‘Jimi
Hendrix’ Style Lesson (Part 1)
By
David M. McLean
Chordal
Style
Jimi
Hendrix needs no introduction. I’m sure there are many comprehensive
studies of Jimi’s style available in books and on the web, but
I write this mini-series at the request of several students. Most
of those students were born long after Jimi was dead, thus are
unsure of why his playing was considered so revolutionary by so
many from such a diverse array of musical genres.
This
discussion will cover some of Jimi’s chordal stylings as used
on songs like "Angel", "Castles Made of Sand",
and "Little Wing". I once was told that "Little
Wing" was one of the most recorded songs in history (Sting,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Rolling Stones, Otmar Leibert, Tuck Andress,
Lawrence Juber, and many others have performed this piece). While
I find this claim somewhat doubtful (especially considering all
those recordings of "Yesterday" and "White Christmas"),
there is no doubt that Jimi’s chordal work has been a major influence
on guitarists far and wide. Soooooo…..let’s take a look at some
examples in this style.
Example
one is a simple progression (Am-G-C-Em-D7-G-C) that utilizes full
barre chords, arpeggiations, and embellishments (including those
cool quasi-modulations).
Example
1 Audio (midi file)
Example
two is another look at this style. I used a standard 1950s pop
& gospel sort of progression (which sounds more than a tad
like Prince’s "Purple Rain", as well as some famous
50s & 60s pop tunes) and kept the rhythmic ideas as close
to example one as possible for comparative purposes. Note the
A-F#m-E-D(sus2) progression and try out some of your own quasi-modulations
(turn that ambiguous "E" into an E7 on one pass and
an E pentatonic minor on the next, for example, or change my "D
sus2" into a Dm7).
Example
2 Audio (midi file)
In
addition to listening to Hendrix for tips on this style, check
out some Steve Cropper and Curtis Mayfield. This is a gorgeous
style of playing that Hendrix took and made his own – now it’s
your turn.
