littlemissG said:

FuzzyPatricia said:

Hello I just heard something and I need to know has anyone ever heard of Prince having hand pain, if so when? Thanks ya'll.

After he passed. Makes sense, repetitive motion injuries are common for musicians. I also took a close look at some of his pictures in some you can see swelling around the knuckles.

Yes, thank you I believe so

Thank you all, I believe he suffered with hand pain 2. Tears go here

FuzzyPatricia said:

littlemissG said:

FuzzyPatricia said: After he passed. Makes sense, repetitive motion injuries are common for musicians. I also took a close look at some of his pictures in some you can see swelling around the knuckles.

Yes, thank you I believe so

Despite actual observation of the contrary?
Your empathy is touching, yet, beware...

redrockballa said:

plus when he did the atlanta show it was 1 video where he apologize and said he had been under the weather and he moved his hand a certain way but had 2 use the other hand 2 move that hand. something definitely wasn’t right

that almost sounds like some kinda m.s. thing.

I've seen numerous live videos where he's playing the guitar and he's had to pull his hand away to do a sort of real quick mini stretch before continuing to play.

So he probably did have some kind of hand pain but Prince was never an aggressive guitar player like a punk musician but I guess he did play a lot yes it's plausible.

Punk players probably play harder but many of them don't play with precision like he did. I have seen him pull his hand away to stretch it as well. He also had wrist guards made to look like part of his costume/clothes.

Milty2 said:

I've seen numerous live videos where he's playing the guitar and he's had to pull his hand away to do a sort of real quick mini stretch before continuing to play.

So he probably did have some kind of hand pain but Prince was never an aggressive guitar player like a punk musician but I guess he did play a lot yes it's plausible.

What rubbish, seriously.
At this point only guitarists or pianists should be allowed to chime in.

The mini-stretches you're referring to may very well be
Prince working the pickup selector switch or the volume and tone controls,

or even the tremolo arm.

bonatoc said:

http://prince.org/msg/7/455767

We all know repetive hand motion over long periods of time can lead to carpel tunnel syndrome with some people, thus the tingling in the extremeties. And I'm just talking everyday people, not kick ass musicians.

An Electromyography could have measured carpal tunnel, neuropathy, etc. Carpal tunnel surgery is quick and no PT needed. But......if you wait a long time (like I did), nerve damage might have already occured. Most people have surgery when damage may have been a 5--I waited until damage was at an 8.5! Guess I won't be picking up a guitar any time soon!

Ah Prince! Your body is an instrument too. Your mind creates the music but it is all of your body that brings it to life (with the help of inanimate objects we call musical instruments).

LadyLayla said:

We all know repetive hand motion over long periods of time can lead to carpel tunnel syndrome with some people, thus the tingling in the extremeties. And I'm just talking everyday people, not kick ass musicians.

An Electromyography could have measured carpal tunnel, neuropathy, etc. Carpal tunnel surgery is quick and no PT needed. But......if you wait a long time (like I did), nerve damage might have already occured. Most people have surgery when damage may have been a 5--I waited until damage was at an 8.5! Guess I won't be picking up a guitar any time soon!

Ah Prince! Your body is an instrument too. Your mind creates the music but it is all of your body that brings it to life (with the help of inanimate objects we call musical instruments).

who knows, who really knows? I wonder where all these conditions were when people were really tough? a hundred years ago? I've even read about pianists with severe arthritis come to life when they played so I kinda wonder how much of those things were excuses and rationalization with Prince. that's not to say that there aren't real pains, because i know there is for sure. I've had some illnesses where i just wanted to die, so how do we really know.

bonatoc said:

206Michelle said:

sounds like carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive motion. once that nerve is damaged its a wrap

Camileyun said:

206Michelle said:

