Keeping on the subject of guitar playing and players, IN MY OPINION(please notice the caps on those words because ultimately thats all that it is) I have always thought Hendrix to be an overrated guitar player and soloist. Now before anyone chews my head off and spits it out, which is probably 99.9% of the people on this board...
[Edited 1/11/07 21:09pm]

PurpleJam said:

U shouldn't presume, because I like to think that this is a place - 99.9% of the time - where we can all have differing opinions in the name of intelligent discussion.
[Edited 1/11/07 21:25pm]

I read on one reviewer's own personal site, that he said that Jimi was better and more known with playing his guitar riffs rather than playing solos. Riffs are where he really excelled was his opinion. Does anyone agree with this?

Keeping on the subject of guitar playing and players, IN MY OPINION(please notice the caps on those words because ultimately thats all that it is) I have always thought Hendrix to be an overrated guitar player and soloist. Now before anyone chews my head off and spits it out, which is probably 99.9% of the people on this board and anywhere else discussing the subject of guitar players, let me state that this is strickley about his guitar playing skills. Not his impact and innovation on rock music and beyond(jazz) and his songwriting which was always very solid and uniquely creative. That is absolutely not in question here.
What I am saying is that as a guitar player I have alway found him to be a sloppy soloist and much too often just making very loud noises with his instrument without any type of melody in them at all. I have certainly never felt him to be 'the greatest guitar player who ever lived' and I have heard much more exceptional guitar playing than on his 'Are You Experienced' debut album, which I suppose sounded innovative in '67 but I just do not get all of the immense praise that this album has alway gotten. Of coure there are always exceptions to every rule and I have always thought that songs such as 'Little Wing' the jazzy 'Rainy Day,Dream Away' the instrumental 'Pali Gap' and the outtake 'Cherokee Mist' featured some really beautiful playing in them.

So please, I want to hear all of your comments about my thoughts on Hendrix and if you agree or disagree with my opinion about him. Also, feel free to tell me that you think that my opinion is utterly insane and absurd. I really want to know from you all.

And just to add to show that I am not a total fool, 'Purple Haze' easily has one of the most badass guitar riffs ever in rock music.
[Edited 1/11/07 21:09pm]

I read on one reviewer's own personal site, that he said that Jimi was better and more known with playing his guitar riffs rather than playing solos. Riffs are where he really excelled was his opinion. Does anyone agree with this?

hendrix was not the first to use wah wah.
eric clapton was the first guitar player
who used wah wah on record(tales of brave ulysses) after jimi heard that song he started using wah wah.

people think that jimi was the first to use wah because hendrix record came a little before cream's record.but eric clapton is the first to record with wah wah.
jimi was the best guitar player ever.
he could be sloppy (check isle of white dvd) but it was because he had no fear to push the bounderies of instrument.

but if you want to hear mindblowing guitar playing by jimi go and listen to
band og gypsies live at fillmore.its even amazing by today standards.
at the latter stage of his life he could play lead and rhythm guitar at the same time.


nobody can top that.

...




Hendrix isn't every guitarist's cup of tea...(and doesn't have to be)...and people can certanly acknowledge his importance or influence without actually loving his sound or style...

With Hendrix, it was more about sound and feel, rather than technique ... There are probably legions of guitarists who have better technique than Hendrix, or a prettier sound, more structred soloing style -- and if you're looking for lots of blinding speed, impeccable picking or flawless fingering from Jimi, youre not gonna find it...IMO, it's his combination of that earthy blues/R&B/Jazz feel with his sonic spacey, pyschedelic experimentation--it's really about his boundless imaginative approach to the instrument.

I know you mentioned that you didn't want to talk about his status as an innovator, but that's really what all the fuss was about-- his uncanny ability to absorb and blend the styles that came before him and blend that with a fearless aproach to sound experimentation, that put him far beyond the other players of the time....(I like the way Narada Michael Walden once summed it up--"Hendrix could play feedback musically!")

There are some harmonic concepts that he never got a chance to deal with--had he lived, I'm sure he would have taken it even further, judging by the directions he was going in at the time of his death, especially hanging with the likes of Miles Davis, Gil Evans, John Mclaughlin, and Larry Young...






...
[Edited 1/12/07 10:55am]

Jimi's vibe to me is a deep spritual thing that goes beyond his guitar playing. That's why I have him tatooed in my skin. He was miles ahead.

PurpleJam you are entitled to your opinion and I respect it. Some players rag on Jimi's "slop" but then they sometime forget that there were no rack effects Floyd Rose locking systems, or lace sensor pickups back then. Jimi was driven by pure emotion and used gear that would have been total noise in anyone else's hands.

George Clinton said it the best that Jimi took electric noise and made it sound like church. Sure Pete Townshend used Strats and Marshall stacks in 1967, but Jimi took that gear to another whole level. Jimi also wasn't trained in the classical sense, but he had imagination and creativity that made him stand out.

Jimi's vibe to me is a deep spritual thing that goes beyond his guitar playing. That's why I have him tatooed in my skin. He was miles ahead.

BlaqueKnight said:

So he shouldn't express his opinion?

coolcat said:

Express all he wants just don't expect everyone to want to discuss his opinions with him. I'm proudly being the asshole on this one. I'm not giving two shits about what someone else thinks of Hendrix.