No, I like Stevie Wonder, Sly, JB and MJ easily as much or more than Prince.

It's not just about musicianship, it's about musicality and final product and all those guys did it/do it for me. To be fair i'd say Prince has released the most rubbish i don't care for out of all those guys i've listed.

Marrk said:

But you at least have some interest in Prince, since you're on Prince.org.

ernestsewell said:

A person who creates music is a WRITER?

That makes zero sense to me.

Most (if not all) hip-hop producers dont write music, yet they create it.

Your hatred for hiphop clouds your vision.

You dont have to play an "instrument" to make music, you could make a song banging your fist on the wall while throwing pop cans into the trash bin.

minneapolisFunq said:

Same shit, different day

I'm used to the one-deminsional/limited definition that some folks here have about musicianship/artistry

Snobbery at its best, I guess that should discredit ALL the work that musicians who played/composed music by ear because they didn't know how to read/write music.
[Edited 4/8/10 1:40am]

minneapolisFunq said:

and there are a lot of musics on my radio that sound exactly like that

yankem said:

In all seriousness, contemporary chamber musicians come up with some very strange ideas like this. You may know of John Cage, a contemporary classical musician who wrote 4'33'' http://en.wikipedia.org/w...%E2%80%B3. It's basically a controversial piece that involves a pianist sitting at the piano for 4'33" doing nothing. There is a purpose to this piece and it is taking the artistic side of music to the extreme. John Cage is one of the most respected contemporary composers in our time who has really pushed the boundaries of what is considered music.

My point is, people need to have an open mind when it comes to defining what music is. One man may not consider 4'33" any sort of music and some in the field consider is a profound statement in music. After all, silence is part of music as well. Art is always going to be controversial and people have a right to define what art is to themselves. I feel it becomes dangerous when a close-minded individual tries to tell everyone else what art, music, poetry, etc is.

Now, establishing creditability is a whole different animal. Calling rap non-music or a singer not a musician with no good rhyme or reason is establishing poor credibility. In my field, I consider it dangerous when someone with poor credibility tries to inflict his or her opinion on others, especially those who do not know better. You see that in religion all of the time, but that's a whole different subject.

"Rap" in some sense of the word even exists in classical music. It's called sprechstimme (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprechstimme) and it has been used by contemporaries by the likes of Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Oliver Messian, Frank Zappa, etc. Rappers, while mostlikely uneducated, still are using these techniques and even adding the element of beat to them. They are using musical devices to create a sound palette. It's musical in my opinion and therefore makes them musicians. Just because someone only utilizes a subset of the musical spectrum does not make them any less musicians. I consider conductors musicians as well even though a good conductor is likely to be trained on a musical instrument as well. I'd like to see someone conduct a Stravinsky piece like the Rite of String not be considered a musician! The conducting is a work of art in itself.

Sorry about my rambling, but as someone new to this fine board I need to establish credibility (again that word). I've lurked around here enough to know that the people debating CON side of the issue have not seemed to have established any sort of credibility, yet seem to have a strong opinion that he or she wants to inflict on others.

Ernest, I asked you a while ago in another thread, why you haven't tried to establish a career as a musician in your later age where you make a living off of your music when you live so close to NYC and seem to have so much passion in the field. I never did get a response from you. Perhaps, you never came back to that thread. I also asked you in this thread "What makes you an expert?" It's questions like this I ask to find out how credible a musician is around here. For someone who tends to assist with a lot of information around here, I feel the people and I deserve to know what makes you a credible musician. You don't have to answer this, but you really should look at yourself and ask "am I really that credible?" and if the answer is yes, maybe it's time you proved it.

NastradumasKid said:

Huh? Did it frustrate you that I decided to separate my list? What does it matter to you if I chose that song over the others? Instead of freely misspelling names like most do, I asked if that was the correct spelling and used that song because it was a recognizable song by the group.

NastradumasKid said:

I have lots of interest in Prince. What i said, i feel is true to me. He puts out a lot of product, a lot of it great, laws of averages dictate i'm not going to like it all. in fact there are whole albums i find myself skipping through to get to something juicy. Prince just doesn't do quality control.

tubby said:

I'm a musician since I was six years old. I've been a writer since I was about 17 or 18. I know what I mean, and I stand by it. Period.