I do play the piano. I took lessons for 7 or 8 years. I’m not a high-level pianist, but at my best, I was able to play Fur Elise flawlessly. I don’t play as well as I used to do so because I have neither a piano nor a keyboard now. . I never saw Prince live sadly. I didn’t have the opportunity. Billy Joel was here in Philly last night and while I did not attend the concert, I listened to it from the street in my car. My husband works at the venue where he played and I came to pick him up from work. Stevie Wonder is unique in that he is stellar pianist while also being blind. EJ and BJ are rated among the top pianists in the history of 20th century popular music. BJ can play harmonica and piano simultaneously. EJ and SW are both phenomenal pianists live. EJ revolutionized rock and roll in the 70s with his use of piano as his primary instrument. EJ was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music in England. EJ, SW, and BJ all specialize in the piano; it’s what they play during major live appearances such as awards shows. P tended to play the electric guitar during his major live or tv performances: the 1985 AMAs, the 1991 VMAs, the Super Bowl halftime show in 2007 (which I watched live on TV), the RRHOF induction, and the 2004 Grammys. When I watch videos of P, he often blows my mind with the guitar. He’s a great pianist but his playing doesn’t usually blow my mind, except for videos from the P&M tour and a few performances of The Beautiful Ones. . Prince is an overall more outstanding musician than EJ and BJ because P played 20 plus instruments while EJ and BJ play the piano and BJ also plays harmonica. Stevie plays harmonica and piano/keyboards but due to his physical blindness, I do not feel that it is fair to compare him to musicians who play more instruments. SW and P are my favorite musicians and I think that Stevie’s musical greatness in spite of his blindness is amazing. . When it came to instruments, the guitar was Prince’s baby. Shoot, he even wrote a song called “Guitar”. I feel that he did the P&M tour with just the piano because he could not play the guitar night in and night out anymore. From For You through 2015, he played the guitar. The fact that he was not playing guitar for the P&M Tour highly suggests to me that he could no longer play the guitar night after night on tour. Whether it was his fingers, arms, back, legs or some combination of those, I do not know. But I feel that he would not stop playing the guitar just for kicks. No, he stopped playing it for the P&M Tour because he couldn’t play it night after night anymore, probably because of pain. https://www.rollingstone....-12-88651/ https://www.mercurynews.c...and-women/

Great post.

I agree with Bonatoc - Prince was as great a Pianist as any of the others mentioned - maybe better. He just needed to move on stage, and the guitar allowed him that movement. In his younger years he could hardly sit still while playing in concert. He was constantly up and down on the bench, standing, and moving around. He could not sit still. Also, the guitar was an important part of his music and rock persona.

However, I do agree that the main reason for the P&M tour was that he, and/or his hands, no longer had the stamina and strength for continuous guitar playing. Also, if we are to believe that he knew that he did not have that much more time here, it is fitting that his last performances were focused on playing the instrument with which he started.

i really don't think Prince was as good as elton or BJ on piano, but it's kinda subjective, they played differently. Prince was more rhythmic and harmonic, elton and billy had lots and lots of classical training so the backgrounds were different. Prince had that jazz playing father but he really wasn't a jazz player, he was a funk player who had an ear for jazz harmonics. Considering all the things he did, his ability as a pianist is astounding, i'd like to see elton or billy play other instruments and dance like james brown and still keep their chops up. at any rate, interestingly, both billy and elton have said they realized they were limited as pianists by saying they'd have never made it as concert pianists, which is to say there are so many great pianists out there. also, billy did say that elton "kicks my ass" on piano, which i never really found proof of but he would know I guess. both of them are goddamned good.

PeteSilas said:

i really don't think Prince was as good as elton or BJ on piano, but it's kinda subjective, they played differently. Prince was more rhythmic and harmonic, elton and billy had lots and lots of classical training so the backgrounds were different. Prince had that jazz playing father but he really wasn't a jazz player, he was a funk player who had an ear for jazz harmonics. Considering all the things he did, his ability as a pianist is astounding, i'd like to see elton or billy play other instruments and dance like james brown and still keep their chops up. at any rate, interestingly, both billy and elton have said they realized they were limited as pianists by saying they'd have never made it as concert pianists, which is to say there are so many great pianists out there. also, billy did say that elton "kicks my ass" on piano, which i never really found proof of but he would know I guess. both of them are goddamned good.

