The Chord That Made Jimi Hendrix A Legend

[@AnimusInvidious]

The chord didn't make Jimi Hendrix a legend. Jimi Hendrix made the chord a legend.

[@dwaynehall2497]

Facts

[@12presspart]

@@dwaynehall2497 the beatles used it on you cant do that this was the b side of cant buy me love

[@kyolek9485]

@@12presspart yeah but they didn’t made the chord famous

[@zachrowe1511]

This surprisingly indirectly answered my question on why, if Hendrix is playing an E major/minor chord, the bass plays a B flat- because the altered scale flattens the fifth. Thanks 12tone!

[@paulpaschulke8636]

E7 would be, as described, g minor 6 9- (a- instead of g#). Lots of points of harmonic origin respectively target. Nice. (not knowing Hendrix' music, shame on me). Thanks 12tone!! The distortion part was quite interesting (overtones, resulting combination-tones e.g.)!

[@marlin2131]

that or Noel Redding just forgot he was tuned down a half step

[@willg-r3269]

Interestingly, a dominant chord with a flat 5th consists of two tritones -- the root to the flat 5th, and the major 3rd to the minor 7th -- which means an E7(b5) chord consists of the exact same notes as a Bb7(b5) chord, which is one of the easiest ways of understanding how to achieve a tritone substitution. In Western classical music theory, this is the effect achieved by a "French augmented sixth chord," which a jazz musician would simply write as a dominant flat 5 chord starting on on the bVI degree of the tonic key, meaning that it also contains the exact same notes as a dominant flat 5 chord starting on the II degree of the tonic key, or in other words, a secondary dominant of V. Another way of understanding this is that the altered scale is actually the 7th mode of the melodic minor scale (i.e. to play an E altered scale, play an F melodic minor scale starting from the E) whereas the 4th mode of the melodic minor scale (i.e. F melodic minor starting from the Bb, a tritone away from E) results in an otherwise standard dominant scale with a sharp 4th, also known as "Lydian dominant." From that perspective, an E Hendrix chord with a Bb in the bass could be understood as a Bb7 chord based on a Lydian dominant scale, omitting the 5th while adding a sharp 11th and a major 13th. There are even a few more ways to peel this onion, but I'll stop.

[@VladimirsSilins]

It's also a pretty comfortable shape to hold on the guitar neck.

[@SuperGroat]

yep when i was 13 and learning to play hendrix that was most of its appeal, didn't really think about the tension haha

[@CSelH]

Hendrix didn't come from nowhere. Most of the elements that made up his sound and style came from various different places. His genius and talent was how he took all those separate elements and inspirations to create something that was cohesive, fluid, and completely unique at that time. Very few great creators create in a vacuum, as humans living in societies we naturally stand on the shoulders of those before us, trying to find new ways to build with the pieces presented to us.

[@MattMoney]

CSelH Actually Hendrix did come from nowhere. The rock Gods sent him to educate humanity on the way of the guitar (they had to wait until we were ready tho)

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

He should talk about Eddie Hazel next. An underappreciated guitar legend in his own right

[@jackhaugh]

He’s from Seattle.

[@princehakim._6427]

CSelH that how most of the greats become legendary By incorporating so many styles and techniques and compiling them to create a style of their own. Example mic Jackson. Combine Robert Frost Fred Astaire James brown and Jackie Wilson. Genius’s

[@vvblues]

I'm trying to find the question where somebody asked you where Hendrix came from. But yeah, he came from nowhere.

[@composerdave68]

If you could ask Hendrix why he used it, I bet he'd say "It just sounded cool, man".

[@rd812]

He probably just hit the chord wrong one day and liked how it sounded.

[@launder0]

yeah, but music theory isn't about how they found it out, but rather why it works.

[@composerdave68]

@@launder0 Yes...and no.

[@composerdave68]

@@rd812 I would imagine it came more from the blues tradition of sometimes ending a song on that chord. Which itself is an extension of using b7th chords in a non-functional way

[@ifixthingsjr]

Aha, I could actually hear that in Jimi's voice. Man, what a legend he was.

[@MaraK_dialmformara]

Altered Tensions sounds like the name of a punk band

[@JoergWessels]

Yeah. Funny thing is, it IS an electronic musician instead.

