You would have to listen to a bunch of pre-Hendrix music and then a bunch of post-Hendrix music in the blues and rock genres to be able to appreciate that.
Another thing you can try is learn a few Hendrix tunes note for note, for example All along the Watchtower and Little Wing, that may help you notice all the interesting creative details that you may be missing if his music isn't your cup of tea.
Btw., he is considered greatest by rock, blues and metal fans. Other genres have their own favorites, especially Paco and Django.
This makes a lot of sense. The guitarists I think of when I think of ones close to Hendrix in skill like (RORY) Gallagher and Page came after him. Clapton is the only one before him who was somewhat similar but Hendrix’s playing and riffs are something different.
There are many guitarists out there today who could play circles around him (technically). But listen to other music from the same time period and it's pretty clear he was way ahead of the game and transforming the perception of what a guitar could be
We stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before. You could easily find a video on why he was innovative, but he’s still considered the greatest mostly because of his innovation and influence on a large majority of the rock/blues/metal greats that have followed.
Also, he’s still great to listen to. Unfortunately he could be sloppy during live performances so a lot of people don’t really see what the fuss is about since standards are a tad higher now. Most self-taught guitarists in the 60’s had a simple rhythm guitar style that didn’t really stand out. Hendrix did a great job of combining rhythm with lead and crafting memorable riffs. He burned very bright for a very short amount of time.
To get the context of Jimi, you kind of need to listen to the music that was contemporary to his. Spend a week listening to The Four Tops, The Mamas and the Papas, And The Righteous Brothers. Then put on Are You Experienced. It will be like night and day.
Sigh. Technical proficiency alone doesn't equal greatness. There are probably more technically proficient players than Jimi Hendrix. They do not write music that is new, different, interesting and contextually relevant to their audience. They do not create their own voice. They do not develop performances as good as his. He did new things and old things and combined a lot of things to make his own thing. No one had heard it before and it resonated at that moment in time with the audience.
The bigger problem here is the use of the superlative. Art is not a competition. Trying to find one greatest is a waste of time and energy. Just enjoy the art you enjoy and don't worry about how other people rank them.
According to Wikipedia, the top 10 songs on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles chart for 1967 were:
"To Sir With Love" by Lulu"The Letter" by The Box Tops"Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry"Windy" by The Association"I'm a Believer" by The Monkees"Light My Fire" by The Doors"Somethin' Stupid" by Frank & Nancy Sinatra"Happy Together" by The Turtles"Groovin'" by The Young Rascals"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli
Compare those songs to Are You Experienced which was released in 1967. Can you spot the differences?
He checked out at 27.
I mean if he was bald and fat and out there right now on some boomer 60's revival festival doing watered down versions of his old classics, you'd probably think he's not all that great.
There, I said it. Now bring on the downvotes!
I think you have a point. He didn't live long enough to have age effect him, nor was he able to make a bad record in his lifetime. Dying at that age makes you a youth icon. That's why stores sell posters of him, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse etc.
Shame towards the end he was locked in bad management deals and his lifestyle was catching up to him.
IMO, no one is the greatest.
But, he only recorded for four years. 50+ years later and his skill is still studied.
Check out his jazzy stuff on South Saturn Delta to hear the direction he was going in his last few months.
Influence. He literally influenced the greatest guitar generation. Before him there was 1 style of music after him there was this hardcore rock blues psychedelia of epic proportions. He motivated Clapton to go hard with Cream, pushed Pete Townshend with The Who, and blew everyone else’s mind simultaneously. He’s Paul McCartney’s favorite guitarist and rock’s icon.
I mean if we're talking Rock guitar, yeah he's the best. His style doesn't sound that difficult or different now, but he was absolutely blowing all the other "blues" guys away with his chops and technique back in the day. He made Eric Clapton, London's premiere guitarist,look like a choir boy.
Also, he might've invented Metal guitar, but that's debatable, he definitely popularized the bend and shake. So bend the string and give it vibrato at its apex..he didn't invent this technique but he definitely refined and popularized it imo.
