Even though P is known for being an extroidinary guitar player, is he too often a Hendrix imitator or not? I ask this because he always seems to be getting praised for his ability to sound like Jimi with his solos often being described as 'Hendrix-like'.
This all also bothers me because it seems like the only time that a guitarist can sound and be truly exceptional is if they are able to sound like Hendrix rather than forging into an entirely new and unique style of playing. P seems to fall into this catergory of praise because of his Hendrix like ability along with others(Ernie Isley,Eddie Hazel and Jesse Johnson) instead of going for their own sound. I also mean no controversy at all since all the other guitar players I mentioned also happen to be black, its just that the term 'Hendrix-like' is so often applied to these particular guitar players more so than others.

EVERYTIME some guitar plaYER RIPS his guitar people will describe playing as hendrix like.
that is the curse of jimi hendrix.
but anyway prince have his own style on guitar
he sounds like jimi and santana but he is more modern and he have crazy choice of notes.
he is very talented guitar player.
he can shread non stop but he is far more inteligent,instead he relies on a sound.

thebanishedone said:

Exactly. I like what you said, especially the last sentence. His guitar sound is very much his own. I'm no expert but even though I can hear a Santana influence and to a lesser extent Jimi, mostly what I hear is Prince.

I wish we could put these comparison conversations to rest, but I suppose it is inevitable.

Jimi set a standard for rock/blues guitar and he set it so high that every guitarist from here to eternity is going to be compared to that standard -- and be found lacking by most. Not all. But most. Jimi is legendary and I don't think anyone will ever be universally acknowledged as his equal or *gasp* someone who supplants him.

So, in any discussion about Prince as a guitarist, he will be compared to Jimi as would anyone else who plays guitar. But, aside from the fact that they both played guitar, there really are not a lot of similarities. Prince does not sound like Jimi. I'm not an expert by any means, but I have never heard a guitar solo by Prince and thought it sounded like Jimi. Or Santana. Or anyone else for that matter.

I think one of the most flattering comments you can make about a musician is that they have their own voice on an instrument. You know Jimi when you hear him. You know Miles when you hear him. You know Herbie Hancock when you hear him. And you know Prince when you hear him.

The only valid comparison you can make is to compare Prince to Prince. That would be a more interesting conversation.

Perhaps a little off-topic...but besides his guitar playing, I have a feeling that Prince is (or could be) a great vocal impersonator! We've heard him do Mick Jagger, a very convincing Ray Charles, some James Brown, the Michael Jackson "hee-hee" etc... I bet there's plenty of different singers he could sound like, just for fun.

There are artists who have invented or defined a particular guitar sound. I don't think Prince is one of these, but that doesn't mean he hasn't got his own unique sound. Prince's gift has always been to unite inspirations from different genres and styles and create something no one ever thought of. That's why everybody sees bits of whatever guitarist they want to in Prince's work. Immitate, Assimilate, Innovate.

Interesting that no-one has mentioned Prince's rhythm guitar playing skills, which imo are superior to his admittedly often marvellous lead playing.

The whole Prince on guitar subject has been widely discussed on the Org over the years, but I think as a funk rhythm player he is the best of his generation, with a highly inventive sense of rhythm and often interesting chord choices.

I also think his jazz guitar skills, while not virtuosic, are under-rated. He has displayed convincing and impressive skills in this area on parts of the 'Xpectation' album and elsewhere.

As to his lead playing, I'd say Carlos Santana was a major influence, along with Hendrix, but Prince is more modern and has used various tone boxes over the years, which, while increasing his sonic range, may have denied him a true 'guitar great' reputation as he often lacks a 'signature tone', which is often considered important. He also frequently chooses not to play as fast as some players, being possibly influenced by Miles Davis' 'less is more' doctrine - generally play fewer notes, but make those notes count.

Santana is also a Miles influencee in that way imo, and if Prince shares any tonal similarities with anyone, it's with Carlos.

All guitarists imitate to some degree or other. In Jimi Hendrix, you can hear blues players like Albert King, BB King,Muddy Waters/Hubert Sumlin and John Lee Hooker, and jazz players like Wes Mongomery, though Jimi brought a great deal of his own to the table too, of course.

