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Thread started 02/18/07 6:59am

3121

Renato and Prince

Interviewer: You’ve always been a very strong keyboardist yourself. Why give it over completely to someone else (renato)?

Prince: I’m more of a colorist on the keyboards, but I can usually get my ideas out. Renato has a whole other level of harmonic understanding.


This was taken from an interview from 2004. u can read it here

http://www.keyboardmag.co...yCode=4521

how do u interpretate this answer? do u believe that it is prince admiting that renato is a better pianist/keyboard player than himself or that he is more knowledgeable about the instrument? it appears to me that Prince really down plays his own ability here. I just found it an interesting comment

renato is an awesome force, u never know where his solo's are going to go. always full of suprises. Prince aint no joke either but they do appear to play with different musical sensibilities

what are your thoughts?
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Reply #1 posted 02/18/07 7:24am

malbena

3121 said:

Interviewer: You’ve always been a very strong keyboardist yourself. Why give it over completely to someone else (renato)?

Prince: I’m more of a colorist on the keyboards, but I can usually get my ideas out. Renato has a whole other level of harmonic understanding.


This was taken from an interview from 2004. u can read it here

http://www.keyboardmag.co...yCode=4521

how do u interpretate this answer? do u believe that it is prince admiting that renato is a better pianist/keyboard player than himself or that he is more knowledgeable about the instrument? it appears to me that Prince really down plays his own ability here. I just found it an interesting comment

renato is an awesome force, u never know where his solo's are going to go. always full of suprises. Prince aint no joke either but they do appear to play with different musical sensibilities

what are your thoughts?


I had to first read the article completely before I could answer. Sometimes, sentences are isolated from their context and it's hard not to give a subjective answer right away...

I'd say yeah. Prince recognizes himself as a tremendous musician but is aware that there are better musician than himself giving credit to Renato.
Now, maybe because he knows you don't have to be perfect in just one thing but be very good at many things to get the business going. So I think.
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Reply #2 posted 02/18/07 8:13am

Anx

i think it means that prince learned by instinct, whereas renato's talent is backed up by schooling. that's my guess. shrug
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Reply #3 posted 02/18/07 12:20pm

3121

Anx said:

i think it means that prince learned by instinct, whereas renato's talent is backed up by schooling. that's my guess. shrug



perhaps, but harmonic understanding is harmonic understanding. its 99% to do with the ear anyway, so just because renato may be able to say "that's a dimished seventh chord" doesnt necessarily mean he has a whole other level of harmonic understanding. he just has a different way of labeling what they both hear. I truly think that Prince is in awe of renato's ability
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Reply #4 posted 02/18/07 12:33pm

Anx

3121 said:

Anx said:

i think it means that prince learned by instinct, whereas renato's talent is backed up by schooling. that's my guess. shrug



perhaps, but harmonic understanding is harmonic understanding. its 99% to do with the ear anyway, so just because renato may be able to say "that's a dimished seventh chord" doesnt necessarily mean he has a whole other level of harmonic understanding. he just has a different way of labeling what they both hear. I truly think that Prince is in awe of renato's ability


i think what you're saying and what i'm trying to say are kinda the same thing, only maybe i'm not wording my thoughts good-like enuff.

i think in comparing and contrasting prince and renato, prince's talent is immensely right-brained, and renato's talent may well come from a more left-brained place.

and that's not a value judgment. there's way too much romanticizing right-brained talent and pooh-poohing left-brained folks as boring accountants and whatnot. not true!

i think they both have similar passion for playing music...they just take different roads to get there.
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Reply #5 posted 02/18/07 2:32pm

3121

Anx said:

3121 said:




perhaps, but harmonic understanding is harmonic understanding. its 99% to do with the ear anyway, so just because renato may be able to say "that's a dimished seventh chord" doesnt necessarily mean he has a whole other level of harmonic understanding. he just has a different way of labeling what they both hear. I truly think that Prince is in awe of renato's ability


i think what you're saying and what i'm trying to say are kinda the same thing, only maybe i'm not wording my thoughts good-like enuff.

