LEARNING ZONE

Lessons from the world’s greatest teachers and schools...

Being of the persuasion that groove based music is often what enthuses me the most, I find Hendrix’s catalogue of songs very inspiring. From the bravado intro of All Along The Watchtower to the full-on blast of Crosstown Traffic, the pumping drive of Fire to the joyful bop of Wait Until Tomorrow, there’s much to revel in. Although Hendrix’s time frame of productivity was really short (but not as short as Buddy Holly’s 18-month career!), he was admirable for not only what he recorded (four studio albums in his lifetime) but the sheer progressive outlook he had. Much of this was born from a very stimulating early period that is well catalogued today.

For me, a large part of what makes him stand out from, say, the Brit bluesers is his R&B grounding as a sideman for various US artists. In this regard, he set new parameters as a guitar hero with much of his foundational skills honed ‘on the job’ as a rhythm guitarist. This training isn’t easy to duplicate in a practice room or a band rehearsal, but only ’in situ’ over many gigs. In short, he paid his dues in the musical trenches both as a rhythm section musician and as an exuberant performer. No wonder he blew everyone away when he came to the UK! We hope our bespoke Hendrix feature enthuses and educates you, nearly three months in the making as the number of big name artists got on board with us to discuss what made Hendrix so mind-blowing. We’re still bubbling with adjectives and jubilant stories as this issue goes to press but one thing is certain, the zone that Jimi filled when he was on the scene and the sonic hole he left remains noticeable to this very day.

As for the rest of this issue, there is much here for you to find your next surge of inspiration - from Kenny Wayne Shepherd blues soloing to rhythmic The Kooks rocking. If you’ve the time after all that, I’d recommend Chris Brooks’s article - some great rock legato primers to kick off his new four-part series. Enjoy the issue!