How To Play Chords Like Jimi Hendrix

[bjbrunetti]

Great lesson, I've seen a ton of youtubes this one is my favorite

[maddog7101]

I play mostly acoustic and find this hard to do. Can I only do this on an electric, Can it be done on acoustic too. I dont have long fingers so should i just give it up and forget about it? Great lesson , either way.

[ianthomasmusic]

@maddog7101 Yeah, you can do it on an acoustic. Especially one with a thinner neck. Don't give up! When I first tried the thumb-over technique I felt overwhelmed, but your hands eventually find a way to do it.

[maddog7101]

@ianthomasmusic Thanks for the words of encouragement.Ill just keep working at it every day and I hope it will finally come to me. Im looking into another acoustic/electric with a thinner neck, just dont know which would be the best one without costing entirely too much.

[ajb0204]

This lesson was kool

[551batesroad]

Thanks bro! I'm finally gettin it! Good lesson.

[PurpleLightning6was9]

This probably helped me the most out of any youtube video I've watched. Thanks for helping me achieve that Hendrix sound, much appreciated.

[FPKGaming]

great lesson thanks a lot. been looking for something like this for ages =D

[bigjimmyrocker]

NICE JOB BRO

[dekzan]

Very valuable precious material. Thank you very much for explaining the techniques.

[lukenam]

Jimi did not MUTE notes. Funny how everyone thinks they can play Jimi Hendrix by sounding like Stevie Ray Vaughn. Actually Jimi Hendrix did not use muting much like you are doing. You are playing Stevie Ray Vaughns style when he played JImi Hendrix songs. Jimi Hendrix played hammer-ons, single notes, and did NOT sweep over muted strings. If you want proof, look at song book notations of his songs. Funny how everyone thinks this muting is reminiscent of jimi hendrix.

[flyguyty33]

i am discouraged

[ianthomasmusic]

@flyguyty33 Don't be discouraged!  Just stick with it!

[vLatZofficial]

best teacher on youtube!, thanks

[rockyjnr10]

@vLatZofficial check out Marty Schwartz

[rockyjnr10]

@vLatZofficial check out Marty Schwartz

[Daggerz247]

never gonna work for me because me first finger was broken ):

[StratMatt777]

This is a fantastic lesson!!!!

Thank you!

[BubbaButt7]

i cant play the cord like that i mute the 1st and 2nd. help?

[StratMatt777]

@BubbaButt7 Your index finger is baring the two high strings across the same fret. For me, that is the easiest part of the chord to play. It is just an E form chord- except you don't have to bother fretting the 5th string (which is muted instead).

[HITHEREFOLKS]

many thanks for posting this lesson ,that way i can practice little by little

[theleftfoot]

yeah man, you open up my eyes! thanks very usefull and very effectiv!

cheers!

[mdeliseo]

i'm 17 and my thumb can barely reach over the top! :/

[StratMatt777]

@mdeliseo If you don't have a Stratocaster, you need one! They have small necks. :)

[thegrandwazoooo]

nice simple effective lesson...thanks man

[ianthomasmusic]

@thegrandwazoooo glad you liked it

[TreyDee45]

hey good lesson what scales did jimi use? thanks

[ianthomasmusic]

@TreyDee45 Jimi's homebase was the minor pentatonic scale.  He also played off chord shapes a lot. He probably wasn't thinking about 'scales' per se. He just played what he heard.

[TheIndependentView2]

Good stuff, man. Love the grip Jimi used and you explained it well.

[justcrappy1]

lol i am 12 annd i play alot of hendrix but my fingers are too short for this shit!

[ianthomasmusic]

@justcrappy1 Don't worry, you'll grow! Just keep at it and one day you'll suddenly be able to do it.

[justcrappy1]

@ianthomasmusic allright then! thanks for the answer! nice playing btw!

[MrJackanthony]

@ianthomasmusic That guitar looks excellently setup. (Haha yeah I can tell) Does the hss come like that? Cheers

[Luifacee]

when he said little wing i thought he said "little wayne" and i was like wtf

[ianthomasmusic]

@Luifacee Haha! I've heard Lil Wayne play guitar, and it doesn't sound anything like Jimi!

