Teach me Hendrix

Ghostman

Ghostman

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@Far Rider

Can someone point me to five or six songs by Hendrix that really captures what he was all about? I've heard snippets and a few of his songs, but nothing extensive. Since I live in his City, I feel I'm missing out on an influence and unfortunately I just don't get his influence on so many.

Please don't judge. I'm not saying he's not important, or that he's irrelevant. I'd just like to understand him more.
 
Personally, some live shows with lots of guitar shenanigans is what does it for me, that is where he influenced guitar IMO. Hey Joe is just a song to me. The showmanship amd screaming blues is the legacy I see.
Also remember at that point in time there was nothjng like it. The Beatles and 60s poppy crap then Hendrix ripping it up with distorted guitar and such great showmanship.

That is my take.
 
Ghostman said:
@Far Rider

Can someone point me to five or six songs by Hendrix that really captures what he was all about? I've heard snippets and a few of his songs, but nothing extensive. Since I live in his City, I feel I'm missing out on an influence and unfortunately I just don't get his influence on so many.

Please don't judge. I'm not saying he's not important, or that he's irrelevant. I'd just like to understand him more.
Click to expand...

To me, his rendition of "All Along The Watchtower" was the most amazing work of all, but all his songs have some really cool chords and inversions.
 
One thing ive heard some guitarist and music " gurus" say about Hendrix was that he was not the greatest guitarist , that he was overrated or he couldnt tune a guitar to save his life. This is all utter BS.

He did often play out of tune, live at times, but that was largely due to him abusing his simple tremolo loaded Strats while playing. He was wild, erratic even, but what he did best of all bend a string to the point it was back in the right key and tuning. He could take a mistake like that and make it work like no one else could do since really. He played with a style that you cant teach someone: pure soul and spirit. Completely surreal to see and hear.

While its debatable if he was indeed the best by comparisons of EVH, Vai, Satriani and so on; not a single one of those guys would ever put themselves in place above him. He's pretty much unanimously held as the original master. You gotta remember he was up against an army of British virtuosos like Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck and the man that the British press declared as God himself: Eric Clapton. And every single one of those guys just stared with their jaws on the floor in awe. But true to his immortally cool nature, he would meet them and instead of being arrogant, he would humble himself and talk about how great they were and ask them how they played certain things.

So he wasnt just the master, he was a student of the world
 
Clockworkmike said:
One thing ive heard some guitarist and music " gurus" say about Hendrix was that he was not the greatest guitarist , that he was overrated or he couldnt tune a guitar to save his life. This is all utter BS.

He did often play out of tune, live at times, but that was largely due to him abusing his simple tremolo loaded Strats while playing. He was wild, erratic even, but what he did best of all bend a string to the point it was back in the right key and tuning. He could take a mistake like that and make it work like no one else could do since really. He played with a style that you cant teach someone: pure soul and spirit. Completely surreal to see and hear.

While its debatable if he was indeed the best by comparisons of EVH, Vai, Satriani and so on; not a single one of those guys would ever put themselves in place above him. He's pretty much unanimously held as the original master. You gotta remember he was up against an army of British virtuosos like Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck and the man that the British press declared as God himself: Eric Clapton. And every single one of those guys just stared with their jaws on the floor in awe. But true to his immortally cool nature, he would meet them and instead of being arrogant, he would humble himself and talk about how great they were and ask them how they played certain things.

So he wasnt just the master, he was a student of the world
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Yep. Gotta agree. Anyone who ever tried to make weird sounds with an electric after 1970, had great showmanship and played the hell out of it owe something to Jimi.
 
Hendrix, at the time, was a real innovator. He took the guitar to another level. His stage presence and the way he used chords and inversions wasn't done previously to my knowledge.

if you look at other bands of the era, they were boring in comparison.

His playing was very unique. Nobody had his sound or vibe at the time....IMHO
 
"Hey Baby, New Rising Sun" gives a good feel for what his blues/psych playing was like, mixed in with his other influences. "Dolly Dagger" is great for what his rhythm playing was all about, and what he picked up from years of playing "The Chittlin' Circuit." His rhythm playing is really what you need to listen to. It was like no others' at the time.
 
Ghostman said:
@Far Rider

Can someone point me to five or six songs by Hendrix that really captures what he was all about? I've heard snippets and a few of his songs, but nothing extensive. Since I live in his City, I feel I'm missing out on an influence and unfortunately I just don't get his influence on so many.

Please don't judge. I'm not saying he's not important, or that he's irrelevant. I'd just like to understand him more.
Click to expand...
You should get the Electric Ladyland CDs and listen with good headphones.
Listening using internet is missing 50% of what it's about. It's all about mixing and panning which you will not hear from computer speakers or average studio monitors.

And the Gods Made Love
Cross Town Traffic
Voodoo Chile
Come On
Rainy Day Dream Away
1983
Still Raining, Still Dreaming
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
You should get the Electric Ladyland CDs and listen with good headphones.
Listening using internet is missing 50% of what it's about. It's all about mixing and panning which you will not hear from computer speakers or average studio monitors.

And the Gods Made Love
Cross Town Traffic
Voodoo Chile
Come On
Rainy Day Dream Away
1983
Still Raining, Still Dreaming
Click to expand...

Side three is the best side of that record.
 
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