Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

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Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

Sitting and learning Hendrix..........it never ceases to amaze me that he died at 27, so much of that brilliance was crafted years earlier than that. He was truly something special.
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

duane died at 24. i think most people are at their most creative in their younger years
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

I was thinking about that last night, Jeremy. When you listen to the greats today, you sometimes know what's coming. Another "Claptonism". Billy Gibbons got the same way in the 80's I was contemplating the idea that Jimi and Duane did so much amazing and innovative stuff in their short lives that every time you heard them, it was something new and exciting. They came to the mass market fully formed and never had a chance to get tired and stale. And we got the idea that Jimi was striking off into new soul-based territory aound the time that he died. Imagine what he would have done next? I can't imagine him or Duane just rehashing the same old riffs.
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

As for the being more creative in their younger years, that assumes that they started in their younger years......I hope.....lol. We have seen a lot of folks run out of things to say. You notice that your favorite bands will have a "golden age" and if they can get 3-5 records outinthat period, they become a classic band. I think of Aerosmith from "Get your Wings" through "Rocks", Elton John up to "Captain Fantastic", ZZ Top up through "Deguello" or "El Loco, etc. There are some guys who never slack up, but they tend to have names like Beethoven.....lol
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

Ah, little wing...sounds like it got us all, eh? When I was a really young, dumb shredder I didn't really get the hendrix/SRV thing....then right after SRV died I heard little wing on the radio at 2am on a rainy night in my car. I was floored by it...ran out and got like 10 SRV records and all the jimi I could get my hands on...suddenly shred just seemed so lame to me. :) Weird how that works...

I've played LW a lot, but I don't have it note for note from the recording. I had copied SRVs version a lot, but I pretty much follow the form and do my own thing with it. I think working on it note for note is an incredibly good thing to spend time on. Notes are notes, but feel, touch, tone, and timing is where the gold is...
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

Lewguitar said:
I've loved this tune for many years but never learned to play it note for note.

Spent a few hours working it out the other day.

Just curious how many of you can play that intro perfectly?

It's in E flat by the way...you'll have to tune your guitar down a half step to play along with the record.

That intro to Little Wing is so beautiful...

After learning it, I was driving somewhere last night and SRV's version came on the radio...I was surprised that he doesn't play it note for note. The way he plays the intro is close...but not exact.

Lew
Click to expand...

Little Wing is one of my favorite Hendrix tunes. I learned it a long time ago, but never liked to play anything note for note. For 2 reasons.1 is I can't:crying: 2 is I like to be creative in the sense that I don't want to copy it, but put my own feel on it and at the same time do it justice. If you can't do it justice than don't play it. In my IMO nobody can rplicate it the way Jimi played it..... even though SRV did a great job covering it ( He had a great feel for what Jimi was about). Try putting your own personality on it.

What I do is I play it in E and I start by playing dry, then I kick in a little reverb and Chorus. A Strat in position 2 is definately the tone you want. I try to play some fills that are reminicent of Clapton playing this song. I love playing it my own way!
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

Bludave said:
Little Wing is one of my favorite Hendrix tunes. I learned it a long time ago, but never liked to play anything note for note. For 2 reasons.1 is I can't:crying: 2 is I like to be creative in the sense that I don't want to copy it, but put my own feel on it and at the same time do it justice. If you can't do it justice than don't play it. In my IMO nobody can rplicate it the way Jimi played it..... even though SRV did a great job covering it ( He had a great feel for what Jimi was about). Try putting your own personality on it.

What I do is I play it in E and I start by playing dry, then I kick in a little reverb and Chorus. A Strat in position 2 is definately the tone you want. I try to play some fills that are reminicent of Clapton playing this song. I love playing it my own way!
Click to expand...

I always make everything I play my own. :) But there's so much to learn from a genius like Hendrix that it's worthwhile learning something like Little Wing note for note perfect. It made me a better player and expanded my knowledge. I love playing the intro note for note and copping the feel as closely as I can...then I play anything I feel like playing from then on. But learning Little Wing note for note is really, really worthwhile! There are very few things I'd spend that kind of time learning...but Little Wing was worth the effort. Lew
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

There's a great version on Paul Rodger's 'The Hendrix Set' with Neal Schon on guitar, I thnk they really do it justice too. And I agree with the guy who said the version by Sting on Nothing Like the Sun.. is a nice take on it too. Oh Steve Vai's version live at the Astoria is another good version

I play it live on a 12 string electro-acoustic, was a pain but its worth it, you need something a bit special to get a bar of students quiet..lol. Course I don't do any ofthe solo bits coz its just me and an acoustic..i do the intro, then tend to jus play the chords with a few embelishments here and there.

I keep practicing and listening to try and get it note-perfect all the way through, I think its one of those pieces where you can translate a lot of the techniques into general playing.

Oh you guys who like little wing, try Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

I dont see the fun in copying that song note for note. i play the intro with kind of an improv attitude, i think its different every time. its fun. wee.
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

i just made a cruddy little recording of my version of it if anyone has a place to host it for me. I was lookin at this thread earlier and just relearned the intro
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

I love Little Wing. The thing about it... it isn't that hard in terms of technique but I find it VERY hard in terms of duplicating Jimi's phrasing and subtle elements. The timing is a little strange too. I am probably in the group with Lew's buddy that kinda got impatient and just came up with my own parts. Little Wing is probably my favorite Hendrix tune. My wife hates it which I don't really understand since the song is beautiful to my ears.

I like the way Vai plays it on the new DVD.
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

I loved little wing and is one of my favorite tunes to play live. I play MY version of it as I like to let the mood of the song influence what I play. While you can learn alot from note to note "I" feel that you can learn just as much from the creative envelope that the song puts you in. Learning is ok, but don't let it stifle your creativity.

I posted a Hendrix clip of the Star Spangle Banner on here a while back and I believe i posted this clip of the wind cries mary (another classic) on there also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dpax55d7Lc
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

I learned to play it note for note a few years ago but since then I've deviated into my own little inflections and things in the song and the way I voice the chords. It's one of those songs that you can really make you rown if you know how to manipulate it correctly.

Steve Vai had a GREAT version of it on his Live at the Astoria DVD.
 
Re: Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing

That is one of the best songs ever.

I don't guess any of you have ever heard Skid Row's version of it? I thought it was great, though completely different than Hendrix or SRV.
 
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