I never said I was an expert. You're the one flashing credentials.

Prince isn't an educated musician - is he not an expert, or less experienced or knowledgeable than you?

ernestsewell said:

A musician doesn't have to have formal education to be consider credible. Prince is obviously credible and that's why people take him seriously. The man can obviously play and write. He has proven this through longevity in the public eye, and having some hits on the radio. My concern is this: I've taken a couple of hours out of my time to listen to your works on your myspace page. It's only fair that if I'm going to accuse you of not being credible enough, I should do some research. I've come up unimpressed (mostly due the all of the software based public-domain loops. I'm assuming you're using Acid Pro or similar software). But why should anyone take you seriously is the question? Why is your opinion any more correct than someone else's? I've known musicians who have played since they were very young children but in their adult years are not very good musicians. They didn't put in the hours of practice and discipline to be good. Age does not establish credibility.Your writing is a step in the right direction, but again, there is an amateur-ish quality about your writing. Professional opportunities do not seem to arise from your writing. That doesn't establish strong credibility.

Marrk said:

I am so sick of U people putting down Prince all the time. Was that necessary to say that? I mean really.

"dead thread walking"...."dead thread walking"..lol..wasn't this a simple yes or no question? Anywayz,carry on

Yes, Prince is my favorite MUSICIAN

@ ernest: I understand your thinking and have been wondering myself if a singer really can be called a musician.

But I have checked in several dictionaries and the word "musician" includes "singer" since it refers to anyone performing music. What you are talking about is an instrumentalist, ie a person who plays instruments.


.
[Edited 4/8/10 8:46am]

SavonOsco said:

I guess no one cares.

SavonOsco said:

mind if I join you?

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

Nothing ever stays on topic here. Especially, yes/no questions.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Right,so this thread that asked if you thought Prince was your favourite musician, or do you like someone else more... were you just expecting fawing fammy 'I love Prince most and bestest in the world ever ever' type posts when you clicked on it? ...because the NPGMC forums closed years ago. Here people can speak their mind, positive or negative.

My response, yes Prince is my favourite musician. Which is why I get so frustrated when he dicks about with websites and ephemera.

midiscover said:

Sorry.....If u don't play an instrument, u are NOT a musician.

Prince is my fav.....

minneapolisFunq said:

Does that make anyone who sees u at a hospital a Doctor?

LOL, this thread is pretty interesting. Ernest can be a trip, and has been known to start shit when not only is it unnecessary, but completely unwarranted. Alas, I think the starter of this thread asked a simple, basic question. Is Prince your favorite musician? The term MUSICIAN is broad, and encompasses everyone from those who write music to those who sing. Thus, Mariah Carey (for example) can be considered a musician of the vocal kind, whereas Prince or Springsteen can be considered not only vocalists, but instrumentalists as well. It all boils down to opinion, and if someone says Nas or Kanye is there favorite musician (!), then so be it. They perform music. They write songs. They are musicians. It's akin to a dermatologist, a proctologist, a dentist and a surgeon. They are ALL doctors. They just practice in different parts of the profession. End.
[Edited 4/8/10 10:15am]

Graycap23 said:

Excellent reasoning. I'm convinced.

Graycap23 said:

Is this some kind of joke? I'd hate to think that some of you are being serious.

tubby said:

I'll keep it simple 4 u.
Singers sing, Musicians play instruments, writers write material, arrangers arrange, producers produce, etc.....get it?

Graycap23 said:

Look Ernest, that's not good enough.

ernestsewell said:

They might not be good musicians, but they are musicians.

It doesn't have to be a guitar or a piano to be an instrument. You can make music by banging rocks together, mixing records together, or, indeed, making musical sounds by vibrating your vocal chords.

tubby said:

Interesting. I've learned when 2 go silent.
Enjoy.

ernestsewell said:

but your definition of "instrument" is where I think you're not being open minded.

I can see not calling Britney a musician because she's not talented, but someone like Bobby McFerrin who has done entire arrangements with his voice seems like a musician by anyone's definition.

Graycap23 said: