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Thread started 07/19/14 10:14pm

kidmelody2012

Who taught Prince how to play guitar?

somebody had to give him direction? no one gets that good by just listening...u need technique!

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Reply #1 posted 07/20/14 8:29am

thebanishedone

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Sonny T showed him some basics.Prince have great ear and i bet that little mf was a better guitar after six nonths of playing than many people who pratise for years.Prince said that he wasnt into guitar solos until he started recording music but that is a bulshit because even as a teenager Prince was a well respected guitar player because he knew note by not guitar solo from a CHicago song.the name of the song escapes me but its either Make Me Smile or Sunday In The Park.one of those have extended guitar solo and Prince knew how to play it.
[Edited 7/20/14 8:29am]
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Reply #2 posted 07/20/14 8:40am

hopefularrange
r

thebanishedone said:

Prince was a well respected guitar player because he knew note by not guitar solo from a CHicago song.the name of the song escapes me but its either Make Me Smile or Sunday In The Park.one of those have extended guitar solo and Prince knew how to play it.
[Edited 7/20/14 8:29am]


Jimmy Jam claims it was the solo from "Make Me Smile", but being a lifelong Chicago fan, I know of no version (live or studio) of "Make Me Smile" with any such solo. He was likely referring to the guitar solo in "25 or 6 to 4". Just a hunch...
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Reply #3 posted 07/20/14 8:45am

thebanishedone

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Wasnt there two versions of MakeMe Smile? Short one and extended with a guitar solo?
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Reply #4 posted 07/20/14 8:50am

hopefularrange
r

thebanishedone said:

Wasnt there two versions of MakeMe Smile? Short one and extended with a guitar solo?


Never heard of one, no. Jimmy was likely thinking of a different tune.
[Edited 7/20/14 8:52am]
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Reply #5 posted 07/20/14 9:52am

thecloud

thebanishedone said:

Sonny T showed him some basics.Prince have great ear and i bet that little mf was a better guitar after six nonths of playing than many people who pratise for years.Prince said that he wasnt into guitar solos until he started recording music but that is a bulshit because even as a teenager Prince was a well respected guitar player because he knew note by not guitar solo from a CHicago song.the name of the song escapes me but its either Make Me Smile or Sunday In The Park.one of those have extended guitar solo and Prince knew how to play it. [Edited 7/20/14 8:29am]

Your talking about 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago. He said this was the one song you had to nail down in order to get respect on 6 strings!!! It's a bad tune btw.... wink wink

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Reply #6 posted 07/20/14 10:18pm

kidmelody2012

i thought i read somewhere prince could play Jimi's"star spangled banner" note for note which got him respect as a kid?...I thought sonny T played bass eek

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Reply #7 posted 07/21/14 7:03am

Militant

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kidmelody2012 said:

i thought i read somewhere prince could play Jimi's"star spangled banner" note for note which got him respect as a kid?...I thought sonny T played bass eek

He played bass with Prince in the NPG but he's a bad MFer on guitar as well and it's true that he taught Prince a few things in Minneapolis in the mid 70's.


I believe recently Sonny was playing guitar with Nick Jonas' band, with Michael B on drums, Tommy Barbarella on keys and John Fields on bass.

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Reply #8 posted 07/21/14 8:37am

RodeoSchro

hopefularranger said:

thebanishedone said:
Prince was a well respected guitar player because he knew note by not guitar solo from a CHicago song.the name of the song escapes me but its either Make Me Smile or Sunday In The Park.one of those have extended guitar solo and Prince knew how to play it. [Edited 7/20/14 8:29am]
Jimmy Jam claims it was the solo from "Make Me Smile", but being a lifelong Chicago fan, I know of no version (live or studio) of "Make Me Smile" with any such solo. He was likely referring to the guitar solo in "25 or 6 to 4". Just a hunch...



Yes, I have read it was "25 or 6 to 4". IIRC, if you wanted to get into Prince's band, you had to be able to play that solo. This was back when Prince was somewhere around 14 or so.

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Reply #9 posted 07/21/14 8:49am

kidmelody2012

wow 14?

RodeoSchro said:

hopefularranger said:

thebanishedone said: Jimmy Jam claims it was the solo from "Make Me Smile", but being a lifelong Chicago fan, I know of no version (live or studio) of "Make Me Smile" with any such solo. He was likely referring to the guitar solo in "25 or 6 to 4". Just a hunch...



Yes, I have read it was "25 or 6 to 4". IIRC, if you wanted to get into Prince's band, you had to be able to play that solo. This was back when Prince was somewhere around 14 or so.

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Reply #10 posted 07/21/14 8:57am

RodeoSchro

kidmelody2012 said:

wow 14?

RodeoSchro said:



Yes, I have read it was "25 or 6 to 4". IIRC, if you wanted to get into Prince's band, you had to be able to play that solo. This was back when Prince was somewhere around 14 or so.



Somewhere around there. It was well before he signed with Warners. This was back in the time of neighborhood bands and if you wanted to be in Prince's neighborhood band, that was what you had to be able to play. So it could have been a little later, but probably not later than when Prince was maybe 17?

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Reply #11 posted 07/21/14 9:08am

thebanishedone

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Prince started playing when he was 12 or 13 so by the time he was 14 he played guitar better than Eric Clapton biggrin

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Reply #12 posted 07/21/14 9:14am

kidmelody2012

wow he was late ...michael started at 5! biggrin

thebanishedone said:

Prince started playing when he was 12 or 13 so by the time he was 14 he played guitar better than Eric Clapton biggrin

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Reply #13 posted 07/21/14 12:14pm

steakfinger

thebanishedone said:

Prince started playing when he was 12 or 13 so by the time he was 14 he played guitar better than Eric Clapton biggrin

Except he couldn't play better than Clapton when he was 14. He might have played different stuff and he can definitely do some things that Clapton can't, but Clapton could and still can do some things that Prince cannot. It's apples and oranges. Saying Prince was and is better than Sanatana is a more reasonable statement.

Clapton would eat Prince's lunch on some blues. Prince would eat Clapton's lunch on many other things.

The great thing about music is that it is not a competition. Also, Prince is not the best at any instrument, he just happens to play several a lot better than more. There a drummers, bassists, keyboardists and guitarists who can wipe the floor with Prince in terms of physical skill. Prince's strength is his creativity. He can play something on the guitar you want to hear, but that doesn't make it difficult.

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Reply #14 posted 07/21/14 2:53pm

kidmelody2012

music is a competition! didnt you see purple rain?

steakfinger said:

thebanishedone said:

Prince started playing when he was 12 or 13 so by the time he was 14 he played guitar better than Eric Clapton biggrin

Except he couldn't play better than Clapton when he was 14. He might have played different stuff and he can definitely do some things that Clapton can't, but Clapton could and still can do some things that Prince cannot. It's apples and oranges. Saying Prince was and is better than Sanatana is a more reasonable statement.

Clapton would eat Prince's lunch on some blues. Prince would eat Clapton's lunch on many other things.

The great thing about music is that it is not a competition. Also, Prince is not the best at any instrument, he just happens to play several a lot better than more. There a drummers, bassists, keyboardists and guitarists who can wipe the floor with Prince in terms of physical skill. Prince's strength is his creativity. He can play something on the guitar you want to hear, but that doesn't make it difficult.

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Reply #15 posted 07/21/14 7:20pm

thebanishedone

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steakfinger said:

thebanishedone said:

Prince started playing when he was 12 or 13 so by the time he was 14 he played guitar better than Eric Clapton biggrin

Except he couldn't play better than Clapton when he was 14. He might have played different stuff and he can definitely do some things that Clapton can't, but Clapton could and still can do some things that Prince cannot. It's apples and oranges. Saying Prince was and is better than Sanatana is a more reasonable statement.

Clapton would eat Prince's lunch on some blues. Prince would eat Clapton's lunch on many other things.

The great thing about music is that it is not a competition. Also, Prince is not the best at any instrument, he just happens to play several a lot better than more. There a drummers, bassists, keyboardists and guitarists who can wipe the floor with Prince in terms of physical skill. Prince's strength is his creativity. He can play something on the guitar you want to hear, but that doesn't make it difficult.

I am fan of Eric and Prince.listened to them in all their phases and as an honest

person i must say that i think Prince is a much better guitar player than Clapton.

ClAPTON sux at playing blues.His blues covers may seem fine only to people who know nothing about the blues.Listen to original versions of any blues song Clapton covered

and ure gonna see how much better are Freddie Kings amd Albert Kings versions.

On the other hand Eric CLAPTON is a LEGEND.he was in so many great

groups and he even created genres like hard rock and heavy metal

by accident .And he made younger ppl get interested in older blues acts.

We must give him that.

but if we look only at guitar playing Prince eats Clapton for breakfast

when we talk rhythm guitar.Clapton is only competent on rhythm and nothing more.

Prince is a much more inventive lead guitar player not affraid to go with his guitar to the places he never been unlike Eric Claptonwho only plays patterns and phrases he knows in circle.Clapton play very simple blues solo.he never uses triades and he would have a big problem if he had to reproduce fir example Princes fast run on the Why U Wanna Treat Me So Bad solo.I can go on and on but i wont

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Reply #16 posted 07/21/14 8:13pm

kidmelody2012

blasphemy! biggrin

thebanishedone said:

steakfinger said:

Except he couldn't play better than Clapton when he was 14. He might have played different stuff and he can definitely do some things that Clapton can't, but Clapton could and still can do some things that Prince cannot. It's apples and oranges. Saying Prince was and is better than Sanatana is a more reasonable statement.

Clapton would eat Prince's lunch on some blues. Prince would eat Clapton's lunch on many other things.

The great thing about music is that it is not a competition. Also, Prince is not the best at any instrument, he just happens to play several a lot better than more. There a drummers, bassists, keyboardists and guitarists who can wipe the floor with Prince in terms of physical skill. Prince's strength is his creativity. He can play something on the guitar you want to hear, but that doesn't make it difficult.

I am fan of Eric and Prince.listened to them in all their phases and as an honest

person i must say that i think Prince is a much better guitar player than Clapton.

ClAPTON sux at playing blues.His blues covers may seem fine only to people who know nothing about the blues.Listen to original versions of any blues song Clapton covered

and ure gonna see how much better are Freddie Kings amd Albert Kings versions.

On the other hand Eric CLAPTON is a LEGEND.he was in so many great

groups and he even created genres like hard rock and heavy metal

by accident .And he made younger ppl get interested in older blues acts.

We must give him that.

but if we look only at guitar playing Prince eats Clapton for breakfast

when we talk rhythm guitar.Clapton is only competent on rhythm and nothing more.

Prince is a much more inventive lead guitar player not affraid to go with his guitar to the places he never been unlike Eric Claptonwho only plays patterns and phrases he knows in circle.Clapton play very simple blues solo.he never uses triades and he would have a big problem if he had to reproduce fir example Princes fast run on the Why U Wanna Treat Me So Bad solo.I can go on and on but i wont

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Reply #17 posted 07/24/14 10:36am

Militant

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Even Clapton has acknowledged that Prince is a better guitarist than he is.

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Reply #18 posted 07/24/14 11:03am

Miles

Militant said:

Even Clapton has acknowledged that Prince is a better guitarist than he is.

Wouldn't be too hard that, considering Clapton can't really play rhythm wink .

I heard that Prince learned how to play guitar in the early 70s. One day, stoned after yet another epic listening session of Maggot Brain, he felt strangely drawn to the shores of Lake Minnetonka, where, looking up into the sky, he saw the ghost of Jimi Hendrix descend on a purple cloud.

Walking on water, Jimi approached Prince and told him, 'Little brother, I was called back to Heaven unexpectedly early on special business, so I need you to take over my mission down here on Earth. Here, take this white cloud guitar and also this funky Hohner, I've tuned them both specially for you. Use them wisely and use them well and you will never age and your afro will grow bigger than you ever imagined possible'.

Giving Prince a meaningful stare, Jimi walked back onto the lake and began to ascend back into the heavens, accompanied by a haze of echoing, celestial wah wah guitar that echoed in Prince's head from that day forward ...

Just before he disappeared in a purple rainbow, Jimi called down - 'And Prince, never forget Larry Graham. One day he will be your funky bass guru and your spiritual mentor. Larry, Sly and I shall be your holy trinity forevermore. Fly on, brother, fly on ... '

'How can I even think of letting Jimi down?' Prince thought in stunned silence on the long walk home.

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Reply #19 posted 07/24/14 11:12am

hopefularrange
r

Miles said:

I heard that Prince learned how to play guitar in the early 70s. One day, stoned after yet another epic listening session of Maggot Brain, he felt strangely drawn to the shores of Lake Minnetonka, where, looking up into the sky, he saw the ghost of Jimi Hendrix descend on a purple cloud.

Walking on water, Jimi approached Prince and told him, 'Little brother, I was called back to Heaven unexpectedly early on special business, so I need you to take over my mission down here on Earth. Here, take this white cloud guitar and also this funky Hohner, I've tuned them both specially for you. Use them wisely and use them well and you will never age and your afro will grow bigger than you ever imagined possible'.

Giving Prince a meaningful stare, Jimi walked back onto the lake and began to ascend back into the heavens, accompanied by a haze of echoing, celestial wah wah guitar that echoed in Prince's head from that day forward ...

