Do you think Prince is one of Jesse Johnsons influances on guitar?

Jesse is a great guitar player but would he play guitar in a different way

if he never meet Prince.

Prince gave Jesse a foundation of how to play,develoup his style.

I say this because it was Prince who played guitar solos on songs like

777-9311,Get It Up,Cool,the Walk,My Drawers...

Live on stage Jesse played improvised bits when he played guitar solos

but he always sticked to the

original solo played by Prince.

Maybe Jesse himself would never admit this but do you think Prince is

Jesse's big influence on the way he play guitar?

no i dont hear that. I hear a blues player more like Hendrix or Buddy Guy rather than Prince. Totally different style than Prince. JJ is more of a rock and blues guy where Prince is more of a funk and riff player. Prince can't touch him

Jesse could teach Prince a thing or two about the guitar, are you kidding?

No, Jimi is the influence. Always has been.

dandeeland said:

no i dont hear that. I hear a blues player more like Hendrix or Buddy Guy rather than Prince. Totally different style than Prince. JJ is more of a rock and blues guy where Prince is more of a funk and riff player. Prince can't touch him

Prince is a better guitar solo composer.so i wouldn't say Prince can't touch Jesse.

But the base of Jesse's guitar solos on the Time songs live was similar to what Prince had done in the studio.

I hear Prince's influence in the way he bends notes for example,choice of notes when he goes lyrical in his solos.

Yes they are different but in no way i would say that Jesse play guitar better then Prince

Harlepolis said:

Jesse could teach Prince a thing or two about the guitar, are you kidding?

No, Jimi is the influence. Always has been.

So you think Prince couldn't teach Jesse a trick or two maybe?

When Jesse plays a solo he shows you all he got in his first solo,Prince tend to hold down,he likes to suprise you with what he plays.

I think Prince composes a much better guitar solos then Jesse.

Jesse composes solo's in a more traditional pentatonic blues style.

I think if Jesse played and composed solos for a studio

versions of 777-9311,Get it Up

it wouldn't be a half as memorable as Prince's original solos.

Yes Jimi is Jesse's biggest role model but it was Prince who influenced Jesse's playing style

after they meet

i think Jesse inflenced Prince also .

I can't see it that much. They might share some of the same idols, but that's it.

As for the skills it's pretty obvious that Jesse is the better out of the two.

[Edited 8/26/11 23:21pm]

funkomatic said:

I can't see it that much. They might share some of the same idols, but that's it.

As for the skills it's pretty obvious that Jesse is the better out of the two.

[Edited 8/26/11 23:21pm]

Totally ridiculous. Jesse plays very fast in pentatonic scales in a bluesy/Rock style. It is so easy to show off and play fast and abuse people like you this way.

Prince is a lot more versatile and use many other types of scales: Ionian, dorian, mixolydian, aeolian etc

Prince mixes pentatonic with all these other scales. He is so easy and gifted, it is scary.

Moreover Prince has something many musicians do not have: the TOUCH, the STYLE. His guitar play can be very emotional and subtile. Listen to Shhhhh live.

Jesse is a great guitar player but sorry he needs to show off less. Miles Davis would tell him: "too many notes, I only need the right ones". Where is the emotion when he plays?

Moreover Prince is a lot better when it comes to rhythm guitar. Prince is an incredibly gifted rythm guitar player. In the top 5 in the world when it comes to funk for sure.

Uh oh...I see another "Prince vs Jesse" thread coming..

Jesse probably wanted to keep the live solos familiar (for the audience) and so he wouldn't get "fined" by P. But Jesse always had his own style and sound. If anything, P bit off of Jesse when

it came to the glam-funk colors look..(but I'll save that for another thread).

Plus keep in mind Jesse was already playing and jamming with heavyweights like Alex Lifeson,

Micheal Schenker and Dave Hlubek (Molly Hatchet) way before hooking up with The Time. He

was already sharpening up his chops.

ohYeeeeeah said:

funkomatic said:

I can't see it that much. They might share some of the same idols, but that's it.

As for the skills it's pretty obvious that Jesse is the better out of the two.

[Edited 8/26/11 23:21pm]

Totally ridiculous. Jesse plays very fast in pentatonic scales in a bluesy/Rock style. It is so easy to show off and play fast and abuse people like you this way.

Prince is a lot more versatile and use many other types of scales: Ionian, dorian, mixolydian, aeolian etc

Prince mixes pentatonic with all these other scales. He is so easy and gifted, it is scary.

Moreover Prince has something many musicians do not have: the TOUCH, the STYLE. His guitar play can be very emotional and subtile. Listen to Shhhhh live.

Jesse is a great guitar player but sorry he needs to show off less. Miles Davis would tell him: "too many notes, I only need the right ones". Where is the emotion when he plays?

Moreover Prince is a lot better when it comes to rhythm guitar. Prince is an incredibly gifted rythm guitar player. In the top 5 in the world when it comes to funk for sure.

No need to worry. I'm a trained guitar player myself. I know about their strengths and weaknesses.