For a multi-intrumentalist, Prince's guitar skills are impressive, and had he chosen to specialise only in guitar in his career, he may well have been one of the modern greats of the instrument.

Man oh man.....oh how has this topic been beaten to death. Because I have stated sooo many times on basically the same theme, I'll just say this; P, like Isley, Hazel and Jesse, obviously have been influenced by Hendrix. It's something that they elected to do. It wasn't forced upon them. They loved what they heard and related to it. It spoke to them and they adopted it in their own form. P is also influenced by other players. In the end though, P ALWAYS had his own style. Sure, it was an amalgam of Hendrix and Carlos, but how he worked it and blended it, created his own sound. Very much like Hazel and Isley. Who sound nothing like P. Same influences, but different styles. Just except P for HIS own unique style. He has.

When I first saw Prince back in the day, I saw a little of Jimi and James Brown in him but he has definetly mellowed into his own style in the last 25 years.

less is more....interesting, i've always wondered if Prince could play fast as he usually did not live. Recent years have proven that he can do whatever he wants...Shhh from the Hong Kong shows where he just goes wil after the song is over...'Fury' from SNL where he goes nuts all the way through...who knows, may be he is doing this to show us what he's got!

For your information - I've heard from a very reliable source that Prince would sometimes play songs in the studio that none of us would think he even knew. As it was described to me, he played these just to let the guys in the studio know that he could. This same person, who has been around the industry, also told me that Prince is a guitar giant who realy does hold back. So, the 'less is more' idea is one i def believe Prince goes by.

Having said all that, a friend once reminded me of how good Prince was when he played 'If I had a harem' from the Lovesexy live videos. Go back and watch when he sits down and just plays his guitar...it's pretty awesome stuff.
tx

Prince sounds like Jimi? damn.....I have NEVER thought that. Jimi (in my opinion) made a bunch on NOISE. If Prince sounded like Jimi, I would NOT buy any of his music and I certainly would NOT listen 2 it.

Miles said:

I totally agree!

I agree with most on this but I guess I enjoy watching Prince play guitar than most the other guitar greats in the top 10 list. lol not sure what that really says if anything. I have never got to see any of the other greats up close like I have with Prince(P Park years) so perhaps that is why.

I know I try to intimidate him when I play my guitar (even though I am crap lol)
~MS

Prince definitely has his own style, but Santana is the true influence. I mean if you listen to Question of U and then listen to Europa, you see the influence. It's not that P is ripping anyone off, but you can clearly see where prince draws lots of inspiration from. But nowadays and actually for a while, Prince has been using a lot of Egyptian scales, look at Last December or the solo on The Word. He's one of the few that use those notes and scales, well, at least in the context of pop music. I think that's what defines prince's style, is the ability to go so seemlessly from any note and any scale and back, within the context of a well crafted pop song. I mean it's one thing to do it with a rambling Jam band, but every time prince plays a solo it sounds like a well crafted composition yet loose a free at the same time, now that's an accomplishment.
That being said, one only needs to look at Jimi's woodstock improvisation to know he was more than a guitarist. He was a magician. Prince is a magician too, but I think he holds back, I think Prince constantly holds back and only gives us flashes.
I wonder if the album "The Dawn" that he has talked about, really exists. An album where he really gave his best. I think he did On Sign o The Times, and if the Dawn is as good as that that that's amazing enough.

Miles said:

I ran a thread on here sometime back about P's rhythm playing. People were comparing him to Jesse and I said that P destroys jesse when it comes to rhythm. The man is definately, one of the best rhythm players, ever. U had Jimmy Nolen of course. And Nile. As a modern player, someone who I think was up there with P when it came to rhythm, was Roger. I had a thread about More Bounce vs. Controversy. Strictly related to the rhythm guitar in both songs. Mainly cuz they were from the same period. I think this is what got Zapp on the bill of the Controversy tour.

drclay said:

Very well said. Great points. And all true.

you know whats ironic?
people give props to nile rogers from chic about his rhythm playing,but he is great great lead player.
check"savoir faire" if you don't belive me

baby noz thanx

blackguitaristz said:

I agree. Can you imagine what would happen if Prince DIDN'T hold back? Lawd... When he played Radio City in April 1993, he did not hold back during the solo after She's Always In My Hair. But that kind of solo from him is EXTREMELY RARE! It doesn't happen very often.

