Making this video was meaningful to me on multiple levels.
- I wanted to pay respect to and listen to a black artist given the current movement, and Hendrix is like the prototype of all guitar heroes.
- And listening to not just this song but many of his catalogue reminded me of how much I adore his music.
- Finally, learning to play bits and pieces of this song made me get in touch with certain boldness that’s required to play Hendrix’s brand of rock guitar.
You’d think of Hendrix as a guitar slinger but his virtuosity is only a part of the whole package. He is also a master songwriter and having visited his catalog I am convinced that that was the differentiator between him and others who followed. He wrote these innovative songs that became vehicles for his guitar wizardry. Without songs at this caliber, other guitar heroes only appeal to the small niche of guitar nerds, never impacting the wider audience at the visceral level.
I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did making it.