Nobody picked up where Hendrix left off.

Not exactly on topic, but just want to throw it out there...

Maxwell, you say nobody picked up where Hendrix left off.

I pretty much agree. I mean, you could say that SRV may have refined, or re-interpreted what Jimi created, and I'd agree with that, as well. But I'd say that it's true that nobody has innovated (much) more or been as creative with thier playing since Hendrix. The question I have is WHY?

Is it just laziness? Maybe. I doubt it though. Most professional players play thier $@! off to try and be as good as they can be, and come up with new, original material.

I think it might be because there isn't much farther to go, technique wise. Maybe most techniques were already out there by the time Jimi (and the others of that era) got done messing around with that thing called the guitar.

I wonder how much more there really is for us young guys to discover with the electric guitar.
I don't know. But I'm gonna try and do something cool before I roll out of here!

Van Halen is a monsterously talented player though. Not even a HUGE VH fan, but man. He can play that thing.

(Regarding off topic, my post speaks to a comment earlier in this thread). It's not anyone being lazy, I think it's called genius. No new Hendrix, Van Gogh, Picasso, Beethoven or Mozart. I believe that many of these creative geniuses are right brain dominant but are also masters of technique which allows them to transcend their medium. They don't come along everyday. In terms of creativity, I think the only electric players in the room with Hendrix are Jeff Beck and John McLaughlin.

Don't misunderstand. I wasn't coming at you, or your post. I was saying MY post was off topic, not yours. And I know you're not calling anybody lazy. But I've heard that before from people. My off topic post was more of a general question. I used your name cause you inspired the question, but I'm interested to see what everyone thinks.

And yeah, they are rare for sure, those geniuses!

I didn't interpret you post as hostile, easy to do though in print, enter the emoticon! Got's to be takin' me some of those genius lessons....

Maybe it's because people learn more by the book now. Back in the day you didn't have nearly the information we have today. The internet played a huge part when I started teaching myself guitar. Less and less people are teaching themselves completely from scratch. Maybe there are still many things left undiscovered on guitar that will be discovered on day because of someone's self taught "bad habits". Or maybe not, who knows?

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Maxwell I dont understand how you can say nobody picked up where Hendrix took off. First let me state you will not find a bigger Hendrix fan than me but if you cant see where Vanhalen took it I dont under stand that .When Vanhalen released there first album Eddie was 22 and there was never anything heard like that as far as creativity since Hendrix. Now I dont know how old you are but I am old enough to overlap both there careers and if you are going to say someone tapped before him you tell me the album because everyone they say tapped before him the song and time of the tap sounds like any hammer on or pull off that was Eddies bag totaly because the slickest pros at the time did not know what it was some thought it was a synth or studio trickery. It is like people who like to bash Hendrix and say well all he did was take blues licks and play them through pedals just invented or that guys like Curtis Mayfield were playing rhythm guitar with embelishments before him the bottom line is they are missing the whole point and if you listen to anything guitar wise before Vanhalen 1 and cant see the change that happened so are you.

Agreed. Whatever your opinions on Eddie and his playing, it's pretty hard to dispute his massive, lasting impact on electric guitar. Like Hendrix, Eddie changed the way other players approach the instrument. Listen to pretty much any 70s rock album vs. any 80s rock album and you'll hear VH's influence.

That could not be any more true. If you look at the "guitar heroes" of 1978 (Blackmore, Ted Nugent, Pat Travers, Thin Lizzy, Buck Dharma, J Page, etc.), Eddie's playing -- by comparison -- sounded like it came from friggin' Mars. His vision was that far out. Besides being an unbelievable musician, Eddie is an awesome songwriter and (don't forget) showman. Eddie has all the bases covered. He is amazinnnnnng.

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I agree, I think too much emphasis is placed on tab as a learning tool. You can write all the trills, bends, pull offs you want, but you have to learn phrasing by using your ear. As everyone knows a guitarists touch is as unique as a fingerprint. you can get close, but not dead on. I think Jimi's experimentation in tweaking everything he could get his hands on, no doubt ,helped to develop his style. I think alot of guitar players are maybe worried someone may hear them playing something different or unusual(embarassed)etc. That they wont break out of the normal box we are programmed to think in. I think we do have to use and borrow here and there, but one should strive as much as possible to improvise as much as possible and not ANALIZE everything to DEATH. Let CNN do that!!
Improvisation can help with having you own style.IMO
I know this was a long run here, and I apologize
Please remember this is my OPNION

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Stray.....go listen to the 3 Jimi Hendrix Experience records. End of conversation. Adios.