Just before he disappeared in a purple rainbow, Jimi called down - 'And Prince, never forget Larry Graham. One day he will be your funky bass guru and your spiritual mentor. Larry, Sly and I shall be your holy trinity forevermore. Fly on, brother, fly on ... '

'How can I even think of letting Jimi down?' Prince thought in stunned silence on the long walk home.


[img:$uid]http://troll.me/images/sad-guy/its-so-beautiful-thumb.jpg[/img:$uid]

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Reply #20 posted 07/24/14 12:16pm

Stimpy

hopefularranger said:

Miles said:

I heard that Prince learned how to play guitar in the early 70s. One day, stoned after yet another epic listening session of Maggot Brain, he felt strangely drawn to the shores of Lake Minnetonka, where, looking up into the sky, he saw the ghost of Jimi Hendrix descend on a purple cloud.

Walking on water, Jimi approached Prince and told him, 'Little brother, I was called back to Heaven unexpectedly early on special business, so I need you to take over my mission down here on Earth. Here, take this white cloud guitar and also this funky Hohner, I've tuned them both specially for you. Use them wisely and use them well and you will never age and your afro will grow bigger than you ever imagined possible'.

Giving Prince a meaningful stare, Jimi walked back onto the lake and began to ascend back into the heavens, accompanied by a haze of echoing, celestial wah wah guitar that echoed in Prince's head from that day forward ...

Just before he disappeared in a purple rainbow, Jimi called down - 'And Prince, never forget Larry Graham. One day he will be your funky bass guru and your spiritual mentor. Larry, Sly and I shall be your holy trinity forevermore. Fly on, brother, fly on ... '

'How can I even think of letting Jimi down?' Prince thought in stunned silence on the long walk home.


[img:$uid]http://troll.me/images/sad-guy/its-so-beautiful-thumb.jpg[/img:$uid]

The thing is, that story is basically true.

purple haze became Purple Rain, and the baton was passed.

The Big Lebowski is a true story as well, and Prince was in that film but objected to the marmot in the bathtub scene, so the Coens wrote him out.

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Reply #21 posted 07/24/14 12:34pm

Genesia

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Didn't he say (on the MTV Musicology special) that he got his first guitar at 14 - and that the first song he learned to play was Proud Mary? I think I'm remembering that correctly...

We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
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Reply #22 posted 07/24/14 2:04pm

thebanishedone

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Genesia said:

Didn't he say (on the MTV Musicology special) that he got his first guitar at 14 - and that the first song he learned to play was Proud Mary? I think I'm remembering that correctly...

second part is true,first part is not

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Reply #23 posted 07/24/14 9:26pm

kidmelody2012

i need proof,,,when he said that?

Militant said:

Even Clapton has acknowledged that Prince is a better guitarist than he is.

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Reply #24 posted 07/24/14 10:50pm

callimnate

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Eric has always complimented P and how good he is. Respect. cool

He even appeared in the Prince doco in 88.

.

As for the quote, it went like this, but cant remember which interview it was....

.

"What is it like to be the best guitarist in the world?". His response was "I don't know, ask Prince".

.

cool

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Reply #25 posted 07/24/14 10:52pm

callimnate

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And then there's this one....

.

“When I first saw Purple Rain, it had been a while since anything beautiful had taken place. After seeing Prince, I thought, ‘Everything’s going to be OK for a while.’ With Gary Clark Jr., it’s the same thing.”

.

http://musicleeinclined.c...jr-prince/

.

cool

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Reply #26 posted 07/25/14 8:30am

kidmelody2012

yeah but nowhere is he saying Prince better than ME?

callimnate said:

And then there's this one....

.

“When I first saw Purple Rain, it had been a while since anything beautiful had taken place. After seeing Prince, I thought, ‘Everything’s going to be OK for a while.’ With Gary Clark Jr., it’s the same thing.”

.

http://musicleeinclined.c...jr-prince/

.

cool

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Reply #27 posted 07/25/14 9:36am

Militant

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moderator

callimnate said:

Eric has always complimented P and how good he is. Respect. cool

He even appeared in the Prince doco in 88.

.

As for the quote, it went like this, but cant remember which interview it was....

.

"What is it like to be the best guitarist in the world?". His response was "I don't know, ask Prince".

.

cool

Yep, that's the Clapton quote.

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Reply #28 posted 07/26/14 8:29pm

kidmelody2012

i thought clapton said Buddy Guy was the best in the world? eek

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Reply #29 posted 07/26/14 9:26pm

thebanishedone

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kidmelody2012 said:

i thought clapton said Buddy Guy was the best in the world? eek

kid melody do you have internet? biggrin

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