Why Little Wing seems IMPOSSIBLE to play

A closer look at one of the most iconic guitar intros ever record: Little Wing
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Hi, my name is Paul Davids! I am a guitar player, teacher, producer, and overall music enthusiast from the Netherlands! I try to inspire people from all over the world with my videos, here on KZbin.
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[@heavyrelic8506]

Can we please mention how crazy good this video has been edited ?! Awesome job Dude

[@victorwilburn8588]

One of Paul's consistent strengths.

[@SethPerler]

i love to watch paul improve as a creator over time, he's solid, a truly passionate creator

[@catedoge3206]

yuh

[@bobbyboyderecords]

it's AI

[@carlosfernandez3565]

There's a lot of thought behind this one. Feels like Paul is exploring the code for a new era of his videos.

[@christianfernandez8749]

"I'm sure he wasn't thinking like this; no one thinks about music like this when they're playing, but analyzing brilliant minds let us grow as musicians". - Paul Davids.

[@robertcialone6609]

Your answer is genius. I’m not a good drummer but sometimes I can’t stand these super analyzers analyze when what you are saying is totally correct thanks

[@SillyMoustache]

@@robertcialone6609 Please note that I have the highest regard for Paul D, and love his videos. I do think that Jimi's styles is sometime over analysed. Strangely, immediately after watching this video, I saw another by a well respected US guitarist analysing what he now thinks he has done wrong when playing Little Wing and Wind Cries Mary. I don't see the point of duplicating another's style - cover the songs, fine, but play it your own way.

[@shadracastrat]

​@SillyMoustache I couldn't agree more. I don't think Hendrix forensically dissected every note by his hero's. He learnt how to capture the flavour and make it his own. Plus he played live in front of people doing all sorts of music and gigs. You'll never get as good as hendrix sitting in a bedroom, as theres no pressure. Great editing and well made though.

[@zepp2498]

I agree complitly with you : he did not think about 'how' to play...but just the way he feels ( and it was each time different). Now we try to analyse things ( in my opnion). The result is often that we try to play the same way as he did....but if he would be here he would tell us that each one should play music ( and do things) the way they feel. And this is also why Hendrix did such a masterpeace when he played his way Dylan's ' all along the watchtower".

[@Snuffsaid2007]

Well obviously not. He was more likely thinking about "butterflies, zerbras and moonbeams" and where his next acid tab was coming from, but he subconsciously digested all these musical ideas at some point even if he didn't know all their names or dissect the theory.

[@puebloblau]

When I watched the interview with Rick beato and sting, sting said one of the most important things of a song is the element of surprise. The intro riff to little wing does exactly that. It's not just the changes in rhythm, but also all the different melodic elements Hendrix used. It almost feels like a rollercoaster of different emotion throughout that maybe 20 sec long intro. This element of surprise is why I never seem to get sick of that intro. Every time I hear it it feels like I still discover something new even though I have heard it 100+ times and deconstructed it when I tried to learn to play it. It just does something amazing to my brain, really an outstanding work of music!

[@mrlaserboy]

Beautiful song and it taught me so much as well about feel and that music and how you play it is sooo much more than just learning and hitting the correct notes

[@floob3rdoob3r]

I have no interest in Sting's music but he is 100% right. The journey of a song must remain interesting, and there's many ways you can intrigue the listener.

[@whatilearnttoday5295]

Rick Beato is a hack selling clickbait with keywords and whiteboards full of nonsense.

[@marcsullivan7987]

@@whatilearnttoday5295well, even if that’s what you think, you can’t deny the incredible string of long form interviews with titans of their genres

[@victorwilburn8588]

@@whatilearnttoday5295: His interviews with musicians are top-notch and consistently insightful, with few exceptions. The Sting interview was one of his better ones. Brian May and Daniel Lanois were also highlights. I tend to avoid his livestreams, since they tend to ramble (and even on his non-live stuff, his editing is not his strong point), and his "old man complaining about today's music" rants, which tend to be kind of lazy. He also doesn't have the teaching skills of Paul or of, say, David Bennett. I see his value as being more of an enthusiast who can get you excited about aspects of music that you might not otherwise have thought about deeply. In any case, again, his interviews are not to be missed. And it's pretty clear from the reactions of his subjects that he is NOT talking nonsense, but able to draw great insights from them. E.g. in the Sting interview, you could tell Sting was a bit wary at first (I imagine musicians often have to deal with clueless interviews), but by the end, he was explicit in saying how much he enjoyed the conversation. It was clear he was pleasantly surprised.

