Jimi Hendrix

How was Jimi Hendrix referred to as one of the greatest guitarists if he admitted on air to making a lot of mistakes while performing? Why did and does every other guitarist lose popularity after making a mistake but Hendrix got promoted?

I think it isn't so much like Hendrix was the best and most technically advanced guitar player of all times (or even his own times), but he was creative and innovative and performed in a way that no one had ever really heard or seen before.

an illustration:

I think it also has to do with him being able to make his mistakes work with the song.

some people or bands get popular, others don't. when a person or a band get well popular people's opinion on their skill or relevance get's exaggerated

my point is that it makes no sense talking about Jimi Hendrix in that context, i think it would be like saying Beatles or Brian Wilson were one of the greatest composers of their time...

Im totally with Bluesguitar, Jimi was stunning, he was true inventor of electric guitar thou Bo Didley was "rageing through" with electric guitar much ealrier...aaand how you play "right" with your teeth man? or when burning the whole thing up? :D

anyway, Jimi Hendrix. Not just guitar player, he was the future, he was terrific performer, player and an icon. Nothing much more to say about him. One of the best part of history.

imo this video show you turning point of two generations. Just look the audience. those times was time of creation, birth of peace generation whose messenger Jimi also was.



-Emp

You see? A wrong note towards the end after the last couple of unison bends... Very good guitarist but just always hit a wrong note once or twice while playing live.

Well to be honest,I dont think you can screw up a song if you write it. You have alot of leeway to do whatever you want,as long as the crowd enjoys it. Sometimes...Even if the crowd doesnt enjoy it hahah

you are right goldtop he made mistakes like so many other good guitarists too, but hes "technique" is not the thing made him so remarkable guitar icon pointing your orginal question, I think many cant play even that good with head full of weed haha.

well if you consider him one of the best guitarists ever, or at least take that popular consensus on him seriously, as it appears you do, you need to come up with some better argument, this is just trying too hard to manufacture or imagine a flaw on the basis of a "wrong note once or twice while playing live"

gshredder also makes a good point, guy was a songwriter and no matter how much romanticized opinion on him gets or how good his guitar skills might be, you can't scrutinize his work in the way you want to [obviously you can but my point is, it means nothing other then you perceiving it and whatever that might mean to you, personally]

this also, and god knows what other even way harder drugs he was on while performing

Not pointless because this is a guitar forum. Many guitarist lean on what Hendrix was. He got the ideas and concepts across to the audience but hit a wrong note. Usually he went outta tune as well and began adjusting his tuning machines.

Look he blew the gig OK he hit a wrong note. It happens to the best of us. regardless of weed drugs or alcohol.

@Goldtop I have often heard that Jimi Hendrix had perfect pitch,and was able to adjust his playing to make the out of tune guitar sound in pitch. Just a myth Ive heard,Wether there is a truth behind it I dont know.

He may have hit a wrong,and it does happen to the best of us. But really,I dont think a few sour notes blew the whole gig,In my opinion.


I know that in todays standards of music a spit polished perfect,professional,like the CD sound is expected. But where were is the fun in that? If I wanted to hear the song like its supposedly supposed to be played,I would just buy the CD and listen to the song ._.


Id probably rather hear/see a Hendrix show with one or two sketchy notes that give me a concert-goers experience that noone else will ever hear played that exact way, rather than your Bands today like Green day,Nickleback,or Five finger death punch that play there songs they same way over,and over,and over,and over,and over and over,and over again the same old way.


Hendrix is not may favorite, and im not saying all this because he is my guitar god,or anything. But I think the man deserves a fair amount of credit for his achievements. He has been dead 40 some years,and he is still on the radio. Thats more than I can say for perfect,auto-tuned,flavor of the day bands from the 60's,70's,80's,90's or even 00's!!

As far as drugs and alchohol go, Though Im clean now,I have went up on stage completely destroyed,and hit every note,perfect...I have videos to prove it. But thats not the point here....Drugs are sometimes an issue. Depending on the person. Hendrix seemed like he could handle them fairly well.IMO


ANNNNNYYYYWaaaayyyyy Yeah, Many guitarists lean on what he was, and thats cool. He was good. But I really dont see the need to challenge a Dead persons(RIP)Credibility in the world of guitar.

