Jimi Hendrix had a truly powerful rhythm guitar approach that was beautifully designed to incorporate both lead and rhythm guitar, and accommodate the fact that he was basically in a three-piece band. This enabled him to paint in broad strokes with his guitar, and his technique varied widely from heavy power chord licks to smooth R&B/country-like sounds.
The first time I heard him do “The Wind Cries Mary”, I knew he was a guitarist of exceptional depth and roots, and his clean approach was unmatched. In some of his more “psychedelic” parts, such as “Foxy Lady” and “Purple Haze,” Hendrix played what many folks first think are dissonant chords such as sharp 9s. And yes, he did on occasion play those. But more often than not he would play a stinging, dissonant lick on top of the rest of the band, and it was the combination of his licks and the bass parts that created these chords.
In the course of this lesson, I will show you some of these key licks and positions that made Jimi’s style so unique, and we’ll even tune down the way he did, to get a slinkier, fatter sound. This “dropped” tuning was also favored by players such as Lonnie Mack, Stevie Ray Vaughan , Robin Trower and others, many of whom try to imitate that Hendrix tone and sound. Enjoy!—Arlen Roth
The opinions, views, and ideas expressed are the author's own, and do not
necessarily reflect or represent the views of Gibson Guitar Corp. or the Gibson
Family of Brands. Send all thoughts, comments, disagreements, and rants to
editor@gibson.com. All e-mails will be considered
for publication.