I have nothing to base this on from the tour, Apart from a brief 30 sec clip on instagram.

But the fact he just plays alone on the stage? indicates he has always been practising over the years or is just naturally gifted and just spent last year or so really practising for this.

What styles has he played on the piano on the tour and does he make many mistakes? He is on a tight rope playing alone but must be pulling it off like he was Elton John.

Piano was the first instrument he learned to play.

Genesia said:

Piano was the first instrument he learned to play.

'Cat' was my first word, and I'll tell you what, I'm pretty damn good at saying it!

thisisreece said:

Excuse me, have you ever heard his album One Nite Alone (studio version)? That will answer your question.

Obviously really good, but then again, maybe too good. He takes a lot of shortcuts and doesn't really play the songs fully. He riffs a lot, if that makes any sense, often times using the wrong chord/key. I don't think he worked with anybody ahead of the Piano and Mic tour to plan out the arrangements he would be playing. So it really is just like Prince walking into the room and randomly playing whatever comes to mind, in whichever form he recalls it at that moment. Not very satisfyling, imo, though I'd likely pay to see it anyway.

klick2me said:

Excuse me, have you ever heard his album One Nite Alone (studio version)? That will answer your question.

Compared to how he's playing now, not so much.

In short, Prince is quite amazing. A lot of ppianists I know tend to play better at eith melody or rhythm - Prince does both equally well IMO.

IMHO its his best instrument

klick2me said:

Excuse me, have you ever heard his album One Nite Alone (studio version)? That will answer your question.

I was thinking the same thing. THere is some brilliant keyboard work on that album. I always considered guitar to be his best instrument but this album made me reconsider that.

funksterr said:

Obviously really good, but then again, maybe too good. He takes a lot of shortcuts and doesn't really play the songs fully. He riffs a lot, if that makes any sense, often times using the wrong chord/key. I don't think he worked with anybody ahead of the Piano and Mic tour to plan out the arrangements he would be playing. So it really is just like Prince walking into the room and randomly playing whatever comes to mind, in whichever form he recalls it at that moment. Not very satisfyling, imo, though I'd likely pay to see it anyway.

I agree but I am not sure I would pay to see this. Maybe maybe not on that but I agree 100% on the rest. Listening to Billy Joel and Elton John is night and day over Prince on Piano but then again that is what they do full time. I am personally not a big fan of Prince's piano style so I would listen to Joel and John over him. However I love Prince's guitar style and would listen to that over anyone. Prince is definately talented though on piano no doubt

trax said:

funksterr said:

Obviously really good, but then again, maybe too good. He takes a lot of shortcuts and doesn't really play the songs fully. He riffs a lot, if that makes any sense, often times using the wrong chord/key. I don't think he worked with anybody ahead of the Piano and Mic tour to plan out the arrangements he would be playing. So it really is just like Prince walking into the room and randomly playing whatever comes to mind, in whichever form he recalls it at that moment. Not very satisfyling, imo, though I'd likely pay to see it anyway.

I agree but I am not sure I would pay to see this. Maybe maybe not on that but I agree 100% on the rest. Listening to Billy Joel and Elton John is night and day over Prince on Piano but then again that is what they do full time. I am personally not a big fan of Prince's piano style so I would listen to Joel and John over him. However I love Prince's guitar style and would listen to that over anyone. Prince is definately talented though on piano no doubt

Try Keith Jarrett

That's what I'd like Prince to do: one hour of piano improvisation without any vocals. Just jammin'

Genesia said:

nursev said:

iZsaZsa said:

nursev said:

IMHO its his best instrument

Voice, then piano.

daingermouz2020 said:

iZsaZsa said:

Voice, then piano.

I agree. He seems to be naturally gifted. I think he plays by ear. I've always felt some if his band members were more trained musicians with more musical knowledge than Prince. But he's just good. Look at it like The Revolution is Julia Childs classically trained chef but Prince is like grandma no measuring,fancy spices,egg beaters etc Just her hands and feet and Bang. Taste good everytime.
[Edited 2/18/16 4:36am]

daingermouz2020 said:

iZsaZsa said:

Voice, then piano.

I agree. He seems to be naturally gifted. I think he plays by ear. I've always felt some if his band members were more trained musicians with more musical knowledge than Prince. But he's just good. Look at it like The Revolution is Julia Childs classically trained chef but Prince is like grandma no measuring,fancy spices,egg beaters etc Just her hands and feet and Bang. Taste good everytime. [Edited 2/18/16 4:36am]

I think it's true that Prince plays mostly by ear, but I think that's true for the members of the Revolution as well.

funksterr said:

Obviously really good, but then again, maybe too good. He takes a lot of shortcuts and doesn't really play the songs fully. He riffs a lot, if that makes any sense, often times using the wrong chord/key. I don't think he worked with anybody ahead of the Piano and Mic tour to plan out the arrangements he would be playing. So it really is just like Prince walking into the room and randomly playing whatever comes to mind, in whichever form he recalls it at that moment. Not very satisfyling, imo, though I'd likely pay to see it anyway.