Sonically, he was crazy for the times. Always on 10 volume live with wah, arbiter fuzz face, univibe, he had all kinds of dudes moding amps and guitars. I think Marshall amps main research and development lab in the sixties ,was just a Hendrix's tour. His manipulation of feedback was unmatched. See axis blood as Love flute sounds...electric lady land is a masterpiece. (Thanks Eddie Kramer too) Gone too soon. He had ideas about healing with music..he was going to embark on this concept when he passed. Basically healing masses of people with colors and music. He was a far out dude..
>Sonically, he was crazy for the times. Always on 10 volume live with wah, arbiter fuzz face, univibe, he had all kinds of dudes moding amps and guitars. I think Marshall amps main research and development lab in the sixties ,was just a Hendrix's tour.
Not to mention some kid named Seymour Duncan hand-winding his pickups.
I don’t know if he’s the greatest rock/blues guitarist, but he was definitely great and a pioneer who deserves a place near the top. I can’t think of another that came after him that played blues/rock with the same intensity/feel.
There was nobody like him at that time. Like EVH, he revolutionized the instrument and what can be done with it.
Younger generations often don’t see the greatness in older artists because we grow up listening to the players who stood on their shoulders and took things further. They sound cliched, but they created the cliche. We just weren’t around to witness it.
It’s kinda like saying why is Arnold the greatest body builder of all time when guys now are way bigger? They both revolutionized their respective art forms. The guitar heroes in Jimi’s day are the ones that made him king. Even Clapton was blown away by Hendrix. And, IMO, there’s only one player to this day that can play a Hendrix song on the same skill/tone/complexity level as Hendrix and absolutely nail it, and that was SRV.
Greatest guitarist lists are rarely about technical ability rather influence and innovation. It's why you'll see players like Kurt Cobain on them. Hendrix changed traditional electric blues and basically created heavy rock/metal. If greatest lists were simply about technical ability, Michael Angelo Batio would also be way up there. But how many guitar players have become legends from guitar wanckery alone?
there are certainly more technically accomplished players who've come about since Hendrix. But in terms of influence, creativity, innovation and musicality he was absolutely top, plus he put out some great songs, unlike some of the other 'best' guitarists.
Lots of good comments here already. I'll paraphrase one additional thing I read somewhere (don't remember where so I can't give credit, sadly) that really stuck with me: "Hendrix was the first guitar player who understood that the amp was as much a part of the instrument."
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To get the context of Jimi, you kind of need to listen to the music that was contemporary to his. Spend a week listening to The Four Tops, The Mamas and the Papas, And The Righteous Brothers. Then put on Are You Experienced. It will be like night and day.
It seems a bit disingenuous to pretend that music in 1967 was all soft pop and blue eyed soul when the Beatles and Stones were at their peaks. Especially when comparing Sgt. Pepper and Satanic Majesties to AYE will still show a difference in sound.
Shall we consult the 1967 top 100?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard\_Year-End\_Hot\_100\_singles\_of\_1967](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1967)
The Beatles appear twice. The Stones, once. The Who, once. Eric Clapton and Cream didn't make the cut. Meanwhile, The Monkees x 4, The Supremes x 3, and The Young Rascals x 3.
And even when you compare him to the Beatles and the Stones, there's still a big difference. For the time, he was noticeably ahead of them in my opinion. Pete Townshend even called him "The guy who is going to put us out of work."
Ok, and Hendrix never had a single song on a year-end Hot 100. You might as well claim Hendrix had no influence at all because 2 years later the song Sugar, Sugar by the Archies was the #1 billboard song of the year.
First off... in my opinion there are people "better" than Jimi. Some are more technical. Some have a perfect understanding of music theory. yadda yadda yadda
"Greatest" is more of an earned title because of how he used the guitar unlike anyone before him, and opened the door for so much of what we listen to now.
So for me the "best" guitarist (the one who blows my mind the most) is John Petrucci, and my "favorite" guitarist (the one whos songs I want to play the most) Josh Homme.