[@jeffrowlette]

Hendrix did every bit of this NATURALLY. The same way we talk...we all talk with a rhythm....Jimi's guitar was such a natural part of him, he literally spoke through his guitar.

[@Quikshiver]

I think you're on to it. This is like making a geometric analysis of a Monet painting.

[@SimonGilliard]

it's crazy how non musicians think music is magic

[@arthurt.chasperton3569]

You don’t actually play anything do you

[@jeffrowlette]

@@arthurt.chasperton3569 I most certainly do....

[@CornelisGerard]

But we all do that when we play an instrument. It's harder to play like a robot with exact timing to the beat and every note played at the same volume.

[@VictorTemchenko]

My dad, who was a seasoned musician and player, told me when i started playing guitar that I will only be “good” once I can play Little Wing properly. Took me many years to figure out why, and now you told them all the secret. You have to feel the groove.

[@gnatiu]

Your dad was wrong. There are people who cannot play Little Wing "properly" but are bloody good musicians.

[@nofrojeff2000]

I'm not the best player by any metric at all, and I'm a huge fan of this channel, but this entire video had me thinking "no sh*t just feel the groove and express it through your fingers" ..... Metronomes are great for practicing technique but not every lick needs to be broken down so analytically....maybe dude was just feeling the music..... idk that's how I play, in time but the fingers do the thinking more than the brain sometimes, I don't think about it and defer creative control to my hands

[@davidcodesidolopez1040]

@@nofrojeff2000 This. Specially when they say that every time Hendrix played it was different... No point in analyzing this. He was just feeling it every time and every time his feels were different. I don't picture Hendrix thinking ok, let's move this not 2 ms upfront so I create urgency and now 2 ms back so I can screw with people in the future trying to play this...

[@monkeyrevolution1964]

You need to bem Brazilian musician tô have the Groove

[@markv.5962]

@@davidcodesidolopez1040 that’s right. Same asm jimmy page

[@jonbona876]

I learned to play this song by ear about 20 years ago (when I was in my mid 20s). I never thought about it, I simply played by feel. But this is the best breakdown of Jimi's genius I have ever seen.

[@tristandennis3194]

wow maybe u r a genius too congrats

[@Alexander-Lionheart_1881]

Not really that impressive actually

[@doobledoo]

And I bet you play it badly

[@MegaGruik]

"this is the best breakdown of Jimi's genius I have ever seen." @jonbona876: it's obvious, you're absolutely right. Paul's work with his DAW allows you to understand the placement of each note. Paul is an excellent guitarist in many different genres and techniques. He is also a brilliant teacher, for me the best guitar teacher on the Internet. You certainly know his analysis of George Harrisson's performance in "Here comes the sun"...

[@thechamp9696]

I love all the visuals and the effort you put into this analysis. Great video! Really interesting stuff

[@TonyVirili]

Thank you, Paul, for not only preserving the magic of well composed and expertly performed music, but also the value of masterfully produced video content (some of the best online).

[@cowboygypsey]

Tim with Paul great to see everyone collaborating.

[@lukaskontrimavicius4417]

Hendrix just casually vibing with his guitar and not paying attention to the rythm, and people nowadays analyze every little thing he did like he did it on purpose. I like it.

[@johnnyjohnsonmusic]

100%

[@shnootch]

yeah wish I could casually vibe like that

[@1gerardt1]

Probably too stoned to keep the rhythm

[@christianfernandez8749]

​@@alexanderyaroslavich2703 at the end of the video he says: "I'm sure he wasn't thinking like this; no one thinks about music like this when they're playing, but analyzing brilliant minds let us grow as musicians". I don't think the point of the video is to get views but to realize how certain subtleties affect the way we hear or feel what we play as musicians.

[@RayHikes]

I don't think it's doing it "like he did it on purpose", this was on purpose. He didn't think about it like this, but he knew his groove. This is just the breakdown the rest of us have to do if we want to capture the feel that came naturally to him.