[BrentHutchinson1]

that's an awesome tip. Before your video was done I just made some stuff I didn't know I was capable of. You're the man.

[ianthomasmusic]

@BrentHutchinson1 Glad it was helpful!

[snowypetrel]

That's one of those questions I've asked myself for ages, how does Hendrix sound so free. Thanks for this, nicely done.

[rygyrocks16]

nice! I'll have to check your band out

[TheDilligan]

Awesome lesson.. i think you should go deeper into the jimi hendrix style and make some more vids on this

[BryantC1000]

good stuff bro

[TheSvenien]

Best so fare of what i have watch of Liesson .Thanks :)

[mattcurgenven]

Thanks for the guidance.

[bray617]

Thanks Great Info!

[rich655]

NICE sunburst Highway One HSS!! I have the same exact one...done up with Fender Vintage Noiseless singles and a Gibson 57 Classic Plus Humbucker!!

Great Guitar!!

[ianthomasmusic]

@rich655 Awesome dude! Yeah it's a really cool guitar. You really stepped it up with those pickups! Must be a treat to play!

[LilC2012]

I had a guitar just like that but mine was an Ion

[IcyNit]

i gotta find a turorial to play star spangled banner by jimi

[STORYTASTIC]

beautifuly done babe

[magicseaweed1000]

Great video man

[The0472kingstitt]

thanks for the lesson man,you explained very nicely.finally i can play like jimi

[arnow77]

great lesson! thanks!

[doradashi]

yea dude , big like

[billboo22]

thanks man that really helped

[LaynesAddiction]

good use of your thumb on the full chords....no barring, i can find no tutorials of people playing hendrix with the thumb, you do it right...luckily i just learned it myself, i just felt more comfortable using my thumb, now i can barr and do full thumb chords....using your thumb gives you free fingers to do pull offs etc.. and more notes are able to be played cause your bar finger isnt in the way...

[bobspark18]

Thanks get job...Ron holt

[tommyrotter]

You sound like John Meyer.Fortunately you don't seem to be a complete twat . So get a good hairstyle and shag some film stars.

[ianthomasmusic]

@tommyrotter Haha! Thanks... I think. Since this video I've got a new hairstyle. I'm working on the film stars!

[nicoooh]

@tommyrotter unfortunately you seem to be a complete twat.. It's a lesson, not a sound show off. Anthing productive you can offer instead of trolling?

[Jimmy82Baley]

nice one mate! I cheers from sweden!

[TeejTV]

hey, what about chords with root on the b string?

great tutorial, thanks, this helped a lot :)

[ianthomasmusic]

@TeejTV Let's see. I'm trying to think what chord shapes would have the root on the B string. Do you mean an inversion? Maybe you meant root on the A string? If so, you can play A string roots with his thumb, but they're less common. Examples would be a D major chord, with root on 5th fret of A string with thumb, 5th on D string, root on G string and major 3rd on B string (with 3rd finger barring at 7th fret). You could also do the minor version, it would look like the open A min shape

[rhcp9063]

When would be the best time to do the double stops

[rhcp9063]

Thanks this helped alot and is this the style that John frusciante uses too??

[ianthomasmusic]

@rhcp9063 Totally! Frusciante was heavily influenced by Hendrix. The style is especially prevalent on early RHCP stuff.

[MrCraigary123]

ur amzing

[kawasakipride27]

ill say one word to sum up ur vid and rele help ppl......PRACTICE!!!! great vid btw man 5/5

[ianthomasmusic]

@kawasakipride27 That is great advice :) Thanks!

[jayj420]

good lesson. i been lookn for a good lesson that showed moveable hendrix style chords

[NEFF153]

little wing

[seppsmund]

Using your thumb limits your possibilities with the major chords. You'll notice you can't reach any notes further up in the fretboard. Instead, try to do a normal barre chord but curve your index finger so that it will mute the A string and simultaneously press down both E strings and the B string.

