Now watched / heard countless live performances and have yet to hear the man go off key when singing..!? Did he EVER make a mistake with his tuning? I am genuinely intrigued! I've seen footage of 'mistakes / bloopers', ie him falling over and things but not one of his voice going out of tune (even when in the process of falling over, lol)!

Prince's voice was a gift from God so even if he was off key it was still beautiful

Dibblekins said:

Now watched / heard countless live performances and have yet to hear the man go off key when singing..!? Did he EVER make a mistake with his tuning? I am genuinely intrigued! I've seen footage of 'mistakes / bloopers', ie him falling over and things but not one of his voice going out of tune (even when in the process of falling over, lol)!

I agree with you. I have watched several different videos and concerts. And different places where he's fallen (sometimes on purpose), but his talent just seems to keep on coming. It amazes me.

The man must also have been INCREDIBLY fit, even as he aged. Most singers, with his level of frenetic moves / dancing (or even with far less) get out of breath and this can be heard in their singing / tuning. Not Prince. He NEVER sounds out of breath!!! He really is a total anomaly!

Not technically, BUT, he subjected us to Andy Allo (amongst others), who was frequently off key & off many other things too

wildwickedwanton said:

Not technically, BUT, he subjected us to Andy Allo (amongst others), who was frequently off key & off many other things too

bwahahahaah 'I'll never go off key - but this one will!'

I think the reason he almost never sounded tired is because he sometimes wouldn't completely sing entire songs or he wouldn't sing them like the album version. For example, in the 1985 Syracause show (I think) he didn't do the "Your dirty little Prince" screaming from Darling Nikki, instead he just spoke it and then went for the grinding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq5WTKX8fFA

Btw, this has to be my favorite performance ever <3

Only on purpose

gandorb said:

He occasionally went off key in concert, but what was most amazing to me was how beautiful and perfect his upper register was during the Piano and. Mic tour, better than tours from decades ago. Great for a 57 year old.

Video evidence or it never happened!

leadline said:

Only on purpose

Love this comment!

I've never actually watched him go off key myself, but if in the future I do, then I will likely take it as having been done on purpose. The man was a perfectionist, after all

As far as being tired, I heard here on the Org of a concert contract rider that required the presence of a doctor to administer a B5 shot on the premises.

I've never heard him have trouble reaching for any note. I do understand what you are saying about self-correcting. I've heard live opera performances of one of my favorite singers who amazingly was able to do that mid-note to correct errors (either from the orchestra or herself) but I consider that to be the mark of a true genius to have that ability. I think P. had the talent to do it but I have never heard it.

Dibblekins said:

gandorb said:

He occasionally went off key in concert, but what was most amazing to me was how beautiful and perfect his upper register was during the Piano and. Mic tour, better than tours from decades ago. Great for a 57 year old.

Video evidence or it never happened!

His guitar would go off key but then he would instantly change it mid-performance.

wildwickedwanton said:

Not technically, BUT, he subjected us to Andy Allo (amongst others), who was frequently off key & off many other things too

Who cares, she was hot!

As a vocalist http://www.concerthotels....cal-ranges

[Edited 9/18/16 7:53am]

I definitely recall listening to one of the tracks on Planet Earth, and being shocked when I heard Prince sing a very distinct flat note..

I wanna say the track was maybe Lion of Judah. But don't quote me on that specific track. I just know it was one of the ones on Planet Earth.

It was very, very subtle. And of very short duration. But definitely an unintentional off note. Having listened to so many flat notes of my own in many of my own recording session playbacks, I know 'em when I hear 'em.

sfinky1 said:

If we are talking live tracking, only a real good engineer would be able to pick that out .It was that subtle. He also had a gift for blending his vocals with delays in millisecond increments . It created such a beautiful spread to aid in washing out any imperfections. A lost art.

For live performances, even if you did hear it, it was covered up so quickly you would've missed it if you blinked. Its the hallmark of the tireless practice sessions of a genius.

Menes said:

"...only a real good engineer would be able to pick that out..."

HehHehHeh! Well, I don't like to brag. But — you know —what can I say? ;¬)

phatphuk said:

I definitely recall listening to one of the tracks on Planet Earth, and being shocked when I heard Prince sing a very distinct flat note..

