does anybody know if prince can really play so many different instruments.
i know he can play many, but does that merely mean many types of guitar, piano etc.
what i mean is, out of say the 30 or so instruments he can play, do they include things like saxophone, violin, harp etc (i cant remember whether the harp in 'solo' is played by him)

He could get a tune out of a Slinky and two screwdrivers.

This thread has been beaten to death already....

RodeoSchro said:

but ive never seen him play any of these instruments (not that ive seen that many performances of his)..and whenever i read the sleeve notes on cd's, other people are listed for playing these instruments.

i imagine this has been done to death..but iv never seen an answer anywhere, or any facts (not trying to bring prince down, just curious)

He can create a mean beat by banging his dick against his leg

zsasz said:

He did a version of "Adore" with the Slinky and two screwdrivers at the famous Danbury, Texas gig in 1993. I think the boot is called "Spooning with Prince" or something like that, but I don't think it's in circulation any more.

omg

I like Ichi the Killer too.

Imago said:

I know. I have that boot and I've been offered $1000's for it, but no way.

This has been answered many times before, but unfortunately doesn't appear in the FAQ.

Prince was promoted early in his career as a multi-instumentalist, and as part of the marketing it was suggested that he could play at least 30 instruments. No-one has ever clarified what this meant exactly, and it's open to wide interpretation (does an ability to play the triangle simply depend upon someone's ability to strike the instrument? Does the triangle qualify as one instrument - would it be best simply to state 'percussion' or instead count the multitude of instruments that fall within this category?).

On Prince's first album, the multi-instrumental angle was reinforced by listing approximately 30 instruments that Prince played on the recording. However, this list includes various (sometimes esoteric) types of drum, guitar etc.. So it's likely that the multi-instrumental claim of up to 30 instruments is justified in this manner i.e. a broad interpretation has been adopted by the marketing people.

Basically, Prince plays guitar (including electric 6 string, acoustic 6 string and bass) keyboards, including piano and various electronic keyboards, and drums. He usually provides most or all of the vocals on recordings.

Horns are invariably credited to other players. Orchestral strings are often arranged by Clare Fischer and performed by other musicians.

When Prince performs live, he usually plays rhythm and lead electric guitar or keyboards of some variety, sometimes plays the bass, and occasionally plays drums.

There have been contradictory statements made about whether Prince can play the saxophone (Prince has claimed that he has played horns on some recordings, but the recordings have never been identified). To answer your one point, he does not play the harp on 'Solo'. Violin and other string parts have always been credited on his albums to other artists.

langebleu said:

thank you for the in depth info (still think he is an instrumental genius, but just shows that certain aspects -much like his personality- will always be hazy as far as the truth goes)
a little sad to hear he doesnt play harp on solo though lol, always pictured him sitting there alone in a room strumming the harp while singing when iv listened to it.

RodeoSchro said:

that sounds like the greatest thing ever recorded...if only jam of the week had stuff like that on it

RodeoSchro said:

And Sheila could back him up with a wisk and a Tomato soup can.

zsasz said:

u can't be serious about this thread! The music world would have discredited him long ago if it wasn't true! What a dumb thread!
[Edited 11/6/07 16:55pm]

Prince plays about 6 instruments.

KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS
different types of keyboards all played the same way giving out different sounds. These include piano, organ, Wurlitzer, ect.

GUITAR
different types of guitars all played the same way giving out different sounds. These include guitar, bass guitar, acoustic guaitar, ect.

DRUMS

SYNTHESIZERS
different types of synths all played the same way giving out different sounds.

PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
different types of percussions including cow bell, wood block, triangle, ect

Tame said:

She did, on "The Ladder", at the Nuuk (Greenland) aftershow in '89. Another famous boot, although I only have that one on reel-to-reel and since I don't have a reel-to-reel tape player, I've never actually heard it.

I'm sure it rocks, though!

LittleBLUECorvette said:

HEY THERE'S ONLY FIVE THERE!

etifaim said:

Keyboard - black & white keys count as 2

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I seem to remember something about handing Sheena Easton a banjo...

Mandolin? Wendy is credited for playing one on PE... I'd be willing to bet he's messed with some other stringed instruments beyond 6-string and bass... I mean, they're irresistible... ukulele?

check out his voice! i all tht verbal firkytoodling.
i've heard he has a purple piccolo...

RodeoSchro said:

ReginaCarman said:

That's not very nice, I don't think it's a dumb thread. He's asking a perfectly reasonable question! Not everyone has been a Prince fan for the last 20 years, some people are only that age! It IS interesting to know what EXACTLY is meant by multi-instrumentalist, no-one is doubting that he is, or that he isn't superb at whatever he plays.

Isn't that him playing the "juice harp" on Thieves?

he can also play scissors ..check out the track cutz from kamasutra

RodeoSchro said:

.
[Edited 12/18/07 11:47am]

langebleu said:

I read somewhere that he took up saxophone as a pre-teen but never found time to practice so he quit. He used synthesizers to substitute for horns and developed a whole new sound. He plays a mean tamborine.

did u know prince plays 'the horse whip'? - check this out...

http://uk.youtube.com/wat...uOOFPERAlc

wickyb said:

(Five star comment)

It's all settled then.