Where to find this song - Electric Ladyland track #15
Release Date - October 1968
In his brief four-year reign, Jimi Hendrix expanded the electric
guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master
at merging all manner of music into one precise art form, often
with experiments that produced high-quality feedback and roaring
distortion. His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling
showmanship proved that he could and would play behind his back
and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire, and everyone
would HAVE to love it. He posessed such considerable gifts as
a songwriter, singer, and master of blues, R&B, and rock
styles.
Riff Overview
The Rhythm Guitar
This is the part of the riff that
most people are comfortable with because it deals with barre
chords. The lead part is much more difficult. Here is how to
play the rhythm part: ( On the rhythm part you will not need
to change the arrangements of your fingers at all. You will
just simply be moving up and down the fret board.).
The Lead Guitar Part
The lead part includes (as always
the case with Hendrix) some excellent phrasing:
Take a listen to it all together:
How To Play It
Rhythm Guitar
Begin this riff by barring your 1st finger over the seventh
fret on all strings. Place your 2nd finger on the eighth fret
on the "G" string. Place your 3rd and 4th fingers
in any order on the "A" string and the "D"
string. That is a barre chord. Play that a few times and move
to the ninth fret on the "low E" string with all fingers
still in the same arrangement. Play that a few times. Then just
move back to where you just were and play that a few times.
Last, go to the fifth fret on the "low E" string and
keep all fingers in the same arrangement. That is the rhythm
guitar part. Those progressions are based on E style barre chords
(major and minor). Here's what the patterns look like on a chord
diagram:
Major
Minor
If we tabbed out the chord progression to the rhythm part,
it would look something like this:
Lead Guitar
Part 1
Begin this riff by sliding from the nut end of the guitar down
to the thirteenth fret on the "G" string. Use your
2nd finger for this. Then, use your 1st finger to play the twelfth
note on the "B" string. Next, you will be performing
the bend. Use your 1st and 2nd finger to do this. Perform that
four times, and shake the string ( vibrato - probably latin
for "vibrate." ) Next you will just be letting the
full note bend back down and going back to the twelfth fret
with your 1st finger. Notice that the vertical line on the fourteenth
fret on the "B" string goes back down. That just signifies
that you are releasing the bend.
Next you will need to go to the "G" string on the
eleventh fret with your 1st finger. Slide to the thirteenth
fret, and then move to the eleventh fret. Play the eleventh
fret a few times for accurate timing.
Part 2:
The next part of the riff is much the same as the first part
that you just learned. There are no different "effects"
that you haven't already learned from the past, except for a
pull-off. If you can perform a hammer-on, you can perform a
pull-off. Just think - they are polar opposites of each other.
Begin this part by doing EVERYTHING BUT THE AMOUNT OF TIMES
ON THE BEND the same way as before, until you get to the eleventh
fret on the "D" string ( use your 2nd finger). ( The
best bet here is just to listen over and over to get the feel
of it.)
Now that you are there, use your 1st finger on the ninth fret
on the "B" string. Hammer-on to the eleventh fret
on the same string with your 2nd or 3rd finger, basing the arrangement
on comfort for you. Then, WITHOUT picking again, simply use
your 1st finger to go back to the ninth fret on the same string.
You just performed a pull-off WITHIN a hammer-on. Good work!
Now, you are almost finished. For the next note, just use your
1st finger on the ninth fret on the "G" string, and
then bend the twelfth fret on the "B" string with
your 3rd or 4th finger. Perform the same bend on the 12 fret,
and perform a slide on the fret toward the first fret of the
neck. Don't forget about the vibratos in between there. YOU
ARE FINISHED!!!!!!
Lead Guitar Glossary:
Slide : playing a string and allowing
your finger to slide on the string lightly to the desired tabbed
location. Demonstrated with an "S" on the tablature
and/or a horizontal line IN the tablature above the strings.
Hammer-on : moving from a lower note
to a higher note, only striking the first note. Demonstrated
with an "H" on the tablature.
Full bend : this is when you will
bend the desired string equal to two frets from the tabbed note
you are bending from. Demonstrated with a "full" above
the vertical line.
Pull-off : moving from a higher note
to a lower note, only striking the first note. Demonstrated
with a "P" on the tablature.
Vibrato : rapidly shaking the string(s)
being played. This "effect" looks like a ribbon above
the tablature.