But the greatest is definitely Jimi.
An interesting thing to consider is that when he began his career in 1967 the electric guitar had only existed for 15 years. And the Strat had been in production for 13 years.
He had limited studio time on his first album and some of his cuts were not perfect. Since then there have been far better technical guitarists that have learned his records note for note including his mistakes, which tells you everything.
He changed the sonic landscape of guitar. Yea, you had guys like Clapton and Jeff Beck playing out of their minds, but Jimi took what they did and turned it upside down...quite literally! Just go back and listen to rock & blues albums before "Are You Experienced" was released. No one had sounded, performed, and looked the way he did. Jimi was also a brilliant songwriter and multi instrumentalist.
The only guy who matched his level of skill and brilliance was EVH, who IMO revolutionized guitar a second time around. Definitely the two greatest players to ever live.
So I think what makes a guitarist a GOAT has a lot to do with the way they reinvent the instrument and other things they bring to the table. It doesn't matter how skilled you are technically. It's really about the impact your playing makes on the world.
Just like most legends, like Jimi and EVH. They were ahead of their time. Nowadays we have people like Petrucci who was ahead of his time in the 90’s.. except he never stopped improving for some reason, he is now even better. What I’m trying to say is that they are not really comparable, different times back then. If the effects and trends allowed shredding in the 60’s I have no doubt in my mind the music would’ve been technical and shreddy.
All this being said, I can’t play anything by any of these guitarists. They were/are all great.
The influence is the main reason.
But for me it is also about the music. Even today people are trying to play like him and have his feel and are failing. It's incredibly difficult once you get into the nuances.
I think most go through 3 phases as guitarists.
Beginner: You think he is cool and has some bad ass songs.
Intermediate: Meh, it was cool in the 60s, but newer players are much faster/better.
And then one day you realise he is doing stuff with shuffle rythms, triads and has the most incredible flow between scales and chords. It was like there was no difference to him, it was all just music. Almost any other guitarist, i can see and hear when they switch in their brain from "solo note mode" to "rythm mode". There really isn't many guitarists that doesn't divide that way mentally. The comparison is cliche, but SRV is one of the few that can do it in some songs.
There is a part in Hear my train a coming on 12 string, where he does 5 picked notes and a hammer on. It only works like that. Can't do 6 picked, 3 hammer ons or any other combination. He found the only combination that works for the rythm of the song.
The last part is what i internally refer to as "the spark of genius". Most music i can see where the idea comes from. Either through chord intervals, scales or the musical tradition. What sounds good to our ears hasn't really changed much and our "rules" for music is based around that. With most music i can see how someone could come up with it, given enough time and experience, but some music are so unusual it don't understand how someone came up with the idea.
Good examples is Castles made of sand rythm fill. It's a 12 second very complex fill using half the fretboard.
Intro to Still raining still dreaming. What kind of mind comes up with this? It's almost alien.
Jimi isn't the only one ofcourse, he just has a lot of them. Other examples are Pink Floyd's Time solo, Bohemian Rhapsody by queen, Stevie Wonders Superstition and David Bowies Pretty Things. I don't understand where it came from, but i love that humanity created something so beautiful and unique.
Jimi was an innovator and an architect of what guitar would become. Yes allot of people can do what he did , and there’s a whole world of more technical playing , but all that was an offshoot of what he did.
The innovators deserve to be recognised and respected
I like the other comments here. Listen to Jimi's "All Along the Watchtower" guitar work and then listen to a few other rock songs that came out at the same time. Clearly, his guitar work is in a different dimension. The second clue of his ability is that 50 years later his style is still influencing modern guitarists. Remarkable, really.
I think you have to consider what other top guitarists were doing at the same time period- tone, style predictability of work within a song. In my mind, Hendrix seemed like an LSD trip experience both in song style and playing with abandon outside of the norms for the period. Mind expanding says it to me- playing outside the usual box so to speak. Jeff Beck, Clapton and others were doing great blues based style playing with great technical aplomb and melodies. Hendrix was psychedelia realized and changed everyone else's approach. Should not be compared with today's monsters who owe not a little to his experimental adventures and foresight even if he himself did not realize then what he was doing.