[@SillyMoustache]

Interesting video. Its about the options of "on, behind or ahead of the beat - something well known to drummers. I was "on the scene" in London and the same time as Jimi, Mitch and Noel. I never saw him live as our gigs always seemed to clash. I was a drummer then, and mentored Mitch a little as Charlie Watts mentored me. As a drummer, you don't "measure" everything you "feel" it which is what Mitch and I and of course Jimi did. Now as a guitarists. I frequently to do push, and/or pull notes in my soloing, which "humanises" and makes the melody more "emotional". Back in the day, I worked with a bass player that I went to school with. We just could not get on socially, but on stage our bass and drums fitted together perfectly doing those push and pulls together perfectly. Nick passed some years ago, as have most of my band in the '60s but oh they were cool days!

[@baronsonics]

this was a cool read

[@SillyMoustache]

@@baronsonics Thanks.

[@Hyper5nic]

Amazing! From an early album of Sting, 'Little wing' is my favourite song, but the depth of the knowledge shared here, is what makes me want to pick up my guitar and start playing right away! Thank you for sharing this, and I'm definitely interested in your course now! All the best, cheers!

[@johnnymcauley6216]

Third Stone From The Sun also has a really unusual feel. Jimi's rhythm playing was lush.

[@dr.buzzvonjellar8862]

Jimi’s nervous system was incredible. He had a foot in another world. Some of his work is just magical.

[@djhygs]

No he was a blues guitarist who had one or two new ideas. He was not a god, and did not come up with much that hadn't been done before him.

[@gameboyjacks]

@@djhygs nah he was a god for sure

[@Monyornothin]

Every note he played got special consideration and treatment. No one can replicate Jimi. He had the grooviest soul ever ✌️😎

[@CareySullivan-cu3fw]

@@djhygs Sure if you say so😂

[@Peter7966]

@@djhygs I wonder why so many great guitarists thought that Jimi Hendrix was something uniquely special, not just a blues guy doing the typical blues guitar cliches? Jimi was a transformative player who changed the landscape of electric guitar playing for most every electric guitar players afterward.

[@devanshsoni8622]

Thank you so much for making videos for us and doing so much for music, I really can't thank you enough, you really really have helped me in my Guitar journey. Love you! ❤

[@Pooker_CS]

It would be cool if you did this kind of analysis on Stevie Ray Vaughan's version and then compare them to each other, just to see the difference. (Not trying to start a war in the comments between which is best, would just be fun to really understand the differences between the versions.) Great video by the way!

[@Dr.Pepperdave]

Great idea.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Agreed. There is no best. I'm sure Stevie would say that there is the original, and everything else is just a copy. And we are all winners listening to the efforts.

[@martijn_yt]

There is a similar problem if you try to copy many EVH riffs. Many guitar players can now copy all his notes in the right order at a comparable speed (or even faster). But there is (almost ?) no one that can play them with his unique 'shuffle' feel :)

[@localbod]

​@@martijn_ytI agree. Van Halen definitely made it swing.

[@user-nb5ce8qo6x]

P​@@lawrencetaylor4101

[@Art_Vandelay_Industries]

One of my all time favorites brilliantly analysed. Top notch production quality too

[@UrbanGarden-rf5op]

@ 12:30 My theory is that the super straight lick was a count in for mr Mitchell. A call and response moment. I just love videos like this one 🎶

[@mannoplanet]

great point... count in would be needed too!

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

That's super smart of you to pick up on that I never would've thought of it that way

[@fadenyaba8650]

I like your theory, makes perfect sense!

[@BenjiSchaub]

Hihi 🤭, and then the drums come in with all triplets...

[@kinnellian]

Spot on. Exactly this. It has "Cue" stamped all over it.

[@cartersteveify]

Fantastic video Paul. Hands down my favorite song to play, and the one that has taught me the most as a guitarist as I am sure is the case with many people. The swing breakdown into a visual representation is great. From playing this so many times, I've always thought that he is loving the sound of the amp and the specific notes/harmonics in some of these spots, and just letting the notes ring for an extra tiny little bit of time, and in other places using space/silence to enjoy this clean guitar/amplifier interaction ....... I know when I play in an "enhanced" state, as if often the case, and was with Jimi... this feeling becomes a lot stronger, especially when you love the tone you are getting from your rig !

[@NateManG]

Great video. Little Wing has been my favorite song for years, and this intro will likely be my favorite piece of guitar music until i die. It just makes you FEEL something.

[@JayTeeProds]

Why is this video the perfect video right when Little Wing has been on my mind the past month!? Thanks again Paul!!