[@theystoleitfromus]

@@JoergWessels Sounds like the name of an electronic artist who needs to start playing punk jazz.

[@rca88]

@Mara Katz Alternative Tentacles is the Dead Kennedy's label, and for other punk bands too. I'm betting you know that :-)

[@rca88]

@Mara Katz Alternative Tentacles is the Dead Kennedy's label, and for other punk bands too. I'm betting you know that :-)

[@rca88]

@Mara Katz Alternative Tentacles is the Dead Kennedy's label, and for other punk bands too. I'm betting you know that :-)

[@PlayTheMind]

this chord sounds quite purple

[@musik350]

Looks like your mind played you

[@milesbaureis504]

GAH! I LOVE BEING PURPLE!

[@graph100]

very hazey as well

[@tailgatetails]

Tastes like purple to ;P

[@Spellfork]

scuse me while I kiss this guy!

[@briankenney9528]

They say that there's a secret chord that Jimi played and it pleased the Lord

[@paulfornal]

Long live LC

[@yguyonabufffnilrebmahc344]

But you dont really care for music do ya haha

[@solberg7049]

@@paulfornal rest in peace

[@paulfornal]

@@solberg7049 In our hearts he will live forever :)

[@albertgarde5008]

@whiteaxxxe You mean: It goes like this, the root, the seventh, the minor third, the major third...

[@willowsparks4576]

To make things short - he uses an E7#9 - often used in jazz and blues

[@AdamPlomaritas]

But without the 5th

[@hail_sagan2830]

with distortion, I guess

[@AdamPlomaritas]

saganistic HA! Fair.

[@Soso-nl2dh]

Thanks.

[@maloneycraig]

WITHOUT a dominant function, though.

[@Tantacrul]

Excellent! Like those guitar stabs a lot :)

[@brahmbean2271]

Make more videos

[@RavaTroll]

Here's how I see it : Hendrix takes a lot of insipiration from blues, and in blues, there's this ambiguity with the minor 3rd and the major 3rd. It's very vague which one is really important because the blue note seems as important as its common resolution, the major 3rd. I think this ambiguity cames from the I7 and IV7 chord : In C major, we have C E G Bb and F A C Eb, and these two chords feature the Eb and the E. We can also notice that the G chord (G B E F) features a B which can be considered a blue note (iirc). The Hendrix chord, however, is "having fun" with this ambiguity, with both the minor and the major 3rd, and makes it so we can hear what seems to me like a very important part of the blues sound in a concise chord. I think it's more or less the same idea as your second definition : the split chord. Or maybe he's just anticipating the next chord, because that Hendrix chord in Purple Haze goes to the A chord. I don't remember how they "resolve" in some of his other songs however, but that's an idea. Hopefuly I'm pretty sure Hendrix wasn't theorizing about this and just played this because it sounds great :D Great video anyway :D

[@Typical.Anomaly]

In world 4-2 on original NES Super Mario Bros., the invisible coin blocks you have hit to reach the vine going to the warp zone to worlds 6, 7, and 8 are in the shape of the Hendrix chord.

[@emmyrose2005]

Typical Anomaly coincidence? I think not

[@rickwoods5274]

This is something I've noticed before but is put into very sharp focus here: PLEASE let the sounds you use to demonstrate ring a little longer :/ "Here's what the hendrix chord sounds like:" *muffled distortion for 0.1 milliseconds* I LOVE your videos, I watch and like every single one of them! But lots of times when you play a sound, I'm wishing it played at least a little bit longer.

[@JoeBussiereXXX]

Getting at the essence of what makes the blues sound bluesy - being in that limbo between happy major and sad minor, and never settling fully in either.

[@MusiciansIgnite]

The guitar sound when you’re naming chord and note names makes me smile. Especially when you kept saying/playing “B”. Nice touch 👌🏻😄

[@andermachines2720]

I totally see how theory is useful and has loads of applications in music, it's just that sometimes it's so complicated that I can't keep up. I'm really impressed by how deeply you were able to analyze this particular chord, because I probably couldn't have come up with that explanation

[@darraghtate440]

I'd have just gone with it being a 7 chord with the minor 3rd to simulate the blues 3rd, which is somewhere between the major and minor 3rd.

[@J.D....]

That is way to simple, we must make it more complex!

[@dibblethwaite]

Dead right mate in the Hendrix usage, but there are other ways of using that chord that can be interpreted as a #9.