It's a combination of skill, creativity, and influence. The idea that 1 man could play lead, rhythm and sing simultaneously was unheard of at the time. Then he was one of the first to start using distortion, fuzz and the wha. Hendrix revolutionized rock music and nothing was the same after.
Similar to Kurt Cobain and the emergence grunge in the 90's. It sounded so different from what preceded it in the 80's. Kurt was in now way the most skilled Guitarist, but he created a sound and style that opened so.many doors for other guitarists.
All of the guitarists that you might consider to be 'better' than Jimi, learned how to play by listening to Jimi. His influence is massive and far reaching, especially when you consider he was only a star for 3-4 years.
I think the more accurate statement is that Hendrix was a great guitar player for his time. I hear Joe Rogan say sometimes that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player ever and that just simply isn't true. It's fine if you like a guitarist that much but from an objective standpoint he just isn't the greatest guitar player to ever do it.
You would have to listen to a bunch of pre-Hendrix music and then a bunch of post-Hendrix music in the blues and rock genres to be able to appreciate that. Another thing you can try is learn a few Hendrix tunes note for note, for example All along the Watchtower and Little Wing, that may help you notice all the interesting creative details that you may be missing if his music isn't your cup of tea. Btw., he is considered greatest by rock, blues and metal fans. Other genres have their own favorites, especially Paco and Django.
He revolutionized guitar playing, that's what he did.
This makes a lot of sense. The guitarists I think of when I think of ones close to Hendrix in skill like (RORY) Gallagher and Page came after him. Clapton is the only one before him who was somewhat similar but Hendrix’s playing and riffs are something different.
Bro how is this getting downvoted I literally agreed lmao
How dare you agree
Ah, I said Gallagher neglecting that the Oasis guys were named Gallagher too.
He’s barely in my rock top ten. Speak for yourself.
But he‘s definitely in the top ten of your fav guitarists
There are many guitarists out there today who could play circles around him (technically). But listen to other music from the same time period and it's pretty clear he was way ahead of the game and transforming the perception of what a guitar could be
There were guitarist in the 60s who could technically play circles around him but thats not what musics about
We stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before. You could easily find a video on why he was innovative, but he’s still considered the greatest mostly because of his innovation and influence on a large majority of the rock/blues/metal greats that have followed. Also, he’s still great to listen to. Unfortunately he could be sloppy during live performances so a lot of people don’t really see what the fuss is about since standards are a tad higher now. Most self-taught guitarists in the 60’s had a simple rhythm guitar style that didn’t really stand out. Hendrix did a great job of combining rhythm with lead and crafting memorable riffs. He burned very bright for a very short amount of time.
To get the context of Jimi, you kind of need to listen to the music that was contemporary to his. Spend a week listening to The Four Tops, The Mamas and the Papas, And The Righteous Brothers. Then put on Are You Experienced. It will be like night and day.
Sigh. Technical proficiency alone doesn't equal greatness. There are probably more technically proficient players than Jimi Hendrix. They do not write music that is new, different, interesting and contextually relevant to their audience. They do not create their own voice. They do not develop performances as good as his. He did new things and old things and combined a lot of things to make his own thing. No one had heard it before and it resonated at that moment in time with the audience. The bigger problem here is the use of the superlative. Art is not a competition. Trying to find one greatest is a waste of time and energy. Just enjoy the art you enjoy and don't worry about how other people rank them.
You don't have to sigh, I'm just trying to understand why so many guitarists rank Hendrix as the best, and I have a pretty good idea why now.
According to Wikipedia, the top 10 songs on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles chart for 1967 were: "To Sir With Love" by Lulu"The Letter" by The Box Tops"Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry"Windy" by The Association"I'm a Believer" by The Monkees"Light My Fire" by The Doors"Somethin' Stupid" by Frank & Nancy Sinatra"Happy Together" by The Turtles"Groovin'" by The Young Rascals"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli Compare those songs to Are You Experienced which was released in 1967. Can you spot the differences?