[@family-accountemail9111]

I ve been thinking about it for 45 yrs

[@rogerYT69]

same😊

[@professorkaos62]

Same. I've actually been working on learning SRV's cover of it the past few days lol

[@tomfinn8076]

The interplay of rhythms between Hendrix ad Mitchell really is the stuff of magic. Its amazing how they both change the syncopation up so much, yet always find themselves back together with the last note.

[@IntoTheSky19]

The two were TERRIFIC together

[@risteardohaodha23]

Exactly this

[@jayjones2821]

Yup

[@alecursini]

This video is amazingly nerdy and so good. Appreciate the breakdown and the editing is great. 👍🏼

[@GranPaMark]

Thank you Paul - your presentation always works for me, such clarity of thought. Good Stuff.

[@scottcurry4116]

Perfect timing! I’ve been working on this piece and was learning from Tim Pierce’s lesson. Thanks!

[@codyunruh7071]

This song completely changed the way I play and I’ve never played it how he plays it on the recording. Jimi never played it the same twice. Guitar players preach about playing things exactly how they were recorded but thats not how the greats got great tbh learning how they were thinking when they played is better. Learn to improvise over the chord progression rather than what notes he plays in the recording, thats pretty much all Jimi’s doing the whole song and it’ll help your improvising/writing drastically

[@guitarfriendtim]

Awesome, Paul. Swing, straight, shuffle and free - Jimi played with all the colors, all the time

[@aaronnebauer6046]

Bravo! I've been teaching guitar for almost 30 years and I steer my students toward your videos because your analysis is always so solid. The editing on this video is next level too, well done and thank you Paul

[@michael52250]

So amazing... and great to see two of my favorites working together.

[@Scoots1994]

Two of my top songs of all time are covers. Jimi's version of All Along the Watchtower, and SRVs Little Wing.

[@NosretapH]

SRV's Little Wing is fantastic but one of the things I love most about the Hendrix original is how short it is. It ends gently but quickly. When I first heard it I couldn't believe it had ended so soon, I felt it was just getting started! But the ephemeral nature of it adds to the beauty of the track, it almost feels fragile. Very fitting for a song (presumably) about his mother's spirit. For all its brilliance the SRV version loses that.

[@pandadoublexl]

@@NosretapH it also misses the beautiful vocals and lyrics

[@daddyg1973]

I love it when people say that Hendrix was a "sloppy" player. It immediately lets me know that person has never really listened to Hendrix. I mean, really listened.

[@scottemmonsmusic6001]

There is no bigger Hendrix fan than me, at 10 years old when are you experienced came out it took me a month just to get one roof in the intro of little wing because it was heavily swung and he started off with a minor second and ended with a major Triad, but when he played live sometimes he was really sloppy he had a lot of off nights and also some nights that were so good it defies analyzing. He became the instrument that was being played by music. Band of gypsies January 1st 1970 first show I don't know and machine gun in particular also La Forum 1970 was amazingly great although the recordings are not that great

[@sigiligus]

Cope. The reason all these mid-20th century players have all these "inimitable sounds" is precisely because it was sloppy. There's an adage that an unskilled person can be dangerous in a fight because he will move erratically and unpredictably, whereas a trained person will reliably move in predictable, systematic ways. Same thing with the old guitar players. It was drugged out "let's just see what happens" playing. It gave unique sounds, and it is definitely difficult to replicate with intention, but it was not profound genius because some music nerds can technically describe that a bunch of different bits of theory happened to be manifested. That's just post hoc intellectualising. A professional painter could just as easily look at a child throwing a bucket of paint on a canvas and describe the result in terms of all sorts of highbrow painting techniques. Doesn't mean the child tapped into the power of the cosmos to intuitively manifest a work of genius. None of these guitarists you idolise from the boomer-era can even replicate their own playing. Hendrix himself was never able to play the same thing twice. Neither can any of them. And no, that is not a good thing. Literally every other group of musicians on the planet besides electric guitar players know this.

[@predeterminedmeat5024]

​​​​Did you forget the entire genre of free jazz? I don't think they were replicating the songs they made. I highly doubt you're a musician of any worth if you don't know the importance of improv. If hendrix wanted to he could learn all his solos and riffs perfectly (within human limit) he was certainly technically able, some of his riffs he played very well live were very complex. But that would suck. Everytime i find a new bootleg of Jimi i'm excited by the fact i know he's going to switch it up and do some cool shit. He was an improv player and that's why people love him. Jimi Hendrix is and for the forseable future the greatest guitarist to ever walk the earth. Your assumption that he was unable to play the same thing twice is dumb, plain and simple. The fact he didn't doesn't make him a worse guitarist it makes him a better one.

