Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze - Free Sheet Music Riff
Jimi Hendrix Blues-based licks
by David M. McLean
Here are some burning blues runs similar to what Jimi utilized in songs like "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady". They are all based on the pentatonic minor and these sorts of blues-rock licks set the pace for guitar players to follow.
Example one uses a rapid-fire bend & pull simile followed by some quick descnding pull-offs. Notice the "blue note" (flatted 5 in bars 3 & 4) and the quick shift from the 12th position to the 5th position at the end of bar 3. Finally, be sure to play the opening licks freely, rather than perfectly as written.
Example two: The beginning of this example is notated to imply the speed changes Hendrix was noted for. That is, he'd play in free-time over the band, then jet back in and play in perfect time. Don't play bar one as notated, then, but with a free feel. Just be sure to hit bar #2 right in the pocket. Bar 4 can be played either as written or freely, depending on how close you want the call & response effect. Note in the final bar that you can almost hear how Jimi would start calling up the feedback and bashing on the whammy bar!
Have fun with these licks and then apply some of the free-time concepts to your own playing within - or outside of - the blues framework and see what you come up with.
See ya next time!
=====
(January 2004)
Index
David
M. McLean is the proprietor of Skinny
Devil Music Labs, former guitarist of the avant-garde fusion-metal
band Aurora-Sen, guitar instructor, and columnist for TinFoil
Music Magazine (where he conducts interviews in the on-going series
“Guitar Gods”). His new solo album, “HUNGER”,
will be released later this year.
Sheet Music to Buy by Jimi Hendrix
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Jimi Hendrix: Experience Hendrix Performed by Jimi Hendrix. For guitar, voice, bass guitar and drum set. Format: complete score songbook. With guitar tablature, standard notation, vocal melody, lyrics, chord names, bass tablature, drum notation, guitar notation legend, bass notation legend, drum notation legend and performance notes. Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock and Classic Rock. Series: Hal Leonard Transcribed Scores. 368 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.672397)
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Jimi Hendrix: Signature Licks (A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques) Performed by Jimi Hendrix. For guitar. Includes instructional book (song excerpts only) and examples CD. With guitar tablature, standard notation, chord names, instructional text, performance notes and guitar notation legend. Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock and Instructional. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Signature Licks. 80 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.696560)
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Jimi Hendrix: Blues Performed by Jimi Hendrix. Guitar tablature songbook for guitar and voice. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Recorded Versions. 142 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.694944)
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Jimi Hendrix: Experience Hendrix - Book One Performed by Jimi Hendrix, written by Michael Johnson. For guitar. Includes instructional book and examples CD. With guitar tablature, standard notation, instructional text, instructional photos, illustrations, chord names and guitar chord diagrams. Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock, Classic Rock and Learn To Play. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Method. 64 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.695159)
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Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced Performed by Jimi Hendrix. For drum set and voice. Format: drum songbook. With drum notation, vocal melody, lyrics, drum notation legend and chord names. Psychedelic rock, hard rock and classic rock. Series: Hal Leonard Drum Recorded Versions. 104 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.690372)
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Jimi Hendrix - Volume 2 A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques. Performed by Jimi Hendrix. Signature Licks (Authentic guitar transcriptions in notes and tab). Book & CD Package. With notes and tablature. Size 9x12 inches. 104 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (695835)
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Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits Performed by Jimi Hendrix. Guitar tablature songbook for guitar and voice. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Recorded Versions. 120 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.690602)
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Jimi Hendrix: Anthology (Lead Sheets for 73 Songs) Performed by Jimi Hendrix. For voice and instrument chords. Format: fakebook. With vocal melody, lyrics, chord names and black & white photos. Psychedelic rock, hard rock and classic rock. Series: Hal Leonard Fake Books. 202 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.306930)
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Jimi Hendrix: South Saturn Delta Performed by Jimi Hendrix. Guitar tablature songbook for guitar and voice. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Recorded Versions (Authentic note-for-note transcriptions), . 232 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.690280)
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