How to Play Like Hendrix

By Tao Schencks

I think every guitar player has wanted to play like Jimi Hendrix. From the slow and soulful blues to the distorted heights, Jimi was a master of the electric guitar and although many have tried to emulate his playing style, most have failed. If you want to learn to try and play like Jimi Hendrix, here are a few tips that will help you become the next Voodoo Child.

A little known fact is that Hendrix is left handed, but plays a right handed guitar. To do this, he took off all of the strings, flipped the guitar over and put them all back on again, turning a lefty into a normal guitar. Although this will make no difference to the overall sound of the guitar, apart from the pickups working in a reverse order, it might add some kudos to your image.

One of the best tips would be to get the same guitar as Jimi used. He favored the Fender Stratocaster for many years as well as a Marshall amp too. The Strat was the guitar that gave Jimi his own sound and allowed him to create the tunes that are famous today. Although he was probably not aware of it at the time, he was a pioneer of Fender guitars and helped turn the into the massive company they are today.

Once you have your upside down guitar, you will want to add some effects into the mix. Start with a Wah-wah pedal as used at the beginning of Voodoo Child and throw in a heavy distortion pedal too. For the complete sound, add a fuzz pedal and perhaps an overdrive too, turn up the volume and start playing.

Now we have the technical stuff sorted, it's on the playing itself. Jimi was a unique player with a very individual style. Copying this is not going to be easy. It will be easier to start out knowing that you will not be able to get as good as Jimi and start from there. He was also very inventive and was known for using odd chord shapes or scales, so throw all of your knowledge out of the window when you start to learn.

The best advice would be to get yourself the back catalog of Hendrix tunes, find some song books and tab versions of his most famous tracks and start to learn them. The techniques you will need to learn will be pretty advanced, but they will pay off if you concentrate on them and practice them for long enough. Practice does make perfect when learning Hendrix songs - and once you have learn them chord by chord and note by note, evolve the sound, invent your own licks and get creative.

Take a look at the excellent prices of the Fender Stratocaster guitar, as used by Hendrix and many other famous guitarists. You might pick up a bargain at this site when you want to Buy A Rock Guitar.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tao_Schencks
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Play-Like-Hendrix&id=4658043