[@forester057]

@@sigiligus Derp

[@singleplayer75]

@@sigiligus I get your point to a degree. But in every art form, especially music, being too accurate and always repeating one thing a thousand times over, defeats the very purpose of it. To be FUN and emotional. It's the difference between ART and a CRAFT. He couldn't play it the same way? He had proved x times during his career that he never ever wanted it that way. People are not robots. All Along The Watchtower is another great example - you take the swing out of it and it becomes bland. It's even in the way he sings it. The terms ''groove'', ''swing'' and ''shuffle'' were coined based on it all, for a reason.

[@benneville4531]

What a great analysis and brilliantly presented. It was accessible and easy to follow, really like the way you teach

[@TheBeanGreen]

Your videos always get my creativity going when I have writers block. And thanks for putting us on to some of these oldies. Great to draw inspiration from.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

It's amazing and pleasing for me to find that the default Jimi picture in use for the last year or so is from the second Royal Albert Hall show in February 1969. I was at both shows and that second one is the best evening I have ever had at any kind of concert. Interesting video.

[@robertworrall2346]

Blessings to you🙏 You have lived well, in the presence of Divinity.

[@russellzauner]

Next Video: I got an email from Jimi Hendrix

[@eddy50]

Brilliant video! Putting a bit of explanation on that non-sense beauty and magic that jumps out of this legendary intro makes it even more incredible. And explains why I still can't play it right although I have the right notes...

[@purleybaker]

It's one of my favorite songs and having it broken down like this is amazing. Thank you.

[@Jvst0nTime]

The video quality is on another level ! I enjoyed every minute of it even though I can't play guitar😂❤❤

[@faboolean7039]

I think these are the kind of details that are missing from modern instagram type guitar

[@denysholovatyi3149]

most of it is uninventive crap but the best insta guitarists will be ( some already are) the virtuosos and trail blaizers of the future

[@Kaktysh_metal]

It's a problem of modern music in common. Everything is quantized, even if it doesn't need to

[@johnharpdalton4092]

A great and incontrovertible analysis of the shifting rhythms that make those few seconds so fascinating RHYTHMICALLY... and then there's the beautiful, tasteful and sparing way he voices those chords... it's wonderfully rich music that doesnt need a video to boost and sell it.

[@jimshunamon2512]

Awesome! You just opened a whole new understanding for me of one of my most favorite tunes ever. Thank you Paul!

[@MrPnew1]

Great to see Paul and Tim analyse Hendrix's musical techniques and timing in Little Wing

[@harolddeschenes4640]

You have no idea what a relief this video is to me. I have been struggling with Little Wing for more than 25 years... I've been playing guitar for 40 years and I still can't play it right. So thank you for making feel better. If Mr. Pierce still can't play it the way Jimi did, all hopes are lost for me. LOL

[@jpdemer5]

On the bright side, you now know what it is that you need to work on!

[@padouchtrips5485]

you just blew my mind. I have known for some years, that dude was beyond ages. MOSTLY with lyrics (for me, which are incredible and go insanely deep), technique, inventions, sound, the easiness for him to play it, play guitar the other way with with strings backwards, come to London and outta nowhere playing with Clapton, theres just so much. The Legend, beloved Mr. Jimi Hendrix

[@evenholtar]

Love your videos Paul Davids. Very helpful for beginners like myself. You go very deep into things, and I can't find that with any other teacher. Also, your auro, persona and editing skills put together is making this superb. Kind regards from Norway

[@Nik.No.K]

This is the problem with music nowadays. Everyone is so focused on perfection that they forgot how actual music made by humans is supposed to sound. It’s not supposed to be perfect

[@frandsenphilip1]

Excellent video! I finally heard a good comparison between different blues shuffle styles - thank you!

[@Ju_Guitar]

Congrats Paul for all the videos and tutorials you've sent over the years. Great job! I follow you from France. A bientôt!

[@mikebauer6917]

Didn’t understand much of this, but your enthusiasm made it very engaging.

