What did Jimi Hendrix have that Prince doesn't have? What made him technically better than Prince?

Everyone says Hendrix was the best, no one tops him, but his career wasn't very long and besides him playing the guitar with his body parts,what made him better than Prince?

Apples to oranges, really.

when it comes to playing the guitar, even prince would admit he's an amateur compared to jimi.

sharonbell said:

Technically better than Prince at what? Better than Prince at what? Guitar playing? Songwriting? Singing? A better artist?


Whatever the case may be, Hendrix is transcendental.

chuckaducci said:

I think we all know that the poster is referring to guitar playing, and that is the only thing that Jimi is better than Prince at.

Does this comparison ever end ?

Negritaluvyu said:

At least Prince is being compared to one of the best.

It's when P's compared to the likes of Terence Trent D'Arby that I want to immolate myself.

Drugs

squirrelgrease said:

I think that I would have follwed Jimi anywhere he went, tho... there was something about him. Even now- I close my eyes and listen to his music "differently" than I listen to Prince's.

wlcm2thdwn said:

That was just ...

sharonbell said:

The whole thing about Hendrix is that he was THE innovator. He was 1st. There are guitar players who are technically, and maybe emotionally better players than Jimi. Everyone owes a debt to Jimi and no one has really drastically changed the formula that he innovated.

I was listening to a live instrumental guitar piece from Prince via a RELIABLE file sharing service (oops can I say that) called a "Blues Intstrumental" ;I'll check it and post it later. Anyway, I was browsing Jimi Hendrix titles and came across the same song incredibly note for note. It was only then that I realized that it was not a Prince original. Prince's version is cleaner, more precise, and technically better. But only because Hendrix was ad libbing as he went along and Prince was only covering it.But as far as who's better??.....

It´s unfair to compare their skill. Nowadays Prince is technically better than Jimi, but PRince has a wide range of influences and guitar changed a lot since 69.
Lots of 17 years old kids can play Steve VAi licks Hendrix would never play. But Hendrix still is most imaginative, creative, and original player of history of rock n roll.

Truth is

I LOVE THEM BOTH!

wlcm2thdwn said:

Agreed!

As is usually the case, once someone creates/invents something (in this case Jimi Hendrix and his guitar sound) it's then very easy for someone else to either add on or improve that sound. But the second person didn't have the foresight to actually invent the thing . . .

High school kids nowadays can play Jimi Hendrix/Eddie Van Halen/Eric Clapton etc. cover tunes extremely well (sometimes better). But playing a cover song when something is already created for you is just copying, not innovating.

Prince took all forms of music and combined them into a "new" sound . . . Jimi Hendrix was straight-up Rock N Roll/Blues the whole time. He had diversity within 2 genres and that worked for him (some would argue that staying in 2 genres is harder than what Prince did).

Prince has a better singing voice and is a better multi-instrumentist, but Jimi Hendrix is the better guitarist.

prince and jimi can't never be compared.
reason is because they come from diffrent time period.
and jimi influanced prince.

when jimi came to the scene,other player were in panic.especialy clapton.
when clapton saw jimi live playing killing floor he was in agony saying my career is over.
if you study jimi and prince you'll find that prince solos
are more polished
more well structured,while jimi's solos are more raw heavy blues rock.
prince is better composer so he composed his solos better then jimi but jimis instant improvisation is better ,more wider then prince's.

while jimi played pentatonic,he played a bit of mods,indian scales.
prince plays more scales then jimi.
we can never say who is better.

many will say jimi,some will say prince.
But whats more important is that both of these guys played9plays) from the heart and we can enjoy their solos.

skywalker said:

I don't have the musical background to explain.

But yes, the innovation.

Without Jimi, Prince would be a completely different creature.

7salles said:

Love this too!

And this!!!! :

Se7en said

[Edited 3/18/07 11:56am]

Hendrix is dead and Prince is alive!

SynthiaRose said:

I agree 2!

LexNevermind said:

That song is called "Villanova Junction". Hendrix played it at Woodstock. I love both versions. But like U said Hendrix was adlibbing & Prince was covering. So its hard 2 compare.

Prince has not changed the way others play the instrument like Hendrix did. So, with that said Hendrix has the edge because he was the original. Prince would not be the same player we know 2day if he didn't hear Hendrix.

Something to consider:

Hendrix had the ability to do bar chords using his thumb for the bar. It created the ability for him to get all sorts of chord voicings and soloing opportunities that are quite hard to duplicate.

prince can also play with his thumb,prince plays bass lines on guitar while he solos.
jimi was better improvisator,prince is better composer,he better compose his guitar solos.

PRINCE

He has a better voice, a more versatile style, he can play whatever he wants, and the masterpieces of Prince are just as good (or better) as the best albums of Hendrix.

But Hendrix is a better guitarist; Prince is really talented as a guitarist, but let's face it, Hendrix is perhaps the second or the best guitarist of all time.

Giving all respects to Jimi...but wasn't a lot of his innovation inspired by drugs? I obviously don't know, but history seems to paint that picture. How good would he have been without that extra edge? It's like comparing Barry Bonds to Hank Aaron. Many people say Bonds is a cheater and doesn't deserve the home run record. I'm just saying...if drugs were the major influence...Jimi was still great...but maybe an asterisk should be placed next to his name.

comparison to TTD

yes a shocker , but check "Vibrator" title track... Kevin Wyatt fair cracks this bass line... it's tops I've always loved it.

I think the main comparison is in what they did/have done for the listening public. Both artists had no problem incorporating divergent influences , yet "sounding" new or original.This has clearly had a flow on effect in how others have approached their released recordings.

Yeah... no Hendrix means no Prince, but what about James? Little Richard?
Ike Turner's influence on Hendrix.

by all means appriciate your forebeares,don't get too hung up on it I guess.

Hendrix and Prince is easy comparison because of styling or look, on a deeper actual listening level I don't think it actually stacks up IN THE LONG TERM.
clearly one having a 30 year "career" of recording vs the others 5 makes it very difficult.

what should of happened is Collabs w/Miles released!

thebanishedone said:

well, that settles it.