Now you wanna talk about a sloppy live guitarist...Jimmy page...bleh.

Ftw @supuss,Ive seen way more pointless threads,This one has some merit and provides some good conversation about a point in history relating to the guitar,thats always fun.

Absolute great post gs. Yeah, this is not a pointless thread at all, goldtop had valid arguments in my opinion to question or wonder why Jimi got status he have, good discussion.

I started most pointless topics on this forum and thats how it will be in the future too, I dont allow competition, I destroy my opponents who will try that LOL.

i think it's pretty self evident [in the context of music at least] that something that had value in 60's is going to lose a lot of its relevance. in this case, you also take to scrutinizing an incredibly popular musician which is like an extra layer in how pointless the effort is. [i doubt anyone 30 years ahead will waste time arguing about today's pop stars] also the only argument you offer is centered around an issue totally irrelevant to any songwriting project [as GS pointed out]. ALSO if your main issue is people who play guitar and "lean on what Hendrix was" [whatever leaning on implies] i don't think the solution lies in trying to point out flaws in this one person guitar playing [i don't really know what you mean by lean on but lets say a cocaine addict leans on cocaine, i doubt very much that pointing out what a bad drug cocaine is will do any good as opposed to pointing out the bad effects of being addicted to A DRUG]. just because you can perceive things and articulate opinions does not mean everything you put forward is a valid argument ok?

@gshredder2112

i don't really know anything about you so your drug example makes little sense that way [as opposed to if even not being particularly interested in Hendrix i happen to know that he played a ridiculous amount of shows and seems to have **ing died at like 26 from being too drug-enthusiastic], i cannot see how the debilitating substance abuse Jimi Hendrix supposedly went trough can compare to your experiences of getting destroyed then playing perfect...

also IDGAF what gets posted on this forum lol, i have no pals here and am not a least bit concerned with the issue of quality of the threads, i like checking it out sometime as i use this site almost every day, that's it. what does bug me is this bad logic and even something like ignorance about it...

@goldtop

i gotta admit one thing, if i was in the position where i'm gonna perform my stuff in concert, i would MOST definitely want to play everything perfect, no matter how removed those little off's may be to blowing it or not to others... again not a good angle for what you said to be concerned about, but yea if people wanted me to perform i would do as much as i can to do give extremely analytic guitar playing folks as little as i can to use against me...

@supuss I can see your point. I was just using my experience as a very vague exmaple,I smoked weed,drank beer,and went up on stage, and never missed a note ,but like I said thats not the point. It was just saying how drugs dont always impare your ability to play, it could be an adreneline rush from performing in front of thousands of people? or maybe he couldnt hear himself?Bad mix?Who knows. last time you performed on stage in front of thousands and played an entire set note for note? Anything possible.

But in my defense,that comment was not even directed at you,hence the"" @Goldtop "". Though I dont see how it was debilatating for him. Yes he Overdosed, but that doesnt mean that happened every time,or he would have died sooner. I just think one night he took it to far. Its like playing with fire, eventually if you dont stop being a turd a screwing around,your going to get burned,or OD.



Also,if you did not care what gets posted,you obviously wouldnt be posting comments about things bugging you. You have no buddies here? Ok? Thats all on you. But your claim is pretty much how you say Hypocritical. "IDGAF whats posted here...But still it bugs me. Wut? You cant have it both ways sir. You cant be a jaded not Give a fudger and still voice your opinion. That to me is bad logic.


This forum,as you can tell is very small. It doesnt get many posts. But we gladly accept any post,about any topic as long as it relates to music. It may rustle your jimmies that someone is ignorant,As you say. But hey,you dont Give a F' Right?


And thanks EMP haha.

goldtop dares to be different, which is good. if everyone thought the same there would be no new ideas.

oh this is nice! i see that for some reason you decided to focus on my personal qualities!

ahaha oh boy, yes that is right, SIR [i love this fake respect thing with "sir] IDGAF about the quality of threads and yet i post, is that a problem? to further explain this position i pointed out i post "when passing by" as i use the site, SIR. i like how you tried to insult me, lol what a failure...

i said it bugs me when someone is offering lame arguments and that in general i could not care less as to the amount of pointless threads or general thread quality, more to explain what i meant originally by "pointless and sad thread", only a very rancid and dense person would interpret that as hypocrisy, but ok, even if i were, how is this ***ing related to Jimi Hendrix?

