I don't play guitar, so my question here is made while having to sit back and read others' responses...

This conversation is obviously largely subjective. Yet even still, there's gotta be some standard to gauge a player's proficiency.

That said, when you guys say that Prince either is or isn't one of the greatest guitar players out there, on what ground do you say that? Expression I understand. But where technique is mentioned, what specific skills are you guys considering?

Giovanni briefly hit on bending, note selection and sense of rhythm. What are some others? I guess my overarching question is what exactly makes a "great guitarist?"

PSYMUN said:

-----> http://www.english-online...course.htm

Just watch the guy who is not the best guitarist in the world but one of the best multi-instrumentalist :

http://www.dailymotion.co...e-it-funky

I think most objective posters up here know that there really is no "greatest guitarist". There are great guitar players - some have great technical ability, some have the ability to evoke great emotion in their playing. Some possess both. Usually the players who are considered more "emotional" players - y'know, the kind commonly praised as being able to "say more with one note than 1000" aren't considered at the top technically, but they tend to move people from a purely emotional level. I tend to think of Prince more in that category.

As KStrat (an awesome guitar player himself) stated in an earlier post, once I started playing guitar and discovered other players besides Prince, I realized that there are many players that are far superior to Prince when it comes to actual technique. From an emotional standpoint, though, Prince's playing has a more powerful effect on me. I've been a Prince acolyte for over twenty years, learning his guitar stuff inside and out. I see him as a great funk/rock musician with an adventurous set of ears.

The main reason Prince has only recently been seen as much more than a curiosity piece by many is because of Prince himself. When he had the opportunity in the '94 Guitar World piece to really talk guitar, he filled it up with "Princeisms" that had more to do with maintaining his inaccessible image than offering anything enlightening as a player. All that "interview" did was make him seem more like an oddity. Even with his most recent Guitar Player interview, the only nugget he had to offer was to suggest players check out Ike Turner. The most informative things one could take from any of those pieces was his love of boss pedals.

Add to that the fact that a lot of Prince's live performances, guitar-wise, totally override the recorded versions and you have an artist who's a great guitar player but doesn't always put the great guitar playing as a dominant part on his records. Oftentimes, it's there, but buried in the mix. Again, that's Prince's doing. Don't know if that'll ever change - of course, releasing a song called "Guitar" (the first version) that doesn't have that much guitar in it, doesn't help, either.

I think the most important thing, and what really matters in the long run, is the fact that Prince's fellow musicians - the Steve Vais, Eric Claptons, Nile Rodgers and Carlos Santanas of the world, know how good of a musician he is. Even if a lot of the masses haven't gotten around to giving Prince his props as a guitar player (the live performances of the past few years have gone a long way towards changing their minds), his actual contemporaries have and do.

Amaxx said:

Not calling this "bad". It's just a "different" take on a familiar solo:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...WifkjyXl4k

skywalker said:

Nice post. Probably the best post on this thread. On point except we totally differ regarding Hendrix. Hendrix and Carlos are definately P's two main influences. I feel P is a better guitarist than Carlos. He cops Santana to death and always has. But in the process, he has, over time, surpassed Santana. Hendrix died in 1970. In the 37 years Hendrix has been dead, P STILL hasn't surpassed Jimi. Nor will he ever. Also, P was promoted as a rock guitarist during the Purple Rain explosion of 84 and 85. He presented himself as the "new Hendrix of the 80's". Sure, he still did his James Brown dances and his Sly Stone leadership, and his Little Richard showmanship. BUT the imagery of P, more than anything during that period, was P as a guitarist.What hurt him was the comparisons to Hendrix, which he brought on himself BIGTIME. P though, wasn't truly concerned with the o.g.'s who knew about Jimi. P was going after the kids who didn't know who Hendrix was. And Sly and James either, for that matter.

I think what stops Prince from being considered the BEST guitarist ever is...

