In this unit we’re going to take a break from the chord and lick ideas, and really focus in on just how awesome Jimi Hendrix is at soloing! We’re going to use a more Band Of Gypsys style track to highlight just how much you can get from simple old pentatonic box one (plus a few other neat tricks along the way). Enjoy!
Our first task is to nail the main riff. It’s based in E minor pentatonic box 1, and is all about the groove! There are some really nice, subtle bends, vibrato, double stops and more to make this riff surprisingly difficult! The shapes can be found in the fretboard diagrams.
Now we’ll tackle the first set of licks, which demonstrate just how flexible that pentatonic box is. We do drop down and use the box one in the open position as well (including the blues notes), to add a different dynamic to this opening part of the solo. The boxes can be found in the fretboard diagrams.
The blues note (flat 5th) is always an option! Just don’t try to resolve to that note, it is very much a passing note.
We’re now back up in the box 1 on the 12th fret, and we kick off with this fast hammer on and pull off trill sequence. This requires a lot of strength in the fingers, so take your time with getting this up to speed! We recommend doing it very slowly to get the notes even, before then speeding it up. As for the rest of the lick, it’s just pure Hendrix magic. Melody, style and aggression!
For our final section, we throw the book out and go for a range of Hendrix’s “other” skills that he demonstrates regularly! We kick off with a cool E minor scale run down, using only hammer-ons and pull-offs, followed by a great octave riff.
Octave riffs are a great way to add rhythm and melody at the same time to a track. You can just roll through the pentatonic or minor scale in octaves, creating a more rhythmical lick.
It’s time to get this whole track together, and we’ll be looping it in the video. Once we’ve gone round the track numerous times, we can start to take bits away from the track into our own soloing. Dan gives you a range of examples on how to take the licks and use them for yourself. Be sure to use the backing tracks to have some fun with these licks!
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