boy it really cracked me up when prince told matt lauer that he 'sat beyonce down at the piano' to show her some simple scales. like she was a little child. anybody think this demonstrated a little attitude, especially in the way he told it, and just for the fact of telling it, and kinda making her look dumb?

just as beyonce is poised to get her six grammies, he's gonna make her sit at the piano for music 101. dat's ma boy.

if you're gonna play with him, you betta learn the rules!

I found that pretty amusing too. Kind of an "you may be a Grammy winner by their standards, but do you know the music that you sing?" attitude.

HiinEnkelte said:

No, not at all!!!
I thought it was quite loving. Think about it. Even though Prince is such a music legend he was willing to offer some of his knowlegde to Beyonce. And even though she was nominated for many grammies, she was humble enough to listen to him. He wasn't belittling her. He told Matt that he "encouraged her" to try and learn the piano. That's a great thing. He was simply saying that musicians have a language among themselves that's different than "just being a singer". Also, if she learns an instrument, it can open up her songwriting and make her a much more diverse artist, help her to become well-rounded musically. I know for sure that worked for me. After only learning a few guitar chords, I saw music so much differently and was so excited about the many possibilities!
In my opinion, he wasn't trying to make her look dumb. He's 45 and has a TON of musical knowledge and experience. He wants to impart that to younger artists. He didn't have to do that, but he did, and I'm sure Beyonce is grateful.

OdysseyMiles, I couldn't have said it better myself. Very well put.

HiinEnkelte said:

Not at all. I think you're really reading too much into what was said.

Prince was just simply encouraging her to learn an instrument other than her voice because it will help her in the short and long run of her career.

Bull said:

Thanks
You gotta look at it this way: To have one of your favorite artists actually sit you down and take time out of their schedule to show you a few things is a dream come true!! As a musician, I can only hope that I can have the same experience Beyonce had.

HiinEnkelte said:

Dizzy Gillespie gave that same advice to Miles Davis. I don't think Prince would waste his time on someone that he didn't feel was worth it, or would see the value in that kind of advice. He's been complimenting her left and right.

i'm not saying it was blatant and i know what you all mean about him being helpful. he's been this way with so many people, old heroes and young proteges. and yes i do think that that is a large part of his motivation, kindness and a sharing of the world and language of music. that point is well taken and not absolutely incompatibile with what i'm saying. in fact, its because of it that i found it amusing. it is in the way his words came out, (perhaps none of you put any stock in the unconscious and its role in motivation but) there were hints of a superior attitude (which he has a right to).

rather than ascribe nothing but atruistic graciousness to his actions, i'm simply saying that here, there might also be that subtle, sometimes not so subtle, way that prince has of upstaging or exposing a weakness in others, and in this case it conveniently and simultaneously found its expression under the guise of what is otherwise legitimate kindness. he's done it with lenny, the boss, etc...
i actually enjoy it when he flaunts his funk in the compettition's face (not the case here i know, but generally speaking)
and i'm not saying there was anything consciously malicious, but just think about the way he says it. 'i sat beyonce down' like he's papa prince.

did the whole world need to know that beyonce couldn't play a simple scale?

it doesn't take a prince or chopin to show you a c scale.
and its not like prince was sharing one of the really deep secrets of his trade learned after decades of experience.

HiinEnkelte said:

Papa Prince is old enough to be Beyonce's daddy, truth be told. If he came across that way to some it IS because he's of a different (older) generation.


Do people need to overreact to half of the things Prince says all the time?

HiinEnkelte said:[quote]i'm not saying it was blatant and i know what you all mean about him being helpful. he's been this way with so many people, old heroes and young proteges. and yes i do think that that is a large part of his motivation, kindness and a sharing of the world and language of music. that point is well taken and not absolutely incompatibile with what i'm saying. in fact, its because of it that i found it amusing. it is in the way his words came out, (perhaps none of you put any stock in the unconscious and its role in motivation but) there were hints of a superior attitude (which he has a right to).

