spanish "Ortega" ( Nylon string with cutaway and electonic pickup ) *

--------------------------------------.ALUN DAVIES----------------------------------------------------------------

1.) "Epiphone" Ft-110 "Frontier" ( the guitar he uses most)

2.) "Martin" D-41 *

3) Today he uses a "Ovation" Custom Balladeer LX, Black and with Cutaway

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Best regards, Ovationguitar

[Leonard]

Wow, thanks for the list. Quite impressive. Will keep this list, as wish list for future guitar shopping tours .

You really sure he used a Nylon-string guitar in Lady D'Arbanville..?! I'm not so sure...
Well, but I could also be very wrong about that ^.^

It seems that you have almost bought up every guitar Cat had his fingers on .
I wonder, how good you play his songs .


Jacky

THANKS for the list again!

[Ovationguitar]

Hello again, only for the right understanding; i have only the same type of the guitars Cat has.
Of course not the original guitars from Cat!!!
The different sound in Lady D´Arbanville comes trough the mix of Alun´s "Epiphone" with the steel strings and the not many tones of Cat´s (Nylon) Guitar.
But i like anyway the version Cat plays mostly alone in the french TV much more as the version on the album.
The french TV version that he plays on his black Gibson is really "Cool" !
And Alun is sitting by him holding his guitar ( sometimes he plays a little bit ) and smokes and looks very "stoned" !!
It´s funny.

Best regards Ovationguitar

[Ovationguitar]

By the way, Jackie you come from germany too?
Did you know that there is a very good german version from "Morning has broken" ?
In the german version the song called "Morgenlicht leuchtet" and it´s a german church-choral!
I often must play that on the churchorgan!
I for myself have made a german version from "Katmandu" !

Best regards Ovationguitar

[Leonard]

Yes, I'm also from Germany (Berlin). Its nice to hear that there's also a German version of "Morning has broken", couldnt imagine that. But I guess, I will better stick to Cat's beautifully performed version. Though, I would like to listen to the German versions, too.
I never had great luck with song adaptions of Cat's compositions, except maybe for the Tremelouse or so. I never liked Rod's "The First Cut Is The Deepest"...

But I'm always open for new stuff .
U made a German version of Katmandu? Sounds interesting. I still wonder how he played some fingerstyle parts in Katmandu. Maybe you can pin that song down, on TAB?

U must earn quite some money, in order to afford such great classic guitars...
I wish I cud do so, too ^.^


Jacky

[Ovationguitar]

OH :-( I never have write down a TAB for guitar! But when you will I can send you the words of the german "Morning has broken" and my version of "Katmandu" via privat mail!
You live in Berlin? I know Berlin. I have often give Concert´s in the "Berliner Dom" and the "St. Hedwigs Kathedrale" of course concert´s on the Organ not on guitar!
Playing church-organ is my job and playing guitar is my hobbie!
Let me know if you want to have the words. Then i mail it!

Best regards, Ovationguitar

[Leonard]

Sure, mail me the words; would be pretty funny, and your Katmandu version, too if its not too much to ask for.

Jacky ([e-mail])