I wanna say the track was maybe Lion of Judah. But don't quote me on that specific track. I just know it was one of the ones on Planet Earth.

It was very, very subtle. And of very short duration. But definitely an unintentional off note. Having listened to so many flat notes of my own in many of my own recording session playbacks, I know 'em when I hear 'em.

I heard more off notes with the long guitar solos and riffs. But I must confess...I started paying attention to the scales he was playing and noticed that since my ears were tuned to "western music scales" I had convinced myself that there must've have been some dissonant interval that he would bring me back to. I needed that "western music" scale I was so used to hearing. I misinterpreted this as "wrong notes in the wrong key" and was laughing all by myself. The idiot that I was back then. This was in the late 80's-90's . A lot of kids back then who did not know about the theory of music would often say " what kind of song is this"? The song that sticks out a lot with this theory is "Around the world in a day". At minute 1:55 there is a serious change in the scale structure of the music and vocals. I had to cock my ears five ways from Sunday back then to try to figure out what he was doing musically.

Menes said:

'...A lot of kids back then who did not know about the theory of music would often say " what kind of song is this"? ...'

I know what you mean about unfamiliar, exotic-sounding scales. Your're talking to a guy who used to tune his guitars to his own, never-before-heard of, no-named tunings. Dissonant chord voicings was my claim to fame. HaHaHaHaHa!

My bandmates would be all, "Dude, why don't you just play the major third?". And I'd be like, "Because it doesn't evoke the same feeling and texture that the song is about!"

So yeah. You're dead right. Not everybody has "the ears" to appreciate some non-western scales.

I remember one poster in particular from an old thread I lurked in here in the org who didn't sound like she had "the ears" for musical dissonance — and the key word is "musical".

I can't remember the username. But there was a poster who was the music director for the ill-fated Robin Power project.

She posted a link to a video of Robin Power and her band, rehearsing to a track that his music director poster had composed. And the music director poster explained that her composition was inspired by some dissonant chord progression — or maybe it was some dissonant instrumentation — that she heard in some Prince song that also had some kind of dissonant musical elements in it.

No disrespect to that music director lady. But how should I put this? I guess one lady's dissonance is another guy's incorrectly formed chord. HaHaHaHaHa!

[Edited 9/18/16 20:05pm]

phatphuk said:

Menes said:

'...A lot of kids back then who did not know about the theory of music would often say " what kind of song is this"? that's why I continue to post...'

I know what you mean about unfamiliar, exotic-sounding scales. Your're talking to a guy who used to tune his guitars to his own, never-before-heard of, no-named tunings. Dissonant chord voicings was my claim to fame. HaHaHaHaHa!

My bandmates would be all, "Dude, why don't you just play the major third?". And I'd be like, "Because it doesn't evoke the same feeling and texture that the song is about!"

So yeah. You're dead right. Not everybody has "the ears" to appreciate some non-western scales.

I remember one poster in particular from an old thread I lurked in here in the org who didn't sound like she had "the ears" for musical dissonance — and the key word is "musical".

I can't remember the username. But there was a poster who was the musical director for the ill-fated Robin Power project.

She posted a link to a video of Robin Power and her band, rehearsing to a track that his musical director poster had composed. And the musical director poster explained that her composition was inspired by some dissonant chord progression — or maybe it was some dissonant instrumentation — that she heard in some Prince song that also had some kind of dissonant musical elements in it.

No disrespect to that music director lady. But how should I put this? I guess one lady's dissonance is another guy's incorrectly formed chord. HaHaHaHaHa!

Hahahaha. It was always great to listen to him start off in a major chord ,hit the bridge in a minor, and then finish it off in fifths. Just that scale in the "When doves Cry" intro was enough to screw some heads up. I isolated the drums once and found that the toms and the kick were tuned to the root chord familial scale of the song! This is why it needed no bass! Classic.

Menes said:

'...A lot of kids back then who did not know about the theory of music would often say " what kind of song is this"?...'

I just notice that stray, "that's why I continue to post" typo in the previous quote block. Scratch that :¬)