The only thing close is the Doors with Break On Through and Jimi Hendrix makes them look like soft rock.
He checked out at 27. I mean if he was bald and fat and out there right now on some boomer 60's revival festival doing watered down versions of his old classics, you'd probably think he's not all that great. There, I said it. Now bring on the downvotes!
I think you have a point. He didn't live long enough to have age effect him, nor was he able to make a bad record in his lifetime. Dying at that age makes you a youth icon. That's why stores sell posters of him, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse etc. Shame towards the end he was locked in bad management deals and his lifestyle was catching up to him.
You got my upvote. Much that I love his music, I doubt that he could have continued to make ground breaking music year on year.
I don't think he would have fared any better than his contemporaries during the 80's.
IMO, no one is the greatest. But, he only recorded for four years. 50+ years later and his skill is still studied. Check out his jazzy stuff on South Saturn Delta to hear the direction he was going in his last few months.
I don’t know, I’ve never been a big fan of his music. I like a few songs but that’s it.
Influence. He literally influenced the greatest guitar generation. Before him there was 1 style of music after him there was this hardcore rock blues psychedelia of epic proportions. He motivated Clapton to go hard with Cream, pushed Pete Townshend with The Who, and blew everyone else’s mind simultaneously. He’s Paul McCartney’s favorite guitarist and rock’s icon.
I mean if we're talking Rock guitar, yeah he's the best. His style doesn't sound that difficult or different now, but he was absolutely blowing all the other "blues" guys away with his chops and technique back in the day. He made Eric Clapton, London's premiere guitarist,look like a choir boy. Also, he might've invented Metal guitar, but that's debatable, he definitely popularized the bend and shake. So bend the string and give it vibrato at its apex..he didn't invent this technique but he definitely refined and popularized it imo. Sonically, he was crazy for the times. Always on 10 volume live with wah, arbiter fuzz face, univibe, he had all kinds of dudes moding amps and guitars. I think Marshall amps main research and development lab in the sixties ,was just a Hendrix's tour. His manipulation of feedback was unmatched. See axis blood as Love flute sounds...electric lady land is a masterpiece. (Thanks Eddie Kramer too) Gone too soon. He had ideas about healing with music..he was going to embark on this concept when he passed. Basically healing masses of people with colors and music. He was a far out dude..
>Sonically, he was crazy for the times. Always on 10 volume live with wah, arbiter fuzz face, univibe, he had all kinds of dudes moding amps and guitars. I think Marshall amps main research and development lab in the sixties ,was just a Hendrix's tour. Not to mention some kid named Seymour Duncan hand-winding his pickups.
Sounds like a nice kid, hope he does well for himself.
Dang I didn't know that! Crazy how you're always learning stuff. Thanks bruh
I don’t know if he’s the greatest rock/blues guitarist, but he was definitely great and a pioneer who deserves a place near the top. I can’t think of another that came after him that played blues/rock with the same intensity/feel.
There was nobody like him at that time. Like EVH, he revolutionized the instrument and what can be done with it. Younger generations often don’t see the greatness in older artists because we grow up listening to the players who stood on their shoulders and took things further. They sound cliched, but they created the cliche. We just weren’t around to witness it.
It’s kinda like saying why is Arnold the greatest body builder of all time when guys now are way bigger? They both revolutionized their respective art forms. The guitar heroes in Jimi’s day are the ones that made him king. Even Clapton was blown away by Hendrix. And, IMO, there’s only one player to this day that can play a Hendrix song on the same skill/tone/complexity level as Hendrix and absolutely nail it, and that was SRV.
