OK, I know Prince isn't known 4 being like a Metallica or Anthrax kind of guitar player.... but just 2 show a friend of mine how good Prince is at playing guitar "quickly", does anyone know of any footage I could send him? My friend seems 2 think Metallica is better than Prince because he thinks Prince "plays guitar too slow", and I'm on a mission 2 prove him wrong....
[Edited 3/10/10 10:03am]

paisley2002 said:

2 entirely different styles. Thats like asking whos a better singer, Axl Rose, or Frank Sinatra?
I will say this, however... A lot of "speed metal" is quite easy to play for an experienced guitarist. Not taking away from Kirk Hammet, cause he is an incredible guitarist!
Some good examples of faster playing would be Bambi (live preferably), Joy in repetition, Live 4 Love.
If you break it down to what takes more talent to play, Prince's style(which is a wide variety) or just speed metal...then I would say it takes more talent to play like Prince.
Now, if we're asking who is better, Kirk Hammet or Prince? I have no idea. They are just too different to say.

There was the speedy guitar part he always broke into in the One Night Alone tour, you know to whichever audience girl he had sitting on stage

Does the intro of When Doves Cry count as something you're looking for?

MrGravyLumps said:

that's not metal, it's a cool scale styled lick

i've never seen Prince touch speed metal, he just shuffles around pentatontics at fast paces

under all those effects/distortion though and the way he plays them as if they're magic, i can see how it can come across as that way

& dude there's nothing wrong with playing "too slow" compared to other mindless shredders

it's the soul and connection with the instrument to the audience that counts
anyone can learn scales and repeat them
but not everyone can create the master piece solo in Purple Rain from the heart
playing like that is on a completely different level

it's what sets aside Slash or Angus Young from Yingie Malsteem... Dragon Force from BB King
[Edited 3/10/10 11:45am]

paisley2002 said:

Just show your friend The Undertaker video and be done with it.

How about the solo in "Da Bang"? The tambourine & other percussive elements give the guitar tempo a faster "feel" but the two solos definitely have some shredding.

Prince can't compete at that level. It's like Clapton, a great guitar player, is never going to be accepted by the 7 string crowd like Kirk Hammett or John Petrucci.

As a guitar player, the things I'm most impressed by from Prince are his rhythm playing or the acoustic stuff he did on the Musicology tour. His playing on Cream was awesome, switching back & forth from rhythm to some lead fills in between vocal lines.

It's not showy, it's musical, and it's effortless.

your pal is honestly the loser in this case replacing speed with talent

Honestly, Prince isn't that good at playing fast compared to the metal guys.

I do like what he does at the end of Wall of Berlin. Not metal, but good rock playing.

Prince doesn't really play "metal" but he does use fast playing in portions of his solo's - like I think it should be done! Playing fast is cool but when it's just constant without any breaks then it's boring to me, personally.
Some of his most impressive playing could be the end of the why you wanna treat me so bad, crucial, i could never take the place of your man...
& I'd definatley show him the whole of "i'm yours" & mention that he was only 17 or 18 at the time he recorded it

Computer blue...?

My girlfriend is a big metal fan and I have grappled with which tracks to show her to convince her that Prince is awesome. He has played some "metal" type riffs like in the second hald of the Rainbow Children, but he has never really delved into that style of rhythms, drum sound and scales.

Thank god.

NDRU said:

its not what counts, your missin the point

JesusFreak said:

no, I'm not missing the point.

Prince is not that good at that style of playing, I never said that is what counts.

paisley 2002 just let your friend see Shhh from hong Kong Rocks video.
there is one very fast shread part on a guitar but very clean notes

Always thought the guitar break during Lovesexy Live's "Sister" was a bit "metal." One of my favorite moments on that tour.

Hasn't the end of Motherless Child (Septimo) got a metal bit?

i like it.

ronnwinter said:

Also...louder distortion hides mistakes a whole lot easier than reduced distortion. Kirk is great, but a lot of 'Thrash Metal' is just crap, play the same notes over and over again, faster without consideration to technique...this criticism doesn't extend to the 'Big Four' of Thrash Metal whom i think are fantastic.

Dred said:

Love that too! On one of the soundboard quality Japan boots from Lovesexy, he plays that break for over a minute. Where as on the Dortmund show it is quite short, but sweet.

Yeah "Sister" on Lovesexy Live is somewhat metal like.

But Prince doesn't play metal and being able to play speed metal says NOTHING about somebody's talent to play guitar.

Let your friend listen to "Billy's Sunglasses" 1980 studio bootleg, "The Jam" 1986 studio bootleg, or "Instrumental Jam" and "Rave Un2 the joy fantastic" 1988 live bootleg Small Club.

"Loose" is another good example.

there is no point in trying to impress someone who thinks that the only good musicians are ones that play fast. they will never understand. their loss.

lotusflw3r said:

Yeah I saw this and was well impressed never seen P do thrash metal which is what this sounded like to me

paisley2002 said:

lol. Prince is about 2000 times better than Kirk Hammett. One day your friend will see this.

"Guitar" from the Leno show or "Fury" from "Saturday Night Live" are two of the best examples I know of, but they're not speed metal per se.

Some of the solos from "Controversy" on the Musicology tour are exceptional. You have to look around though, because some nights Prince would play funk stuff on that one, but other nights he'd play rock fills. The second night in Houston, he played some fantastic rock fills on that song, but if there's a boot of that show, I can't find it.

.
[Edited 3/11/10 6:13am]

paisley2002 said:

There are no examples. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be good at it;)

but the guitar on Loose is kinda quick.
[Edited 3/11/10 7:10am]

NDRU said:

If you have the Purple Rush boots, there are several examples of Prince in rehersal rocking out speed metal i.e. When Doves Scream. Get these rehersals and you'll see that Prince can speed it up with the best of them.