As with all style lessons, it's a near-impossible task to hone down a brilliant player's style with 3 or 4 licks & riffs. This rule holds true with Prince, one of the all-time geniuses of music, yet one of the most under-rated guitarists of our time.From his early days in Minneapolis' "Uptown" scene (the city's underground funk movement in the 1970s) to his debut Warner release ("For You", 1978), to his chart-smasher "Purple Rain" (1984), to 1992's "Diamonds & Pearls", to his "TAFKAP" days (1994-2000), to his post-induction work (Prince was inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 2004), Prince has demonstrated his guitar mastery, seemlessly fusing elements of funk, R&B, pop, blues, jazz, and even screaming rock into an unbelievably wide yet cohesive guitar style.
In an attempt to do this amazing player justice, I will keep the scope of this lesson narrowed to Prince's funk guitar playing. For an examination of his smooth ballad chordal style (used in"Purple Rain", for example), his searing rock/blues-based lead work ("When Doves Cry", "Gett Off", "Electric Chair", etc.), and his use of effects, please see the Jimi Hendrix guitar style series. There will be future lessons that can get you started with some of his jazzy acoustic guitar approaches ("Sometimes it Snows in April") and his love of R&B styles (some of which is covered in the Hendrix series and includes those cool Curtis Mayfiled lines), too. But for now, set your tone to "clean & tight" and jump on this.
Prince's funk playing derives directly from funk masters like Jimmy Nolan (James Brown), Steve Cropper, & Nile Rogers. Like these great players, Prince takes off in a direction uniquely his own while tipping his hat to those who came before him. Throughout his career, Prince has employed lots of extended chords & fragments over uber-funky grooves to create simultaneously catchy and interesting lines. Be sure to keep your wrist loose while maintaining a firm grip on the pick, and relax your strim-arm as much as possible. It is imperative to stay loose and to stay dead in the pocket!
Try out the slow-funk of example 1:
Example 2 features two signature Prince chords: The funky use of the "Hendrix" sharp-9 chord, and the Bmadd11 (or E9/D) chord found in songs like "Kiss".
Example 3 features a more hard-rocking approach to some basic funk chords, in that the clean funk chords are countered by some mean rock lines.
That's all for now. If there is a demand for it by Prince fans, I will be happy to extend this single lesson into a series in an attempt to take a deeper look at his various approaches and stylistic influences. As always, feel free to drop me a line with any critiques, comments, or suggestions.
Stay tuned - and stay in the groove!
===== David M. McLean is the proprietor of Skinny Devil Music Labs, former guitarist of the avant-garde fusion-metal band Aurora-Sen, guitar instructor, and columnist for TinFoil Music Magazine (where he conducts interviews in the on-going series “Guitar Gods”). His new solo album, “HUNGER”, will be released later this year, as will his duo's CD , "An Alien Blue".
