Journeying Through the Guitar Solos

Jimi’s first solo can be heard in the middle of Purple Haze.  This first solo eases us into Jimi’s guitar skills as it is impressive, but not extremely crazy.  Jimi’s next solo in Manic Depression on the other hand is overwhelming.  This song is all about the frustration built from bipolar feelings, the soaring highs and the desolate lows.  The solo goes along with the feeling of two personalities as in the beginning it sounds like there are two guitars playing it, one that is clean and crisp, and one that is angry and fuzzy.  The tension builds in the beginning as Jimi climbs up a scale slowly.  It then explodes with a fast and furious sound that is non-stop.  The solo then goes back to a slow part.  There is never a medium.  The solo in Hey Joe also goes with the tone of the song as it is very bluesy and syncopated just as the rest of the song is. 

The entire song changes pace during the solo of Love or Confusion.  The rhythm speeds up and the chaotic nature of the music interlude takes the listener through the cold and reeling mind of the artists.  While the lead guitar draws the attention during the interlude (perhaps because of the sheer magnitude of the volume), the backup guitar (also recorded by Hendrix), drums and bass have large parts as well.  All play a steady rhythm but together create a chaotic tone about the music.  The backup guitar does so by mixing with the lead guitar, making the listener unable to focus on any one part.  The bass plays with a consistent rhythm but plucks at different notes each time making the listener unable to decide which note will come next.   For the drum part, only specific drums are played, making the sound the instrument makes very consistent, but the actual beat is constantly changing.  Altogether, the music both very appealing to listen to, but can also be unbearably confusing. 

In I Don’t Live Today, Jimi talks about being unable to live happily.  The lyrics are depressing and bleak, and seem hopeless.  The doomed situation goes deeper down as Jimi plays the wah-wah pedal into a desperate solo.  The solo is frenzied and crazy as if it is a final attempt to live.  The song closes with Jimi asking to get experienced, to leave the darkness for a new life tomorrow. 

Jimi’s versatility on the guitar is shown in his solo in the wind cries Mary, where he forgets his crazy rocker feedback sound for a more clean and crisp Santana-like sound.  It is a beautiful touch to a beautiful song. 

The fact that the solos are very methodical and go along with the tone and purpose of the song shows how much the musical aspect of the songs meant to Jimi.  As crazy and chaotic as the solos sound, they were very carefully planned out by Jimi prior to recording.  This was necessary as complete segments of the songs were dedicated to musical interludes. 

Even when he is not playing an “official” guitar solo during a time designated to showcase the guitar, Jimi’s guitar can be heard playing riffs throughout the whole song.