"last time you performed on stage in front of thousands and played an entire set note for note?"

how is this relevant to anything? was i by any chance equating myself to touring musicians? wow, again a pointless stand-alone little stab... should i feel inferior for never playing a gig? a big dense piece of fail...

oh and supposing you actually care about understanding others in a fair light, "debilitating substance abuse" was meant to imply a kind of enthusiasm about getting wasted which wears out a person, i love how you make it out: "so what he just OD'ed this one time, not like drug taking mattered overall" LMAO... also overdose does not mean a person will die, JH might have OD'ed 12 times before the fatal one...

overall a big **ing facepalm to the 80% of the things said here, so near-sighted, out of the context and logically lame it'd be pretty hard not to point out only these very few obvious fallacies.

Sorry man,the sir thing is a reflex,I have to use it at my job so much,it spills over. Sorry.


Anyway I feel Ive already made most of my points in my past comments. We are humans,not machines. Noone is perfect,niether was Jimi, but people accept it.

But really,your comments are laced with the most ignorant hypocrisy I have ever seen. ''I dont care, yet I feel the need the need to voice my opinion,flaunt my questionable intelligence,and regurgitatate word "fail' and its many forms in order to give my substance lacking comments some persnickety chance of One upping,and making someone you have never met on the internet wrong"? Wow.

To be honest, your free to do/say what you please, I know. But you should try to make sense when you do it.

Because he played from his **ing heart.

There's no need to get into technicalities here.

Oh he bent this or he slid that.

He played from the depths of his heart.

And that speaks to people.

Because you're a human being. You can tell when something is natural or manufactured. We all experience the same thing, subjectively.

Jimi played from his **ing heart.

That's why he is as great as he is.

Your self doubt. Your questioning. Your uncertainty.

He put that into his music.

He was alive and you could feel it.

That's why he stood out.

That's why you **ing love his music so much.

oh you're sorry? lmao

this is just lovely, i see you dedicated an entire unit of you post to my "ignorant hypocrisy", i'd just like to take a second and point out the sheer pathetic-ness of the things you put to me



first off i only used the word "fail" to address your pathetic attempts to insult me or something, this had nothing to do with my points on Hendrix importance, hence it could do little to help give substance to anything other then my disgust at your dense, random, provincial perspective... but let's not rush ahead, let's look at how you're trying to portrait me, bit by bit...



me not caring about general quality of threads here and wanting to contribute to the fair discussion on Hendrix are two entirely different things, this is some serious high-school drama BS, these two things are entirely unrelated and only come together in your pathetic attempt to attach this hypocritical quality to me, for whatever reason



flaunt? are you serious? the only reason im even responding is your increasingly pathetic attempts to make me look bad, why would i choose this place to flaunt my supposed intelligence anyway? again, pathetic...



really? did you even read my posts? not like i said anything revolutionary but i gave SEVERAL **ing arguments to my position. also this is just priceless! im free to say anything yet using "fail" somehow magically removes all credibility to anything i might be arguing for, **ing LOL!



proper to its original context, this is one of the most dense things i ever read... i don't need to know a person to be able to engage in a debate, your comments are hilarious.

also, one upping? are you 5 years old? are you an insecure cheerleader? anything i might have pointed to in this "discussion" [i like how nobody even addressed the points i tried to raise] has nothing to do with being "one up" against anyone, im not even gonna engage against these silly charges anymore...

@goldtop

i hope you don't find my arguments to be "trying to one up" you, i think you raise a legitimate question, i just don't like the arguments you offer. i think there's a lot to be said on how all types of myths happen to raise around bands or musicians...

i think i said all i could on Hendrix importance too, maybe i could add i think he was crucial for metal music, and fairly so...

am i the only one disgusted with these pathetic, provincial accusations though? not like i'm expecting any support or anything, nobody should even seriously engage in these types of sorry personal attacks anyway, i just like arguing [on fair grounds though, there's only so much you can say to a person who repeatedly puts random insults to you] but like, on a basic human level am i the only one to find this peculiar?

