Trying to perfect my keyboard parts for 1999. 2 questions:

1. SUSTATINED HIGH NOTES: My main question, is on when he gets to "War is all around us" in verse 2 (about 1:55 on the album version), one of the synths is holding a high note or high chord over the main synth riff. I think it's just a high C note or C octave......but when I play that it doesn't sound "quite right". Any suggestions?

it happens again in a simiar way at "everybody got a bomb" @2:55 though it seems to be lower octave and "moves up" during the phrase (maybe C, D F)?

2. Then the main synth riff. ...my quesiton is on the 3rd chord on the "first half" (the 2nd half of hte riff is easy cuz he goes down on the top notes from C to Bflat to A). But the 3rd chord in the 1st "half" is a basically an Fmajor with a Dadded in, but what's the top note on that 3rd F vocing? an A or C? I've seen it notated both ways, and I think Prince was alternating that 3rd F chord, sometimes playing it voiced with C on top, and sometimes with A on top so it moves UP to be Bflat vs. moving down to Bflat.

The keys are so thick and layered I can't hear these to notes so clearly (I know I wish I had better ear skills!)

Thanks in advance to those who have better skills than I!

I love thes type of questions! Sorry but i don´t have the answer

As a hobby musician myself I spend a lot of time with around synths (one of which being an OB-8 from the early 80s) trying to figure out how he arranged and what chords he used. Sometimes its easy and some times its not,,,.maybe we can share our knowledge on production, arranging and chords here on the org. For example there's not a lot to find in terms of chords for example to more songs then his 5 top hits

[Edited 1/23/23 13:16pm]

alexanderalm said:

I love thes type of questions! Sorry but i don´t have the answer

As a hobby musician myself I spend a lot of time with around synths (one of which being an OB-8 from the early 80s) trying to figure out how he arranged and what chords he used. Sometimes its easy and some times its not,,,.maybe we can share our knowledge on production, arranging and chords here on the org. For example there's not a lot to find in terms of chords for example to more songs then his 5 top hits

[Edited 1/23/23 13:16pm]

Wow you have an actual Ob-8?? Impressive. I had a Linndrumm (LM2)--the 2nd one, not the LM 1 wich was his signature but I think he used LM2 on some stuff too (maybe Sheila's album?)

.

.

I've been listening to various version and I think the notation in the published version is correct:

.

.

The opening riff, the 3rd chord is an F with C voiced at the top (the highest of the riff, the same C in the 2nd half of the main riff Da-Da-Da).

.

.

And for the held note of War Is All Around Us, I think he's holding a C or C octave while another synth plays the riff. The 2nd time where there is "movement" it might be either playing the C in different octaves or some type of effect using the Oscillator. I don't really undestand synth stuff like that but I've seen youtube videos where they turn the oscillator or filter knob and one note sounds like it has movement like an engine revving.

https://www.musicnotes.co...=MN0081000

[Edited 1/23/23 20:52pm]

The 2nd time where there is "movement" it might be either playing the C in different octaves or some type of effect using the Oscillator. I don't really undestand synth stuff like that*

*to me, playing along with the song, it sounds like he is playing a low 2-octave F on the parts you are referring to. Also, it sounds like the two occilators (playing the F) on the Oberheim are heavily de-tuned (classic analog synth trick to make the synth sounds fatter and wider in the mix) so that might fool the listener to what's actually going on. I might be wrong but this is what i hear.

WOW LM-2, that is also a very nice piece of equipment to have in possession! I wish i had that hardware, or the LM-1, it is always more inspiration with the actual product, but until i get my hands on it ill settle for the samples on those beautiful drum sounds.

Another thought, you should listen to the "Peach and black podcast", they go into detail on all albums > songs and at least one of the guys in the panel is a musician (I think) and he sometimes talk about chord progressions and music theory in reviewing the Prince albums. Check that out, here is a link to the review of the 1999-album https://www.youtube.com/w...oI1bJrk-K4

alexanderalm said:

The 2nd time where there is "movement" it might be either playing the C in different octaves or some type of effect using the Oscillator. I don't really undestand synth stuff like that*

*to me, playing along with the song, it sounds like he is playing a low 2-octave F on the parts you are referring to. Also, it sounds like the two occilators (playing the F) on the Oberheim are heavily de-tuned (classic analog synth trick to make the synth sounds fatter and wider in the mix) so that might fool the listener to what's actually going on. I might be wrong but this is what i hear.

WOW LM-2, that is also a very nice piece of equipment to have in possession! I wish i had that hardware, or the LM-1, it is always more inspiration with the actual product, but until i get my hands on it ill settle for the samples on those beautiful drum sounds.

Another thought, you should listen to the "Peach and black podcast", they go into detail on all albums > songs and at least one of the guys in the panel is a musician (I think) and he sometimes talk about chord progressions and music theory in reviewing the Prince albums. Check that out, here is a link to the review of the 1999-album https://www.youtube.com/w...oI1bJrk-K4

thanks. I actually sold my LM2 . It was sitting in a box most of the time.

.

.Yeah I think it's te oscillators. Hard to recreate live.

GaryMF said:

alexanderalm said:

I love thes type of questions! Sorry but i don´t have the answer

As a hobby musician myself I spend a lot of time with around synths (one of which being an OB-8 from the early 80s) trying to figure out how he arranged and what chords he used. Sometimes its easy and some times its not,,,.maybe we can share our knowledge on production, arranging and chords here on the org. For example there's not a lot to find in terms of chords for example to more songs then his 5 top hits

[Edited 1/23/23 13:16pm]

Wow you have an actual Ob-8?? Impressive. I had a Linndrumm (LM2)--the 2nd one, not the LM 1 wich was his signature but I think he used LM2 on some stuff too (maybe Sheila's album?)

.

.

I've been listening to various version and I think the notation in the published version is correct:

.

.

The opening riff, the 3rd chord is an F with C voiced at the top (the highest of the riff, the same C in the 2nd half of the main riff Da-Da-Da).

.

.

And for the held note of War Is All Around Us, I think he's holding a C or C octave while another synth plays the riff. The 2nd time where there is "movement" it might be either playing the C in different octaves or some type of effect using the Oscillator. I don't really undestand synth stuff like that but I've seen youtube videos where they turn the oscillator or filter knob and one note sounds like it has movement like an engine revving.

https://www.musicnotes.co...=MN0081000

[Edited 1/23/23 20:52pm]

The main synth on 1999 is actually the ARP Omni 2. The Oberheim was probably overdubbed to make it sound thicker. The Omni sounds similar the ARP String Ensemble the keyboard Ohio Players used a lot http://guitarcloud.org/eq...arp-omni-2

It was sitting in a box most of the time. Spam deleted, l'ange bleu, moderator