i think in comparing and contrasting prince and renato, prince's talent is immensely right-brained, and renato's talent may well come from a more left-brained place.

and that's not a value judgment. there's way too much romanticizing right-brained talent and pooh-poohing left-brained folks as boring accountants and whatnot. not true!

i think they both have similar passion for playing music...they just take different roads to get there.



good point, well made.
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Reply #6 posted 02/18/07 2:38pm

peterfalconer

Anx said:

there's way too much romanticizing right-brained talent and pooh-poohing left-brained folks as boring accountants and whatnot. not true!

i think they both have similar passion for playing music...they just take different roads to get there.



clapping
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Reply #7 posted 02/18/07 3:35pm

RealMusician

In my opinion, Prince and Renato are both quite overrated as keyboardists.

Sure, Renato is an accomplished musician, but there are still hundreds of people out there who can do what he does. I personally know about a dozen or so.

Prince, of course, doesn't have Renato's skills at the keyboards - but on the other hand, I guess you could say he has more of a personal style, which is partly a result of his flaws and inabilities. He's never been a conventional player on piano, and I suspect he's never really practiced - he's just found his own ways of doing things.

Whereas on guitar, he also has his own style of playing - but he still masters "stock" stuff as well, things that any other guy would play.
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Reply #8 posted 02/18/07 4:42pm

NightGod

avatar

I first saw Renato play live for The E Train in the early 90's. His playing (mainly latin jazz) was so incredible that years later when I heard he was going to play for Prince I knew what a great addition he'd be to Prince's band.

I think a lot of people get bent out of shape with this "better than" stuff. Technically, I'd rate Renato far above Prince in keyboard ability, but Prince remains one of my favorite keyboard players. See how that works? And in case it bothers you, I doubt Renanto can go off on the bass like Prince.

I had a point when I was writing this, but it doesn't feel like I've made it. Story of my life...
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Reply #9 posted 02/19/07 1:13pm

BananaCologne

3121 said:

This was taken from an interview from 2004. u can read it here

http://www.keyboardmag.co...yCode=4521


Or you can read it here:

Renato Neto & Prince grace the cover of Keyboard Magazine (August 2004)

...

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc. Photo: Paul Haggard



Keyboard magazine: Prince interview - page I (August 2004)

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc.


Keyboard magazine: Prince interview - page II (August 2004)

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc.



Renato Neto from Keyboard Magazine's contents page (August 2004)

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc. Photo: by Paul Haggard


Keyboard magazine: Renato Neto interview (August 2004)

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc. Photo: by Paul Haggard


Keyboard magazine: Renato Neto interview (August 2004)

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc. Photos: by Paul Haggard



Keyboard magazine: Chance Howard interview (August 2004)

© 2004 United Entertainment Media, Inc. Photos: by Paul Haggard

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Reply #10 posted 02/19/07 1:37pm

sexxydancer

Prince is my favorite keyboardist.Matter of fact,he's my fave on everything!
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Reply #11 posted 02/19/07 3:00pm

GustavoRibas

avatar

Eric Leeds said in his interview that Prince doesn´t have the kind of harmonic knowledge that a jazz musician has, but he has the ethics of jazz. Prince is a great multi-instrumentalist but he can´t be the best in everything. Renato is a specialist on keys, the same way that Blackwell on drums.
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Reply #12 posted 02/20/07 1:20am

JesseDezz

GustavoRibas said:

Eric Leeds said in his interview that Prince doesn´t have the kind of harmonic knowledge that a jazz musician has, but he has the ethics of jazz. Prince is a great multi-instrumentalist but he can´t be the best in everything. Renato is a specialist on keys, the same way that Blackwell on drums.


Well said clapping
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Reply #13 posted 02/20/07 9:15am

RealMusician

GustavoRibas said:

Eric Leeds said in his interview that Prince doesn´t have the kind of harmonic knowledge that a jazz musician has, but he has the ethics of jazz.


That's very true!
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