How many instruments does Prince really play? Four years ago, when he was in Spain, he said he played 30 instruments. But when you want to know what instruments are, it’s very difficult because he never writes in his albums what instruments he has used.
We can read things like “Prince: whatever”. “All instruments by…” “Performed by…”. The only album which offers us some information is “For you”.
According to this information, I can sum up.

1. Prince plays acoustic guitar. 2. Electric guitar. 3. Bass. 4. Acoustic piano. 5. Drums. 6. Other various keys such as Moog, Mini-moog, Arp Pro Soloist, Arp String Ensemble, clavinet etc. and more I have see him using like hammond, but for me they are not different instruments, they are simply keys with different sounds (maybe the hammond organ, but not the rest). 7 Percussion (cymbals, chimes, congas, bongos, water drums, bells, tambourine woodblocks…): because can we consider that Prince is a “congas player” or something like that? He can’t count all of that.

I want to clarify that I am a TOTAL FAN of Prince, and I believe he’s a genius, he plays guitar like angels and he is absoluteyl underrated about it, he is a master on piano, he plays damn well bass and slap bass, he is an average drummer, and he is an expert using keys and an incredible percussionist (he is the rhythm).

But it sounds to me very conceited to claim that he plays 30 instruments. With this information, for me he plays only 7 instruments.

What do you think? Do you know something I don’t know?

First!

Don't forget the digeridoo

what about the triangle?

What about the harmonica??

i love it when he plays "sexy mf" on banjo

Don't forget the Meat Accordian.

But is it true he plays harmonica? I remember for example "Thieves in the temple" but I'm not sure if it's a real harmonica or a keyboard with this sound. Same to Meat Accordian.

The Triangle. Ok. I'm sure he counts things like that.

Other thing is the banjo. If you have seen him playing that, it's true, this is another instrument. We have 8.
[This message was edited Sun Oct 5 7:07:04 PDT 2003 by JavierAlcalde]

anyone can play as many instruments as they want if they want to learn them.you have to want to discipline yourself to play instruments and learn them and be comfortable with whatever instrument you choose to learn. prince on the other hand this was all in the blood.yes Musicianship is in the gene pool,some have it naturally some dont. point is it doesnt matter how many you play. its how you play

Finess said:

Yeah, I agree with you. But this is not the point. For me, Prince plays incredibily well, and he has the feeling in everything he plays. And of course, I suppose if he want to learn sax, he'd only need to study and to practice. That implies one thing: more instruments, less time to each one.
But the thread is about Prince is all the time boasting about it. And according the information I have, I don't know about what instruments he talks. Because he can't pretend to be a tambourine player or a bongos player, or to say that to play a Fender Rhodes is different from playing piano (the keys are the same). Other thing is the style and the swing.
I LOVE PRINCE. But I think, about this topic he is a little bit liar, and I hope someone to change my mind with new information I don't have.
[This message was edited Sun Oct 5 7:30:42 PDT 2003 by JavierAlcalde]

Prince never made a comment on the numbe rof instruments he played. The early publicity for Prince playing all those instruments were the words of record industry people who wer marketing him as a prodigy - I am old enough to remember that time in the 70s unlike so many of you. They also reduced his age to make him even more of an anamoly

undulatingacrobat said:

I remember that it was from the 1978 press kit that was sent to radio and Mobile Dj's i had gotten it it was all promotion, it was stated prince played a total of 17 instruments.now whether thats true or not.it was stated he was a multi instrumentalist he said and i quote " i can play a few instruments well" that doesnr mean all 17. like i said its not how many you play but how you play them.

JavierAlcalde said:

I dont think you got the joke here.

Hint#1: MEAT is not a manufacturer of accordions.

Hint#2:

he's a helluva piccolo player

PFunkjazz said:

You got me, man, I read too fast.

And about he has never said how many instruments he plays.
Ok, this is false, because when he was in Spain in 1998, a journalist asked him if it was true he played 27 instruments, and he answered: "That was before, nowadays I play 30 instruments".

2nd. To Finess. Yeah, I repeat I agree with you "its not how many you play but how you play them", and I'm a guitarist and I love how Prince plays guitar, etc.
But for example. One Nite Alone, Cd 3, Aftershow. You read the musicians creidits and you see: "Prince. whatever". But according to the songs, he played only guitar and maybe keyboards. Whatever is not 2 things: don't you think Prince tries to hint that he can play any of the instruments you hear in the Cd?
But this is untrue.

JavierAlcalde said:

ive only seen him play drums,Keys,6 and 4 string

everything else remains to be seen..