Astasheiks said:

Astasheiks said:

Musician9 said:

Rogifan said, Not better than true guitarists.

Guitarhero said, Rogifan this guy is a troll, probably a failed musician a no body in the world of music. You can see the jealousy in some of his posts. If you credit Prince with being even good at something he will accuse you idol worship for Prince. Probably thinks he is also a average bass player, dancer, singer, writer and producer. Nothing this guy says is worth replying too. He has lost all credit with saying Prince is a average guitar player. PLEASE! When it comes to Princes's guitar playing i will only listen to what his guitar playing peers say, which i have found mostly positive. I have also seen many great guitar players live and Prince was one of the best. Oh no i will be accused of idol worshiping Prince. Damn.

[Edited 6/6/18 14:16pm]

What a sad world we live in that people are labeled a troll for having a different opinion and what makes them tick musically.
Musician9 is obviously someone who is passionate about the technical aspects of music and that passion creates vibes and emotions for him, why call him a troll for that?
I have the same for Prince's playing, it's all just what people feel.

You guys are cracking me up. Y'all remind me of the scene at the end of "Crossroads" where Ralph Macchio has to beat the devil's guitarist (Steve Vai) and does it by playing classical licks that Vai can't replicate.

As if! But it was an entertaining movie.

Prince used the gear he thought he needed to get the sound he wanted. I'd say he was successful.

No offense to musician9 but when pro after pro after pro comes out on the record as saying Prince was one of the greatest guitarists, that's good enough for me.

RodeoSchro said:

You guys are cracking me up. Y'all remind me of the scene at the end of "Crossroads" where Ralph Macchio has to beat the devil's guitarist (Steve Vai) and does it by playing classical licks that Vai can't replicate.

As if! But it was an entertaining movie.

Prince used the gear he thought he needed to get the sound he wanted. I'd say he was successful.

No offense to musician9 but when pro after pro after pro comes out on the record as saying Prince was one of the greatest guitarists, that's good enough for me.

listen, I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion, clearly they think he's the greatest, wonderful, I'm pointing out why I and I alone disagree, end of story, but the sycophants on here can't deal with it, they worship at the altar, and I don't care what his peers say, nobody truly says what they think anyway, and when EVH eventually dies, as much as I love his playing and career, I'm not going to light candles on the anniversary of his death and build a shrine to him in the basement where I bow to his image like a deity. He's just a person, not a family member, or a friend to me just a guitar hero, I live an extremely fulfilling life and if you notice I only comment on topics where I'd like to chat with other musicians, but sadly it seems so few P fans can actually play an instrument...

[Edited 6/8/18 13:09pm]

Musician9 said:

RodeoSchro said:

You guys are cracking me up. Y'all remind me of the scene at the end of "Crossroads" where Ralph Macchio has to beat the devil's guitarist (Steve Vai) and does it by playing classical licks that Vai can't replicate.

As if! But it was an entertaining movie.

Prince used the gear he thought he needed to get the sound he wanted. I'd say he was successful.

No offense to musician9 but when pro after pro after pro comes out on the record as saying Prince was one of the greatest guitarists, that's good enough for me.

listen, I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion, clearly they think he's the greatest, wonderful, I'm pointing out why I and I alone disagree, end of story, but the sycophants on here can't deal with it, they worship at the altar, and I don't care what his peers say, nobody truly says what they think anyway, and when EVH eventually dies, as much as I love his playing and career, I'm not going to light candles on the anniversary of his death and build a shrine to him in the basement where I bow to his image like a deity. He's just a person, not a family member, or a friend to me just a guitar hero, I live an extremely fulfilling life and if you notice I only comment on topics where I'd like to chat with other musicians, but sadly it seems so few P fans can actually play an instrument...

[Edited 6/8/18 13:09pm]

Which gets us back to the original question (I think, who knows by now?!?) - could Prince play the solo from "Beat It"?

Unless there's something in the vault, we'll never know. I think he could have played it if he wanted, although he'd probably have had to practice a little while because you're right, the solo uses stuff Prince didn't do (in front of us, anyway).

With the exception of Malmstein/Buckethead fingerblisters, I'm of the opinion that most pros could play just about anything anyone else does, given the practice and interest to do so. What makes them great, IMO, isn't technique. As great as the techniques of Vai and Satriani and Bonnamasso(sp) are, they're not guys I listen to because their songs just don't do anything for me.

What makes them great to me is what comes out of the guitar and how it hits me. The two greatest solos I ever heard live were both from Prince: (1) the funk solo on "Controversy" in Houston on August 6, 2004; and (2) the rock solo he played the next night in the same place on "Controversy". I would give anything to hear those again.