JIMI HENDRIX Lesson (re-print) #3

 The final installment....

Jimi Hendrix Blues-based licks

by David M. McLean

Here are some burning blues runs similar to what Jimi utilized in songs like "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady". They are all based on the pentatonic minor and these sorts of blues-rock licks set the pace for guitar players to follow. Example one uses a rapid-fire bend & pull simile followed by some quick descnding pull-offs. Notice the "blue note" (flatted 5 in bars 3 & 4) and the quick shift from the 12th position to the 5th position at the end of bar 3. Finally, be sure to play the opening licks freely, rather than perfectly as written.

 

Example two: The beginning of this example is notated to imply the speed changes Hendrix was noted for. That is, he'd play in free-time over the band, then jet back in and play in perfect time. Don't play bar one as notated, then, but with a free feel. Just be sure to hit bar #2 right in the pocket. Bar 4 can be played either as written or freely, depending on how close you want the call & response effect. Note in the final bar that you can almost hear how Jimi would start calling up the feedback and bashing on the whammy bar!

Have fun with these licks and then apply some of the free-time concepts to your own playing within - or outside of - the blues framework and see what you come up with. See ya next time!

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(January 2004) Index

JIMI HENDRIX Lesson (re-print) #2

 Our second reprint lessons....

Jimi Hendrix Blues-based licks

by David M. McLean

In songs like "Voodoo Child (slight return)", Jimi calls on more than just pentatonic burning by adding the oh-so-cool "blue" note (the flatted 5th) to his sweat-drenched rhythms and burning leads. We touched on this a tad in the second Hendrix installment, but let's take a closer look now. Example one is similar to "Voodoo Child (slight return)". Notice the use of open strings, slides, and bends, plus the use of the triplettes in bar 4.

 

In example two, note the pulsing rhythm and the double-stops with one note bending up 1/2 step to the blue note. This is similar to the pulsing rhythms found in "Foxy Lady" and other Hendrix classics

Grok the implications of this heavy grooving style and see what it can do for your playing. You might also want to check out players like acoustic bluesmen Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, and Son House as well as early electric blues shredders like Albert King, and sure to listen a bit to those directly influenced by Hendrix like Clapton and Vaughan (who does several excellent Hendrix covers). See ya next time!

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JIMI HENDRIX Lesson (re-print) #1

I wrote these lesson years ago and they were available at 8notes and the former Insane Guitar web-sites. I'm re-posting here direct from 8notes.

Enjoy!

Lesson one:

Jimi Hendrix Chordal Style

by David M. McLean

Jimi Hendrix needs no introduction. In all likelihood, 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 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).

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.

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LESSON: "America the Beautiful" H.E.R. Superbowl Addition

What a fabulous and inspiring version of this 1910 patriotic song. Well, I say 1910, but it should be noted the lyrics were written in 1893 by Katherine Lee Bates (published 1895) and the music was written even earlier - 1883 by church organist Samual A. Ward.

The two never met and the music & lyrics were combined after dozens of other melodies being used with Bates' poem/lyrics. But in 1910, the song was first published as we know it today.

Fat-forward over 100 years and standing tall is guitarist/vocalist H.E.R. (real name Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, a name under which she released he first music, then switching to the name H.E.R. in 2016). H.E.R. has released 2 albums - 2017's self-titled album and the 2019 release "I Used to Know Her" - and already has 9 charting singles (selling millions of copies), dozens of major award nominations (including 5 Soul Train Awards, 2 Grammy Awards, 2 MTV Awards, & more, with 5 Grammy nominations for the upcoming 2021 awards show), 3 major supporting tours & 2 headlining tours, and appearances on TV from The Today Show to the 72nd Emmy Awards to, of course, the February 2021 Super Bowl.

She performs the song in D (with modulation to Eb in the solo section) in the original 12/8 (written below as 4).

Let's break this down to the basic chords for the song first, followed by the extra spice H.E.R. adds on for her version (which, as an aside, I think is my favorite version ever).

Basic Version 

D - - - /A - - - /A7 - - - /D - - - /

D - - - /A - - - /E7 - - - /A - A7 - /

D - - - /A - - - /A7 - - - /D - - - /

G - - - /D - - - /G - A7 - /D - - - /

So that gives us a place to start. But hang on to your hats, because she isn't doing just the easy "relative major/minor" sort of chord subs here. She's walking beautiful chromatic lines and exotic tensions and subbing substitutes, as I often say!

