Graycap23 said:

Yeah, Graycap..it always comes BACK to the reason for the season:
"TALENT & CREATIVE-VISONARY GIFTS"

If Prince doesn't read music and is able to write songs and play so many instruments he must way smart and talented very few people can be so versatile without reading the musical sheets. Sheila E doesnt read music either and has made musical arrangements for the Oscars and Placido Domingo....This requires a natural ability to hear and play the sounds as well as the instruments..... I rest my case.....

reina30 said:

Knowledge is a tool. It has no bearing on your ability to communicate. There are many people who speak english every day who can't read or write it but it doesn't prevent them from communicating. The more tools you have, the easier it is for you to perform a task.

Lots of musicians play by ear. That's not special in and of itself. Prince and Stevie are a lot better at it than many people but it certainly doesn't make then exclusive.

thekidsgirl said:

kidsgirl, there are several other artists that does this. P is far from being the only cat that can do this. It's fairly common, actually. And it's certainly nothing new. Here's a few other folks who excell or excelled at being a multi-instrumentalist:

Stevie Wonder
Shuggie Otis
Todd Rundgren
Sir Paul
Bootsy Collins
Rick James
Roger Troutman
Teena Marie
Patrice Rushen (who actually played keyboards on P's first album and who P wrote a few songs for but Patrice turned them down; "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "I Feel For You")
Johhny Guitar Watson
Ernie Isley
Lewis Taylor
Junie Morrison

blackguitaristz said:

Oh, and also, add this one high up on the list; Sly Stone

blackguitaristz said:

That's a Monster List , man! Alot of folks sleep on ernie Isley's Drumming.

stopHATING said:

yup

funkpill said:

I'm sayin ?!? What, after "3+3" it was ALL Ernie ?!?

stopHATING said:

After the 'Live It Up' album, it was all Ernie...

funkpill said:

Actually Ernie played drums on tracks before 3+3

"I Turned You On " '69
""Get Into Something" '70
Bass on "Freedom" 70
"Keep on Doin'" 70
Bass (again) on "The Blacker The Berrie" 70
and also on the LIVE AT YANKEE STADIUM LP from 69.

This is from the 3 disc boxset IT'S YOUR THING.


Oh it also has that "Cold Bologna" is a guitar duet between Ernie and Bill Withers, who wrote the song.

Well, I'll give props to the literates, being one myself.

Being able to read a staff is a handy skill, when you want to pull out some...oh say...Bartok or Mahler, for instance.

PFunkjazz said:

That's amazing ,man. Well,that explains why Ernie's solos were so rhythmic ?!?
Now,that's got me thinkin about that famous pic of JIMI sitting at the drum kit.

heartbeatocean said:

Right?!? OR a tonite Show gig ? I've known musicians that could simply take a listen to baroque music a play it back like a tape machine man. There's just no getting around "natural" ablility.

blackguitaristz said:

Oh yeah, I know Prince isn't the only "one man band" out there
There just aren't enough artists out there these days who can do it all
In my opinion

...but I'm taking notes here! Thanks for the list

thekidsgirl said:

I could and would add myself to this list, but, (cough) I'm MUCH too modest to do that!

blackguitaristz said:

Me too!

blackguitaristz said:

Me 2.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...gvt_Rn0tPo

Odd, but true on his first 2 albums.

stopHATING said:

Or good solid training.

heartbeatocean said:

One of the Wooten Brothers -- Joe the keyboardist, I believe -- was talking to the audience taking in one of their shows, during a breakdown in the music. He'd been soloing furiously along with Regi and the rest of their killer band.

"People always say the Wooten family is just more talented than other people. They act like we don't rehearse. A lot of hard work goes into this," he said.