• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

I like to know the classic chordian opinion.
What made Jimi Hendrix so tremendous, out of proportion, a miraculous good as guitar player.
- his music style? a lot players played also out of league. I just know that in his US, New York period, that his talent was UNDERESTIMATED, btw it is kind of a funny fact that he was born in Seattle, for me a non USA resident, it is like a little bell sounding in my head, because who else was from Seattle, it all started there early nineties for a few "out of league groups (see Nirvana). I am convinced that, knowing this, Jimi would have fit in this kind of music. Maybe he was born to early or was he the biggest influence for GRUNGE.
- I better continue, there are quit a lot of phenomenal guitar players like SRV, I think if both still lived that this would be an unbelievable concert: ON THE GUITARS JIMI & SRV.
But even knowing that a lot of famous guitar players, like Clapton, Jan Akkerman (is from the netherlands, and had a few international top 10 hits, with his group FOCUS) can play almost exact, way songs like VOODOO CHILE (Slight Return). Success started in England, with the EXPERIENCE BAND, is this name on purpose? We all see the burning fender's, but in fact he did this only 3 times.

So what made him an "out of league artist". was it a combination of being an exceptioal talented guitar player, or his performance, acting like a magician, or hypnotising, by playing with his teeth, by holding his guitar high in the air, or behind his back, DON'T SHOOT ME NOW" to cover up, he was very shy, that he wasn't that great as all the Hendrix lovers are thinking?

He couldn't find a better name for him and the band, so is it the way he used (we don't have this problem, because of all our floor pedals, like line 6, behringer..) together with his technician EDDIE KRAMER, always busy to find unique sounds, by connecting amps, wah wah, distortion?
Fact is that he became a kind of God after he died, he was not really a living legend. Am I right or wrong? I just wrote about him, NOT KNOWING WHY THERE IS STILL TODAY A HYPE. The only facts I know are.
- he was a very very good player, performing like nobody did (maybe only Pete Townsend))
- he had very long fingers
- he did a lot of experiments in his studio & on stage.
But I have the impression that there is a missing link, wich made the difference with other fabulous guitar gods.
Please help me here chordians

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • From: Blantyre, Nr Glasgow Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-09-21
  • Posts: 67

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

Hi Phil,

IMHO Hendrix is only a "guitar god" because he died young.

How do I get to that opinion? Recently I have been listening to a lot of blues for a course I am doing. We need to listen and practice to a lot of electric blues. So lots of Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton etc etc

Listening to the different styles I can appreciate that Hendrix was a marvellous player and grew to become a great showman. But his music does nothing for me. SRV on the other hand makes me want to grab my guitar and play every time I hear him play.

If I was to make any comparison it would be to James Dean. A good technical actor still revered as a style icon. But would either still be as popular / idolised / adored if they were still alive today?

my 2 pennies.

David Grant

Gutar Player, Singer, Entertainer  - At least in my own mind.
  • From: montreal, quebec
  • Registered: 2007-04-17
  • Posts: 327

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

I believe what made Jimi Hendrix such a great guitar player was that he had a gift. This gift of talent is what seperates the stars from the rest of us. No matter how much a regular person practices they will never reach the hieghts that a person with the gift of true talent reaches. Hendrix, Clapton and Stevie Ray are all among the gifted

what a long strange trip it's been
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

He wasn't afraid to 'paint outside of the lines.' Hendrix was a true pure individual who wasn't influenced by what society deemed normal or acceptable. He wasn't restrained by what the masses accepted as 'successful elemental musical components.' His non-conformist approach to life and music is, in my opinion, what makes Hendrix stand out from others. I will not dare say Hendrix was better than or inferior to outstandidng players of today or deceased players of the past because musicianship isn't a contest of skills but instead a showcase of art and  competitvely 'ranking' players takes away from the grand message of the art.

Give everything but up.
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

I was convinced that I wrote this too. The fact he died young and in strange circumstances. See Cobain. You know, I have a big smile now, that I ask myself if there is not a kind of "conspiracy" theory, because "dead people rock, and sell up to 3 times as much when they are dead.
It happened with Elvis, it happened with Morisson (JIM). It is strange to see how all, I mean a lot of people run to the record store to buy all their records, and sad to see how they are squeezed until the last drop for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • nevets
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  • Registered: 2007-07-20
  • Posts: 1

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

Hendrix was an awesome guitar player for a lot of different reasons, but I feel he was a better performer. Playing with his teeth, burning his axe, ect ect.  He dressed the part, and played the part well for the time. His musical style was the draw, I feel. Is he a "God" ?   I dont really think so. Could he have stood the test of time..? We'll never know. I only have room for one God anyway, and that's Jimmy Page! Hendrix doesnt move me to play guitar. When I saw Page, I ran out and bought a LP and the rest is history. To each his own, enjoy my 2 cents and rock on !!!

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

As a Seattle native, and one who still lives here, I can tell you that the North West music scene didn't start with Hendrix, or die with Kurt Cobain.  There has *always* been a great local music scene here, going way back to the 50s and early sixties  with Kingsman of "Louie Louie" fame and the Whalers running through the 70s with Heart and Robert Cray through the 80s and 90s grunge bands you all know and love to todays emo time with Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service.

Sleater-Kinney, Queensryche, Hendrix...  Those are just the ones you might have heard of.  All from the pacific north west.