[@darraghtate440]

@@dibblethwaite Yeah, it is definitely a #9, if we're using standardised Western theory. But since the microtonal 3rd doesn't fit into that type of theory, it's kind of accurate - or maybe it's better to say not totally incorrect - to call it a major and a minor 3rd. But I'd still write it as a 7#9, no doubt.

[@doctorscoot]

I don’t think Hendricks is ‘borrowing’ from the Blues tradition - he is in the Blues tradition - he learned his technique in that tradition. Which is why, in the middle of the British Invasion, he had to go to England to get ‘discovered’; as a mass audience, they were more receptive to the blues, at the time. Mitch Mitchell, the drummer in the experience, took a big influence from Jazz too. That combination is, I think, a big reason they sounded like they did and why they were so influential.

[@Marcamendolaguitar]

HENDRIX just had major attitude in his playing. His uniqueness comes from the way he plays. Sometimes he played clean and it still had major impact. Pretty rad 😎.

[@VerticalCalzone]

I've always analyzed this chord based off the upper structure; that "tritone then a perfect fourth" stack. It also comes up in the dominant 13 chord, where they're played as b7 below 3rd below 13th, which fits diatonically. This chord just does the same stack but with the 3rd below the 7th, so the resulting note is the #9 or m3 instead, so the shape keeps it familiar to anyone who has heard jazz or blues.

[@mickeyrube6623]

Or... in the key of C, Dm^add9/13 (played D F B E), or Fmaj7#11 (F A F B E). There are others, but they get kinda ridiculous...

[@andyloftube]

Mickey Rube Guitar players think in term of finger shapes, stacks are for key dudes. 🤓

[@briankeegan8089]

What a great, clear, "digestion-sized" explanation of this chord. I don't think most folks will start calling it a major-minor chord though. E7#9 makes too much sense for we folks playing it most often: guitar players who think Hendrix is basically the godhead. [Starting with an "inside" or 5th root dom 7th, like the shape of an open C7, you can move from the top voice of the root on the B string to form the b9, 9, and #9 chords, and they all have their places. So in that context 7#9 is a clear winner. There is a great Joe Pass video where he talks about chords and substitutions. He offers an interesting "back of a napkin" model when he says something like "there are basically 3 kinds of chords": major chords, minor chords, and tension chords." Then he takes a I-VI-II-V in C, starting with a Cmaj7. By the time he's done, the Cmaj7 has become an E7#9. Kind of blew my mind at the time. Opened my ears up. Cmaj 7-Am7-Dm7-G7 to E7#9-A13-D7#9-G13

[@andyloftube]

Brian Keegan Would have been so cool to see Joe and Jimi jam together, damn!

[@ConvincingPeople]

There's also the fact that it approximates this curious just intonation chord: 1/1-5/4-7/4-7/3. It's one of those strange chords where there is at least one fairly complex interval (28/15 between the "third" and "sharp-nine") which is close enough to a significantly simpler ratio (15/8, the 5-limit just major seventh) to imply a tempering out of the comma between the two even if all of the intervals are left completely just-and, consequently, is unusually smooth after tempering as well. 1/1-16/13-3/2-7/4 is another odd one in this vein.

[@michalmikolajmaslowski3994]

Exceptionally educational video, full of harmonic insights for self-taught guitarists, such as myself. Thank you, that was spectacular!

[@stevengraham5454]

Amazing video. I love all the speed doodling.

[@T4gProd]

Yeah, I saw the title and I immediately knew what chord it would be. Nice video, I love your stuff!

[@ohwhen7775]

Guitarist Ted Greene said there's 3 tonalities in western music, Major, Minor, and Bluetone (blues based harmony), this chord fits right in because of its particular chord family.

[@JesseHughesNC]

When you learn more music theory in one video than from 9 years of guitar lessons from 4 different teachers

[@whocares8735]

Jesse Hughes if you learned more from this doodling douche than your guitar teachers must suck

[@SamxHardscoperx]

2nd video of yours that’s shown up in my recommended videos, and super cool. Loving them

[@BlahBlah-cm1os]

Heyyyyyyy! The Valdosta EP!

[@SamxHardscoperx]

Blah Blah love it!!!

