Soloing Secrets - Jimi Hendrix

Here's the next episode of Soloing Secrets with Jimi Hendrix. I've had a lot of requests to feature more of Jimi's music, so I figured it would be a good time to tackle some of Jimi's lead style and this lesson hits a number of his favorite things to do when performing a lick, fill, phrase, or solo.
As I mention in the video, I did the research/prep for this episode using the transcription books for Jimi's original three studio albums (Are You Experienced - Axis: Bold As Love - Electric Ladylady) and studied his phrasing, playing habits, common motifs/themes, and recurring ideas on the fretboard. The examples shared here are the results of what I found while studying the bulk of his music.
The main thing you'll take away from this episode (aside from a ton of Hendrix-inspired licks) is building a solid foundation of phrasing and playing melodically using various bending and vibrato movements and techniques. There are a lot of bending licks and variations floating around in this lesson, so take your time with some of these ideas and feel free to create additional variations and licks of your own design.
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[@williamjones8926]

One of the best lessons on Hendrix’s style - period.

[@drpacman9996]

Been playing Hendrix for 16 year, have the same 4 books shown here. As the KZbinr millstap says, hendrix really is the gift that just keeps on giving

[@brianmenke]

I have been playing for years, and I'm still learning a ton from watching your lessons! Sometimes people don't really know the positive effects they are having on peoples lives. You certainly are on mine! Thank you so much!!

[@greg77hot]

I am on a Hendrix binge right now, but I'll tell Ya ...I never really "got" Hendrix, and I am 62 years old ..The best connection I have is with Jimi Hendrix is Robin Trower, Uli Roth and even Frank Marino and thanks to guys like you Dave who bring his music into a deeper understanding for me. I think if I was kind of "there" in the Woodstock era maybe I'd feel differently.

[@markdakel9253]

Excellent chops and feel for this lesson, there are many people that can play the notes but not make the music, you made. The Hendrix tone come alive. spot on with it.

[@MrAxman53]

Perfectly said. You can learn all the notes and where to put your fingers, but that doesn't make it happen. There are only a couple of Hendrix tunes I've ever felt competent enough to cover.

[@KajHeGeHaggman]

Very interesting!

[@NERDOFUNK]

Finaly, THANK YOU very much! =)

[@DAVIDSMITH-io6pc]

Richie blackmore used double stops and unison bends often ,too,all good stuff.

[@laureanoahmad7495]

Hendrix style is part of electric guitar's history. He really opened a door to the new generation of young guitar players Just like Miles Davis did to the jazz world.

[@davroshalfbeard8368]

Gold mine this channel always come away with something that is useful 🤟

[@jeffd7557]

Great lesson ... You can never go wrong with Jimi 👍👁👁👍

[@Dunk0The0Punk]

Dave that was a very cool breakdown of Jimi's technique thanks for sharing 😀

[@Boomsterblak]

Wow ,as always Dave you are # 1,,Jimi big influence for me early and 40 years later..found this on a Monday morning..guess I'm late for work today...thanks so much for your in depth expertise ..

[@hugechimp]

Excellent... Jimi, Baby..TY Dave!

[@tammymiller506]

great as always thank you

[@tallpaul1020]

Fantastic. Great lesson. Thx David

[@joec942]

For me, the definitive Hendrix record is The Band of Gypsys...THAT one note in Machine Gun..😳

[@randall9000]

Same here. The crazy tragic part about Jimi is he just kept getting better and better. Loved when he was backed by Cox and Mitchell (I prefer him over Miles). Can’t imagine what he would’ve done throughout the 70s and 80s

[@blakerogers7079]

True facts dude.

[@qddk9545]

I only care for the first 3 albums 🙂

[@italiad1013]

You need a USB JIMI!!! USB Ace needs a friend!🎵👍😂

[@tomdutra977]

Great lesson Dave . Jimi had heart and soul in his music. Thank you for putting your heart and soul in these lessons....

[@gregmize01]

Another amazing lesson! Thanks Dave!🎸 🎸🎸🎸

[@Marceloriighiii]

Thanks for the lesson Dave, really nice playing !!

[@buddylobos5277]

In the '60's, to show your guitar skills 'the Wind Cries Mary' was the song to do. Lots of bands had it down, and played it well. This is a really good lesson doing Hendrix clean. Remember, he wrote "Summer Rain" a clean sound and a major hit for Johnny Rivers.