I don't think it makes sense to talk about wrong chords when he is playing his own songs. The chord he chooses is the right chord (unless he makes a mistake)

I think this review nails it:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/arts/prince-of-pop-reveals-two-very-different-sides-at-first-melbourne-gigs-on-his-solo-piano-tour/news-story/1d837f4e8817e3f6d909098b7b0a6a58

From the clips I have heard, I can't hear any wrong notes. I'm surprised just how well he sounds. I particular like how he mixes songs together .

trax said:

I am personally not a big fan of Prince's piano style so I would listen to Joel and John over him. However I love Prince's guitar style and would listen to that over anyone. Prince is definately talented though on piano no doubt

I play both guitar and keys and I have exactly the reverse opinion. For me, the deeper elements of Prince's musicianship come across on the piano. His guitar soloing is flashy but a little overrated imho. The thing that makes Prince a musical genius to my ears is his innate sense of harmony. I hear that most in his piano playing and, in the studio recordings: in his vox harmonies.

BobGeorge909 said:

Im not a huge fan of piano players. Not sure why, but someone sitting at a piano doesn't usually tckle my fancy...aside from alicia keys, for visual reasons. This discounts my opinion, but he often sounds sloppy to me. It's not all tight and lined up like the sounds that come from his guitar, bass guitar or keyboard sounds. He's kindabsloppy on a drum kit too. When he's emulating a piano sound, it sounds much different than when he's just playing a keyboard part that isn't going for the 'piano sound'. Other clips, as well as the Aussie clips have a degree of sloppiness on piano that I don't appreciate. I'd pay for a ticket and watch the gig...regardless of the sloppiness not being to my taste...is that sad? I just thought to myself right now that maybe if I looked at it as looseness instead of sloppiness, my appreciation might increase?...

paulludvig said:

funksterr said:

Obviously really good, but then again, maybe too good. He takes a lot of shortcuts and doesn't really play the songs fully. He riffs a lot, if that makes any sense, often times using the wrong chord/key. I don't think he worked with anybody ahead of the Piano and Mic tour to plan out the arrangements he would be playing. So it really is just like Prince walking into the room and randomly playing whatever comes to mind, in whichever form he recalls it at that moment. Not very satisfyling, imo, though I'd likely pay to see it anyway.

I don't think it makes sense to talk about wrong chords when he is playing his own songs. The chord he chooses is the right chord (unless he makes a mistake)

I think this review nails it:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/arts/prince-of-pop-reveals-two-very-different-sides-at-first-melbourne-gigs-on-his-solo-piano-tour/news-story/1d837f4e8817e3f6d909098b7b0a6a58

This reminds me when that French band Native covered Sometimes It Snows in 94 or so (a very cleaned version, very radio friendly and shorter but all the sensibility and intimacy lost) and in an interview one of them girls said "There were wrong notes in the original (in French thatmeans a mistake) and we corrected them" and one of my friends who was a musician told me "WTF?! There can't be wrong notes in an original composition, those girls are a scam!".

[Edited 2/19/16 9:57am]

Does anyone know why he is playing a keyboard instead of a piano for these shows? The show at Paisley was a keyboard set into a grand piano frame, is he playing a real piano for the Aussie shows? I think it would have been a better show with a real piano.

chaocracy said:

Does anyone know why he is playing a keyboard instead of a piano for these shows? The show at Paisley was a keyboard set into a grand piano frame, is he playing a real piano for the Aussie shows? I think it would have been a better show with a real piano.

I emember Fink revealing it wasn't a real piano on the Lovesexy Tour because it was much easier to transport a key than a real piano (and a piano gets fucked up during transportation as well). It's a matter of conveniency.

databank said:

The keyboard was fitted within a piano shell. And the casing was reinforced. This was so that Prince could dance on top of it. During the past few years, he has used an actual piano with the lyrics of songs and the song 's key etched into the top of it. Because he doesn't really dance on his piano anymore. If so, it has been when it was done by Misty with soft shoes or he is wearing his high heeled sneakers. If he danced on a top of his piano in recent years wearing heels it was not the real thing.

There is NOONE on earth better on the keys. 's intricate keyboard chords is what shaped the WHOLE Minneapolis sound since 1978..

[img:$uid]http://i63.tinypic.com/2hfut60.jpg[/img:$uid]

KCOOLMUZIQ said: