Prince can easily beat most rock guitarists. Steve Vai may be better; Buckethead is good but not Prince quality. I'm sure he could go against almost anybody.

While I do think Prince is the most accomplished multi-intrumentalist and singer to ever record and release rock, pop and R&B/funk music (following Stevie Wonder), and as much as I love his guitar playing, I am not sure it can even be said he surpasses some accomplished guitar players from the R&B/funk tradition let alone hard rock or heavy metal. I submit for discussion comparing him to ...

- Jesse Johnson

- Eddie Hazel

- Blackbyrd McKnight

- Michael Hampton

- Ernie Isley

They are all among my favorites too. but I often got into debates with rock fans as to how they stack up against hard rock/metal players as well as virtuosos like Vai. Satriani, Vaughan, Jeff Beck and Hendrix. Speed is an important quality but not most important, which to me is originality, attitude, soul and rhythm. Being rooted in the blues helps immensely.

The Most important thing IMO is FEELING!

Prince has that in spades!

JIMI was God!

Ego101 said:

The Most important thing IMO is FEELING!

Prince has that in spades!

Bingo.

Listen to the guitar on Munich. Prince is da beast.

EroticDreamer said:

mynameisnotsusan said:

What's amazing is that Prince can hold his own against anyone on guitar and a lot of those guitar guys definitely respect his playing. What I love is that guitar is just another colour for Prince - he's just as talented at lots of other aspects of music. You take the guitar out of the hands of those metal guitar guys and what would they do on stage? Prince isn't defined only by guitar like them - he's so much more.

I agree, Susan.

I do too. Prince holds up just fine in that context.

[Edited 5/19/15 12:42pm]

"he got smoked on guitar by van halen at paisley park when they jammed."...When did this happen? I know he jammed with Vai but I never heard about P and Eddie.

kewlschool said:

Side bar: Even Clare Fischer said Prince was the sickest guitar player. He thought Prince was good on a lot of things, but what impressed him the most was his guitar playing.

If your report is accurate, then Clare Fischer needed to get out more often, RIP.

Again, considering the context of pop-rock, which utilizes blues/pentatonics and some knowledge
of modes, Prince is a really good guitarist, and not any better than a Keith Urban or the really
cool white dude who plays for Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross.

However!....in the context of fusion, there are tons of guitarists whose playing is much more
polished and sophisticated than a blue-rock guitarist working in pop. The Rock N' Roll HoF
guitar solo is a prime example: Prince has speed and the chops necessary to play standard blues
rock runs in a pop song. If you ask Prince to solo on "Giant Steps," he'd fall flat on his face.
So again, it depends on the context, otherwise, Prince cannot hold his own against "any" guitar-
ist, although I do agree that Prince uses the guitar as a means to an end and not an end in and
of itself.

However!....by no means do I want to make it seem like speed and chops are what makes a
guitarist. Jonny Greenwood, Billy Corgan, Kevin Shields, Bobby Womack, and Carrie Brownstein
aren't flashy ax-speedsters who run up and down the fretboard. Instead, they play interesting
things on the guitar while still being fine players.

luvsexy4all said:

steakfinger said:

Steve Vai says he loves Prince, but he's also said that Prince has never exploded on the guitar like Steve suspects he can.

thats it..he hasnt blown up ..like he can

Maybe on the second 3rdeyegirl album whenever that comes out, hopefully soon. I hope its heavier on the guitar and maybe rock-guitar-quartet reinterpretations of his older songs similar to what he played in the 2013 tour.

MattyJam said:

I'm talking about guys like Slash, Kirk Hammet, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen etc. I see a lot of fans bemoan Prince's lack of recognition in the guitar community, but I would argue it's really only been in the last 15yrs or so that Prince could shred at a level comparable to some of these guys. In the 80s, Prince's lead playing was fairly rudimentary,and certainly not virtuosic by any stretch. It was his rhythm playing and the overall quality of his songwriting which more than made up for any shortcomings he had when it came to busting out a good guitar solo. There is no doubt that Prince has improved tremendously over the years as a lead player and whilst he still may not possess virtuosic levels of skill on the axe comparable to the likes of Paul Gilbert or Buckethead, I would say he is most definitely world class. I think what Prince now has over rock guitarists like Slash et al is that he has spent time honing both his lead AND rhythm chops, whereas the likes of Slash, Kirk Hammer and EVH were lead guitarists from day one and their rhythm skills are fairly unremarkable.

Prince's guitar skills from the 80s were spectacular and in fact, I believe his playing was far more emotive and free than it is now.

His lead playing is freaky and has been since he started recording as a professional musician.

J

duccichucka said:

kewlschool said:

Side bar: Even Clare Fischer said Prince was the sickest guitar player. He thought Prince was good on a lot of things, but what impressed him the most was his guitar playing.

If your report is accurate, then Clare Fischer needed to get out more often, RIP.

Again, considering the context of pop-rock, which utilizes blues/pentatonics and some knowledge
of modes, Prince is a really good guitarist, and not any better than a Keith Urban or the really
cool white dude who plays for Lenny Kravitz, Craig Ross.

However!....in the context of fusion, there are tons of guitarists whose playing is much more
polished and sophisticated than a blue-rock guitarist working in pop. The Rock N' Roll HoF
guitar solo is a prime example: Prince has speed and the chops necessary to play standard blues
rock runs in a pop song. If you ask Prince to solo on "Giant Steps," he'd fall flat on his face.
So again, it depends on the context, otherwise, Prince cannot hold his own against "any" guitar-
ist, although I do agree that Prince uses the guitar as a means to an end and not an end in and
of itself.

However!....by no means do I want to make it seem like speed and chops are what makes a
guitarist. Jonny Greenwood, Billy Corgan, Kevin Shields, Bobby Womack, and Carrie Brownstein
aren't flashy ax-speedsters who run up and down the fretboard. Instead, they play interesting
things on the guitar while still being fine players.

Clare Fischer did a teaching course where he went over his career, which included in sights into how he worked with Prince and how he never met Prince it was on youtube.

Another side bar: According to x-NPG bandmates, Prince out played Santana in Jam sessions. I'm not saying Prince is the best. But, Prince is one of the best.

steakfinger said:

Ego101 said:

Anyone who plays guitar should respect Prince...

Steve Vai is a MEGA fan! Google 'Steve Vai Prince".

Steve Vai says he loves Prince, but he's also said that Prince has never exploded on the guitar like Steve suspects he can.

Steve is lacking a few Prince live bootlegs. Obviously.