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Jimi Hendrix
The greatest guitarist that ever lived.
Jimi Hendrix was arguably the best American
rock guitar player of all time. In 2003, Rolling
Stone Magazine listed him as number 1 out
their 100 greatest guitar players of all time.
Shy around friends, family, and the general
public, the only time Jimi seemed relaxed was
when he was on stage presenting his
“experience.”
After leaving the Army Jimi moved to Harlem NY where he got work playing backup for several
different artists and groups.
Arthur and Albert Allen known as the “Ghetto Twins”
said that “he was very self-conscious about himself. He
was very self-conscious about the things that he wore.”
During this time period he
met Chas Chandler who
had just ended his career
with The Animals, a
famous R&B Band from
the early to mid-1960’s.
Chas immediately saw
Jimi as talent worth
investing in, and whisked
him off to England to
form a new band.
It was in England that Jimi formed “The Jimi Hendrix Experience”
He enlisted Noel Redding, and Mitch MIchell to join him in the
band
The name “The Jimi Hendrix Experience”
was created by their new band manager,
Mike Jeffery.
Their final European performance for this tour was at the Saville
Theatre in London England. The audience was filled with famous
rock musicians of the time. People such as Eric Clapton from
Cream, Pop Singer Lulu, and Paul McCartney and George
Harrison
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released “Are You Experienced” in
the US and Canada on August 23rd 1967. They changed the
album cover from a black and white themed picture, to a yellow
and purple themed picture.
In all, there were 17 total tracks that are included in the
“Are You experienced” Both the UK and the US versions
had 11 songs a piece, with the other 6 added in the
1993 Alan Douglas Edition.
On December 1st 1967 The Jimi Hendrix Experience released its
second album in the UK. This one was called “Axis: Bold as Love”.
Hendrix said he felt that the album was rushed, and that he’d
wished they had more time to make the album.
Jimi’s only other complaint with the album other than having to
rush it, was with the CD cover itself. He said he liked the
rendition of the ViraatPurushan-Vishnuroopam, a famous Indian
painting, but that it would have been more appropriate if they
had honored his American Indian heritage instead.
Jimi had learned to use a Leslie Speaker, which is a large organ speaker that
rotates as it plays, and secondly and most distinguishably is the use of the
wha-wha Peddle. The wha-wha peddle was new device that Jimi had seen
when he met Frank Zappa in 1967 at the Garrick Theater.
The last album Jimi put out under the Jimi
Hendrix Experience was “Electric
Ladyland”.
The last performance with Jimi and
Noel together was the Denver Pop
Festival on June 29th, 1969.
August 18th 1969 Jimi Hendrix
headlined the Woodstock Music
Festival
In April 1970 Jimi did his last tour by reforming
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, this time using Billy
Cox on the bass
Jimi would die only 12 days later on
September 18th 1970 in London
England.
Also of suspicion was Jimi’s girlfriend, Monkia
Dannemann, whom was accused for years of
knowing more about the night of Jimi’s death
than she had let on.
His family, regained control of his son’s
music in the early 1990’s under the
company Experience Hendrix LLC.
I have chosen Side A of the Jimi
Hendrix Experience: Are You
Experienced album for musical analysis
Purple Haze
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Purple Haze
0:00 Introduction
The Introduction comes in with a short pickup. An alternating Bb from the guitar being answered by
an open E from the bass.
0:05 Introduction/Motif
This begins Alla Marica. On the down beat the Motif beings to play. The bass plays the same note
through the entire motif causing you to focus only on the guitar which plays the motif several times
to bridge different pieces of the song. The beat is quadrupleduple
0:23 verse 1
Here it changes to a more Andante feel. This verse has 9 seconds of music that lead into the lyrics.
Jimi sticks to very simple poetry structure of lyrical writing. Brain, Same. Why Sky. He pauses all the
music before stating the last line of the chorus to create triple meter feeling on a duple beat. He
also plays the last riff of his verse on the same downbeats to make it also feel like a triple meter. He
then repeats the motif from the beginning of the song and then goes straight into verse two
0:52 verse 2
Verse two is a rather straight forward repeat of verse one. It does not have the leading 9 seconds of
music the first one done. Lyrics are the only thing that changes. Each verse has the same lyrical
melody. This allows the listener to identify the vocal melody as a separate motif as well. In this
verse he says “whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me.”
Purple Haze
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Verse two is a rather straight forward repeat of verse one. It does not have the leading 9 seconds of
music the first one done. Lyrics are the only thing that changes. Each verse has the same lyrical
melody. This allows the listener to identify the vocal melody as a separate motif as well. In this
verse he says “whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me.”
1:12: bridge/solo
To start the solo he plays the motif from the introduction and then goes into a guitar solo. The bass
goes one note at a time up the scale ascending to the pickup note. Then is drops back to the
beginning of the scale and repeats until the solo plays the opening motif again and beings verse 3.
Jimi’s solo is mostly descending to give harmonic contrast to the base line. The drums keep the
tempo at the same quadruple/simple. A chorus begins to make very faint noise growing louder as
the solo progresses, but never become clear enough to understand.
