8 thoughts on “‘Purple Rain’ On ROLI Seaboard RISE”

1. Great playing. Nothing beats the real thing, though:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vJMTKtY4U8

   1. Exactly

   2. Never another like him. Not just the singing and the playing and the songwriting but the showmanship in combination with all of that other stuff. Just incredible.

      Having trouble even imagining a band doing a 7 minute song on an award show today. Without bubbles and back up dancers and auto tune and whatever.

   3. That was entrancing. There was always something so engaging about Prince’s performances. I had to put that on and just exclusively stare and listen while it was playing.

2. this is an outstanding performance by an outstanding musician. however, it is important to realize that nothing he is doing here is uniquely the result of the expensive roli board. you can do everything he does — if you have the talent — on an ordinary keyboard. besides, playing the seaboard requires pretty much learning a whole new technique.
   outstanding in any case.

   1. Agreed that it’s an outstanding performance.

      Re the seaboard: you do have to learn different technique, but frankly it’s a lot easier than the technique you’d have to (theoretically) learn to reproduce this on a traditional keyboard. I say “theoretically” because I haven’t heard a performance on a traditional keyboard which comes anywhere near this in terms of feeling of the original. Plenty of very _different_ covers, which sound like a piano/keyboard, but that’s not what this is.

      Now IMO it’s pretty horrible for playing piano on, but for string instruments… it’s much more naturally suited.

3. That was impressive enough that I’m compelled to forgive him for the excessive ‘musician face’.

4. How can he makes the keyboard sound just like a beautiful tone of a guitar through the effecs? Do you guys have any idea?