I am just learning to play the drums and came across this article regarding Prince's drumming history so to speak.
http://www.furious.com/pe...rince.html

I'm also reading DMSR and the book indicates that Prince's unorthodox technique for recording had him do the drum tracks first on most all of his records. Then it mentions that he kinda started taking it seriously when Sheila E. came on the scene...I'm just curious as to when Prince actually learned to play the acoustic drums??? Especially after watching the America video and SOTT DVD...

He was playing drum in high school wasn't he?

Acoustic Drums ?

Love2tha9s said:

LOL! I think he means the traditional drum set as opposed to the drum machine and electric drum sets (Of which "Prince" had taken a liking to, especially back in the '80's).

FarrahMoan said:

Ok, thats what I thought. Just Checking

I think you'll find Prince was happily drumming from way before Sheila came on the scene. There's plenty of live drums on those early albums that Prince played, it's just that he took to the electronic drums as an instrument on their own - not to sound like live drums, but to be something different.

Chris Moon once said that at the age of 16, drums was probably Prince´s best instrument... He played the drums way tighter than guitar and keys.

machinegun said:

Yeah i think Prince's live drumming sounds better than the programmed repetitive drum sounds.

he plays drums real tight.

thovang said:

that's not true he was a much better guitarist at the time...drumming never really good

mirrorbestfriend said:

Well, who in the hell did "Shhh" on "The Gold Experience" because whomever the hell it was, I'd like to meet that person?

FarrahMoan said:

michael bland.....big mofo who beat the shit out the drum heads like p beat his women

mirrorbestfriend said:

Bland is quoted in an interview as saying Prince surprisngly imitated Bland's drumming on the album version of that song, indicating it was Prince on that recording. If someone can find that interview...

ufoclub said:

it was bland dude

mirrorbestfriend said:

So you're saying M Bland is making it up about being surprised by Prince doing the drumming? I wonder why he would do that.

ufoclub said:

he wanna work for the guty again...giving him the credit

ufoclub said:

I ASKED MICHAEL who did that; it was him after Prince came up with an idea for a drum intro

mirrorbestfriend said:

your funny man but co-sign

mirrorbestfriend said:

My bad, it wasn`t CM, It was Gray Brandt who produced For You who said it, and I quote "Several things made P.N. a success, timing, song writing, musicianship,and flat out ego.

Prince always had a strong hook and very rock oriented rhythms. He was an extremely good pocket drummer, fair keyboard player and lets just say, guitar player. Actually drums were his best inst IMO.".

You can read the whole here:http://www.housequake.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56697

thovang said:

he dont know his ass from a hole in the ground! guitar is princes shit...ask jam and lewis who ive worked with personally

two of his engineers, Femi Jeyi, and Micheal Koppelman, have said Prince's best instrument is drums. Femi said this in 2002, Micheal said this in his podcast interviews about two years ago.