[@johncrafton8319]

It's a pretty simple concept: Hendrix's sense of timing was always "in the moment". He played how he felt. It was a conversation between Jimi and his rhythm section, with Jimi seeming to be in his own world while the rest of the band kept him anchored so he wouldn't just float away.

[@BryonMondok]

This is such a great video. Thanks for breaking this down so well.

[@arottie4097]

W0W! You sir are a fabulous music educator! Thank you for sharing!!

[@herrunsinn774]

Note to self: Burn guitar before going to bed tonight. 😅🤣😂

[@lansley8621]

I went to the cinematic premier of Jimi's performance @ the Royal Albert Hall back in 2019 (footage showing his RAH show 1969). I was awestruck the whole night - mostly when he played Little Wing.

[@scottemmonsmusic6001]

For a few seconds at the Royal Albert Hall Show he played the most amazing Blues I have ever heard as an opening to hear my train coming. For people that say he wasn't a blues player let them hear those few seconds

[@ka74]

Good video and interesting analysis of the tempo and styles influencing his playing style back in the day. The one thing that really stands out with Hendrix at least for me is that his guitar playing has a very "vocal" approach to it. Meaning his compositions felt more like a vocal than a guitar composition and that allows for a lot of creativity with the tone, style and very importantly the timing. He was notorious for his "imperfect" timing but he excelled in bringing to back together which is probably why he placed those 4:4 staccato pieces in the middle of the more ad hoc tempo sequences - it gave him a footing to get back to the baseline and tempo. Very much like a vocalist would do to create that emotion and style to extend notes and add the emotion to the tune. I think that vocal approach is why he never played the same song exactly, just like a vocalist will improvise depending upont he feeling and emotions of the day or the crowd or feel in the group in the moment. Thank goodness he wasn't saddled with a metronome or an autotune - imagine what we would have lost in terms of genius if that were the case!

[@jvalentif]

I watch your´s and Tim´s videos over and over again. Thank ou very much.

[@alwaysright3718]

Stevie Ray Vaughn can play it...

[@earthgirdler23]

He definitely can't

[@tomaswilliamson9685]

SRV's cover of LW is a remarkable tune, but it's not the original Little Wing. JH's Little Wing is entirely unique, and no one has mastered it during the intervening years.

[@JustinWillhoit]

Better than Jimi even

[@aidilmubarock5394]

Not the same

[@StopTheRot]

@@JustinWillhoityes. We should give SRV a gold medal and Hendrix a silver. We absolutely must put them in order. Music is about efficiency and perfection, not boring old creativity.

[@PlayLikeTheGreatscom]

11:59 That *C* chord [x3201x] is actually a *C6* chord [x3221x]! (I suppose he used his middle finger for both notes on fret 2 with a “shared fingertip fretting”.)

[@pietervermeulen67]

It's called 'shared finggertip fretting' or sff! I was thaught that technique by Wim Overgaauw.! Jimi Hendrix used it also with an open E chord by using his 2nd finger on the A and D strings. You put your finger between the two strings. It's not a partial bar. And with this C chord he did the same and made it a C6 by placing his 2nd finger between the D and G strings. That's why those necks are more narrow in that area I guess!

[@PlayLikeTheGreatscom]

@@pietervermeulen67 Thank you - I never heard this term until now! I edited my comment accordingly :D

[@odesseus]

Thanks, Paul, this was incredibly eye opening!

[@foesherino77]

What an insightful vid, amazingly well done Paul!

[@raiga2916]

This guy is him

[@eyesofpangea9659]

That's because hendrix made mistakes. he never played the same thing twice. He said it himself. People try to copy him so much they copy his mistakes.

[@Trwillis9]

Wrong lol.. he played things different for variation sakes lol.. and he was insane at improvising..

[@johnnyandersson5622]

No mistakes, you are metronom injured if you think that. Same goes for all blues and many rock genres. It's almost always hilarious when someone schooled playes blues.

[@mastpg]

Meh, that's like saying Jordan made a "mistake" switching hands while going down the lane at Sam Perkins during game 2 of the '91 finals. Jimi was a performer. He wasn't replicating anything. He wasn't playing as a session guitarist. He was f'ing Jimi Hendrix. The idea of a "perfect" performance isn't really useful in this sense.

[@JPVanderbuilt]

Hendrix was *brilliantly* bending the concepts of music. If you think those were mistakes, you’ve just missed the beauty & power of Hendrix.

