Hendrix couldn't tune a guitar ??

[Scotland]

Just been listening to the radio where an English guy was touring in the U.S. in 1965. They were support to Little Richard and he said Hendrix was doing his tricks even then, behind the neck, picking with his teeth etc. He was totally amazed by him and said he had to tune Hendrix's guitar for him as he admitted he just couldn't do it !! Now that has floored me.

 

[Eric Karonen]

Maybe he forgot his teeth that day.

 

[dhdfoster]

I've heard live footage where he is tuning between songs.

 

[Bob Mc]

Eb plus lite strings oculdn't help either!

BTW, I just got the DVD Rhino Records did of the recording of Ladyland. I'm watching a little at a time. Anybody else seen this yet?

 

[Raymond]

Urban legend

This one has been around for years...It's like the ones that state that neither Clapton, nor Jeff Beck, nor Hendrix, [put you heroes name here], learned completely on their own without even having a friend or a relative to show them the basic chords...

I remember in a show in VH1 some time ago, that some dude said that when Hendrix started playing guitar, he had to came up with his own chords because no one taught them to him and he didn't have access to books or whatever...The guy even said that figured out all the open chords on his own....

 

[Baard]

harr harr

I've heard live footage where he is tuning between songs.

Did it help ?

Baard

 

[Steve McGinnis]

That's just silly

He backed up Jackie Wilson, the Supremes, Little Richard, and the Isley Brothers hired him. Someone says he can't tune a guitar? maybe later if he was too high, but that is just plain silly.

Steve McGinnis

 

[Nick Fanis]

Yup and Nicki Lauda did not have a driver's licence

 

[Scotland]

You know

This guy sounded dead serious and said Hendrix's ear was not good enough to get it bang on. Okay, listen to Hendrix, his tuning is always slightly off but so is everyone's from that era. No tuners were avalable then.
I wanted to gauge how you guys felt about this statement and got exactly the answers I had expected to get.

 

[T-bone Tone]

Yes, it's a load of bollocks. There are always people coming out of the woodwork with such snipes about long dead stars. Of course, conveniently, the stars are not in a position to put the record straight.

I got a good live track of Hendrix doing Stone Free. You can clearly hear him easily tune in a straight A major bar chord before he launches into the opening riff.

Also, being from the North East of England (Chas Chandler's home) I have heard from an old but very reliable sound engineer friend of Chandlers's that Jimi invariably tuned everyone else in the recording studio if he even so much as detected they were out....by ear.

I think our man on the radio is - sadly - trying to put a chink in a dead star's armour by implying the star could not even tune up. I have never, actually, known ANY good guitarist who couldn't tune up, let alone a phenomenon like Hendrix. As I said, a load of bollocks.

 

[Scotland]

Dead on methinks

Yes, it's a load of bollocks. As I said, a load of bollocks.

I think that they were the words that passed through my mind when I heard the guy talking about it.

 

[blauserk]

Jimi wailed on his guitar so much that I think he had to retune frequently and you can hear him tuning up--a bit approximately--all the time on live sets. It makes me think about how much more sorta "antiseptic" today's concerts are--the guitars are passed offstage to unseen roadies who tune 'em. When's the last time you saw a major act tune an instrument onstage between songs?

I get the sense that Jimi was a bit "approximate" on things like tuning. I think he always felt like he could bend a note into tune if it came to that.

 

[Teletwang]

Yup and Nicki Lauda did not have a driver's licence

...& Ayrton was overrated.

 

[holndav]

Lot's of folks will have no idea who Niki is

I for one grew up loving racing and Niki Lauda was a real inspiration to me for many reasons!

Thanks for the reminder, Nick!

David

 

[Telemaniac]

I seem to recall from the Woodstock film that JH de- and re-tunes during Star Spangled Banner?

 

[mrobins@equilease.com]

i have only one thing to say re Jimi

i wish i couldn't tune a guitar like him.

maybe he got confused with a Tuna sandwich , Jimi constantly expressed his distain for fish. ??

mr

 

[Scotland]

Re: Lot's of folks will have no idea who Niki is

I for one grew up loving racing and Niki Lauda was a real inspiration to me for many reasons!

Thanks for the reminder, Nick!

David

I will always remember Niki Lauda's hair on fire, so close yet so far !!

 

[bo]

That legend wouldn't explain the footage of the Experience on an early British rock show playing "Hey Joe" and Hendrix laughing as he simultaneously plays and retunes an out of tune string early on in the song.

 

[Raymond]

Confirmed!!!

Last night I recalled....

I you have it, listen to the "Live at the isle of wigth" CDs. I don't remember exactly in what track, since I'm not at home I can't tell..., but between two songs you can clearly hear him tuning up his guitar and telling the rest of the band to get ready...

Cheers!

 

[Nick Fanis]

OK BROTHERS!

http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/lauda_bio.htm


all you want to know about a true legend.....


and a true story:

when Lauda visited ATHENS/GREECE he was given a car to go around with.
After 5 minutes he stoped the car,got out of it and told his escort:
YOU DRIVE ! I CAN'T DRIVE IN THIS MAYHEM!!