I'll likely explain these chord choices in another piece (or reserve for private lessons and songwriting workshops) so we don't get bogged down here, because there is a lot to unpack if we're examining her harmonic logic, which is extensive and sophisticated. 

H.E.R. Version

intro:

G - - - /A7 - - - /

song:

Dmj7 - D#dim7 - /Em7 - G - /Em7 - Gmj7 - /Dmj7 - D#dim7 /

Em7 - - - /A7b9 - - - /B7 - - - /E7 - A7 - /

Dmj7 - - - /Em7 - G - /F#m - A - /Dmj7 - - - /

Bbmj7 - Gmj7 - /F#m7 - Bm7 - /Em7 - G - /Dmj7 - - - /

That brings you up to the ferocious guitar solo, so work on that while I work on the remainder of the song. I'll upload the update soon, and do a video to go along with this!

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27 Club

(note: basic song charts for a few select songs can be found at the end of this article)

Ahhhhh....the infamous "27 Club"! Also known as "Curse of 27" (with related concepts such as "The White Lighter Myth" and, in the classical world, the "Curse of the 9th").

It should be noted that, whatever you've heard about rock stars dying more at this age than any other, the concept is patently false. But never let facts get in the way of a good story - hahaha! It should also be noted that, while the original use of the term was limited to musicians, it has for quite some time been a catch for any famous person (usually musicians, actors, artists, & athletes) who dies at the age of 27.

Happy Birthday "Are You Experienced?"

Released this day, May 12, back in 1967, fifty three years ago as I write....the debut album from Jimi Hendrix, "Are You Experienced?".

The album made Hendrix a star in Europe and led, a month later (with the help of the Beatles' Paul McCartney) to a slot at the Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, California...which made Hendrix an international star overnight.

The album spent 33 weeks on the UK charts, peaking at number two, and 106 weeks on the charts in the US (27 weeks in the Top 40), peaking at number five.

The album has featured slightly different track listings over the years, but the original US release included "Purple Haze", "Manic Depression", "Hey Joe", "Love or Confusion", "May This Be Love?", "I Don't Live Today", "Wind Cries Mary", "Fire", "3rd Stone from the Sun", "Foxey Lady", and "Are You Experienced?" (the UK release included "Remember", "Can You See Me?", and "Red House" in the place of "Wind Cries Mary", "Hey Joe", and "Purple Haze").

The album features absolute game changing elements, from Hendrix's revolutionary guitar playing to his experimental recording techniques to near downright anti-pop arrangements. The melding of hard rock, psychedelic, R&B, blues, and more - all played at an extremely high level of instrumental mastery - made it a compositionally ground-breaking album, as well. Volumes could be (and have been) written on the guitar approach on this album alone, but suffice to say it became the standard by which all other guitar players were measured for decades, featuring a spam of stylistic approaches from sublime rhythmic devices to incendiary blue-based rock solos, creating a veritable Copernican Shift in thought towards what was even possible with electric guitar.

It should be noted that the album also features Mitch Mitchell (drums), and Noel Redding (bass), with the recording legend Eddie Kramer manning the console. Chas Chander is credited as producer and worked very closely with the band. Overshadowed at times is the work of Mitch Mitchell, whose drumming was a complete departure from the norm in popular music in the 1960s. Also worthy of mention is the man who helped craft Jimi's custom guitar effects, Roger Mayer.

It's legacy includes millions of albums sold (over a million in the first 7 months) and landing firmly on "best of" lists: #15 on Rolling Stones' "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (with 4 of the album's songs on the "500 Greatest Songs" list), Mojo Magazine named it #1 on the "Best Guitar Albums of All Time" list, #63 on Colin Larkin's "All Time Top 1000 Albums", and more. In addition, "Are You Experienced?" was one of 50 recordings chosen in 2005 by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings every year that they deem "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Bottom line: A revolutionary recording for multiple reasons that is worthy of every ounce of praise its ever received. For newer music fans who have yet to hear it, I'd suggest listening to it at first opportunity....but only after listening to an hour of pre-1965 pop music, so the impact of just how different this album was when it landed on Planet Earth from wherever the hell it came from!

Visit the official Jimi Hendrix website.

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Today in Music History

BY FAR the biggest news of this day was the death of music icon Prince.