[@mastpg]

@@JPVanderbuilt Ok, yes...but there are also might have been pauses and hiccups in some of his old, live, bootleg stuff...or even studio stuff...that your nostalgia goggles might have deemed brilliant but that might have just been his pushing back his sleeve or moving his cigarette...but then he just fell into the vibe that created, again because he's a genius, and changed the whole song on the fly. Jazz groups do this all the time when jamming for long sets because they're dropping this instrument or that percussion guy to the bathroom or a drink or flirting with the waitress. I wouldn't be surprised, if we had a full documenting of every session, that we might not find that Jimi was thinking on his feet more often than we might believe.

[@1234drums]

Such deep and interesting analysis of a beautiful masterpiece, ty ❤❤❤❤

[@BLAOWsub]

Your editing is amazing !!

[@newardinesh1938]

Jimi Hendrix is league on his own class❤ He changes the way of playing the guitar. One the True G.O.A.T of guitar

[@Dr.Pepperdave]

Truth!

[@abrahamdavidsmith]

Is there a recording of the full discussion with Tim Pierce?

[@Pierrico]

That's all we want to know now!

[@rajivtewari4881]

Always love your video analyses.. ❤

[@JohnCollis]

Bravo. Brilliantly described and shown. This is such an important part of Hendrix's playing. Well done.

[@Bokkie100k]

Long story short: it's called "feel"

[@damianval4626]

Have you got it?

[@Bokkie100k]

@@damianval4626 not enough

[@Schattenhall]

You're misinterpreting the point of this video. It's only about analyzing the "what", not the "why"

[@Bokkie100k]

@@Schattenhall "feel" is the "what"

[@deemstyle]

I know this is sacrilegious, but if Jimi Hendrix never played it the same way twice- is it possible he just had a poor internal metronome?

[@ieldepiel]

No

[@DapperHesher]

Or he was just a freeform player like jazz already established by the 1960s. These tiresome boomers will keep analyzing this shit and not making any noteworthy music themselves until they die. Content>>>creativity... until AI usurps them. I'm kinda on the side of AI at this point. It might accidentally discover Holdsworth or Aaron Funk or Mattias IA Eklundh.

[@Jones-xf5rr]

No

[@dariocaporuscio8701]

When guitarist like Hendrix or Page played a bit sloppy, like Miles Davis on the trumpet, it was an intentional musical choice to convey a message. If Hendrix didn't have a good internal metronome he wouldn't be able to play with his trio at such a good level. A poor internal metronome would prevent you from playing in tempo, what changes here is the feel of the pulse, not the tempo.

[@dariocaporuscio8701]

A person that can't play in tempo would not be able to play on the beat. In many musical styles, being musical means being able to go slightly off the beat for then immediately returning on the beat, for expressive purposes, and this is much more challenging for a mediocre musician than just stay in tempo, it requires a much stronger internal metronome

[@paulemccullough]

I love the way you visualize music theory for your viewers. Those of us who don’t have a background in music can understand and appreciate this so much more. Good stuff!

[@salatieljyrustumanan4929]

I took for granted the rhythmic intricacies of this riff and played it out to the conventional way of rhythmic playing. Turns out, Jimi had a more artistic take than we could hope to achieve. And it is beautiful to listen and break it down and look at it with a new perspective other than "these notes are playable, so it can't be that hard" but the rhythm, the flow, and nuance come from a time where we play in a linear grid, hoping to sound rhythmically symmetrical. Great insight, Paul!

[@Paul71H]

I came here to watch this video before it gets blocked for including Jimi Hendrix music.

[@michimutze7817]

You need brown sugar for that😊

[@chrisjelley6899]

Love this. Been trying to nail the intro for years. Always sounded wrong, now I know how to approach it. Thanks. Any chance of you doing more vids with Tim? Both of yall radiate so much love for what you do.

[@mcgandur]

Thank you Paul! Incredible video and analysis.

[@thatderek]

Might get flamed for this and absolutely no disrespect to Jimi at all but Stevie Ray takes this song to the next level. Of course the original is legendary but this is one of the rare times the cover is better IMO. RIP Jimi and SRV.

[@nicko6710]

The beauty of Little Wing is that it is 2:26 long (and is a song) not a wank fest of licks for 10 mins. You have totally missed the point. Even SRV didn't release it. Posthumous album.