[@ifixthingsjr]

The way you did all that foreshadowing stuff with the drawings in the video. Man, that was great.

[@liquidsolids9415]

Absolutely fantastic video. Thank you so much for the succinct, easy-to-understand explanation and analysis of the the 7#9 chord and the altered-dominant scale. I'll think of this video every time I play "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". Well done!

[@FreeBroccoli]

4:09 "AKCHTUALLY" 4:10 "Oh."

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaao]

The way I think about it is it’s a I7 chord like you would have in a blues and the G on top is the melody note taken from the blues scale. You would get the same or similar chord happening in blues all the time when the guitar is playing the basic I7 and the singer is singing the b3 from the blues scale on top, the difference being that Hendrix is playing both on the same instrument. The scale you would use to improvise over that chord in jazz would be the E blues scale, not the altered scale as that would sound weirdly dissonant.

[@sgkogan]

wow, a whole video about my favourite chord! )

[@jaydenwhitlen1489]

The Beatles used so many root 7th chords. I Saw Her Standing There, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Taxman (as mentioned) and She's A Woman just to name a few.

[@jaydenwhitlen1489]

@Benjamin Sims Ringo

[@gy407]

I think your next video should be about the opening chord in 'Hard days's night' by The Beatles

[@themoochman3867]

Honestly, I spaced out a little bit while watching this video, so I don't know if you mentioned this, but I think one of the things about E7#9 is that it's just the blues. When I'm jamming with my friends over a 12-bar blues, we're all using the blues scale over all these dominant 7th chords. The minor third is in the blues scale. The major third is in the E7 chord. If one of us starts our solo on the minor third, we just created an E7#9 chord. I play piano and I recently picked up guitar, but whenever I'm playing with them, sometimes I just play a 7#9 chord while comping because it sounds cool, and I think that might be one of the main reasons Hendrix decided to use this chord a lot.

[@vojtechvaligura7054]

"Muddying the waters even further" I like what you did there.

[@dhado]

was scrolling down the comments looking if someone pointed this out

[@carsenbart1482]

All this music theory stuff goes waaay over my head but I can’t stop watching😅

[@Darm0k]

You're here for the doodles, aren't you?

[@carsenbart1482]

Darm0k yea pretty much

[@calebraysilcott9471]

Somebody give this guy a Doctorate.

[@goldenkurlz]

"...an E which is just the root of the chord...which is super important but also kind of boring..." And bass players are now shaking their head.

[@0neirogenic]

Nah. Chords like that excite me as bass player, so many note choices that fit and sound musical. Root notes are boring when that's all you play but a good bassist knows how to play outside of roots while still supporting the harmony and then the roots become very powerful when you go back to them.

[@goldenkurlz]

@@0neirogenic no doubt. I just don't think the roots are boring. When you build and flourish and layer some harmonies then drop down on that fat root note it's so satisfying.

[@tinibari456]

"kinda boring on its own" context matters. There really isn't much interesting about a root, unless you're looking at chord motion, and here that isn't the case.

[@diszno20]

Actually in Hungarian jazz jargon we call this tonic function Hendrix chord E7 b10. Although it doesn't make sense it implies that both thirds are present in the chord. I specifically distinguish it from E7 #9 because for me it means that its an altered dominant subset.

[@jaschabull2365]

That disappointed elephant just looks so put out at 7:10. I wouldn't want to come home to find Disappointed Elephant staring me in the face.

[@rosslarsen7993]

its a beautiful chord. in hendrixs' use it served as a blues sound because it has minor and major 3rd so the micro tone inbetween is implied. its real importance is how it fits in more complex chord progressions. its no different from a 7 flat 9 in its function, nice as a good starter for further exploration if youre a music minded person

[@sammusic7537]

The altered chord is my favorite chord because there are so many ways to use it. Not only as a dominant chord but you can put a f altered chord after his tritones b9b5 and reslove it then also realy nice to a f#maj9.

[@ProactiveYellow]

An alternative explanation is that it's a quartal chord: E Ab D G. The tonal analysis turns out the same, but it makes the chord appear more regular and provides better context to the half step rub. It's still a split chord, but this exact voicing gives a new way to think about it

[@MisterAppleEsq]

I don't know if I agree with this way of thinking about it, but I like it as interpretation.

