No.

databank said:

bigd74 said:

IIRC brass and woodwind is the only instruments he doesn't play, maybe the pink oboe occasionally

Well he doesn't play any strings either (violin, viola, cello and so on), and there are more instuments in the world than piano/keys, bass, guitar, drums and basic percussions. doesn't play ALL bowless strings such as sitar, zither, harp or tampura, neither can he play some very complex percussions such as tablas or vibraphone. I guess he can't even play the double bass (in a "jazz" way I mean, i.e. without a bow).

He masters all the basic "pop" instruments" but there are many people who can play a much larger number of instruments. Not to diminush his merit, though, for when I say "masters" I really mean it: is an incredible piano/keyboards, guitar, bass and drums player, but we're far from the myth that says he can "play every instrument except horns, woodwinds and strings", veeeery far.

[Edited 7/10/14 3:36am]

S3V3N said:

What about the Theremin? Does P. play it?

S3V3N said:

What about the Theremin? Does P. play it?

Actually one of the instruments he plays the best, which I forgot to mention, is the Linn drum machine in particular and drum machines / samplers / sequencers in general.

S3V3N said:

unless my ears deceive me, that's a live sax on 'the word', credited to prince.

peedub said:

peedub said:

unless my ears deceive me, that's a live sax on 'the word', credited to prince.

Ur ears deceive u. It's a keyboard with a sax sound or replayed sample.

ok first of all .. drum machines and sequencers ARE NOT INSTRUMENTS .. i know all ur blip bleep lovers are gonna be mad but anything you program that you are not playing live, rythmically with yourself and not just hitting like ONE button on a computer .. is not an instrument

prince does play the SAX .. he hits the sax button on his casio keyboard .. that counts right?

i doubt prince can even handle a banjo or mandolin .. the guy plays drums bass keys guitar and sings .. thats 5 .. i will give him that .. everything else is just made up balogna .. give him a sax or a trumpet or a trombone and u will hear his true multi talent .. he blows out his asshole pretty good tho .. thats 6

databank said:

peedub said:

unless my ears deceive me, that's a live sax on 'the word', credited to prince.

Ur ears deceive u. It's a keyboard with a sax sound or replayed sample.

sez you...i'm inclined to disagree. i don't think it's inconceivable that the man (a trained, skilled musician) mighta got a wild hair up his ass and thought to himself 'ya know, i'm gonna sit down for a half hour with this sax and learn to lay down these 15 (or however many) notes on this song. neat'.

peedub said:

databank said:

Ur ears deceive u. It's a keyboard with a sax sound or replayed sample.

sez you...i'm inclined to disagree. i don't think it's inconceivable that the man (a trained, skilled musician) mighta got a wild hair up his ass and thought to himself 'ya know, i'm gonna sit down for a half hour with this sax and learn to lay down these 15 (or however many) notes on this song. neat'.

Yeah well except that it sounds like a synth or a replayed sample. I've had this song for 8 years and listened to it to death and never even considered once that it could be a real sax and this without even paying attention to the credits (i.e. not because is credited as playing everything), it's always been totally obvious to me that it was a keyboard. Or if it's a real sax it's been autotuned to death (autotune or some other effect). Listen to it again: it's not a sax.

jdcxc said:

I thought I read that the sax was the only instrument that he took lessons for as a child, but he lost interest in the instrument. Anyone else recall?

No but it's possible. I know with certainty that Eric Leeds said without any ambiguity that can't lay the sax, and I think other horn players mentioned it too in interviews but I can't swear it. Now he may have some basic notions (which doesn't mean being able to play) but I'm quite positive about The Word. Militant has better ears than me, though, I'd be curious to know what he thinks of the "sax" on thsi song.

jdcxc said:

I don't have a problem believing that he can play short phrases and maybe on some occasions has recorded them too when his horn players have not been around, but he's most likely not a saxophone player. Meaning, he can't just walk on stage with a saxophone and give a solid performance on it.

I have a harmonica on my desk in front of me right now. I'm not a "harmonica player" and all I can really play on it is "The Star Spangled Banner", but if I wanted to add a few notes played on a harmonica it on some song I'm going to record on my PC then it shouldn't be too much of a task just to play those notes on it.

Any musician should be able to play some phrases on just about any instrument when needed. All you need to do is just to find the right notes. Being a live performer on that same instrument is a different deal altogether.

jon1967 said:

I reckon he can get a few notes out of it, but I imagine he would opt to play the horns on a keyboard were actual player not available.

Candy dulfer in an intterview said that she listened to some tracks with him playing sax.

ufoclub said:

Candy dulfer in an intterview said that she listened to some tracks with him playing sax.

Interesting. Thanks

So we have Eric saying a thing and Candy another. Who's lying?

It's not necessarly conflictory though, Eric said specifically something like "because he doesn't play the sax can't tell me exactly what to do like with the others in the band", i.e. could indeed have some basic notions and even be able to play some easy licks in a song but not to the point to baing able to tell a high standard player what to do?

http://prince.org/msg/7/62835