[@thatderek]

@@nicko6710 Seems I've somehow offended your knowledge of music history and taste. I apologize for stoking any inner negativity. When it comes to art I have always felt the point is to find something that connects emotionally and 'stirs the soul'. I honestly try my best not to let history or someones opinion (especially the artist) influence me. Hendrix connects so deeply with so many other songs and I like his covers of Hey Joe and All Along the Watchtower much more than Dylan's. However, for me personally, something about the feel, tone, and improv of those runs in SRV's cover simply speaks to me. Jimi is a legend but I think SRV took a great song, injected something more, and made it universally emotional no matter the language of the listener. I respect your opinion, arguing with someone about art is pretty silly. Peace ✌

[@rudicci]

I love Paul and Tim, but honestly, I find this overanalyzing Hendrix's recording kind of...religious-like. Back then, no metronome, live takes, full of feeling and flow; talking about "swing" when it's probably a case of internal timing and adjustment seems like a reach to me. Love the video and the quality, but it gets to that uncanny valley of "Ok, this is KZbin Video excitement over nothing". Keep it up PD!

[@joseph-ow1hf]

This is one of the most interesting things I've seen in my journey to try to really understand music. Brilliant job Paul!

[@nathanspindler6385]

I play that song for my 3 yo son nearly every time we go somewhere in the truck. I had no idea all the nuances in it and why. Very well-edited video and breakdown!

[@Grabulosa]

Next Level Playing id a beautiful course to do, I enjoy every bit. I honestly recommend it. Many thanks for that Paul, your video editing is getting better and better. Your musical talent is obvious. Amazing stuff.

[@carlosmoralespompa]

Just amazing, awesome analysis!!!

[@BrickDavis]

DUDE PAUL!!!! you make me so happy, you're so skilled, and talented....thank you

[@MrSandford]

Absolutly fantastic. Thank you for doing the hard yards in breaking down the song. Will change my perspective forever

[@stefanzaharievski3320]

Great video! Inspired a lot by Paul, I've been doing the Next Level Playing last 12 months and its markedly improved my guitar playing. I get to see my guitar with new eyes every day now :)

[@MarRecusable]

I love this technological take on music analisys. I learned more from here than every day I spent on guitar magazines. Ty.

[@paulhilton7446]

What a beautiful video, so nicely laid out and explained.

[@vincentgirard-reydet2447]

Wow, brillant analysis. As you say, it's all in the subtleties. Thanks for drilling them down like this, this opens lots of creative playing ideas!

[@tennisplayer421]

I love the analysis in this video Paul. Like you said, it's very unlikely that he was consciously thinking of it when playing it, but I think it's a great demonstration of what REALLY matters in music. So many of the guitar riffs you see on Instagram and TikTok are just somebody shredding a thousand notes a second, two hand tapping, or flying up and down the fretboard. In reality though, what really makes inspiring music are things like note choice or experimenting with time feel. I hope that the generations to come don't lose these critically important elements of music of favor of something flashy for a TikTok post!

[@willster7272]

Once again a great edited video and explanation, you are the undisputed king of you tube guitar lessons my friend

[@dougmishoe1336]

Awesome!! Love this breakdown. 🎸🎸

[@stepandvoraknezvorak5425]

Thank you for explanation, I have been thinking there is something special about this song since I started play guitar

[@sweetsjelly]

Beautiful analysis!🤩

[@davidcann8788]

Thanks for breaking down the timing on this. I've always wondered about Little Wing and why I found its oddness beautiful.

[@AhmadAboulFarag]

I love this video so much cause that's what I always heard in Hendrix music... Not to mention the way he strikes each string differently so that it would twang or just a normal strike and the dynamics of selecting which notes to emphasize. That's how I feel when I play too. It's wonderful.

[@yorkhawk3223]

Phenomenal video. Excellent analysis.

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Fascinating. Should do more on this topic.

[@MrRonnmaui]

Very insightful. I had no idea to the layers going on in there.

[@elholt7095]

Don't think, feel. Thanks for the very cool analysis! Cheers!

[@martinvanderlinden4031]

Beautifully explained! The same thing goes for Ritchie Blackmore playing the intro of Lazy on Made in Japan.

[@BeForFree]

Yes Jimi so so good, crazy good piece of music too, a music gem...but never forget that fantastic drummer that stand behind him...