I think you're both bickering like children, you've both moved from a healthy debate to just insulting each other. If you keep going on and talking about people's "questionable intelligence", their "hypocrisy" or how "pathetic" "rancid" or "dense" someone is you're just going to obscure anything relevant you have to say on the matter and both come across and unintelligent and childish.

Also everyone makes mistakes not everyone does something new and innovative, that's my 2 cents

@DanielM

wow ok, i should totally let random people put insults to me and offer no answer... i was merely addressing what i thought to be bad arguing, and without any provocation i get all sorts of accusations from this person, i point out how pathetic this essentially is and i am childish? wow... mind is truly blown...

i might be a bad christian [as they seem to advocate how you shouldn't talk back/physically defend yourself] but i believe that in the right circumstances i can speak for myself, also there's NOT A SINGLE POINT where i dismiss this person as "rancid" or "dense", this is my view on comments they address to me and their general perspective as they keep addressing "my personality" in a thread on importance of Jimi Hendrix...

You can address attacks on you, but I felt you could have done it in a way that wouldn't add fuel to the fire.

I'm not saying you were wrong to defend yourself just that you could have done it in a better manner, and if it carries on like this a mod is going to have to come and clean this up.

wow. this escalated quickly.

I agree with Mr.M on this one.

Since we're talking about Hendrix here.

I just want to drop this little gem off.

:P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7OScMjMk5Q

Bloomfield baby!

Also this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXjNMbgXvzg

XP

So to get back on topic here ...

I believe that Hendrix gets a ton of respect in the music community and it is without question deserved. He may not have had flawless live performances, but that is more than made up for by his innovative style. THAT is why he is so revered. Not his technical prowess but his creativity. Hendrix was a beast.

He was real.

That's why people love him.

Hendrix was great and Btimm has a good point. Because of his creativity he will always be revered and respected.

there is also the fact that he could sing over the crazy things that he played which is way more difficult than he made it look.

Hmmm I agree with that TGG,It did escalate quickly.

As DM pointed out, There really is no excuse for this kind of thing. In my first comment I stated my opinion ,and how no threads pointless on here. But you know,things kind of snowball. I have no idea How I get dragged into these things.But Im just as much to blame as him,

I should really know by now that its pointless to argue/or debate for that matter because people always seem to blow things out of proportion. There is no such thing as civilized debate anymore.

I honestly think the reason I felt the need to retaliate or whatever is because suppuss went on to say how ignorant and sad goldtops post. But before he called it ignorant,he claimed that he was not concerned in the least bit with the quality of the threads here.

I just dont think that is very fair to goldtop. He is a newer member,as is suppuss also, but I think it should be a common courtesy to not call others ignorant, especially if you have no pals,or knowledge of the people here.

Again,here I go trying to justify childish actions. No excuses. But it seems that nowadays the line between trying to expalin things in a logical manner and seeming like a pointless chilidsh squabble has been throughly blurred by the the overwhelming need to act jaded and mature,for whatever reason I have not found yet...Still looking.


But anyway,I apologize Suppuss. My comments were a bit dense and in bad taste. Guess I let that burst of illogic slip through the cracks of my brain. Again I hope you continue to post here. This is a great place to learn about guitar. You seem to have alot to offer to the community, it would be foolish to let this minor disagreement ruin a great place to ask questions and recieve answers.


Gs2112\M/(-.+)

I was 7 years old when Hendrix died. At the time, there was no one else like him. There hasn't been anyone like him since in my opinion. When Eddie Van Halen came on the scene, there was no one like him either. However, I've seen guitarists play Eddie's solos just as good as he did. I've never seen anyone play Hendrix like Hendrix. He was wild and untamed and one of the first rock and roll guitar gods. Of course he made mistakes in concert. We all do.

Another thing: you can't beat his phrasing. It is soooo perfect! I've seen and heard hundreds of versions of Purple Haze for example played by other people but they just can't come close. I think that's why he made mistakes incidentally. You take a huge risk when you phrase to your own heart when playing live with a band.