Prince was found dead in his home this day in 2016. The lights in many major cities went purple in his honor as the sun set. I wrote about it HERE (with links to my writings on the death of Michael Jackson, Lemmy, & David Bowie). 2 years later, Lindsay Caudill wrote A Tribute to Prince. 

On the very same day, the world of music lost blues legend Lonnie Mack....and also on this day, we lost Nina Simone (2003) and Al Wilson (2008).

On a brighter note......April 21 is also the birthday of Iggy Pop (1947), Cowboy Junkies guitarist Michael Timmins and Cure vocalist Robert Smith (1959), Buzzcock's drummer John Maher (1960), musician, poet, activist Michael Franti (1966).

Also on this day in history....

753 BC - Romulus founds Rome after slaying his twin brother Remus.

1963 - The Beatles and The Rolling Stones meet for the first time.

1982 - Joe Strummer of the Clash disappeared for three weeks...until he was found in Paris. After the tour was cancelled.

1984 - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" finally falls from the #1 position on the charts after an incredible 37 week run (repacing it is the soundtrack to the hit movie "Footloose").

1990 - Paul McCartney sets new world record - largest paying stadium audience in history - when he plays for 184,000 in a stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1990 - In the US, Sinead O'Connor's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" (written by Prince) goes to number 1 on the charts and stays there for 4 weeks, making her a superstar.

2013 - Calvin Harris makes history by becoming the first artist to have eight top 10 hits from a single album (the former record of 7 was held by Michael Jackson).

Hubble Saw THIS on Your Birthday

As part of the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Telescope, NASA has made thousands of photographs available as part of their "birthday" search.

"...Hubble explores the universe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That means it has observed some fascinating cosmic wonder every day of the year, including on your birthday...."

Many events, during the pandemic, have of course been cancelled, but NASA is making all manner of educational tools available on their website, as well as a resource download page HERE.

Check it out HERE!

Ginny Saville on CARES Act (Coronavirus Relief)

(editor's note - The following was written by Ginny Saville, founder/owner/operator of The Botany Bay stores in Central KY. You can also find The Botany Bay on Facebook and Instagram.)

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I spent my morning outlining my understanding of the important parts of CARES Act for regular people, small business owners and individuals. This is a long post, read if you are interested. It tweaked a lot of rules about retirement plan withdrawals and contributions, charitable contributions, and how businesses can deduct interest and losses, in addition to these things that affect the most of us.

NIN - "Ghost" Offered Free

Nine Inch Nails has released the next 2 albums in the "Ghost" series....and is making them both available free to everyone.

In a statement available on their website, Trent and Atticus say:

FRIENDS-

WEIRD TIMES INDEED…

AS THE NEWS SEEMS TO TURN EVER MORE GRIM BY THE HOUR, WE’VE FOUND OURSELVES VACILLATING WILDLY BETWEEN FEELING LIKE THERE MAY BE HOPE AT TIMES TO UTTER DESPAIR – OFTEN CHANGING MINUTE TO MINUTE. ALTHOUGH EACH OF US DEFINE OURSELVES AS ANTISOCIAL-TYPES WHO PREFER BEING ON OUR OWN, THIS SITUATION HAS REALLY MADE US APPRECIATE THE POWER AND NEED FOR CONNECTION.

MUSIC – WHETHER LISTENING TO IT, THINKING ABOUT IT OR CREATING IT – HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE THING THAT HELPED US GET THROUGH ANYTHING – GOOD OR BAD. WITH THAT IN MIND, WE DECIDED TO BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL AND COMPLETE THESE NEW GHOSTS RECORDS AS A MEANS OF STAYING SOMEWHAT SANE.

GHOSTS V: TOGETHER IS FOR WHEN THINGS SEEM LIKE IT MIGHT ALL BE OKAY, AND GHOSTS VI: LOCUSTS… WELL, YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT.

IT MADE US FEEL BETTER TO MAKE THESE AND IT FEELS GOOD TO SHARE THEM. MUSIC HAS ALWAYS HAD A WAY OF MAKING US FEEL A LITTLE LESS ALONE IN THE WORLD… AND HOPEFULLY IT DOES FOR YOU, TOO. REMEMBER, EVERYONE IS IN THIS THING TOGETHER AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON.
BE SMART AND SAFE AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.

WITH LOVE,
TRENT & ATTICUS

The albums, "Ghost V: Together" and "Ghost VI: Locusts", are available on all streaming devices and can also be downloaded HERE.

Enjoy!