mr dave

Sorry dude, the formatting fell apart, oddly enough it looks fine if you try to quote it

Straight:
G...............C.................D............... Am
1-234-1-234|1-234-1-234|1-234-1-234|1-234-1-234

Alternate Ending:
G...............C.................D........Am....D .......Am
1-234-1-234|1-234-1-234|1-234-1-234|1-234-1-234

So on top you have 4 full passes of each chord, on the bottom you have 2 full passes then 4 half passes but it still equals out to the same amount of strums or beats.

And yeah Hendrix is an anomaly. The other major element with Hendrix's rhythm playing is his unorthodox and technically 'wrong' fretting technique. Wrapping your thumb around the neck is generally considered bad form (it WILL get you disciplined if you're learning classical guitar) it's also a concern for physical issues like carpal tunnel syndrome. The upside if you've got a hand large enough is that it allows you to play enough of a chord that it fools the average listener into thinking they've heard the whole thing while leaving your little finger free to add embellishments.

Here's a proper familiar bar chord and how Hendrix would generally fret it:

e-5-(5)-
B-5--5-
G-6--6-
D-7--7-
A-7--X-
E-5--5-

The main difference is the muted A string, which is a result of both the edge of the thumb muting the string and leaving the little finger out of the picture and moving your ring finger up to the D string. The other big thing with that form is you don't need to press your index finger across all 6 strings, the top 3 are usually all that's needed and again it opens up the possibility for funky little licks to be tossed in at 'random' within the rhythm.

A couple of relatively easy tunes that showcase that technique clearly are Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, and Under the Bridge by the RHCP.

__________________
i am the universe

blastingas10

Now I see what you're saying.

While learning to play some of Hendrixs songs I've realized that he does these little nuances or embellishments a lot. Individually, they don't seem like much but when you go through a whole song and put all those little nuances together, it's just like a stroke of beauty and genius. Those little details really add a lot to a piece of music. It's very impressive.

Piotr_13

Dude I was the same way when I started playing. The problem with me, is that I got tired of playing standard tuning after a short time of playing. My right hand knows exactly what it's doing, but my left hand doesn't dig the whole "fretting chord changes" thing in standard. I just tune my guitar to the tuning that I like and go from there. Maybe experimentation in different tunings or using a capo would help you out a little more in terms of creativity.

VoiceX

I have a few idea`s for you...

A) The more you worry about the way you sound each time, the less focused you become. As you said before, your no Hendrix and you got your whole life ahead of you to come up with as many idea`s as he has. Believe it or not, time is the ultimate freedom when it comes to creativity. Don't worry so much, and take your time in enjoying what you do (that`s the whole point, isn't it?). Think about it this way: the more mistakes you make, the more you are likely to improve. And believe it or not, I honestly believe that some of the best songs stated out as a "mistake". Think about it. Besides. Your not in a position where you need to worry about contests, live gigs, or anything of that sort - you can do whatever you want on your own time table - use that.

B) When it comes to creativity (or lack of it), one of the best things to do is to either listen to musicians that inspire you, maybe even check out some soundtracks and genres you may not normally listen too (for idea`s), or simply say the hell with it all and "wing it". So, again, don't think so much - just do.

C) On a different note altogether: perhaps you should try getting into recording yourself - regardless of your level of playing, having that kind of freedom at your at your finger tips will most likely trigger a creative response. Think about it. Aside from it giving you the ability to further inspect your playing, it will also give you the opportunity to share your work with other people. And believe me when I tell you this - nothing gives more inspiration (and motivation) than feedback. Not to mention that is will take playing with drum loops into a whole new level.

D) Don't limit yourself to one instrument. I say, the more, the merrier!

__________________
[advertising/self-promotion removed by mod]

The7thFret

The best thing you can do it practice and be influenced. Always have your ears open to new music and even if you dont like a type of music thas on in a club or a bar or something listen to what's going on. you need to always be aware of whats going on. Getting proficient on your instrument enables you to play whatever you want as well, so keep the practising going! I personally think that working songs out by ear will help you with this. If you work songs out by ear you can see what your favourite artists are doing a bit better. you are analysing what is going on as you work it out. If you just go onto tab websites then you don't really think about what is being played quite as much, you're just kinda rhyming it off and not thinking twice about it. Good question you've asked, made me think twice about what i actually do when I'm writing songs. i'm 22 now and 10 years ago when I started writing songs I had the same concerns, but practice does make a big difference. the more you write the more you understand how to write riffs, progressions and melodies which compliment one another quite well!

Hope you find this helpful (y)

Janis Rebecca

It is good to want to learn the technicalities of guitar playing, but when time is short, I would suggest that you let your "noodling" have a life of its own, just try combinations of single notes and chords, soon you will hear something that sounds pleasing to your ears and you can expand on it. Do Not try to sound like any one else. Yes let whoever influences you come through but bring your own personality into the picture.

Brian Krashpad

Practice is never a bad thing. Unless it becomes the only thing, in which case it is a bad thing.

Some people have good luck with jamming or noodling, and happening upon riffs and cobbling stuff together and calling it a song.

I'm not one of them.

However, I'm in the minority I'm sure. Most rock bands at least seem to write songs this way, with the instruments working up music and a singer sticking lyrics on top.

I prefer a more integrated, organic approach. I write lyrics along with melody, and do so without picking up an instrument. Once I have the whole thing written, a capella as it were, I pick up a guitar and figure out the chord progression, and, if necessary, melody notes. By writing this way you don't have to know much theory, if it works as a song first, with no instruments, it'll be fine once you add them. You do have to know your instrument well enough to figure out chords for the a capella song, however. An upside of writing with voice only however, is that one tends to write only what one can sing, rather than something that can be outside the range of your singing voice.

__________________

mr dave

This reminds me of something Steve Vai said in an interview years ago - if you can hum it you can play it. Theory might help you understand technical aspects behind a particular composition or to communicate it more clearly to other musicians; but when it comes to playing it, you just gotta be able to feel it and go.

__________________
i am the universe