[@andyloftube]

GoldenPhoenix Quartal harmony is a well known conspiracy against rock by the jazzers. We don’t buy it, Sir. I mean, try quartal chord like E7sus (also very easy to finger) with distortion. Enough said.

[@lucaiallonardi2124]

Awesome video. As an addition to the explanation of why the G natural and G sharp can’t be directly next to each other (rather split by an octave), I would add that it is important in the Hendrix chord that the G natural be placed on top, instead of the G sharp. First of all, it creates the less harsh interval of a major seventh (or diminished octave, I guess) instead of a minor ninth (raised octave?) if the G sharp were on top. Second, I almost see the Hendrix chord as an accompaniment (E7) with the ‘melody’ note, the G natural, on top. The G natural serves as a ‘blue note’ here- the classic flatted 3rd, which is present along with the major third, in the major blues scale. I justify this by recognizing how it would be normal for, say, a blues/funk singer, to sing a melody which has a flat third over an E major/dominant blues chord progression, even with that direct dissonance between the G natural in the melody and the G sharp in the accompanying E7 chord… although it wouldn’t be normal to sing a G sharp over an E minor chord, because the dissonance would be made worse due to the illusion of the voice being “higher” than the accompaniment, regardless of octave. One last thing. In an E blues, just to maintain consistency in my comment and the video, it makes sense to use a G natural in the melody (and the Hendrix chord) partially because of where it is headed- usually an A7, which has a G natural in it. This helps maintain consistency in what scale a soloist or singer can use, not having to switch every measure between G sharp and G natural. This is why you’ll hear a sharp 5 (or flat 13) over a B chord in that same E blues- consistency with the G natural, and the same scale, over every chord. It’s genius!

[@woofspider330]

A great video, not necessarily for the information (though that was cool too), but the little jokes and comedic moments are so great. More than usual I feel

[@brandonhamele2334]

I'd almost argue that the real Hendrix chord, one he really used quite a lot and that really, really defined so, so much of his sound is the add9 voicing that he used... Kind of everywhere. It's most obvious in the intro to Castles Made of Sand, but it's super central to how he would embellish chords in general.

[@whiskymylove]

Just found your channel and subscribed! Good shit buddy

[@jamesmccune2681]

Ashamed to admit some of the theory is beyond me but I love your videos!

[@mingnrich]

Brian Setzer is famous for using an extension of this, his would be x-7-6-7-8-8, E G# D F## C (or B#), an E7 #9 b13 (or #5), clearly an altered chord, and I think he similarly used it a lot for the same reason Hendrix used his chord: it’s comfortable on the fretting hand. Setzer just took Hendrix’s and barred the high string with his pinky. It’s got a far more jazzy feel than Hendrix’s chord but so does all of Setzer’s playing.

[@uberchops]

I'm really digging the slowly increasing amount of snark in your videos. Much chortling was had.

[@coolmanjack1995]

Cream's cover of Outside Woman Blues is built around this chord in the same year as Are You Experienced

[@vincentzito3933]

I've listened this song at least 5 times since Ginger died... aren't there crazy minor chords on we're going wrong also... I'm a drummer and I only know when the chords are minor because they sound haunting to me...

[@JoeKell365]

congrats on 300k subscribers

[@JariSatta]

Try it w/ Hungarian Major 1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7

[@infinitefretboard]

Nice! I was actually trying to figure out what Lydian dominant #2 is a mode of whilst watching this video.

[@andyloftube]

A mode of the melodic minor #5 scale. Lydian Dominant #2 being its fourth mode. It does not get a lot of use though. I doubt Jimi was thinking: ’Gonna jam withLydian Dom #w, now what chord could go with that? Oh man, this E7#9 sounds great with my scale.’ 🤪

[@Marcelrocha884]

Great video!!!

[@andreajoybelle]

Thank you for yet another interesting, funny, informative, and engaging video!

[@alexandrahand5649]

Watching these videos knowing nothing about music makes me question if I’ve actually ever heard a song

[@diocore2816]

I love watching these with no clue what you’re talking about because I have no techno music knowledge:0

[@wyattstevens8574]

0:51 They used it (I think, although it may just sound similar) in the offbeats of the first 4 bars of each verse of "My Love Don't Give Me Presents."

[@BockwinkleB]

I'm pretty sure that the popularization of the chord comes from guitarists trying to emulate and work with horns in Chitlin circuit bands.