1:53: verse 3
Verse three leaves you with a sense of discomfort and wanting resolution. Lyrically it ends with
“tomorrow of just the end of time” Musically it’s again the same as the other two verses
2:13 outro solo
This outro beings with the same introduction motif and then a short guitar solo that has two
ascending runs on the scale and then one descending run. The chorus from bridge returns and this
time sings “purple haze” they repeat this as the guitar loses its major harmony and goes to a minor
harmony creating a disjunct sound as the music fades out. This coincides with the message of the
song being lyrically about a person who has a “purple have, all around”
2:30 Here the chorus beings to sing purple haze background until the music does a slow fade out
Manic Depression
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0:00 Introduction
The introduction has an ascending solo that is repeated by the same solo an octave higher. This
sequence is followed by the melody of the song creating a motif that is used throughout the rest of
the song in both the chorus and verse. This also sets the beat at a triple meter. This song is very
resolute and has very decisive timing.
0:09 verse 1
He starts out with the words “manic depression is touch in soul. I know what I want, but I just don’t
know. How to go about getting it” The last sentence is thrown in as trill it doesn’t quite fit the
pattern he’s created with the melody so he quickly says it rather than keeping the tempo. Jimi does
not really have much of a chorus. He uses the same pause and vocal melody at the end of each
verse to give the same affect and familiarity a person normally connects to the chorus with.
0:40 verse 2
The sequence from the introduction is used again to introduce verse 2 with the answering part of
the sequence being a solo. It goes into the motif once before the lyrics come in this time talking
about music and manic depression being a “frustrating mess”
1:18: bridge
He uses the motif to lead into the solo. The bass plays the same to notes keeping the rhythm the
same through the whole solo. The drums also stay consistent to put more focus on the guitar solo.
Jimi plays in a minor harmony using sharp and flat bends to create a very disjunct discomfort in
order to emphasize the lyrical message. He gives resolution by playing the introduction and motif
again just before the second chorus in order to tie it all together again.
Manic Depression
• 2:00 verse 3
• Verse three starts to build momentum. It’s gets a little louder as it
progresses and when they reach the pause and say “frustrated mess” it
goes into a final bridge that breaks the song down to end it.
• 2:38 bridge 2
• This repeats the motif over several times, but often does not play the
motif all the way. It will repeat half way or ¾ of the way through motif. He
uses the alternating scales from the motif but plays higher accent notes at
the end of the scale to break it up. The drums are doing descending drum
rolls instead that are intensified instead of the more rhythmic progressions
they doing in the verses. At 2:51 Jimi begins to fade in and out with “music
sweet music” The drums begin to repeat steadily in a triple/compound
meter with the guitar joining in at 3:13 afinal buildup that is made by
intensifying the volume and playing an ascending scale in the major mode
before breakdown at the end with it descending to a casual fade out of the
drums and feedback of the guitar.
Love or Confusion
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0:00: Introduction
Starts with the pickup note that holds until until the drums come in to set the
tempo. At 0:07 the motif for the song is played lasting 10 seconds. It sets the mood
as a summary of what will make up the song.
0:16: Verse 1
The motif is repeated to being the chorus with the pickup note being stuck and
held. Jimi’s voice is about the same volume as the guitar making him more like an
instrument than a focal point. The guitar still has much of the attention of the
audience and holds the melody. The guitar also makes a series of trills with a few
arched scale patterns to tie the trills together. As he intensifies the desperation in
his voice he uses the trills in and harmonious note bends to counterpoint the
lyrics. The verse builds up gradually by getting louder as it progresses. I then give
resolution to the build up by doing a series that is a descending scale.
0:51 verse 2:
Verse two has no introduction; it goes right into it after the resolution to the
buildup on verse1. At 1:26 it has a small pause that feels like hitting the brakes to
go around the corner.
Love or Confusion
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1:27 solo/bridge 1
Here we have a tempo change into a quadruple meter rhythm with the guitar
playing a series of scales. The bass guitar repeats a three note patter which it
moves up and down the scale. The harmony of the guitar rings on a single note
until and then he gradually walks up the scale back to the pickup note so that he
can start verse 3
2:00 verse 3
Verse three repeats the base rhythm of the first two verses, the guitar follows
more of the solo pattern to give harmony and contrast to the bass line. The drums
tie the two together. This verse deteriorates more musically with the guitar playing
more off beat ascends than it had in the first two verses as well.
2:40 outro
the outro repeats the final phrase of the chorus twice, then repeats the ending of
the phrase then plays the whole phrase a final time before fading out at 3:03 with
an echo
May This Be Love
• May this be love?
• 0:00 introduction
• He starts out with a clean Maestoso feel that paints a picture
almost like water. He does a slow descending scale to lead into the
Vers1.
• 0:16 Verse1/Theme1:
• Here he introduces the first theme of the song. He uses this for the
first verse that still has the maestoso feel the drums do a
triple/compound meter beat that gives this theme the feel of a slow
trot.
• 0:59 verse 2/Theme2:
• Here he introduces theme two. This one is a little faster from the
guitar and does a triple simple meter dividing the beat into two
distinguishable halves.
May This Be Love
• 1:34 Chorus 2
• Again Jimi does use much in the way of a chorus,
instead using pauses with repeated melodic vocals to
make the melody that “gets stuck in your head” When
he comes back into theme two he uses the phrase
“water fall” to act as the chorus .
• 1:55 outro
• Here he mixes the two themes like you would normally
do in a bridge. He plays the melody and parts of both
themes before letting the song break down at 2:54
until it fades out with the guitar