He just doesnt play enough solos on Be TV Events! Ok sure in the last few years he has with

The Rock Hall
The SNL -Fury
The Super Bowl

But since he has done that you see allot more people talking about him. If Prince everytime he went on a Tv Event played his guitar. He would create that buzz, because many cant play.

Also another reason might be is he put all those stupid fuckin HORNS everywhere Not many want Hardcore Guitar with fruity jazz horns. I would just wish he would do a full on Rock Album, Metal Album, Classic Rock Album.

Enough with this rippin off the "Old Friends 4 Sale" genre! Time to move on and change!!!

I think most objective posters up here know that there really is no "greatest guitarist". There are great guitar players - some have great technical ability, some have the ability to evoke great emotion in their playing. Some possess both. Usually the players who are considered more "emotional" players - y'know, the kind commonly praised as being able to "say more with one note than 1000" aren't considered at the top technically, but they tend to move people from a purely emotional level. I tend to think of Prince more in that category.

As KStrat (an awesome guitar player himself) stated in an earlier post, once I started playing guitar and discovered other players besides Prince, I realized that there are many players that are far superior to Prince when it comes to actual technique. From an emotional standpoint, though, Prince's playing has a more powerful effect on me. I've been a Prince acolyte for over twenty years, learning his guitar stuff inside and out. I see him as a great funk/rock musician with an adventurous set of ears.

The main reason Prince has only recently been seen as much more than a curiosity piece by many is because of Prince himself. When he had the opportunity in the '94 Guitar World piece to really talk guitar, he filled it up with "Princeisms" that had more to do with maintaining his inaccessible image than offering anything enlightening as a player. All that "interview" did was make him seem more like an oddity. Even with his most recent Guitar Player interview, the only nugget he had to offer was to suggest players check out Ike Turner. The most informative things one could take from any of those pieces was his love of boss pedals.

Add to that the fact that a lot of Prince's live performances, guitar-wise, totally override the recorded versions and you have an artist who's a great guitar player but doesn't always put the great guitar playing as a dominant part on his records. Oftentimes, it's there, but buried in the mix. Again, that's Prince's doing. Don't know if that'll ever change - of course, releasing a song called "Guitar" (the first version) that doesn't have that much guitar in it, doesn't help, either.

I think the most important thing, and what really matters in the long run, is the fact that Prince's fellow musicians - the Steve Vais, Eric Claptons, Nile Rodgers and Carlos Santanas of the world, know how good of a musician he is. Even if a lot of the masses haven't gotten around to giving Prince his props as a guitar player (the live performances of the past few years have gone a long way towards changing their minds), his actual contemporaries have and do.

LoDog said:

That's a crock of Prince rationalization bullshit. So, merely being a "guitarist" means one isn't a musician?

Spoken like a true non-musician/Prince apologist.

Good lord cant we end this already,


Prince isn't the greatest guitarist because,

Tommy Emmanuel is!!!!!
[Edited 7/12/07 20:42pm]

I've seen "Steve Vai" on YouTube, playing "Tender Surrender". Now, that was some

scary passion

I absolutely love Steve Vai, but that video was not a live performance. He's syncing with the studio recording. Still awesome though.

georgeguitar said:

Did you see him on The American Masters Les Paul special Tuesday night? He was onstage jamming with the legendary Les Paul. Great stuff!

coolcat said:

r u serious? a few people here have the link 2 this performance and want u 2 see the passion. I can truly say I’m totally impressed but at the same time disappointed because I been hearing so much about him and his guitar and seeing this performance is mind blowing, but also disappointing 2 known he’s actually faking the live performance with his guitar

Great guitarists to me aint the ones who can play fastest, heavyest or anything like that. Its the ones who plays with their heart, and combine rawness with exelent meodies and solos. Any guitarist will be beat by another guitarist on atleast 1 or more areas in their playing, so the worlds fastest guitarist may suck on giving feeling to his playing. And the one who really compose beautiful solos/harmonies on his guitar, and is inovative, may be just above average in speed. You also have the taste factor, and as I am not objektive when it comes to our man, I would say Prince falls into the most important "shelf" of guitarists - the ones who moves people with their playing. And in that category, he IS one of all time best guitarists no matter if he actualy are the "fastest" or not.