PS - Never heard of such a thing as a Hendrix basher.

Allow me to introduce myself.

Actually, I'm not a hater of Hendrix, but of the brainless legend that surrounds him: he was the Greatest Guitar player Ever (not even close), he was a great songwriter (give me a break), he was going to "start playing jazz" (not in a million years), he Transcended Time And Space And Changed The Universe Forever, and nobody, ever, ever, ever can possibly come close to his glorious power and majesty...

Well, I can't purchase that for a nickel. Jimi Hendrix was an accomplished blues and R&B guitar player who discovered drugs, fringe and what happened when you turn your amp up all the way all in the same year. There was an audience for what he did because most of the young people were discovering the same things.

The music was shocking and broke through some barriers that defined what was and wasn't "music." (Which is why I find it so amusing that blooze/rock fans are among the first to cry that "rap isn't music"... just a little too shocking and extrabarrier for ya'll?) So he inspired a great deal of experimentation, but the guitar players he inspired surpassed him easily, because his musical pond was fairly shallow.

If I wrote a list of the 100 best guitar players of the rock era, I'm not sure Jimi Hendrix would even make the top 50. He's not so much a great player as a great icon, and as I am an iconoclast, I don't burn incense to statues.

So, I don't do any Hendrix bashing. But the Church Of Jimi is something I'll bash all day.

1) Regarding Hendrix the guitar player, his name is definitely in the mix of best ever. When such a consideration is made, you must consider the
era and his contempraries -- and no one (including Clapton) was even close.

2) No love for Hendrix the songwriter? Wow ... to me, I would argue the exact opposite. He was an amazing and extremely
prolific songwriter ... "Hey Joe", "Voodoo Chile", "Little Wing", "Castles Made of Sand", "If 6 Was 9", "Machine Gun", etc, etc, etc. His
songwriting was very solid and stands up today easily.

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1. Clapton??!? You're talking about comparing a handful of guitar players you're already familiar with. What about John Cippolina and Carlos Santana, both of whom created completely original styles based in the blues? Ever heard of Larry Coryell, or Wes Montgomery or Tal Farlow and what they were doing as jazz players when Hendrix was shuffling thorugh his little blues scales? How about Davey Graham and John Renbourn, or classical players like Julian Bream who were pushing the boundaries of what could be performed on the instrument? Hell, Buddy Guy beat Hendrix to the ELectric Koolaid when it came to most of that crazy stuff. To accept Hendrix as Greatest Guitarist, you have to narrow your view of music too far.

2. Songwriting is the art of combining melody and lyric. Hendrix melodies are virtually non-existent, and his lyrics are atrocious... either trad blues contruction like "Voodoo Chile" (BTW, he didn't write "Hey, Joe," and it was recorded by The Leaves a year before Hendrix did it), or psychedelic drivel that sounded "deep" when you were really high. For example...

"White collar conservative flashin down the street
Pointin their plastic finger at me, ha !
Theyre hopin soon my kind will drop and die but
Im gonna wave my freak flag high !"

Wow. Elvis Costello, look out. Contrary to the belief of guitar players, a great song isn't the same thing as a great "riff." I stand by my conviction that Hendrix was a pitiably bad songwriter. "Manic depression is a confusing mess." Golly, I think that's right. Heavy, man.

Typically, the two best rock guitar players of that time are considered to be Hendrix and Clapton. Even though, Clapton was way behind Hendrix IMO. John Cippolina and Santana? Sorry, but in 1968, these guys were nowhere near Hendrix in terms of a rock guitar player. George Harrison? Steve Miller? Alvin Lee? Jorma Kaukonen? They, too, were also great but wayyyy back of Hendrix. Honestly, the only rock guitar player in 1968 that is even worth discussing as a comparison to Hendrix is Steve Howe (who is often forgotten, which is a crime).

The rest that you mention are tremendous guitar players but a totally different genre ... that's too much like comparing apples and oranges, to me.


Hendrix had no melody? Again ... wow. There is no point of this debate continuing, as we obviously come from two completely different opinions. I am not the biggest of Hendrix fans compared to some others here in this forum. But I feel he was a genius songwriter. You don't, though ... and that's okay. There is no rule that says we have to agree.

Also, thanks for pointing out that "Hey Joe" was a cover. I never knew that. Even though, Hendrix's version was way better than the original (similar to "Watchtower" by the way).

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