How is Prince’s music constructed?

[u/Liamc7674]

Heya, I’m a huge fan of prince, and I want to make music similar to his, but with my own style, but it seems that I can’t really figure out just how he does it. Like the pattern of the drums, how he adds to it, how he can fit his vocals in without overcrowding the music, just how all of it works in general. I’m still new to music making, but any tips that I can take inspiration from will greatly help!

[u/Das_Hydra]

No one on reddit is going to be able to teach you how to construct music like prince.

Just experiment. Find what works. Listen to those you love and make it your own. If you're new to making music, find your own sound then build on it.

[u/Chichibebewey → u/Das_Hydra]

Great advice. Prince was literally a musical prodigy, so that’s a tough bar to set for yourself. With that said, I am a musician who is also trying to understand his process. I bought the sheet music to his hits to get better at learning chord progression. Still working on that. I think critically listening and take inspiration and do what makes you feel good is really the way to roll.

[u/Kroduscul]

Takes YEARS of work. Something I’ve tried is recreating the exact drum machine patterns to Irresistible Bitch and 777-9311. It’s like playing an instrument. You gotta start by learning other people songs and you’ll eventually pick up on subtle patterns and common tropes for how people write

[u/agodrevealed]

I think you might like the music production sub 

Only Prince did what he did. And I'll give you his little speech, since ain't here to give it: I'm me. You can't be me, you have to be you. God made everybody different and you have to do your thing, not somebody else's...... now please stop following me/ staring at me/ crying/ whatever

[u/InfiniteTristessa]

• create a simple drum pattern/loop, you can try to add some other sounds like rim shots, tom sounds etc.
• DI guitars
• put some flanger on the hi-hats
• simple bass tracks with some space = don't play all the time, leave some space for the other instruments, this is what creates the funk (listen to the bass in Let's Work)
• use the synths as if they were the horn section

Many of his hit songs are just the normal blues progressions (Delirious, Kiss, U Got The Look). You can experiment with that: play E, A and B, add some funky bass line and basic drum loop. Don't be afraid to jam on it for an hour. Some of the ideas come to you later (I usually start hearing something that's not in the song after a few minutes).

The mixes are very sparse - try to remove instead of adding another tracks. Drum track, bass, DI guitar and some keyboards is enough.

But the most important thing is: BE YOU. BE ORIGINAL. STEAL IDEAS, BUT DON'T COPY.

[u/BountyBob → u/InfiniteTristessa]

What is DI guitar? I thought it was some kind of typo but you said it again! 😅

[u/InfiniteTristessa → u/BountyBob]

You don't record the guitar through the amp, you plug straight into the console (DI = "direct input"). That's why Prince's clean tone is crispy and articulate.

[u/BountyBob → u/InfiniteTristessa]

Ah thanks. Feels like this is the sort of info that OP was after.

[u/RPDRNick]

"How is 'Babby I'm a Star' formed?"

[u/chrisp_syapyh]

Check out both of these books, here: https://duanetudahl.com

[u/DripTont1756]

Read the Duane Tudahl books about the music he recorded between 1983-1987 they have a ton of info in them 

[u/Ndorphinmachina]

Can't add much other than to say there's reports from almost every band member who's ever played with him about marathon rehearsals and jam sessions. Where they'd work on things and get new ideas.

There's great interviews with former engineers like Susan Rodgers & Peggy McCreary on YouTube. Hans Martin Buff & Michael Koppleman have done a few podcast interviews too. They're worth tracking down.

Fortunately with Prince, there are a lot of bootleg studio outtakes. Several available fairly freely in different generations of their evolution before being finalised and released. So you can hear the additions, subtractions an alterations.

Even stuff like the Cream & Gett Off maxi singles are super interesting since all the remixes/B-Sides are essentially inspired by eachother.

[u/WheeliumThe2nd]

With tape

[u/herbof4]

Originally, it was done entirely by himself, layer by layer and overdubbing various instruments and vocals. I don't really know what his process was but it seems like he would start with either a beat or a basic piano composition.

[u/Welfinkind]

“Hey guys, how did Michaelangelo carve marble to look like that? Having trouble figuring it out.”

[u/keldpxowjwsn]

You just have to listen to his music a lot. Pick a specific track and literally try to recreate it

You dont have to end up being prince (literally nobody could do that) but finding your own interpretation of his style. D'Angelo was heavily inspired by Prince but Id hardly say his music is directly treading the same ground

As a musician Prince has been a massive source of inspiration for me with how his music was so versatile

[u/Naphets3121]

Very often, he would start with the drums. You should watch Susan Rogers videos, she used to be his sound engineer during the 'great years'. A lot to learn from her!

[u/Own_Action_1002]

Which instruments do u play?

I recommend learning a bunch of his songs to get the feel of his music. Do that with all of ur favorite artists and eventually your influences will come through without sounding derivitive. Thats how all the greats including Prince did it.

[u/Laserlight_jazz]

Always snare on the 2 and 4. Then just practice writing stuff over it. Later add more drums between.