But in the end I'd say: Prince relies too much on sound effects because of playing a little bit too sloppy. That's all!

BTW: I'm pretty sure that Jesse could perform a great composition like "Shhh" sensationally well!

thebanishedone said:

dandeeland said:

no i dont hear that. I hear a blues player more like Hendrix or Buddy Guy rather than Prince. Totally different style than Prince. JJ is more of a rock and blues guy where Prince is more of a funk and riff player. Prince can't touch him

Prince is a better guitar solo composer.so i wouldn't say Prince can't touch Jesse.

But the base of Jesse's guitar solos on the Time songs live was similar to what Prince had done in the studio.

I hear Prince's influence in the way he bends notes for example,choice of notes when he goes lyrical in his solos.

Yes they are different but in no way i would say that Jesse play guitar better then Prince

What makes you think Prince wasn't copying Jesse's style in the studio, knowing he (Jesse) would be the one to perform the solos live?

I have always heard that Prince recorded the Time albums by himself for the sake of expediency - not because he didn't think the members of The Time were capable musicians.

funkomatic said:

ohYeeeeeah said:

Totally ridiculous. Jesse plays very fast in pentatonic scales in a bluesy/Rock style. It is so easy to show off and play fast and abuse people like you this way.

Prince is a lot more versatile and use many other types of scales: Ionian, dorian, mixolydian, aeolian etc

Prince mixes pentatonic with all these other scales. He is so easy and gifted, it is scary.

Moreover Prince has something many musicians do not have: the TOUCH, the STYLE. His guitar play can be very emotional and subtile. Listen to Shhhhh live.

Jesse is a great guitar player but sorry he needs to show off less. Miles Davis would tell him: "too many notes, I only need the right ones". Where is the emotion when he plays?

Moreover Prince is a lot better when it comes to rhythm guitar. Prince is an incredibly gifted rythm guitar player. In the top 5 in the world when it comes to funk for sure.

No need to worry. I'm a trained guitar player myself. I know about their strengths and weaknesses.

But in the end I'd say: Prince relies too much on sound effects because of playing a little bit too sloppy. That's all!

BTW: I'm pretty sure that Jesse could perform a great composition like "Shhh" sensationally well!

sloppy lol imma just laugh u off on that one cuz jesse is good but we all know nick jonas is the best guitar player in the world now

Genesia said:

thebanishedone said:

Genesia said:

What makes you think Prince wasn't copying Jesse's style in the studio, knowing he (Jesse) would be the one to perform the solos live?

I have always heard that Prince recorded the Time albums by himself for the sake of expediency - not because he didn't think the members of The Time were capable musicians.

well prince didn't know jesse when he recorded first album by the time

Wrong. Read Per Nilsen's DMSR, pp. 98-104.

Prince is over-rated on this site(which is expected) on guitar. Jesse is the real deal. Prince's solos are the same repetitive tricks over and over. His solos get boring after a while. Don't get me wrong I like Prince but come on with all biased aside, Jesse Johnson smokes him on guitar. Prince can't do what Jesse does. Jesse CAN do what Prince does and he has. Bare My Naked Soul by itself blows away all of Prince's guitar songs combined. Nevermind his live stuff. If you include Jesse live....WHOA!!

[Edited 8/27/11 6:14am]

dandeeland said:

Of course Prince influenced Jesse's style. However, all of Jesse's solo's tend to sound the same, Jesse is a fine guitarist, he just has very particular style. Prince however, is on another level, he is a virtuoso, he can seemingly play any stlye he want's with "feel" and "emotion". Jesse is a much more "mechanical" player. Prince is already regarded (nationally and internationally, not just on this board) as one of the greatest guitarist of all time, once more of his unreleased recordings are revealed, he will climb even higher (as he has been over the last ten years or so).

ethanthomas said:

Jesse is an incredible guitarist... but he hasn't got the range of Prince.

Militant said:

Yes, Prince is such an influence on Jesse, he plays more and more like Jesse with each passing year. I especially like how LotusFlow3r's Lotus tracks sported the fresh new sounds that Jesse featured on Bare My Naked Soul's "Nevermind Saturn Sunrise" some 13 years prior.

No, the real blues masters -- Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, to name but a couple -- are the real influences on Jesse. The influence has been longtime for Jesse. The bends, the tone, the effects placement and usage. Shucks, I'd call SRV a bigger influence on him than P.

And, Prince is the one whose gravitational center seems to have shifted from Carlos to Jimi, in recent years. I'm not talking influence at all. I'm talking overall sound. One need only listen to "Witness" to hear early Jimi influence.

Not knocking P's range or chops -- he has tons of both. But JJ was a beast when Prince first heard him, and is doubly so today. And, I'd say he's more likely to school Prince on the art of the guitar, than vice versa.

For those questioning JJ's string cred, compare BMNS and Lotus or C&D. I'd be curious to hear your conclusions.

My .