By doing this you don't lose your mobility, you can easily maintain the bass note and play dominant 7th from the B string, sharpened 4th from the G string or maybe even major 3rd from the E string.

[ianthomasmusic]

@seppsmund Well, you do get a little further reach (maybe 1 fret) but this is a Hendrix-style lesson. Jimi never used the technique you're talking about. That being said, I appreciate your input, and there's never any reason not to learn new techniques!

[sluxguitar]

@seppsmund

Do you have an example showing what you are talking about, because I don't understand well what you mean thx :)

[saxby01]

Thanks. Clear and relaxed.

[G19653]

what gage strings do you use

[Detman101]

Best "Hendrix-style" tutorial on the internet!!

Thank you for explaining the Minor Chord of that style.

No one else on Youtube has done that besides you (that I've seen)

Now, if I can just get my first finger to barre across the bottom 3 strings I might stand a chance at playing in this style. So far, I can only get my first finger-tip to press down on the B string. If I try to barre the bottom two strings they wind up being muted. So I just do the B string n let the e get muted.

Sincerely,

Dm

[ianthomasmusic]

@Detman101 Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. Just stick with it! It's frustrating at first to get your fingers accustomed to the new movements, but you will get it with time, I promise! Good luck!

[Detman101]

thank you sir.

You're the best instructional on youtube. I will keep on trying until I get it down good. I have gotten the A-chord shape style good in the past few days.

But that E-chord shape...whew...its rough.

I think I will try to study/practice some RHCP - "Under the Bridge" and "Dani California" to get slightly easier examples of the technique. Trying to follow Hendrix is haaaaarrrrrrrd!

=]

Dm

[pickleweasel0]

This is amazing, you should make more tutorials, great teacher! off to check out your band now :)

[ianthomasmusic]

@pickleweasel0 Thank you so much! I'm glad it was helpful! Lemme know what you think of Stonefeather :)

[coltguffey]

Man that was great. Much appreciated!

[ianthomasmusic]

@coltguffey Glad you liked it!

[GreenPanda213]

IAN ITS NICOLAS FROM MUSa.remember me??? ur student??????well if u do.well good to know ur doing good.nice responsible song.hope u become very famous

[ariariariellee]

this was awesome....what specific guitar are you playing??

[ianthomasmusic]

@ariariariellee Thanks! It's a Fender Highway 1 Stratocaster. I like it a lot!

[fallen3991]

by far one of the best tutorials out there! so simple and direct

[sbilts]

Very clear and easy to understand...Thanks

[e4i]

That's a great tutorial for people who are starting to play hendrix stuff, in my opinion this is the best way to play guitar in term of sound and entertainment, once you understand the basics it's a pleasure ! But you've got to use it with moderation :) too many people are over-using it to make a song sounds great but most of the time it makes the song sounds flat. It's hard to find a good balance :) . Keep on rockin' dude !

[ianthomasmusic]

@e4i Totally agree with you. Well said. Glad you liked the tutorial!

[KaleidoScopeEyes225]

unreal. very helpful

[zeffy00]

and ofc, i dont just like ur covers, i like the originals even more ;D

[ianthomasmusic]

Thanks a lot! When I'm not recording Youtube videos I pour my heart and soul into those songs, so that means a lot to me :)

[zeffy00]

nice man, really the best tutorial for the jimi-technique on utube, too bad my fingers are too small to do the thumb-over perfectly :p

but anyways, love ur covers, im a big fan - keep up the good work ;D

[vivi125]

Damn you really gave us the basic!

i think this video will be big :D

Thanks!

[usernamethis]

Hey IAN sweet tutorial man! A LOT of people will really appreciate this.. And good luck to Stonefeather!!! check out my new video "Decision" on my channel if you havent yet. Peace Brotha! -zac

[jmeuw]

very cool, interesting to watch -- this will get a lot of hits i think

[ianthomasmusic]

thanks man! i hope :)