[@chriscampbell9191]

Great comment, but "Summer Rain" (a great song) was written by folksinger James Hendricks, a different guy.

[@CorbCorbin]

Many players don’t change the rhythm for the solo section, which always seems odd to me, as it’s not that difficult for a rhythm player, and it makes the solo sound great. One can always keep jamming over the main progression if one wants a longer solo.

[@dezionlion]

Jimi Hendrix was his stage name

[@buddylobos5277]

@@chriscampbell9191 We didnot know that. We just heard it was Jimi Hendrix. Funny though. That was the late '60's and we were busy coving "Soul Man" & "Louie Louie".

[@maximusindicusoblivious180]

Thanks David. Great lesson. You deserve a pot of gold for this one. Now go and make a Jimi inspired song for your viewers and I'll be the first to buy it.

[@gregmize01]

"That god damn machine gun" -Miles Davis

[@tonychavez1733]

Great lesson, thank you Dave

[@jb7778]

Thank you for your hard work. You make being a guitarist a little more exciting every time you post a video. Cheers brother.

[@dezionlion]

Your vibrato is so good you dont even need a univibe!

[@tomcox875]

Late to the party but this is my favorite lesson so far.

[@KoryMJohnson]

When I watch his videos, I feel like I'm sitting across from my cool friend in high school, and he's helping me figure out the guitar stuff I need to know. It's rare you meet (or find on KZbin) someone that you can connect with musically like this. He delves into the "why" of what's going on, like few out there. Definitely someone you'd like to go have a beer with.

[@voronOsphere]

Same experience for me. Very easy to watch and follow and learn!

[@voronOsphere]

Thanks, David! I definitely need to absorb more Hendrix into my approach! "Hendrix-ims." Love this series!

[@nicolasmaurin182]

You are awesome. Thanks ! Gonna look at your tabs now to practice

[@300jet]

OUTSTANDING lesson!

[@guitarthink]

Ohhhh yeah..... Have not watched yet but I know this will be good!

[@voronOsphere]

And you would be right!

[@Mike-rw2nh]

I kinda feel bad watching this without paying for it. Thank you so much.

[@dougstubbs4351]

oh yeah is that time again one of the things I look forward too, a new Late Night Lessons. Your lessons are great. I've learned so much in the past few months from your channel from theory,techniques, different chord voicings to discovering new guitar players. Definitely a well rounded channel. Thanks for your wisdom and time

[@reddrw1]

Thanks for another great lesson...

[@cacornett58]

I remember hearing Hey Joe on am radio around 1968

[@Boogieplex]

Best Hendrix lesson out there in my opinion. Hit the main points,and nailed his core habbits. What a great teacher you are,and a great player. One thing id love to see one day is YOUR playing. Maybe you improvising over a backing track,and then breaking down how you approach the fretboard. Also, ive always been curious about the amp your using there. Ive never seen anything like it. What’s the story with that thing?

[@voronOsphere]

An Original Improvisation Late Night Lesson by David would be really cool! Great idea!

[@kenfroehlich4242]

Came here for the lick where you bend up a whole tone on the B string and then catch the G string with the same finger. Was not disappointed. What a unique and inventive lick!

[@DavidPyle0101]

Really great examples of Jimi's music and his style! Thanks for sharing these tips and techniques!

[@7thString84]

Wow, man! This lesson is again great! I'm sitting here and I'm paying my most attention to the vibrato, while trying some of it myself. It's really the hardest part. Your vibrato is so damn good! That's what I've been thinking since I follow your channel. Every time. I can't do it that effortlessly, wide and relatively fast, while being totally smooth and regular. I'd love to see some advice on your vibrato and what you did to achieve this control. Cheers from Germany! :)

[@donaldbergmann5405]

Same on the vibrato , David has those gifted guitar hands like Hendrix did.. it would not be the same without good vibrato and he definitely has IT..

[@tonepoet]

There was a teacher band at my high school in the mid-80's that played various stuff (Loverboy, BOC, other pop stuff), but they played Purple Haze and Foxey Lady. I asked one of the teachers whose songs they were and he directed me to pick up Are You Experienced. Hearing that the first time for me was not unlike those who heard him the first time in his heyday. Everything about that album is mystical, with a virtuoso vibe and mind blowing. Thanks for this lesson, Dave, great breakdown and analysis.