ThreadBare said:

Well tell you what. Take the top 15 songs by Prince on guitar of your own choosing and put them up head to head against Jesse's BAre My Naked Soul cd. Then you sit down and learn to play ALL of the songs yourself. Then come back and answer this post. The results will speak volumns. Thats all I ask. I play all of Prince's stuff and honestly his stuff is simple. I don't want to influence you though, PLEASE do this test and report back you r results. It will be a fun read if your honest

dandeeland said:

dandeeland said:

Prince is over-rated on this site(which is expected) on guitar. Jesse is the real deal. Prince's solos are the same repetitive tricks over and over. His solos get boring after a while. Don't get me wrong I like Prince but come on with all biased aside, Jesse Johnson smokes him on guitar. Prince can't do what Jesse does. Jesse CAN do what Prince does and he has. Bare My Naked Soul by itself blows away all of Prince's guitar songs combined. Nevermind his live stuff. If you include Jesse live....WHOA!!

[Edited 8/27/11 6:14am]

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that Prince considered Jesse 'one of the few guitarists he could be scared of'.

I'm not in deep knowledge of Jesse's style because I don't listen to him so much, but whomever said that Prince goes far beyond pentatonism is definitely hearing things.

Prince is a very good guitar player. In fact is the only rock guitarist I can listen to because he's VERY lyrical even when playing rock. But saying Prince is great at modalizing and things like that goes far beyond the line.

Just listen to the (edulcorated) jazz excersises he used to play at 3121 Las Vegas: the band might be playing a jazzy background, but Prince kept on playing in a rock-ish language because he hardly can go much farther than that.

Hate to say it but I agree with dandeeland..Some of those opening Hendrixarian chords on "I Miss" and "Saturn Sunrise" are no joke..unless you've studied from the Jimi/Curtis book.

Even the opening chords on "Brand New Day" are slightly challenging.

But stuff like "Bambi", "Interactive" and "Computer Blue" are pretty easy. Not a dis towards P but

there is some truth in dandeeland's statement.

vitriol said:

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that Prince considered Jesse 'one of the few guitarists he could be scared of'.

I'm not in deep knowledge of Jesse's style because I don't listen to him so much, but whomever said that Prince goes far beyond pentatonism is definitely hearing things.

Prince is a very good guitar player. In fact is the only rock guitarist I can listen to because he's VERY lyrical even when playing rock. But saying Prince is great at modalizing and things like that goes far beyond the line.

Just listen to the (edulcorated) jazz excersises he used to play at 3121 Las Vegas: the band might be playing a jazzy background, but Prince kept on playing in a rock-ish language because he hardly can go much farther than that.

Prince plays pentatonic but almoust always in combination with some modal run

ohYeeeeeah said:

funkomatic said:

I can't see it that much. They might share some of the same idols, but that's it.

As for the skills it's pretty obvious that Jesse is the better out of the two.

[Edited 8/26/11 23:21pm]

Totally ridiculous. Jesse plays very fast in pentatonic scales in a bluesy/Rock style. It is so easy to show off and play fast and abuse people like you this way.

Prince is a lot more versatile and use many other types of scales: Ionian, dorian, mixolydian, aeolian etc

Prince mixes pentatonic with all these other scales. He is so easy and gifted, it is scary.

Moreover Prince has something many musicians do not have: the TOUCH, the STYLE. His guitar play can be very emotional and subtile. Listen to Shhhhh live.

Jesse is a great guitar player but sorry he needs to show off less. Miles Davis would tell him: "too many notes, I only need the right ones". Where is the emotion when he plays?

Moreover Prince is a lot better when it comes to rhythm guitar. Prince is an incredibly gifted rythm guitar player. In the top 5 in the world when it comes to funk for sure.

I agree Prince can play rhythm guitar in his sleep he is that good. Jesse & Prince play lead guitar totally different. I like them both 4 different reasons. Prince knew Jesse can play by just lookin at him. I'm sure they both compared playing, When Jesse lived with Prince for a while during the 1999 album period. These two in one house had 2 b an amazing listen.........Wish I was a fly on the wall.

Jesse used Prince soundboard from 1999 to record his self titled debut album Jesse Johnson's revue.....

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I think P may have influenced Jesse as far as puttin' a show 2gether.

But.....Guitar???? HELL NO!!!!!!

Jesse was already a BADASS on Guitar b4 He met P (word 2 Morris Day)

He was ALREADY rockin' Pink (which probably made P choose Purple)

Sidebar: Jesse ALWAYS gave it up 2 His influences, and P always "sidestepped" His!!!

woogiebear said:

I think P may have influenced Jesse as far as puttin' a show 2gether.

But.....Guitar???? HELL NO!!!!!!

Jesse was already a BADASS on Guitar b4 He met P (word 2 Morris Day)

He was ALREADY rockin' Pink (which probably made P choose Purple)

Sidebar: Jesse ALWAYS gave it up 2 His influences, and P always "sidestepped" His!!!

Sorry! It was Prince idea 4 Jesse to come out in a pink suit. Prince started that Pink thing with Jesse not Jesse.....Jesse didn't want 2< but did it 4 Prince & got a big responce 4rm the women in the audience & continued doing it after that...

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[Edited 8/28/11 22:02pm]