[@joaco190]

rick beato must love your channel

[@AmandaKaymusic]

Muddying the waters...Thanks for another clarifying clip.

[@sotos200046]

Just found your channel, love the content. Keep it up!

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

You should talk about Eddie Hazel next. An underappreciated guitar legend in his own right

[@PirahnaheadDetroit]

The Colorization Channel yes yes and more yes

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

@@PirahnaheadDetroit Most people say that he would've replaced Hendrix, but I say that honour would have to go to Stevie Ray Vaugn (The blues guitarist who managed to master Hendrix's style of guitar playing). Eddie Hazel is just mostly the black counterpart of David Gilmour.

[@BlackMusicGenre]

@@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051 SRV wasn't as creative as Jimi. The closest guitarist to Jimi was Prince and he wasn't a full time guitarist if you want to be honest. SRV for the most part was in the blues realm of things.

[@BlackMusicGenre]

Eddie Hazel is very underrated .

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

BlackMusicGenre I can agree on Prince being a good guitarist, but even he isn't on the same level as Jimi. Nobody other than Hendrix can play guitar with their teeth or do all the cool tricks he did. Prince is original for his most part.

[@shadowhenge7118]

You're like the zero punctuation of music theory. Love it.

[@maxcano2063]

More about Hendrix please!!

[@rmcunningham3874]

Blues bends the minor 3rd to major 3rd, plays minor scales over major chords, and even plays notes halfway between the minor and major 3rd. I think the interplay of major and minor 3rds in blues bolsters your split chord argument quite a bit. The blues loves to make the 3rd ambiguous.

[@5ilver42]

excuse me while I kiss the sky

[@SodomySnake]

'Scuse me while I kiss this guy.

[@wingracer1614]

@@SodomySnake Hey man if you're going to do that, there's a bathroom on the right.

[@maon7565]

Click bang! What a hang...

[@pogogo51]

Intermodulation distortion! Thank you I've been unable to Google this thing for like a year now.

[@Roxanneredpanda]

It's used in funk a lot too because funk guitarists really love Jimi Hendrix

[@irenecamargomacedo6626]

Nobody: Subtitles every time chords come in: “boom!”

[@SteveErickson-e8s]

And for all these years I thought it was just an E7#9 (or E7aug9).....amazing video...whew

[@niklasfreericks5436]

No idea what you're talking about but I'm still fascinated

[@alanbarnett718]

Also; take the top 3 notes. Put a Bb under them. Voila! Bb7+6! (I think there are a few more, but I can't remember them just now.)

[@andyloftube]

Alan Barnett Only tritone subs are not allowed in rock or pop. Career risk if you’re in a band. Jazz is all about tritone subs in every other bar if tou can sneak it in. The more the cooler. 🤓

[@andyloftube]

If you do tritone subs in Dave Liebman’s band your toast too.

[@alanbarnett718]

Steely Dan. Kid Charlemagne. 'Nuff said!

[@a52productions]

Is there anything, other than the distortion, that distinguishes the Jimi Hendrix chord from a standard #9 in jazz or blues, in your opinion? You brought up directionality and the tension between maj/min, but those are all also present in all other #9s, and we usually don't call those split chords. They're just bluesy, and they use both the natural 3 and the blue note.

[@Kylora2112]

I think Hendrix just used it as a major focal point of several of his most well-known songs (and is now a common rock guitar chord). It's not about who uses it, it's about who made it integral :)

[@ohyeah6729]

Thanks for once again stimulating my brain.

[@alexanderhenderson1524]

For me the chord is just the minor third over a dominant 7, at least it is the way that Hendrix used it. Take a listen to Hold It by Bill Doggett to hear it used in a similar way - it’s that minor/major blues sound wrapped up in a single chord. I find it a bit daft to call it the Hendrix chord as it wasn’t what “made” Hendrix, nor was he first to use it.

[@SivertHenriksen]

Great video, but I would like to add something that you might not have thought about. The main reason why there's no 5th in the chord, and why the major third and minor third is (almost) an octave apart is simply because that's how the guitar strings allow this chord to be voiced. And more to it, a Hendrix chord just feels great in your hand, it's a very comfortable chord to finger and feels powerfull to strike full force, very rock!