Yes, I agree the amazing thing about Prince, and what puts him up with those guys, is the fact that he also played umpteen other instruments better than most - plus also good dancing and beautiful singing. He didn't have the classical training (which is why he loved Lisa Coleman's playing), but he was completely self-taught which is amazing based on the way he played.

violetcrush said:

paulludvig said:

violetcrush said:

Yes, I agree the amazing thing about Prince, and what puts him up with those guys, is the fact that he also played umpteen other instruments better than most - plus also good dancing and beautiful singing. He didn't have the classical training (which is why he loved Lisa Coleman's playing), but he was completely self-taught which is amazing based on the way he played.

When people say Lisa had classical training (or Elton John or Billy Joel), what exactly do they mean? Which conservotary did she attend? Having piano lessons is not the same thing as being classicaly trained.

I would say that if you have been taught, and learned how to read and play classical music fluently, that would constitute being "classically trained". Where does it specify that you must attend a conservatory in order to be considered to have classical training?? Seems that you are "nit-picking" here.

As I said earlier, mobile/computer use is the main thing exacerbating these RSI/RSI associated conditions with musicians. Many of my peers are also finding this to be the case.

But hey, I've only been a professional musician for over 20 years so what do I know...

jjam said:

As I said earlier, mobile/computer use is the main thing exacerbating these RSI/RSI associated conditions with musicians. Many of my peers are also finding this to be the case.

But hey, I've only been a professional musician for over 20 years so what do I know...

i am a pianist, i never figured the comp was causing me any problems, compared to hitting piano keys, keeping my arms up and my back straight for hours on end is much harder than typing, so i never understood anyone whining about computer pain, in fact, i wonder how much of it is in people's heads because we live in such a hysterical society, particularly women. i've known women that have every ailment known to man and always have some kind of brace or bandage on, i stay away from those ones because they are always angry miserable souls too. not saying the comp can't cause problems but i just never had issues with it. piano has caused lots of pains, fingers, knuckles, wrist, shoulders, back, neck fortunately, none of them are that serious compared to the real injuries ive had in martial arts or from labor jobs where i've hurt myself reasonably badly a few times.

Camileyun said:

ouch!

It doesn't say much for Pete does it? He must be a woman hater.

PennyPurple said:

Camileyun said:

ouch!

It doesn't say much for Pete does it? He must be a woman hater.

Luv Pete!

well, my grandma and my ma were like that, i never understood it when i was a kid but now that i look back on it, it almost seems like they had some bizarre fetish for ailments, they'd describe it in detail and it really sounded neurotic to the point where i was never convinced. I've known some men like that to, but the man that I knew who got disability for neck pains was in a way, very hysterical and feminine himself. In fact, i think he got ssi for mental problems but lied and said it was because his neck was fucked up. He was actually pretty insane though so he's pretty atypical. I'm just wondering if Prince was malingering any, lots of addicts do. Elvis supposedly would injure himself on purpose to get drugs.

Dave Grohl is 49. He wears those things - I don't know what the technical term is - on his wrists. He also says he takes Advil before going on stage because everything hurts now (plus he drinks, too). So it wasn't just Prince - you do this for 30-40 years and you'll ache. We are mortal.

PeteSilas said:

well, my grandma and my ma were like that, i never understood it when i was a kid but now that i look back on it, it almost seems like they had some bizarre fetish for ailments, they'd describe it in detail and it really sounded neurotic to the point where i was never convinced. I've known some men like that to, but the man that I knew who got disability for neck pains was in a way, very hysterical and feminine himself. In fact, i think he got ssi for mental problems but lied and said it was because his neck was fucked up. He was actually pretty insane though so he's pretty atypical. I'm just wondering if Prince was malingering any, lots of addicts do. Elvis supposedly would injure himself on purpose to get drugs.

Pete!!! You crack me up!! Listen, I'm a woman and I can tell you that in my experience with some men, I've never seen bigger "cry babies" when it comes to ailments - whether it be a cold/flu, or a muscle pull. You'd have thought they were on their deathbed. So, it really goes both ways - not a "man" or a "woman" thing.....it's a "people" thing. Some just handle pain/injury better than others.

*

I have no doubt that Prince was having hand pain/numbness/aching, etc. He played practically non-stop for 40+ years. He wasn't playing for a few hours a day - it was most of the day, everyday. The joints can only take so much.

