bonzoboy Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 It doesn't seem that long ago but on this date in 1970 the world lost the most esteemed,respected,innovative and incredible virtuoso of guitar who had ever been seen or heard.Jimi Hendrix died in a London Hotel under circumstances that were mysterious then and the entire truth of which will probably remain a mystery forever since the only person who could possibly shine a light on what really happened committed suicide some years ago and who up until then changed her story several times in the years following Jimi's death.Jimi was so great a guitarist that other greats of the day couldn't be jealous of him because it has been said by many of the greats of the day that Jimi's degree of virtuosity was so out of reach that it would be impossible for any of them to attain his degree of command over the fretboard,Jeff Beck himself stated as much in a recent interview-they all stood in awe of him. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jimi because it was when I first the Are You Experienced album and especially Foxy Lady and Are You Experienced itself that I threw myself headlong into am total obsession with practicing-often over 10 hours a day and that carried on for several years.I never tried consciously to emulate him but the tones that he could coax from a guitar enthralled me that much and piqued my curiosity so strongly that I just had to pick apart as many of his strange and beautiful sounds as I could just for the personal satisfaction of figuring them out.This was a very very repetitive and tiring practice sometimes playing and reversing the same short passage for almost hours on end to try and decipher every little nuance.I could never live long enough to bring my playing skill to the level that Jimi achieved but I have managed to dissect a good few of his strange feedback and other sound effects and some of the different tapping and picking techniques that he used and that is satisfactory for me and has added considerable clout to my playing style and numerous favourable critiques of my playing. I have been able to develop my own unique playing style and the Hendrix influence is unmistakable but since I shared many of the same heroes that Jimi did,such as Buddy Guy,Lightnin' Hopkins,Albert King,Muddy Waters etc.,they all played a big part in my style along with John Lennon,George Harrison,Chris Britton (the Troggs ),Pete Townshend,Derek Leckenby and Keith Hopwood (Herman's Hermits....yes of Herman's Hermits-just give a listen to their shared lead duties on some of their songs) so although the Hendrix influence is quite evident,the shared influences of artists we had in common and the influence of several British Invasion guitarists has allowed my style to be unmistakably my own. Thanks for the beautiful music Jimi and for being such a huge inspiration and mentor not only to me but to many thousands of other guitarists who had something to learn from your incredible gift.Sing on brother... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyK Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Jimi practically invented rock guitar, and whilst many players have come and gone over 43 years, I still love to listen to his playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 You were not alone in the hours spent practicing - it was said that around the house Hendrix just always had a guitar strapped on - not plugged in, but just carried it around all the time tinkering and riffing away. It certainly showed in his mastery of the fretboard as well as various picking techniques. One of a kind, and those of us old enough were fortunate to have heard him play live and to be inspired to raise our level of play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRS Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 It doesn't seem that long ago but on this date in 1970 the world lost the most esteemed,respected,innovative and incredible virtuoso of guitar who had ever been seen or heard.Jimi Hendrix died in a London Hotel under circumstances that were mysterious then and the entire truth of which will probably remain a mystery forever since the only person who could possibly shine a light on what really happened committed suicide some years ago and who up until then changed her story several times in the years following Jimi's death.Jimi was so great a guitarist that other greats of the day couldn't be jealous of him because it has been said by many of the greats of the day that Jimi's degree of virtuosity was so out of reach that it would be impossible for any of them to attain his degree of command over the fretboard,Jeff Beck himself stated as much in a recent interview-they all stood in awe of him. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jimi because it was when I first the Are You Experienced album and especially Foxy Lady and Are You Experienced itself that I threw myself headlong into am total obsession with practicing-often over 10 hours a day and that carried on for several years.I never tried consciously to emulate him but the tones that he could coax from a guitar enthralled me that much and piqued my curiosity so strongly that I just had to pick apart as many of his strange and beautiful sounds as I could just for the personal satisfaction of figuring them out.This was a very very repetitive and tiring practice sometimes playing and reversing the same short passage for almost hours on end to try and decipher every little nuance.I could never live long enough to bring my playing skill to the level that Jimi achieved but I have managed to dissect a good few of his strange feedback and other sound effects and some of the different tapping and picking techniques that he used and that is satisfactory for me and has added considerable clout to my playing style and numerous favourable critiques of my playing. I have been able to develop my own unique playing style and the Hendrix influence is unmistakable but since I shared many of the same heroes that Jimi did,such as Buddy Guy,Lightnin' Hopkins,Albert King,Muddy Waters etc.,they all played a big part in my style along with John Lennon,George Harrison,Chris Britton (the Troggs ),Pete Townshend,Derek Leckenby and Keith Hopwood (Herman's Hermits....yes of Herman's Hermits-just give a listen to their shared lead duties on some of their songs) so although the Hendrix influence is quite evident,the shared influences of artists we had in common and the influence of several British Invasion guitarists has allowed my style to be unmistakably my own. Thanks for the beautiful music Jimi and for being such a huge inspiration and mentor not only to me but to many thousands of other guitarists who had something to learn from your incredible gift.Sing on brother... [/quo I grew up listening to the same people.You've expressed the feelings(very eloquently)that a lot of us who owe a debt of gratitude to the musicians we grew up trying to emulate.Great post,Rocky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 He was the greatest. He forever changed guitar and not just electric rock guitar. I was then and am now an acoustic - folk sort of player but his creativity and approach to the guitar very much influenced my playing. I had seen him just a few months prior. His playing was mesmerizing, it was as if he and the guitar were one and in tune with the universe. Where he would have gone with the guitar if he had lived we'll never know but it undoubtedly would have been stellar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 I think that Jimi Hendrix was influenced by players like Wes Montgomery and Chet Atkins, too. In my belief, he absorbed lots of playing styles and made them his personal challenge. I don't think there is another way to create such an intense and distinctive style along with versatility and virtuosity previously unknown to what may be called rock guitar. In a special sense I think he was the first real fusion musician and prepared the path for future development like no other single musician before and since, at least no guitarist. There is a technical detail appearing small compared to Jimi's entire influence, but at least worth mentioning. He was the most prominent user of the intermediate switch positions on Stratocasters that didn't lock that time on the stock three-way switches. Leo Fender rejected to release five-way switches as he disliked the hollow and sparkling tone of two Stratocaster pickups in parallel, and still was a consultant of the CBS owned Fender company. After Jimi Hendrix had passed away, there appeared five way switches on the aftermarket, and finally Fender made them stock equipment on Stratocasters. Think of the intro of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama and of nearly all the guitar work of Nile Rodgers - Jimi Hendrix was the one who initially made many players demand for these sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Most innovative rock guitarist, ever, and it's not even close. If you don't believe it, it's because you weren't there. Whether you like him or not, that is still an inescapable fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 My Gosh...WHERE does the Time go?!! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Yeah, I'm a big fan of Jimi. Wore my purple haze T-shirt today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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