Melodic Muse
How to play the Jimi Hendrix-inspired tune, “Electric Gypsy”
A SONG OF mine that is among the most requested at gigs and clinics is “Electric Gypsy,” which goes all the way back to my very first CD, Ear Ecstasy, from 1994. Over the years, I’ve seen a variety of people playing their renditions of the tune on YouTube and social media. I am very honored by that, and it is very humbling to see.
This song is based primarily on singlenote riffs that outline the underlying chord progression. In that way, the construction of the guitar part is more like a chord-melody approach. As you’ll see in the following examples, I utilize various pedal-tone approaches that serve to present the harmony — the relationship between the melody and the chords — in a clear way.
The origins of the tune go back to 1992, when I was living in Queens, New York, and playing in Danger Danger, as well as the Andy Timmons Band. I was living with Kasey and Carl Smith, the bassist and drummer, respectively, from Danger Danger, who are both fantastic musicians. We would often jam in the living room of the house, and the primary riff from “Electric Gypsy” grew out of one of those jam sessions. It grabbed my ear, so I worked on it and developed it into a song. Carl was playing a Mitch Mitchell-style drum pattern, and that groove inspired my guitar parts.
At the time, I was reading one of the best biographies of Jimi Hendrix, Electric Gypsy, and the book painted such a vivid picture of Jimi that I felt I was getting to know him beyond his influence on me as a guitarist. It resonated with me, so it seemed to be the perfect title for this song.
FIGURE 1 shows the main riff, stretched out over 16 bars, so that I can demonstrate some of the variations I like to add as the riff repeats. We’re in the key of D, and the opening chord, D, is referenced via the open D string-pedal tone and the major 3rd
F#. above it, This is followed by an implied A chord, which is the V (five) chord in the key of D, via an open-A pedal tone played
C#. against the major 3rd of A, which is
I then move to the iv (six minor) chord, Bm, with the minor 3rd, D, played above the root, and the four-bar form finishes on the IV (four) chord, G, sounded with a series of double-stop (two-note) riffs, along the lines of Jimi’s signature rhythm guitar style, as featured in songs like “Little Wing,” “Castles Made of Sand” and “Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland).”
FIGURE 2 illustrates the elemental chord progression: D - A - Bm - G. As you play through FIGURE 1, notice the different ways in which I present subtle variations on the main riff, so as to “tell the musical story” of the song. To me, doing that is an essential element in any of the songs I write.