*

Regarding pain from computer use - absolutely realistic for those with "desk jobs" who spend 8 hours a day sitting at the computer. Prince did not do that. He had people doing his computer work for him. Hans Martin Buff just stated in an interview that he would type all of the liner notes and info for the albums, because he knew how to type. People like Steve Parke were the ones spending all day on the computer. Yes, Prince used his PC for email, internet, etc., but that would not cause long term pain.

PeteSilas said:

jjam said:

As I said earlier, mobile/computer use is the main thing exacerbating these RSI/RSI associated conditions with musicians. Many of my peers are also finding this to be the case.

But hey, I've only been a professional musician for over 20 years so what do I know...

i am a pianist, i never figured the comp was causing me any problems, compared to hitting piano keys, keeping my arms up and my back straight for hours on end is much harder than typing, so i never understood anyone whining about computer pain, in fact, i wonder how much of it is in people's heads because we live in such a hysterical society, particularly women. i've known women that have every ailment known to man and always have some kind of brace or bandage on, i stay away from those ones because they are always angry miserable souls too. not saying the comp can't cause problems but i just never had issues with it. piano has caused lots of pains, fingers, knuckles, wrist, shoulders, back, neck fortunately, none of them are that serious compared to the real injuries ive had in martial arts or from labor jobs where i've hurt myself reasonably badly a few times.

A WTF comment! I used to do a lot more typing (it was my job, and actually still is) than I do now, but CTS is a real thing. After having a nurse botch an IV site when I was giving birth to my son, I started having pain in my left thumb. So painful in fact, that I could not even grasp a steering wheel and had to alter the way I held the steering wheel. Not to mention the numbness and tingling I was having in my fingers on the same hand. Three years later I did have carpal tunnel release surgery as well as a de Quervain's release at the same time. I did have a great outcome from those surgeries. A few years after that I had carpal tunnel release surgery on my right hand (I am right hand dominant). Now here we are 20+ years later and some of the issues with left hand have returned - still typing and do a lot of hand cutting for paper crafting (hold item with left hand, cutting with right), but not to the extent back then. I also played the piano back in day too.

violetcrush said:

PeteSilas said:

well, my grandma and my ma were like that, i never understood it when i was a kid but now that i look back on it, it almost seems like they had some bizarre fetish for ailments, they'd describe it in detail and it really sounded neurotic to the point where i was never convinced. I've known some men like that to, but the man that I knew who got disability for neck pains was in a way, very hysterical and feminine himself. In fact, i think he got ssi for mental problems but lied and said it was because his neck was fucked up. He was actually pretty insane though so he's pretty atypical. I'm just wondering if Prince was malingering any, lots of addicts do. Elvis supposedly would injure himself on purpose to get drugs.

Pete!!! You crack me up!! Listen, I'm a woman and I can tell you that in my experience with some men, I've never seen bigger "cry babies" when it comes to ailments - whether it be a cold/flu, or a muscle pull. You'd have thought they were on their deathbed. So, it really goes both ways - not a "man" or a "woman" thing.....it's a "people" thing. Some just handle pain/injury better than others.

*

I have no doubt that Prince was having hand pain/numbness/aching, etc. He played practically non-stop for 40+ years. He wasn't playing for a few hours a day - it was most of the day, everyday. The joints can only take so much.

*

Regarding pain from computer use - absolutely realistic for those with "desk jobs" who spend 8 hours a day sitting at the computer. Prince did not do that. He had people doing his computer work for him. Hans Martin Buff just stated in an interview that he would type all of the liner notes and info for the albums, because he knew how to type. People like Steve Parke were the ones spending all day on the computer. Yes, Prince used his PC for email, internet, etc., but that would not cause long term pain.

This is about the combination of ergonomic hand use (piano/guitar for example) and non-ergonomic hand use (computer, not necessarily being used for a long period of time daily). The combination of the two is what is contributing to hand pain/tingling issues for many musicians.

But I do agree about men and pain. Imagine a man having to go through period pain and childbirth. You wouldn't hear the end of it.