he's a lot better than me on them keys but I will always think of the guitar being his chief instrument. I've seen a gazillion great pianists. Creativity has a lot of value too, there are lots of virtuoso's who don't have a shred of creativity. In our form, rock and roll, creativity means a lot more than actual viruosity.

ChocolateBox3121 said:

violetcrush said:

Prince was for sure a beautiful and gifted piano player, especially with not having any formal training/lessons. However, I think our discussion was specifically regarding the ability to read and play classical music (Mozart, Bach, Beetoven, Chopin, etc) We were discussing Lisa Coleman playing classical music for him, and exposing him more to that type of playing.

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Then, the debate went further into "what does it mean to be "classically trained?" - is it necessary to have attended a Conservatory for formal training to be considered to have been "trained" in classical music, or would regular lessons resulting in the ability to read and play classical music also be deemed worthy of being "classically trained"?

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In my opinion, the ability to read and fluently play classical pieces supports the label of having been "classically trained", whether you attended Julliard School in NYC, or were just taught by someone who attended a credible Conservatory/Music School.

[Edited 8/8/18 11:32am]

Lisa is a beautifully, trained, classical, pianist & my ALL TIME favorite Revolution member. I nearly died when she requested me on Instagram. I'm partial to keyboard players since I dibble & dabble with them myself. She's my favorite Prince keyboardest besides Cassie.

But Prince still slays ALL of them to me.

PeteSilas said:

he's a lot better than me on them keys but I will always think of the guitar being his chief instrument. I've seen a gazillion great pianists. Creativity has a lot of value too, there are lots of virtuoso's who don't have a shred of creativity. In our form, rock and roll, creativity means a lot more than actual viruosity.

ChocolateBox3121 said:

Lisa is a beautifully, trained, classical, pianist & my ALL TIME favorite Revolution member. I nearly died when she requested me on Instagram. I'm partial to keyboard players since I dibble & dabble with them myself. She's my favorite Prince keyboardest besides Cassie.

But Prince still slays ALL of them to me.

Right, Pete. His genius was that he was captivating to watch and listen to on both piano and guitar. He was just a brilliant entertainer, and he pulled you in to the moment. He used the piano as a prop during his 80's and 90's shows - laying and dancing on it, jumping on and off of it. He made it interesting to watch and listen to, and his playing was beautiful too.

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I love Lisa's playing too. It is ethereal and soothing. I really think she was Prince's favorite too.