Hendrix took the way people played the guitar and flipped it 180 degrees (he literally flipped a guitar over and played it left handed). Not only was his vision of the guitar physical, but also the chord progressions that he played and the chords themselves were vastly different than what was accepted at the time. No one had ever really used the tritone that Hendrix loved because it was always closely tied to "Devil's music." Some even called the chord "The Devil's Triad," or "The Devil's Interval." This was largely due to the fact that it was so dissonant that the whole sound was very dark and spooky. But that is another discussion.
Hendrix was very forward thinking when it came to music. He was one of the first players to overdrive his amplifier and get that nice crunchy sound out of it. He was able to mix R&B vibes with a very hard rock sound and got lost in a world of music called "acid rock," or "psychedelic rock." Hendrix was so wacked out on acid for so much of his career that, for the most part, he didn't even know where he was or how many people were watching him play his guitar, and then set it on fire.
While there are some people that cannot function under the influence of drugs and alcohol, it almost seems as if we expect rock 'n rollers to be a little crazy, maybe even a little high when we watch them. Hendrix was a good example of what could happen in drugs. Yes, he did die in 1970 from what is considered a drug overdose, but that is beside the point. His drug of choice, LSD, did not kill him, rather it opened up a world of musical colors that may have helped his creativity when writing and performing music. He was known for his odd guitar licks and crazy antics on stage, and most of that was due to the drugs. There is a level of musicianship that he had that cannot be argued, and that would always be there, with or without the drugs. But if someone were to try and tell me that Hendrix ruined his mind with controlled substances or could have been a better musician without them, I would have to disagree. We may never know what exactly Jimi could have done had he not started his love affair with chemicals, but with what he has given us, do we really want to risk it to find out? I am not saying that drugs are good, or that everyone should experiment with them, but for some people, they can actually have benefits. Medical patients smoke/vaporize marijuana to help with pain, and SOME musicians can unleash creativity with other substances- marijuana, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, etc. They may not help everyone, but for some, drugs can open up new worlds and shine a light on new, creative ideas.
Let me first start off by saying, You are crazy. No I'm just playing. I like to read your posts. I was speaking of your thoughts on drugs. I agree that some people can expand on them and create new interesting things however, those very chemicals that could have carried the artist to the their death. Ok lets take a look at sublime, gotta love those guys. They were rocking, doing herion and smokeing dope. From the outside looking in it seemed as if they were all great. One morning they wake up to find one of the members dead from an overdose. That's sad and as far as I can see ended a really great thing for no reason.
ReplyDeleteI guess waht I'am trying to say is that if you have the ability you that ability because you are born with it and you have mastered it. Not because you took a chemical and it gave it to you.
I really likie Jimmi Too he is great.
Hey great job this blog was very interesting. I learned a couple of things that I did not know before. I personally do not listen to rock, but I do know who Jimi Hendrix is and I also knew he did drugs. I think it is very interesting when you say that drugs can open up a new world to some people. I also think that it true, but I still do not think that anyone should experiment with drugs no matter who it is, Except for the people who are sick and really need to take it. I mean if you think about it almost every artist that did drugs has either died of an overdose or an accident involving them being on some type of drug. Even though they might make a couple of good some while they are intoxicated I still do not believe it worth them losing their life over this. If they are able to create great music while they are high then they should also be able to do it while they are sober it probably would of took them longer to do it, but if they really were the great artist that everyone believes then they should have been cable of doing it sober.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I had forgotten about Hendrix, and kept thinking about artists that was involved with death metal, gothic, etc. IT may seem like stereotyping, but yes… Drug abuse is often found in those genres. I really liked your views on Hendrix as it taught me more about who he was like- I was never really a fan of Hendrix but your blog brought up some interesting information, such as his use of particular instruments. His play style did bring in a lot of fans, and like you say, he had been under the influence for the majority of his time.
ReplyDeleteThe way you mention that drug use could lead to being more creative, the ability to open a new world: I thought this was unique. I’ve always kept myself clean from drugs, so I couldn’t understand what being under the influence could possibly be like, but the users themselves often tell of their experiences as outer-worldly. It may be important to keep in mind that the media will always try to act in favor of the older generation, drama included. If an artist were to die of drug overdose, famous and brilliant or not, it will be projected as a negative outlook. Good post!
Yes, Jimi Hendrix has given us some great music. He was a very talented musician; I have enjoyed his music very much. I think that when certain artists tend to be under the influence of a chemical narcotic during the writing or performing of music, the results can be a 50/50 situation. In Jimi Hendrix’s case, it helped him to develop a better understanding of his emotions, and to focus better. It seemed to help him compose his music. In this case, it helped him in his favor. I noticed you also wrote about how some artists take it for medical reasons. I am a Melissa Etheridge fan, and so I have learned that after being diagnosed with breast cancer, she started to smoke marijuana. For this reason, it is more of a need to better herself physically and mentally. I do not know what I would do being in her situation with that kind of a diagnosis. Although certain artists take them to enhance their ability to perform, focus on their lyrics, or get better tunes out, some other artists just take them to get high and others take them for medical reasons. As a fan, I really like an artist for what they put out on an album, I do not prejudice against them for the fact that they use drugs.
ReplyDelete