rather than ascribe nothing but atruistic graciousness to his actions, i'm simply saying that here, there might also be that subtle, sometimes not so subtle, way that prince has of upstaging or exposing a weakness in others, and in this case it conveniently and simultaneously found its expression under the guise of what is otherwise legitimate kindness. he's done it with lenny, the boss, etc...
i actually enjoy it when he flaunts his funk in the compettition's face (not the case here i know, but generally speaking)
and i'm not saying there was anything consciously malicious, but just think about the way he says it. 'i sat beyonce down' like he's papa prince.

did the whole world need to know that beyonce couldn't play a simple scale?

it doesn't take a prince or chopin to show you a c scale.
and its not like prince was sharing one of the really deep secrets of his trade learned after decades of experience.
[quote]


i agree, it would have been ok if prince had kept this between himself and beyonce. but making such a remark on national tv. . . that's some attitude

to be fair though i can't believe beyonce can't play a simple scale on a keyboard? how in the heck did she make it this far? the grammy standards have sunk kinda low if this is what passes for 'musicianship' today

i guess my tone and gist is just not coming across.
i ain't rippin on prince, nor trying to nitpick to point out anything negative, because i don't think he did anything mean or cruel.
yes, maybe it was partly the generational thing that partly accounts for what i found amusing.

and it was simply the expression, 'sit her down' that i found amusing. dig?

his anecdote was in response to lauer questioning prince about the sorry state of music today (from prince's perspective). to segue immediately to beyonce as an example says 'something', unconsciously

and yes i know he's been complimenting her left and right.

what happened to the humour round here? geeez!

OdysseyMiles said:

I know that's right! The fact that he took the time to share any of his vast musical knowledge with her shows just how commited he is with his whole "Musicology" thing. He can sit me down any day and teach me to play!! I wouldn't care if it was "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and told the whole damn world, I'd be honored.

Supernova said:

Yes we do!

It was sooooo obvious that Prince dissed Beyonce on national television when he exposed the shocking fact that she doesn't actually play! I'm certain that her fanbase was shocked and appalled to realize that it was not Beyonce playing all the instruments on the musical tour de force that is "Bootylicious". How will her career recover from this?

I just don't know.





Oh, and XxAxX, the Grammy's do, and should, honor singers who aren't known for their ability to play. Would you tell Aretha or Whitney that they don't deserve Grammys? (not that Beyonce is in their league)
[This message was edited Wed Mar 17 15:32:23 2004 by Universaluv]

Universaluv said:

I guess they'll want to exchange their cd's for someone who actually does play an instrument. "Bootylicious" and "Dangerously In Love" be damned.


But Aretha does play a mean piano on her recordings. It was just always overshadowed by her vocal performances.

lol!!! i was dying of laughter myself.

I call bullshit on every post-Grammy interview where he talked about being such a fan of Beyoncé and what respect he has for her. A caterwauling R&B diva whose parents micromanage her career, performing uninspired dreck for which she gets a generous co-writing credit at best? (Translation: not her work.) Since when has he ever had any respect for a performer like that, unless he was the puppet-master writing, producing, costuming and controlling every detail behind the scenes? Come to think, he had no respect for most of those ladies either.

Does anybody really believe he sees her as some great talent? Please. She's a hit-making singer whose spotlight he elbowed into to get some glory reflected onto his new album. I felt humiliated for him watching the Grammys, because he's a legendary artist and she's really not fit to hold his jock. Fans like me will always support his work, but that's the kind of stunt he needs now to generate public interest after his long contentious relationship with the record industry.

HiinEnkelte said:

Well, I don't think he meant to belittle her or maker her feel dumb. Just a bit of information Prince has gathered from experience that he wants to bestow on a young, talented singer like Beyonce. I mean, it would GREATLY improve her singing if she knew what KEY she was in half the time. Beyonce is young, naive and very much inexperienced in the way of the music industry. She is a hot (looking) commodity right now, but if she has nothing to fall back on or learn as much as she can (while she can), she'll be gone the way of the dinosaur.

i would venture to guess that freakebear is right.

for those who see such love in prince's anecdote, consider him handling whitney or barbra streisand this way, neither of whom play an instrument...