I love this guy (legend has it that Prince does, too) - when he plays, I feel like I'm at an electric guitar recital:

http://www.youtube.com/wa..._y_kft_3IU

coolcat said:

r u serious? a few people here have the link 2 this performance and want u 2 see the passion. I can truly say I’m totally impressed but at the same time disappointed because I been hearing so much about him and his guitar and seeing this performance is mind blowing, but also disappointing 2 known he’s actually faking the live performance with his guitar

pennylover said:

Wow! Why are you so suprised? If the performance is from the "Alien Love Secrets" DVD it's not a live performance anyway. No deception on Steve Vai's part since he did explain exactly why he chose to do it that way. This was years ago. I'd have to go back trough a bunch of articles to find the interview. Might as well dig up the DVD while I'm at it too.

Jeez..you'd think some one told you there was no Santy Claus! LOL!!

kstrat said:

Hey, how long have you been playing? I have the same question for "JesseDez", too.

FarrahMoan said:

About 18yrs, though. I bought my 1st guitar about 2 or 3 weeks after see Prince play Madison Square Garden in the summer of 86'. I had started getting into the guitar mags just a few months before that. I didn't start putting any real work into paying guitar until about 89'or 90. I'm a bit of a hack. Had I really concentrated on getting my chops together early on instead of allowing myself to be side tracked by gear & other minutia that doesn't futher ones playing I'd be pretty scary by now.

Just a few words of wisdom. Unless you're one of those cats who seems to just has that spark of natuaral ability hook up with a good teacher. Being self-taught is cool but having a good teacher to help you learn music theory and develope good playing habits will save you a lot of precious time and you'll be a better musician in the long run. Listen, learn & steal, steal, steal, from all your favorite & not so favorite players. Lastly..if you can, get in a band or at least a get together with a group folks you play with on regular basis.

Inspired by a couple threads which don't dismiss Prince's playing but still tell that he isn't the best thing to happen to guitar (so if you're one of those "Prince is the greatest, just hit the back button right now ), ex: "He can't measure up to real funk bands/George Benson etc" I started to ask myself, "what is it about his playing that doesn't make him the best." Hands down he's the best at genre combining and he can play all styles relatively well (but not the greatest in any of them) I just wanted to see why. So I went on youtube and looked at videos by Hendrix, Clapton, Benson, Jesse Johnson, Eric Gales and Johnson, some JB shows, Page, and Zappa, and then I looked at some of Prince's live guitar playing, but I still couldn't figure it out. I remember when I asked my first guitar teacher what he thought of Prince and he said, "I don't know any, but a friend of mine said he's not that great, he's just effects." So idk, someone who knows music want to elaborate and what denies Prince as one the greatest, or considered by the general public one of the greatest. Is it because he mostly stays with the pentatonic, his lack of other scales and modes!?!? Someone help me out...

MajesticOne89 said:

Seriously, You can't see the difference between let me say Hendrix and Prince ????

You can't figure out the difference ?

Are you blind or what ?

kstrat said:

Man, I'm living in a so-musically-uninspiring atmospere around in this house. I am surrounded by a loving mother that has no depthly understanding of music the way "Prince's Parents" did. I also didn't hang out with "ANYONE" from a musical background or upbringing and I am done with high school. I sound like a brat, I know. I can't help it, though. I don't mean to blame "EVERYBODY" else for my troubles. It's mostly my troubles that I have set myself up in; being an introvert and all. Bottom line, I do look for some understanding of music from a basic perspective. So, I strive (In a sense, I guess) for....at least to be at the level of comfort with music.

JIMI WEAS NON STOP HIGH ON DRUGS PRINCE IS NOT
ANOTHER BIG DIFFRENCE.
IN JIMI'S PERIOD 60S IT WAS A L0OT MORE EASIER TO IMPRESS PEOPLE.