I've always been curious how Prince managed to learn so many instruments so young? Has he ever spoken about it? I know he's stated the piano was first, followed by guitar, but when was the bass and drums? Do we know anything about how he learnt these in such a short period of time? Did he have a music teacher at school? How often did he practice, and was he trying to learn them at the same time?

here's an interview:

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As in the past, on Musicology, Prince plays drums on several tracks. In fact, without a scorecard, it's almost impossible to tell if it's Prince or his regular drummer John Blackwell, playing. That's pretty impressive, considering what a monstrous drummer Blackwell is.

MD sat down with the musical genius before the soundcheck for his recent performance in Hartford, Connecticut. Prince was relaxed, thoughtful, and happy to talk drums.

MD: When did you first start playing drums?
Prince: I started when I was thirteen years old. I would play on cardboard boxes. I'd use the flaps for dexterity and different sounds. I wouldn't play drums in front of anyone until I felt I was good enough.
In school, everyone always wanted to play the drums. As soon as the drum chair was empty, someone would get behind the kit and play. Where I come from, if your beat was whack, you'd be made fun of. [laughs] MD: Who were some of your drumming influences growing up? Prince: I've never patterned myself after anyone. But my biggest influence was Morris Day [of The Time]. Morris is a good drummer - you should interview him. [See Sidebar.] Besides Morris, I'd watch local musicians. I never went to a concert until I was older. I saw James Brown and loved him as an entertainer. I saw the whole package.
MD: Did you ever take lessons?
Prince: No.
MD: What would you practice? Would you play along to records?
Prince: No. I'd play while singing songs in my head, or I'd put on the radio and play along to anything that came on. I would go from one end of the dial to the other. I'd play all kinds of music. When you're thirteen years old, you don't know about any formats. That's something society teaches you as you get older.
MD: What makes a drummer funky to you?
Prince: Their sense of timing and spirit - and when their ego doesn't ruin their playing. I don't like it when a drummer plays too much and he or she isn't listening. Some guys can have a great foot but no hands - or great hands but no foot. Listen to the song "Funky Drummer." The drummer plays the same thing over and over, and that groove just locks you in.
MD: What qualities do you look for in a drummer when you're playing bass?
Prince: As a bassist, I listen closely to the hi-hat. I don't necessarily follow the kick. I like to create the pulse of the foot with my bass.
MD: How about as a producer?
Prince: As a producer, song arrangement is very important. Some drummers can play anything, some can't. Some can play different styles but not all well. It helps for the drummer to have a wide vocabulary in the studio.
MD: How important are the drum sounds when you're writing a song?
Prince: Sometimes not at all. I always record the drums first'that's real important. I like to record fast. Sometimes the mic's aren't perfectly placed or the tuning isn't right. It's just a feel thing. One of my strengths is, when I'm playing it all myself, I can make it sound like a total band when I'm done.

Billy Amendola


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http://www.moderndrummer....474/Prince

He says he started of at 13 with the drums, so even if he practiced them for 4 hours a week, he would likely have devoloped a pretty high playing level on them by the time he was 18.

SEXUALCHOCOLATE said:

I've always been curious how Prince managed to learn so many instruments so young? Has he ever spoken about it? I know he's stated the piano was first, followed by guitar, but when was the bass and drums? Do we know anything about how he learnt these in such a short period of time? Did he have a music teacher at school? How often did he practice, and was he trying to learn them at the same time?

i cant answer everything but it usually takes a couple of thousand of hours to learn to play an instruments at a pretty high level. Ofcourse (on average) it usually takes over 10,000 hours or so to be a virtuso at any instrument.

I read a stat somewhere that the average kid today spends like 10, 000 hours on video games by the time they are 21 So even if prince spent a couple of thousand hours on bass, drums, piano and guitar, he would have been ready by the time he was 19 to play them on his record.

I'm just mad at the gerri curl lol

Just let your soul glow!

hhhhdmt said:

SEXUALCHOCOLATE said:

I've always been curious how Prince managed to learn so many instruments so young? Has he ever spoken about it? I know he's stated the piano was first, followed by guitar, but when was the bass and drums? Do we know anything about how he learnt these in such a short period of time? Did he have a music teacher at school? How often did he practice, and was he trying to learn them at the same time?

i cant answer everything but it usually takes a couple of thousand of hours to learn to play an instruments at a pretty high level. Ofcourse (on average) it usually takes over 10,000 hours or so to be a virtuso at any instrument.

I read a stat somewhere that the average kid today spends like 10, 000 hours on video games by the time they are 21 So even if prince spent a couple of thousand hours on bass, drums, piano and guitar, he would have been ready by the time he was 19 to play them on his record.

I would say that a lot of this has to do with aptitude. Some people take lessons and practice for years and never get good enough to give a basic recital. On the other hand, a lot of kids get pretty darn good at a very young age. It is the ability to understand music and realize what is happening. Prince developed this ability early. Now this is separate from the ability to compose, create, and perform. All of these he also posses. It just does not seem fair....ha

well,he grew up around a jazz pianist, I think Piano was his first instrument and you could always hear the twinges of jazz and gospel in his playing coming from his homelife and presumably, church. He spent alot of time alone, worked harder than everyone else and didn't sleep very much if his words are to be believed. He had a great music teacher I think his name was mr. hamilton at high school who sounds like an ideal guy to run into, he was not too high on Prince at that time, thinking Andre had way more talent. Prince had the work ethic though, he also had so many guys around him who could play well, andre, morris, the guys from flyte time, lots of comp and lots of talent came along with lots of techniques to master. He was obsessed with music and did his homework, he graduated highschool early to get his career started, he planned to go to college for music if his career didn't work out. Of course, he had to have always had the talent in him to be as good as he became, but he put in the work.

hhhhdmt said:

He's my favorite drummer and I love watching him hit those skins.

SEXUALCHOCOLATE said:

I've always been curious how Prince managed to learn so many instruments so young? Has he ever spoken about it? I know he's stated the piano was first, followed by guitar, but when was the bass and drums? Do we know anything about how he learnt these in such a short period of time? Did he have a music teacher at school? How often did he practice, and was he trying to learn them at the same time?

Brotha man had the time to just sit there and master it. I wish I could've went into music like that and became one with the instrument ... LoL

I was to busy chasing girls and music was secondary. Prince was the reverse. Music 1st, girls 2nd. Coming from a entertainment family didn't hurt either ...

If you want to learn the fastest way possible, sit in and/or jam every chance you get with the best players.

That's what Prince did, and that's pretty much what all the best players do.

RodeoSchro said:

If you want to learn the fastest way possible, sit in and/or jam every chance you get with the best players.

That's what Prince did, and that's pretty much what all the best players do.

True, i am learning guitar and while i have a teacher, i often play with some of the experienced players at the music centre, observe them playing ad ask for advice, it helps alot