The deal is that it rains so much up here, all we have time to do is sit inside and practice.  big_smile

Having said all that, yes, Hendrix is God.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • upyerkilt
  • upyerkilt
  • Unofficial king of Scotland
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  • From: Balloch, Scotland, UK, Earth
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 3,290

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

I watched a documentary a few months ago on hendrix.
According to the program he was heavily influenced by cream, the way they played, not only guitars but al lthe instruments. A few other bands were mentioned as well as guitarists.
I dont think he was a guitar god at all. I think he was fantastic and pretty damn tallented, but a guitar hero? na, not at all. If he had lived at least  7 or years more and kept coming outwith the same stuff, then perhaps yes.
What he was a god at was his unauthorthodix ( spelt wrong) way of plying that got him noticed so much.
in my opinion the guitarist that ozzy discovered " randy Rhodes" was by far a betterguitarist than hendrix, but he gets no recognition because he only done one album I tihnk with ozzy, but if you listen to his riffs and solos i think you will find it hard to disagree.

But I do love hendrix and his music ( mostly his music and not really him)
But just because he is dead I will not go on about how good he could have been if he was not so stupid.

Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending
  • danspr
  • danspr
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  • Registered: 2007-04-18
  • Posts: 208

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

Hendrix has that air type o thing around him that just makes people get blown away. also, he was really one to use the distortion pedal, so his music sounds really good. Tell me iff that makes any sense.
cool danspr

Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel
Jimi Hendrix
cool danspr
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

ABOUT BURNING HIS AXE: I READ NOT ONE? BUT SEVERAL ARTICLES, AND THEY ALL CLAIM, THAT BURNING HIS GUITAR HAPPENED ONLY 3 TIMES THREE!!, but because of this phenomenal act, it started to live his own live, a hell of publicity. I am sure that Pete Townsend, frontman of the WHO, destroyed a lot more of guitars, and adding Keith Moon , a lot of drum sets were destroyed. I wish I would have all the guitars he destroyed.
The most disgusting thing I ever saw was about 2 years ago on eBay, they were bidding on a guitar "smashed" by Jimi Hendrix, in a very short time, there were already 30 bidders, and the bidding price was around 25.000$, the seller claimed to prove it was the guitar Hendrix used, because, when the concert was finished, it was signed by Jimi Hendrix. INCREDIBILE

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • Registered: 2007-06-23
  • Posts: 113

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

The bottom line is:
Hendrix would never be what he was without LSD.
I truly don't condone it but it's the truth. It was the catalyst to a further dimention. Unfortunately that applies to most great bands, usualy they fall victom to it.

There is a guy on my block who lives for rock, he plays records day and night, and when he feels down he puts the rock and roll on and it makes him feel alright. - The Kinks, Rock And Roll Fantasy
  • From: Pico Rivera, Calif. U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-10-26
  • Posts: 785

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

What people forget is that Jimi Hendrix was a saxaphone player for the Isley Brothers and Little Richard before becoming a guitar player. He took what he learned on the sax and transposed it to his guitar playing.  If you open up a Guitar Player magazine they usually have lessons and one time they had sax notes for a guitar.

Bootlegger.

  • Registered: 2007-07-19
  • Posts: 11

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

You can never guess where he'd go next.  His note choice and rhythm choice was also very unregimented, which makes him hard to imitate - especially if you've been taught music by the book.
An original blend of styles and influences and so on...

Check out my site: [url=http://www.guitaristhelp.net]Printable scale, chord, arpeggio, blank TAB and manuscript sheets for guitar and bass[/url]

Guitaristhelp's Website

  • etc_04
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  • From: OHIO
  • Registered: 2007-07-25
  • Posts: 204

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

He also used a lot of sounds people didn't want and found nice places to use them. But for me it's simply the emotion he gave his songs, and that it sounds like there's no way he was only one guitarist. Also IMHO I think Hendrix's voice is really underrated, he supposedly didn't like it, but man I do

You have to forget about what other people say; when you're supposed to die, when you're supposed to be lovin'. You have to forget about all these things. You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven.
                                                        -James Marshall Hendrix
  • etc_04
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  • From: OHIO
  • Registered: 2007-07-25
  • Posts: 204

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

gitaardocphil wrote:

I was convinced that I wrote this too. The fact he died young and in strange circumstances. See Cobain. You know, I have a big smile now, that I ask myself if there is not a kind of "conspiracy" theory, because "dead people rock, and sell up to 3 times as much when they are dead.
It happened with Elvis, it happened with Morisson (JIM). It is strange to see how all, I mean a lot of people run to the record store to buy all their records, and sad to see how they are squeezed until the last drop for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Also see Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., but especially Tupac if you want to think about conspiracies, look at the amount of music released after his death

You have to forget about what other people say; when you're supposed to die, when you're supposed to be lovin'. You have to forget about all these things. You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven.
                                                        -James Marshall Hendrix
  • arkady
  • arkady
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  • From: England
  • Registered: 2006-11-23
  • Posts: 2,147

Re: What made Jimi Hendrix so great

Hi,
This ironic story was related  by Ginger Baker on the TV documentry about Jimi Hendrix life


One story he told was of the night Hendrix died. Ginger had come into possession of a bottle of pure cocaine hydrochloride from a friend who worked at Charing Cross hospital. Keen to share his windfall, Ginger called Hendrix but could not get hold of him. Ginger proceeded to get stuck in, OD'd and came round to a doctor telling him that Hendrix was dead. "The extraordinary thing is,' said Ginger, very matter of factly, 'if he'd had the coke he wouldn't have died because he wouldn't have gone to sleep."

I wonder how Jimi would have developed musically if he had lived it was a tragic loss.

Ark