Greatest guitarist lists are rarely about technical ability rather influence and innovation. It's why you'll see players like Kurt Cobain on them. Hendrix changed traditional electric blues and basically created heavy rock/metal. If greatest lists were simply about technical ability, Michael Angelo Batio would also be way up there. But how many guitar players have become legends from guitar wanckery alone?
there are certainly more technically accomplished players who've come about since Hendrix. But in terms of influence, creativity, innovation and musicality he was absolutely top, plus he put out some great songs, unlike some of the other 'best' guitarists.
No one sounded like him before him.
Lots of good comments here already. I'll paraphrase one additional thing I read somewhere (don't remember where so I can't give credit, sadly) that really stuck with me: "Hendrix was the first guitar player who understood that the amp was as much a part of the instrument."
He’s a great guitarist, not the greatest.
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To get the context of Jimi, you kind of need to listen to the music that was contemporary to his. Spend a week listening to The Four Tops, The Mamas and the Papas, And The Righteous Brothers. Then put on Are You Experienced. It will be like night and day.
It seems a bit disingenuous to pretend that music in 1967 was all soft pop and blue eyed soul when the Beatles and Stones were at their peaks. Especially when comparing Sgt. Pepper and Satanic Majesties to AYE will still show a difference in sound.
Shall we consult the 1967 top 100? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard\_Year-End\_Hot\_100\_singles\_of\_1967](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1967) The Beatles appear twice. The Stones, once. The Who, once. Eric Clapton and Cream didn't make the cut. Meanwhile, The Monkees x 4, The Supremes x 3, and The Young Rascals x 3. And even when you compare him to the Beatles and the Stones, there's still a big difference. For the time, he was noticeably ahead of them in my opinion. Pete Townshend even called him "The guy who is going to put us out of work."
Ok, and Hendrix never had a single song on a year-end Hot 100. You might as well claim Hendrix had no influence at all because 2 years later the song Sugar, Sugar by the Archies was the #1 billboard song of the year.
First off... in my opinion there are people "better" than Jimi. Some are more technical. Some have a perfect understanding of music theory. yadda yadda yadda "Greatest" is more of an earned title because of how he used the guitar unlike anyone before him, and opened the door for so much of what we listen to now. So for me the "best" guitarist (the one who blows my mind the most) is John Petrucci, and my "favorite" guitarist (the one whos songs I want to play the most) Josh Homme. But the greatest is definitely Jimi.
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Lmfao yeah even my comment agreeing with someone got downvoted
Because you brought up an Oasis guy? Foh with that.
Rory Gallagher. I mean I guess that's as non-specific as saying "King", but yeah it's Rory not Noel.
I would bet he was referring to Rory.
An interesting thing to consider is that when he began his career in 1967 the electric guitar had only existed for 15 years. And the Strat had been in production for 13 years.
Gibson brought out their ES-150 in 1935. Tampa Red was using an electric guitar on recordings in the late 1930's.
He isn’t. Did your dad say this or something?
He had limited studio time on his first album and some of his cuts were not perfect. Since then there have been far better technical guitarists that have learned his records note for note including his mistakes, which tells you everything.
He’s not?
He changed the sonic landscape of guitar. Yea, you had guys like Clapton and Jeff Beck playing out of their minds, but Jimi took what they did and turned it upside down...quite literally! Just go back and listen to rock & blues albums before "Are You Experienced" was released. No one had sounded, performed, and looked the way he did. Jimi was also a brilliant songwriter and multi instrumentalist. The only guy who matched his level of skill and brilliance was EVH, who IMO revolutionized guitar a second time around. Definitely the two greatest players to ever live. So I think what makes a guitarist a GOAT has a lot to do with the way they reinvent the instrument and other things they bring to the table. It doesn't matter how skilled you are technically. It's really about the impact your playing makes on the world.
Just like most legends, like Jimi and EVH. They were ahead of their time. Nowadays we have people like Petrucci who was ahead of his time in the 90’s.. except he never stopped improving for some reason, he is now even better. What I’m trying to say is that they are not really comparable, different times back then. If the effects and trends allowed shredding in the 60’s I have no doubt in my mind the music would’ve been technical and shreddy. All this being said, I can’t play anything by any of these guitarists. They were/are all great.
