Experiential Blues
ClAiminG Any pieCe of music is ‘in the style’ of Jimi Hendrix is fraught with risk, due to his multi-faceted style and the differing perspectives of those who have grown up with his music, but this month’s Headlines is nevertheless inspired by him. Taking a cross section of Little Wing, Wind Cries Mary and Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland), this piece – and the examples culled from it – are a conscious nod to Jimi’s power-trio format, leaving the guitar to set the mood, harmony and dynamics almost single handedly, with support from the bass and drums.
Though John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan have both contributed significantly to this kind of repertoire, they would no doubt be quick to give credit where it is due. So, where do you start when approaching this kind of playing? You can pick up an awful lot by listening and copying, but to really take the initiative and to create new ideas and approaches will likely require a working knowledge of the five pentatonic shapes, plus the five ‘CAGED’ chord shapes. Using the chord formations as a base and sliding between them with pentatonic ideas (often played on two strings simultaneously in a ‘doublestop’ style) is basically what is going on here.
Another particularly distinctive feature is Jimi’s use of his fretting-hand thumb to provide occasional bass notes, enabling him to use his remaining fingers to add embellishments to what would otherwise be a standard barre chord. I’ve tried to fit lots of ideas into a short piece here for demonstration purposes, so please don’t feel that it’s necessary to be constantly shifting or embellishing. Listening back to Wind Cries Mary, Jimi is surprisingly sparing in his fills, though the solo is admittedly a masterclass in this kind of playing. Hope you enjoy and see you next time!