"i sat barbra down and showed her some basic scales on the piano"

hmmm... seems like a little condescension in prince's happy story of sharing peeps through.
of course he has to say nice things in the public eye, and i may even believe he wishes her well in her career, but 'respect'? nuh-uh.

it should appear to no one as a revelation that learning the piano, or any instrument, can contribute to one's musicality. did it take genius dectective work by prince to enlighten beyonce to this? nuh-uh..

HiinEnkelte said:

Yeahhh.

http://www.reuters.com/ne...ction=news

Little Richard's Lesson - Learn Your Instrument
Wed Mar 17, 2004 08:55 PM ET


By Tamara Conniff

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Little Richard wants young artists to get
back to the roots of music by learning to play their instruments instead of
programming on computers.

"(Artists) are going to computers and they are not really playing the
music," Little Richard says. "I think they need to stay with the craft so
they can learn the real theory, the real thing. You want to be a real
musician, not just somebody pushing a button."

When he gives the keynote speech Thursday at the 18th Annual Southwest Music
Conference in Austin, Texas, Little Richard will address musical integrity
and his life experiences, he said.

In fact, this year's entire festival, which is expecting more than 7,000
attendees, is going back to its own roots with a strong showing of
independent music. Of the 1,300 bands performing, only 77 are signed with
major labels, while 763 acts are with indies. Additionally, 393 unsigned
bands are giving showcases.

The conference, which kicked off Wednesday, has several indie panels lined
up including "Successful Entrepreneurship in the Indie World," "Indie Labels
Learn New Tricks" and "How Indie Labels Find Artists." There will also be a
panel dedicated to music publishing, "The Deals and the Money."

One of the most important things any young artist can do is to take control
of his or her publishing and financials, Little Richard cautions.

"A lot of (young artists) don't want to learn, they just want to be famous,
and when the deal goes downhill, they are left in the cold," Little Richard
points out. "The artist should lean how to control his publishing; that's
really where the money is -- and make sure that your name is on all the
checks. I don't care who your business manager is, you sign the checks."

The hope of fame and fortune is a powerful enticement for artists, but
Little Richard warns: "The grass may look greener on the other side, but
it's just as hard to cut."

Little Richard recalls: "My family was very poor, my mother had 12 children.
I wanted to get famous because I wanted to help them eat and help them have
a place to stay. I was willing to do anything. I fell in on one of those
record deals (where I only) got half a cent a record. I never did get the
other half to make a penny. That's the reason I am able to talk about these
things because I've been through it. I was taken and shaken and broke down
to the bottom with it. I've been through the mill, but I'm still standing."

With his wild stage antics and vivid costumes, Little Richard broke the mold
of the 1950s. "Being flamboyant at that time, it was like you was a crazy
person because there was nobody else doing it," he says. "To see you come
out with this diamond jacket and diamond shoes, people went out of their
minds. They said, 'Man, what is this guy doing? This guy, what is he? He's
crazy."

Not only did Little Richard have a slew of hits including "Tutti Frutti,"
"Slippin' and Slidin"' and "Keep a Knockin'," he also gave some of rock's
greatest musicians their start in his band, including Jimi Hendrix, Billy
Preston and James Brown.

Little Richard, who performs about five or six dates a month, says he's
happy with his hits and has no plans to record any new music. "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it," the veteran says. "I like the way it is now, I want to
let it stay there. I just travel now and I do shows all over the world."

Thursday night, Little Richard brings out a 10-piece band for a BMI showcase
at the Austin Music Hall. Also slated to take the stage are the Holmes
Bros., Jack Ingram, Cake, Charlie Robison and Blues Traveler.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

XxAxX said:

In music there is a whole spectrum of abilities. some can write but can't play, some can play but can't write, some can sing some can't, etc..Just because beyonce can't play in and of itself means nothing. The fact that she seems to be all image with some real talent may be a bigger problem in todays music. I think Prince has always had it in for the whole hip hop culture, he was forced to yield to it because of it's mighty marketing power. However, he seems to think it's not real music, as I once did, and he hasn't changed his mind in spite of all the Hip hop he's done.
And yeah some of the best musicians ever were singers only. Singing is the most expressive insturment of all.