Hey all not been on the forum for a long time.
Theres a gig where Jimi plays Red House in New York and right at the height of the solo he plays this RIDICULOUSLY fast repeating phrase that he seems to move up the pentatonic shapes. Ive slowed it down so I know the notes hes playing but my question is HOW is he playing them? I would like to know exactly what hes doing then work on it rather than work on something that isn't as efficient. The lick is around 6:04 into the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSidYi3Ry90

By the sound of it, it is simply a triad, a three note progression, it sounds like he is hammerin the note so even though it sounds fast ( then ) by todays standards it is really average.
It's a fairly easy trick, it is not magic or anything technically unreachable.

I 'm sure the Hendrix fans will disagree with me but to me Hendrix is what he was, not the ultimate goalpost. Have to keep it in perspective, he was very capable of playing technically, a search on his work with the Isley Brothers will illustrate the best of Hendrix.
As for his recorded Live work, much of it is slurred playing, equally divided between onstage showmanship and playing...The two are not very compatible....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Thanks for the reply, I know it's just three notes hammered on and off, i should have been more specific sorry. What I'm really wondering is would he be using his third and pinky or stretching over his second to play on the B string while his third finger plays the E string? Or something completley different? Also how can I build it up to that speed? Im a reasonably advanced player but I just cant quite get into the insane speed bracket that a lot of players reach.

You cannot build speed without building a foundation for it.
If you listen to Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani..they are all very technical players but when playing fast legato runs, their notes are clear, not slurred and melodic so that they are very much part of the song or tune, the solo is emphasizing the chord progression, this is only my personal opinion but I find few and far between the solo that is actually call and response to the song...
Much of the solo's out there have really nothing to do with the song as they are basically fretboard pyrotechnics.
Eric johnson comes to mind as someone who is very well schooled in theory and chord progressions. Jazz is very reminiscent in his playing....

If you are going to achieve speed you are going to have to woodshed. Not for just speed sake but really working on where notes fit in relation to the root note, how to construct chord melody, which once you have a chord melody, you can dissect each chord and arpegiate the notes in each chord, then restructure them by combining them in a melodic runs.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Gotta agree with you there. Hendrix was much more of a "feel" based player. He was also quite the technician when it came to using volume, fuzz, feedback, and chorus/vibrato. He used effects much as a painter will use different colors on a canvas. Not to mask the intent...more to get the feel or idea across. Technically someone like Eric Johnson or Jeff Beck are much better guitar players but, I don't play their records anywhere near as often as I would the first 3 Hendrix recordings (Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland). Forget about the "Best of's" or any other compilations. Get any one of those, sit down and LISTEN from beginning to end. That guy was going to take you on a journey to places that you never went to before. Remember that it was 1966 to 1968 when these were made. I can only think of a handful of artists that even came close to this guy when he was at the top of his game. Your Malmsteens, Vais, Satrianis can't even come close when it comes down to one thing....it ain't just the technique...it's THE SONG. None of those guys can write a really good song that will make you remember it to save their lives. Not like Hendrix could. They would probably admit to that themselves.

The woodshedding idea is pretty much where it's at. Then get out and play with others as much as you can. Learn how to improvise. Concentrate on finding your own voice and less on "how did he do it, how can I sound like him?" kind of stuff. I listen to recordings of myself when I cut loose and sometimes I am not sure what the hell it was I did. I just went for it. I lost myself in the moment. THAT is what Hendrix was going for. Someone like the three guitarists mentioned previously can transpose note for note what they do at any given moment and while it's certainly admirable it was NEVER a goal of mine to do that (or Hendrix's....he didn't even read sheet music).