Wow! I never really thought about the concept of Prince holding back in his guitar playing. Do you feel if he finally would really let loose with his playing that he would be on the same level with someone like Jeff Beck who many people feel to be the greatest guitar player living?

PurpleJam said:

who knows?

Graycap23 said:

I have to agree as much as I love Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana....Prince definitely has his own sound and style.

PurpleKnight said:

no one is better than prince,what other guitar plyer has his name shaped like a guitar?

Prince is a great guitarist and he does have his own style but his style is a conglomeration of his many idols. Especially, since he's so versatile as a songwriter and can work in any genre. So it's not surprising that he can mimic so many other guitar styles. The Hendrix comparison only comes up because of his race.

Anytime a black guitarist gets recognition, the first thing critics do is bring up Hendrix. I remember in the 90's when bluesman Robert Cray was getting some juice and some idiot critic mentioned Hendrix when he sounded more like BB King and Clapton.

17dayz said:

It's not the only reason he gets compared to Hendrix - I've seen him pull poses and faces that are pure Hendrix and certainly not Santana! Think of those times when he's brought the guitar upto the mic and conrolled the feedback, such as in SOTT's I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. It's not just about how it sounds but how he presents the music.

metalorange said:

Man, I've been saying that ever since I've been on here. Folks on this site don't wanna hear nothing and know about nothing about Hendrix. They know what's going on. People aren't blind or deaf.

I think Prince has definately found his niche in respect to his guitar playing.
Within the context of his own music I think he's brilliant. Let's face it Hendrix cast some really loooong shadows. If you happen to be black & play guitar even more so. Some are very happy to embrace Jimi's influence...while some others seem to make every effort to avoid it & be un-hendrixy. (LOL)

That being said I never quite got the whole Prince/Hendrix comparison.
I can see it infinitely more than I can hear it. His stage antics...histronics..wardrobe..yes. Musically a little, but certainly not as overt some folks claim. Maybe it's just me.

It would be far more interesting...well at least to me anyway, to hear folks opinions about who his other guitar influences may have been.(both rhythm & lead) Not including the ones he's tosses around in interviews from time to time.

Maybe it's just me.....sometimes I catch a hint of a bit Jeff beck & Roy Buchanan in his lead playing.
[Edited 11/28/06 8:27am]
[Edited 12/5/06 14:21pm]

Miles said:

Excellent point. P's rhythm chops are solid, when he's "locked" it can be innovative. I agree wholeheartedly with your post, and it is because like the other "greats", P understands the "tonality of sound". And he's starting to get better at it. He's getting better at exploring the "painting" of the sound. Hendrix mastered this, which is why he became who he was. Listen to ANY Hendrix track, it's almost like watching/listening to a master doing work on canvas. Their claim was never how fast, but how "colorful" the sound could be within that piece or musical style. There's beauty in proper phrasing. I agree with the choices you mentioned, but I hear a LOT of Buddy Guy's phrasing in Hendrix pieces, and that's alright by me.

WomanScorned said:

I do.

kstrat said:

Good post. I agree on a lot of what u said. P has soooo many different influences. Really, I don't think it's anybody P isn't hip to. Regardless of how underground they may be. But P is also smart, in the sense that the people he WANTS u to refer to, that's who he's going to push foward the most. But yeah, he's clearly influenced by Brian May. Yes, I know he mentioned May in an interview. But it was evident years before. Todd Rundgren is another cat. Listen to Todd on lead. Steve Vai is another. It's clearly just not Hendrix and Santana. But, I do believe those two, more than any other guitarist, has had the most impact on P's style. And that has rang true throughout his career. P will never ditch that.