Jimi Hendrix For Real - 1968

Every February Punahou its annual Carnival , and 1968 was no exception. In addition to all the rides and booths, there is always a White Elephant tent where donated items are sold to raise money for the scholarship fund. While looking through the 45's I found a promotional copy of Jimi Hendrix's Foxey Lady with The Wind Cries Mary on the flip side. Score! I took it home and played it fairly frequently.

The Vietnam War was heating up, and the Tet Offensive kicked off in January. The My Lai massacre happened in March. The Civil Rights Movement was gaining power and Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. In Honolulu, students staged the Bachman Hall Sit-In when professor Oliver Lee was denied tenure for his anti-war views.

My buddy Brian and I showed up at the sit-in. We found a roach and went to nearby Andrews Amphitheater to smoke it. (Berkeley residents think, The Greek Theatre, only smaller.) When we returned, I found someone with a stereo playing LP's and I sat down and asked if I could browse her collection. By that time I was a fan of Jimi Hendrix but had never heard the whole Are You Experienced album, so when I ran across it, I asked if she would play the whole thing through and she obliged.

Listening to Are You Experienced stoned WAS an experience:

1. "Purple Haze" – 2:46 (on Youtube)
   
2. "Manic Depression" – 3:30 (on Youtube)
3. "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) – 3:23 (on Youtube)
4. "Love or Confusion" – 3:15 (on Youtube)
5. "May This Be Love" – 2:55 (on Youtube)
6. "I Don't Live Today" – 3:55 (on Youtube)
7. "The Wind Cries Mary" – 3:21 (on Youtube)
8. "Fire" – 2:34 (on Youtube)
9. "Third Stone from the Sun" – 6:40 (on Youtube)
10. "Foxey Lady" [sic] – 3:15 (on Youtube)

I was definitely a convert after hearing the album all the way through. Naturally, it was a dream come true when the Jimi Hendrix Experience showed up to play at the Honolulu International Center Arena on October 5th later that year. I was not disappointed.

Quite a bit happened in 1968 besides Jimi arriving in Honolulu, but that was the crowning event. So now for a little backtracking.

Next Installment: More Of 1968

Using The Blues Box

The Blues Box is the reason why lead guitarists are a dime a dozen. It is a pattern on the guitar neck where any note you play fits the key you are in. In music theory terms it is a pentatonic (5-tone) scale. Here is how it works:

Assume you are playing in the ever-popular key of G major. The scale-related chords for that key are A minor, B minor, C major, D major, E minor and F# diminished. this means you can also get away with using the same chords to play in the relative minor key of E minor. (Although you may need to throw in a B major 7th on the turnaround to take it back home, especially with the Blues.)

Well it turns out that all the open strings fit and so do notes on the first five frets. (Which makes it easy to do without getting your hand stretched.) Here's the pattern:



So in no time at all, even a beginner can jam in the key of G major or E minor. They might even get curious about the rest of the guitar neck.

Have at it!

Next Installment: Jimi Hendrix For Real