[@chriscampbell9191]

A guitar learnin' buddy of mine summed up Hendrix's style long ago -- mostly blues riffs, with wild bends, played at lightning speed. It was a simplistic view of Hendrix's guitar wizardry, of course, but not too far off the mark. Hendrix did throw in a lot of double note chord + single note playing (like you can hear on his softer songs on Are You Experienced and the other albums), but a lot of his playing is pure blues. I learned most of my blues playing from Hendrix's tracks like Hear My Train A Coming, and Who Knows. Those tracks are a gold mine for learning electric blues guitar. Great lesson, and love the tone.

[@verumterrae3322]

God damn dude the last few vids of yours I’ve watched your guitars sound killer. I never practice throwing my thumb over the neck and ignoring my pinky. I’m gonna spend some time on that. Keep rocking!

[@guitar6288]

Late night, appreciate your time.

[@lapendosnaz]

👍👍 From Malaysia🇲🇾🇲🇾

[@sixstringer3783]

Great job analyzing Jimmy's playing styles keeping it in one key was a cool way of showing his different techniques 👏🤘👍

[@iannash1027]

Another great lesson David - keeping it based around one box really shows how Jimi got the most out of the blues scale. Those catch bends are pretty tough huh?

[@bamagtrdude]

GREAT lesson - nobody made my fingers flake off callouses like Jimi & SRV 🤣😂 i never had thick index finger pads until i started learning their licks

[@damiancasanova4570]

Perfect video! Perfect timing!

[@michaelmattson3515]

My favorite album is The Cry of Love/Valleys of Neptune. Great lesson thanks 🙏

[@tyson1ize]

great lesson, If I could afford a guitar/music teacher It'd be you well done

[@jasoncrump1886]

Your a great teacher my brother. Appreciate you .

[@2kosher]

Eggggggzelent topic!!

[@ivonsmith4255]

EXcellent playing & great lesson - as always! Love your style of interacting and technique & attitude!

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Berkeley Ca First Show Was Shear Hendrix Genius 🎸🏆🇺🇸🎖🎼🎼🎼✨✨✨

[@obiem9319]

Great lesson thanks.

[@voronOsphere]

Putting this amazing lesson in one key really helped me out, David. And the C# Minor/E Major scale and its diatonic modes is my latest "deep dive" key I've been working on! Thanks again, David!

[@makingsmokesince76]

This was a superb compilation. Thank you.

[@petermayonejr.3420]

Great lesson, Dave! I'd like to see you do a deep-dive on his masterful rhythm playing, specifically on the songs "Freedom", "Ezy Rider" and the "Killing Floor"! TY!

[@rydermike33]

Really excellent lesson David. Thank you.

[@Bronson-Apollo]

INTENSE CONVICTION AND FEEL

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

Great lesson Dave...Nailed it as usual...

[@johnnyd63]

I'm still trying to figure out Jimi.R&B Chitlin Circuit roots who discovered Stratocaster and Marshall combination.Interesting marriage.

[@theelderskatesman4417]

hope it's ok to post a link to a really good video on exactly this question. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJu9i3uPq86KjLM

[@mickeystanic4750]

As always, just fantastic!

[@MaxKing222]

Nice lessonn!! As usual...💪🤘

[@briankierans2926]

Fantastic. Brilliant content as usual. Nice one.👍

[@000Angus000]

Inspiring stuff. I fancy I hear a bit of Peter Green in your vibrato - which is excellent. 🙂

[@eyank57]

tank' lesson all blues ' is the best best best

[@davidpinkham8609]

Interesting technique - thumb over the neck blues style, but guitar balanced on left leg classical style.

[@hue75]

As I'm sure you know a lot of his creativity came forth better in some of the live recordings, especially in some of the Red House variations where he inserts jazz phrasing and more creative blue phrasing than heard on the studio records. It might be interesting to find snippets of those and do a lesson on them.

[@johnc.mitchelljr.2716]

✨🎸✨

[@rocnpops62]

Thanks for this one David. The "catch" has always stuck out to my ear but I've never been able to figure it out. I'll be working on it.

[@JohnFiocchi]

I like his later writing a lot. "Astro Man", "In From The Storm", "Night Bird Flying", "Driftin'", "Room Full Of Mirrors " are all unusual. His writing was much dark sounding then.

[@douglaschristine8387]

How you doing David? He definitely started all of rock guitar back in the 1960's. Had all his albums. Great to see you doing another episode on Jimi, thanks.