[@vinnieRice]

You are absolutely correct... but music theorists never let 'reality' get in the way of a good lecture.

[@andyloftube]

If play E7#9 with the fifth on guitar with notes G#,B,D,G on strings 4-1, with E bass, strangely enough it actually sounds less powerful than the plain E7#9. Usuallh inserting the fifht thickens the sound. Weird.

[@sebastianzaczek]

Congratulations on 300k Subscribers! (As i'm writing this KZbin shows me exactly 300k Subs)

[@evandavidson6883]

Where do you get your paper from? And do they sell to the UK?

[@Rob-ys6ot]

Brilliant!!! I understood about 1% of this but I love that this ultra focused minutiae exists and that some smart bastards understand it!!! Well done sir!!!

[@animal6287]

That's One percent more than me

[@offfirefly5785]

6:08 Mii theme. Just 2 chords,but mii theme chords

[@noelpmkstorey]

I love how you are left handed, as was Jimi - but you draw Jimi elephant playing his guitar right handed.

[@pineappleonaspaceship6264]

hey there man, love your stuff. Would you maybe want to try and cover the theory behind Blind Melon’s “No rain” next? I love that song and it was a huge part of my childhood, so it’s be awesome to see what kind of interesting things they did to create that masterpiece. thanks !

[@jsteele07189]

So I'm getting that it's a minor 3rd and a major 3rd separated by a tritone. That implies the existence of the "inverse Hendrix chord" which has the major third on top. Inverse Hendrix would contain both a major sixth and a minor second (aka minor 9th) - spicy! There could also be the "anti-Hendrix chord" consisting of two tritones separated by either a major 3rd (the "Dayman" variant) or a minor 3rd (the "Nightman" variant).

[@awookieandagerman]

That's sick

[@MatkatMusic]

7#9, people. It's a 7#9 chord. That's all it is. Don't overthink or over-analyze it.

[@ignazachenbach5406]

It should also be noted that--besides it sounds cool, because it obviously does--having the G# as the note closest to E and Fx the farthest-away note makes the chord wayyyyyy easier to play than vice-versa. (Not even sure if the other way is even humanly realistic lol.) Seriously, the shape of one's hand while playing the Hendrix chord is just so...comfortable. It feels as if the hand is supposed to conform that way. It just feels..."natural" (pun intended lol). Another prominent example of the Hendrix chord can be seen in Kansas' "Carry On, My Wayward Son," whereby the chord is used in the same exact voicing as in this here video during the "12/8" bars. Although there, I really don't have an explanation other than "it just sounds cool" because the second guitar plays an E power-chord right before then, and then a riff in the E pentatonic scale after the E7#9 chord is played...So I really don't think I'd be able to explain its usage here other than simply "it sounds cool," which is also probably what Jimmy would have said if he were asked why he played that chord so much. After all, music as most people feel it is a lot more about evoking feelings (including but not limited to emotional reactions) than about being a proverbial "math problem." Nice analysis, though! It definitely gave me a new scale to use over the chord, and I'm sure it did the same for a lot of other amateur musicians! Thanks, 12Tone!

[@andyloftube]

Ozzy MGB E7b9 E G# D F is just as easy to play but sounds audience losing-awful with distortion. E9 in between is a gypsy Bm6 kind of sound also suffering from distortion. Go figure.

[@joecoolpopuprecordsvtloops8700]

12 tone rocks!

[@Joybuzzard]

Got stoned, picked up a guitar, made some sounds that felt like they matched the feeling he was trying to convey. This is fun to watch, but I worry that there are people watching this trying to consciously to understand a process that does not actually exist for the artist.

[@bryede]

While the analysis may be deeper than the process that led to the music (I say that not really having studied Hendrix's musical background), part of picking up chops is learning chords and figuring out how they can be changed and used. Besides, studying things like this is just understanding why the finished result works more than saying anything about the process.