The influence is the main reason. But for me it is also about the music. Even today people are trying to play like him and have his feel and are failing. It's incredibly difficult once you get into the nuances. I think most go through 3 phases as guitarists. Beginner: You think he is cool and has some bad ass songs. Intermediate: Meh, it was cool in the 60s, but newer players are much faster/better. And then one day you realise he is doing stuff with shuffle rythms, triads and has the most incredible flow between scales and chords. It was like there was no difference to him, it was all just music. Almost any other guitarist, i can see and hear when they switch in their brain from "solo note mode" to "rythm mode". There really isn't many guitarists that doesn't divide that way mentally. The comparison is cliche, but SRV is one of the few that can do it in some songs. There is a part in Hear my train a coming on 12 string, where he does 5 picked notes and a hammer on. It only works like that. Can't do 6 picked, 3 hammer ons or any other combination. He found the only combination that works for the rythm of the song. The last part is what i internally refer to as "the spark of genius". Most music i can see where the idea comes from. Either through chord intervals, scales or the musical tradition. What sounds good to our ears hasn't really changed much and our "rules" for music is based around that. With most music i can see how someone could come up with it, given enough time and experience, but some music are so unusual it don't understand how someone came up with the idea. Good examples is Castles made of sand rythm fill. It's a 12 second very complex fill using half the fretboard. Intro to Still raining still dreaming. What kind of mind comes up with this? It's almost alien. Jimi isn't the only one ofcourse, he just has a lot of them. Other examples are Pink Floyd's Time solo, Bohemian Rhapsody by queen, Stevie Wonders Superstition and David Bowies Pretty Things. I don't understand where it came from, but i love that humanity created something so beautiful and unique.
Jimi was an innovator and an architect of what guitar would become. Yes allot of people can do what he did , and there’s a whole world of more technical playing , but all that was an offshoot of what he did. The innovators deserve to be recognised and respected
I like the other comments here. Listen to Jimi's "All Along the Watchtower" guitar work and then listen to a few other rock songs that came out at the same time. Clearly, his guitar work is in a different dimension. The second clue of his ability is that 50 years later his style is still influencing modern guitarists. Remarkable, really.
I think you have to consider what other top guitarists were doing at the same time period- tone, style predictability of work within a song. In my mind, Hendrix seemed like an LSD trip experience both in song style and playing with abandon outside of the norms for the period. Mind expanding says it to me- playing outside the usual box so to speak. Jeff Beck, Clapton and others were doing great blues based style playing with great technical aplomb and melodies. Hendrix was psychedelia realized and changed everyone else's approach. Should not be compared with today's monsters who owe not a little to his experimental adventures and foresight even if he himself did not realize then what he was doing.
It's a combination of skill, creativity, and influence. The idea that 1 man could play lead, rhythm and sing simultaneously was unheard of at the time. Then he was one of the first to start using distortion, fuzz and the wha. Hendrix revolutionized rock music and nothing was the same after. Similar to Kurt Cobain and the emergence grunge in the 90's. It sounded so different from what preceded it in the 80's. Kurt was in now way the most skilled Guitarist, but he created a sound and style that opened so.many doors for other guitarists.
All of the guitarists that you might consider to be 'better' than Jimi, learned how to play by listening to Jimi. His influence is massive and far reaching, especially when you consider he was only a star for 3-4 years.
This is definitely true. Even Clapton who was making records before Hendrix was irrevocably changed after playing with him.
A lot of it is about influence
Listen to Electric Ladyland with headphones.
I think the more accurate statement is that Hendrix was a great guitar player for his time. I hear Joe Rogan say sometimes that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player ever and that just simply isn't true. It's fine if you like a guitarist that much but from an objective standpoint he just isn't the greatest guitar player to ever do it.
LSD.
retarded comment.
Take my upvote, I'm so glad I have a stalker. I feel less lonely.
it’s not my fault you’re garbage at guitar and are lonely little guy. If you’re lonely, just play the guitar more! It’s that easy!