[@janortiz880]

Awesome video. Page and, especially, Eddie used Jimi’s unison bend a lot. I’ve been hoping someone does a video on EVH’s bending licks and ideas too. Thank you for this one.

[@jamescairns5409]

I’d love one of these about Ritchie Blackmore ;)

[@babylemonade2868]

I’m left handed and I always wonder why he didn’t get a proper left handed guitar,was always a hassle to string a right handed for a lefty. Great playing as usual

[@maximusindicusoblivious180]

I'm a lefty too and I used to wonder the same thing. But from what I read and saw about Jimi is that he liked to be hassle free and and hung up free. So he would use borrowed instruments, sometimes poorly tuned or set up instruments and being on the go a lot he would get others to get instruments for him. Also, he understood the features of the upside down restrung Fender Stratocaster, where the pickup configuration and the reversed string order altered the tone slightly. Another great feature to his bag of tricks to stand out from the rest.

[@MrJustinraines]

He did eventually get the Lefty Flying V from Gibson towards the end. But i also heard he felt that the build quality of lefty strats were not up to par, or something along those lines.

[@pelespoland]

I would add that big part of his playing was timing. He would slow down and speed up just slightly from time to time. Sometimes it sounded like he's about to lose tempo and make a mistake but he would come back and make it work like nothing happened.

[@derekjones208]

You are a quality player.

[@joe800096]

Dave; Man you have captured Jimi's tone .Your neck pickup sounds so much like Jimi, I know its mostly your technique. Can you comment on what pickup you have in the neck position, is it a standard strat pickup?

[@jasoncrump1886]

I do those catch bends alot myself when I'm playing lead . I'm not that great but do alot of these licks .

[@mesoanarchy]

On a Hendrix bootleg there’s a song, “Peoples, Peoples, Peoples (in C#).” (And that’s beside his use of C# in Spanish Castle Magic - lol.

[@michaelandonovski3949]

Brilliant lesson David, could you do a chordplay video on Slade. :)

[@xavi_alexander]

Nice shirt

[@bernardoconnor5512]

Awesome as per David !! Have you ever considered a Hiram Bullock lesson ? His version of Little Wing on one of Sting's albums is amazing. There is also a video of Hiram and David Sanborn (saxophonist) jamming together which is truly awesome !

[@antpre9458]

Nice tone, David! Can you shed a little light on your fuzz sound for this particular vid? Thanks!

[@waynegram8907]

Frank Zappa licks lesson

[@voronOsphere]

Frank!!!!!

[@sergedenovo2389]

I just got a tube screamer pedal! Sounds really different- and good, Dave! Do you think a wah would be too distracting for someone that’s not very *experienced* ? See the corny shit I did there? :) …or should I try to get one, dude?

[@scottcummings8602]

Dave, total guitar geek question: Do you remember what pick you were using for this vid? thanks

[@JValek]

What pedals are you using?

[@kimblez]

what amp did you use for this lesson ?

[@WALTERTLHB]

Wow I did what you do especially this Hendrick stuff you're laying into you're very groovy cat. What I want to know if you don't mind where did you get that Hendrix shirt I want one please tell me. Okay I don't have a lot of time today but I do want to wish you your loved ones and Friends safe healthy happy weekend and prosperous and healthy year take care of yourself lot of scary things floating around. Sincerely Walter the left-handed bloke. PS please tell me where you got that shirt.

[@tedbundy8082]

I had a chance to finally get a strat and I let some guitar center salesman talk me into getting a telecaster because I was playing Led Zeppelin while testing guitars. Don’t get me wrong telecasters are cool in their own way but I love Hendrix and I can’t for the life of me play his music on a telecaster. The playability just isn’t there.

[@steveinmidtown]

read that Hendrix like Curtis Mayfield & stole a lot of his double stop ideas. Highway Chile has some great unison bends.

[@mesoanarchy]

Eric Clapton grew a fro 😂

[@darrenradford5963]

Is it C minor ?? Not C# minor. Because your tuned down to Eb.!

[@voronOsphere]

At the beginning, he lets us know the Lesson is with his guitar tuned down a half-step. You're right, but so many players tune their guitars to Eb and then call it E. Must drive keyboardists crazy!

[@voronOsphere]

When I tune my guitar down to D standard tuning, I do name the notes by actual pitch, though. What looks like A Minor I actually do call G Minor.

[@holysmoke8439]

Purple haze solo always sounded classical though I don't do scales