[@euraljoy]

I think it's more from the diminished scale ( E F G G# Bb B C# D).... which is really related to the way older blues players soloed. I call this the ultimate blues scale.... E F# G G# A Bb B C# D....older blues and jazz guys would pull from those notes over a dominant chord. It includes the natural 9, the 13th , the 4th and the major and minor 3rds. Listen to BB King to hear that in action. Thinking from the altered scale gives you the wrong sound...it would have F and C...very un bluesy type sounds. Altered scales and chords want to lead somewhere, whereas the ultimate blues scale (that's what I'm calling it haha) can hang over a static dominant chord and not have to move. This is also how robben Ford and modern jazz/blues/fusion guys can slip into diminished material over a 1 chord to go to the 4 chord. Just a thought or 8

[@andyloftube]

LaRue Nickelson Blues guirarists often switch between E major and minor pentatonic scales which cover all those notes except the blue note Bb (which you get by semi-bends from A. )

[@ravenecho2410]

Altered chords are fun the semi sharp minor 3rd just feels so bluesy, in addition to, I wouldn't actually every play a major scale on one personally (unless it was leaning more jazz than blues) Buy you can run like a mixolydian with an added minor third and an aug 4 over 1 for a bar or so and it sounds good, but a little old timey if you play more than a bar or 2

[@evandixon5990]

Didnt know you were going to demistify altered scales for me. Thanks!

[@kevinberstler]

Altered scales are often ignored outside of jazz. Would be cool to hear some trap or cumbia with them. Great video by the way.

[@ohwhen7775]

I'm willing to bet a pretty good amount of "trap" songs have used it as follows, in a minor key - *VII Maj7, V Altered, i m9, bii m9, III dom13* aaaand repeat. I actually have a name for it, I call it the SoundCloud chord progression, ex dee. Basically that's just lo-fi Hip-Hop chord progressions which were then used for trap beats becaaaaaaause trends and shit. But you could've meant it for a more mainstream setting.

[@jamesdrynan]

The 7th #9 chord is ubiquitous in music. Chicago, ( It better end Soon, ) Blood Sweat & Tears, ( Spinning Wheel. ) Earth Wind & Fire as well as jazz arrangements.

[@andyloftube]

James Drynan Good picks. Spinning Wheel. Yeah!

[@Xotla]

There's another potential reason why distortion is so important for the chord, it makes higher harmonics ring out, and it just so happens that the minor third is very close to an octave reduced 19th harmonic. So playing the chord with distortion makes the high G ring with the 19th harmonic of the root E

[@Xotla]

For context, the G# rings with the 5th harmonic of the E, and the D might a little with the 7th harmonic of the E, although quite out of tune by comparison

[@andyloftube]

Xotla Music Why does a E9 or E7b9 OTOH sound really bad with distortion? Only one note changes.

[@Xotla]

@@andyloftube I think something more complicated might be going on there, combination-tone wise. The 9 is pretty close to the 9th and 18th harmonics (of E), and the b9 is pretty close to the 17th harmonic (of E). I think with the b9 it's partly because it doesn't share a perfect fourth (4:3 frequency ratio) or fifth (3:2 frequency ratio) with any other notes in the chord, where the #9 forms a perfect fourth with the b7, which stabilizes it. The natural 9 forms a perfect fifth with B, but I have a feeling the combination tones are a bit more complex there, although not too sure. I'm really not an expert, just trying to add what I know from the acoustics side of things.

[@andyloftube]

Xotla Music Thanks! Great analysis. Seems like the 7#9 without fifth, aside from simple power chords (and triads) really picks up something from the distortion. That is why rock bands now tune guitars to open C major and blast away with one finger barre chords up and down he neck with maximum distortion. It works, and you can focus on bringing put your stage persona. 😎

[@andyloftube]

the/out

[@musicfriendly12]

For me the reason the altered scale doesn't sound locrian but darker is because Ab is oftenly used as a major third... But not necessarily, it depends on the harmony you are using... In that sense, if you use the Ab "properly", you do get that superlocrian sonority...

[@calebboaz9711]

Anyone else find the relevance/significance of the illustrations soooo satisfying ... but then when he gets one (out of 300) slightly off you think "Pffffttt....what in the hell was he thinking?!"

[@andercert70]

I love how this flies right in the face of an argument I've gotten a few times which states that you should not ever play jazz chords through distortion. I love doing it, and it's fun to know Hendrix did too. I have a song whose verse is this: E7(#9)-Am(add6)-E7(#9)-Am(add6)-Am7-A13-G(no 3rd)-G#(no 3rd)-A (no 3rd). I play that all through distortion & flange on the last time through, and it had just the effect I wanted. Production quality sucks and we didn't play to a click but.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/n37do6qdrLZsgaM