Does prince improvise some of his solos during concerts or are they all prepared beforehand??

I'm not a guitar player so this question might come off as amateurish to some but

i'm seriously wondering about that..

[Edited 5/25/12 5:47am]

I think a bit of both to be honest. At this stage in his career I think he has been quoted as saying he doesn't really need to "practice" guitar. But I am sure he plays and tries things out during rehearsals/soundchecks.

To me he just looks like he is playing from his soul, like a soul singer. He is a soul guitarist. Awesome...

This has been covered a couple of times already...

Prince does not "prepare" (or write down) any of his solos beforehand, that's for sure. He improvises 90% of every solo, but has some kind of idea to throw in there at some point (arpeggios, a certain effect etc), but basically his band will simply react on cue whenever he decides his solo is over.

didn't eric leeds say he mostly prepares his solos beforehand?

Prince plays so many different solo's on the same songs I don't kbnow how u would prepare it before hand. Would he prepare a general idea of the solo? Yes. Note 4 note...........I seriously doubt it.

uuhson said:

didn't eric leeds say he mostly prepares his solos beforehand?

"I don't prepare them. I don't have to. That's the difference between you and me"

Alright simmer down Francis L.

[Edited 5/25/12 6:28am]

It varies depending on the song and on his mood. For example, when he plays Let's Go Crazy live the guitar solo is almso always pretty similar to the one that apears on record, because its so well-known - its what people expect to hear. Sometimes he plays the Purple Rain solo pretty much note for note, other times he'll improvise large parts of it. He definitely does improvise alot live, its one of the things I like most about Prince...you're never quite sure what you're gonna get. In contrast, I saw Steve Vai in concert a few years ago and every note was the same as the live DVD a I have....Prince isn't like that. You'll never get two Prince concerts where every note is the same.

its pretty much impossible to know if hes truly 'improvising live' though. for all we know he came up with the changes he makes beforehand and rehearsed a hundred times before the show

uuhson said:

its pretty much impossible to know if hes truly 'improvising live' though. for all we know he came up with the changes he makes beforehand and rehearsed a hundred times before the show

Why would someone of Prince's skill set need 2 do that?

whats wrong with rehearsing ahead of time and working on getting out the best solo you can?

uuhson said:

whats wrong with rehearsing ahead of time and working on getting out the best solo you can?

Prince has a certain parameters for solo's.......the rest is improvised.

All guitar solos are a mix of preparation and improvisation. Solos are not just dreamed up on the spot, they’re a mix of licks (short melodies) that are all strung together. But Prince has been doing this a long time, so he has a pretty massive collection of licks to draw on and it can certainly seem like he’s pulling a solo from thin air!

Improvising isn't that unusual. I do it everytime I play...and I'm nowhere as good a musician as Prince. Its enjoyable to create on the spot...its just fun. If you're a creative person and you can do it...you do it. Its usually a combination of licks you know and genuinely new things - a sequence of notes you've never played before but are inspired to play at that moment for whatever reason. If you're feeling good about your instrument and confident about your playing on the night then you tend to improvise more. If you're having an "off night" you'll tend to fall back on rehearsed licks.

Another clue that Prince improvises alot is the fact he'll frequently play things that just don't work that well...that even sound kinda crappy....that happens when you're improvising sometimes. I don't see why he would rehearse crappy licks beforehand. On the flip-side, you can see him smile/laugh to himself or one of the other bandmembers when he stumbles upon a something new that he really likes. He'll also play extended solos sometimes that might go for five minutes or more...now thats alot of notes to memorize beforehand....especially for a guy who needs a teleprompter to remember lyrics. He's a talented musician, he enjoys creating.....he can improvise....hence he often improvises...there's no great mystery.

[Edited 5/25/12 7:57am]

Graycap23 said:

uuhson said:

whats wrong with rehearsing ahead of time and working on getting out the best solo you can?

Prince has a certain parameters for solo's.......the rest is improvised.

I agree with that.

But at the same time, I'd bet some solos are worked out note-for-note beforehand. Special ones, like the RRHOF solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

RodeoSchro said:

Graycap23 said:

Prince has a certain parameters for solo's.......the rest is improvised.

I agree with that.

But at the same time, I'd bet some solos are worked out note-for-note beforehand. Special ones, like the RRHOF solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

Solo's are almost never in sync with the rest of the band. There is no real need 2 do it note 4 note other than playing in the correct "key" and the timing.

[Edited 5/25/12 8:11am]

Graycap23 said:

RodeoSchro said:

I agree with that.

But at the same time, I'd bet some solos are worked out note-for-note beforehand. Special ones, like the RRHOF solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

Solo's are almost never in in sync with the reat of the band. There is no real need 2 do it note 4 note other than playing in the correct "key" and the timing.

I know, but I doubt much of the RRHOF solo was improvised onstage. I'm guessing Prince knew that was a chance to show the world what he could do on guitar, so he didn't just jump onstage and play whatever came to mind.

RodeoSchro said:

Graycap23 said:

Solo's are almost never in in sync with the reat of the band. There is no real need 2 do it note 4 note other than playing in the correct "key" and the timing.

I know, but I doubt much of the RRHOF solo was improvised onstage. I'm guessing Prince knew that was a chance to show the world what he could do on guitar, so he didn't just jump onstage and play whatever came to mind.

That was not his band so it probably was pretty close 2 note 4 note.

Graycap23 said:

RodeoSchro said:

I know, but I doubt much of the RRHOF solo was improvised onstage. I'm guessing Prince knew that was a chance to show the world what he could do on guitar, so he didn't just jump onstage and play whatever came to mind.

That was not his band so it probably was pretty close 2 note 4 note.

I heard ( maybe from Tomm Petty) that he wasn't familiar with the song so he was given a recording so he could learn the changes etc. I'd imagine that he spent some time playing over those chords and coming up with alot of the licks he used on the night.