This session should appeal to fans of one of my favorite guitarists, Jimi Hendrix. Recognized as one of the world's greatest rock guitarists, his playing was firmly rooted in the blues.

Here are some of my favorite Hendrix licks. They sound great in rock and blues, as well as funk and jazz. You'll hear these licks played with an easy single-chord groove in the back- ground, all in the key of E. Some of them may be a little tricky at first, so I'll play them nice and slow to make it as easy as possible.

Let's take a look at some of the scales and chords that Jimi uses in his music.

1. Minor Pentatonic Scale: E G A B D
2. Blues Scale: E G A Bflat B D
3. Major Pentatonic Scale: E F# G# B C#
4. Mixolydian Mode: E F# G# A B C# D
5. Dorian Mode: E F# G A B C# D

Jimi and many other great players integrated aspects of these various scales within the same solo. A future article on Altered Pentatonic Scales is in the works, so the more familiar you are with the above scales (1 - 5), the better.

I'll start with a lick that I think is a little tricky to play at first. While it sounds like a phrase we've heard a million times before, listen a little closer. One note is ascending and immediately afterward, the second note descends. To do this you'll have to bend two strings with two fingers up a whole step at the same time!

As your ring finger raises the note D to E, your middle finger is raising the note A to B. Here's another way to describe it…you're bending the note on the 15th fret up a whole step, while bending the note on the 14th fret up a whole step as well. Pick the first note (B string) and when it gets to E, pick the second note (G string) and release.

I think it sounds great when repeated and here's another lick that uses that same idea.

Try this using your ring finger for both notes since they are both on the 15th fret.
You'll have to "catch" the B string as you bend the E string up a whole step. Once again, it's not the easiest thing to do at first, so don't be discouraged. It will be well worth your effort, especially when you combine it with the first lick for some cool sounds. Check out how it sounds.

Here's a Hendrix lick using a string skip.

This lick borrows a note from the Major Pentatonic Scale.
Albert King and many other great blues players gravitate towards this sound.

This lick is just fun to do; I like to play it in different octaves for a cool effect.

Connect this lick to the next one and you'll have a great blues intro. To make this happen, first bend upwards a whole-step and then release a half-step. Then bend back up a half-step and release a whole-step.

This lick uses a familiar phrase with the addition of the ninth (F#) which makes it a little more unique.

Here's an example of Major thirds and Minor thirds within the same phrase.

Here's an example of combining Mixolydian and Dorian modes within the same solo. There is only one note that is different between them. The Mixolydian mode contains a Major third (G#) whereas the Dorian mode has a Minor third (G). A unique feature of the blues has always been its ambiguous nature of sounding neither major nor minor. Using these two scales freely as Hendrix did exploits that aspect of the blues.

I've included a play along track to solo over. I hope this helps you get started and that I've shed a little light on one the most creative guitarists out there.

I have often performed A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix at the 8x10 Club in Federal Hill and other Baltimore area venues. The show features an entire evening of classic Hendrix music and images celebrating his life. I hope you can make it sometime!

Check my website www.carlfilipiak.com for further details.

Peace,
Carl