[Slowhand] FW: More Cream Musings

[Jeff Elliott]

DeltaNick,

            I know there's been a lot of discussion regarding the
"revisionist" history surrounding Hendrix but I think it's pretty clear from
both Clapton and Pete Townsend that Jimi had a MAJOR impact on the sound and
playing of electric guitar.  Roger Mayer, the Brit electronic wiz who
created/tinkered/modified many of the guitar effects being used in the UK at
the time, and who worked extensively with Hendrix, has stated that Clapton
was clearly in awe of what Hendrix was doing in the studio and the sounds he
was getting out of his guitar and was "pissed off because when we came out
with Are You Experienced, because that blew him away, and he knew he could
never sound like Jimi."

            I think one of Clapton's greatest contributions to the electric
guitar was the lyricism and pure tone he coaxed out of his guitar.  And it
would be incorrect to state that Clapton never makes use of effects or
pedals, but clearly, much of Hendrix's sound came from the unique effects he
had at his disposal and which were "created" to his specs.  And it was that
use of guitar effects that made Hendrix a true visionary and resulted in a
huge explosion in the number of guitar effects and pedals available and
marketable.  I think that was huge.

 

Jeff

 

  _____  

From: DeltaNick [mailto:deltanick at comcast.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 10:53 PM
To: Slowhand Digest
Subject: [Slowhand] More Cream Musings

 

A bit more on the guitar playing: at an early age, Clapton's guitar playing
was noted and characterized by deep passion, its lyricism (the melodies that
Clapton created, often resulting in "a song within a song"), his excellent
sense of rhythm and timing directly contributed to his easily-accomplished
but difficult-to-imitate phrasing, and his incredible mastery and control of
the guitar (technique). This all allowed Clapton to create solo
architectures defining the rock guitar genre to this day. Clapton set the
standard by which others are judged. And one final point: the revisionism
surrounding Jimi Hendrix ,in death, credits him with what Clapton actually
popularized before Hendrix went to England and became a star. It was Eric
Clapton, NOT Jimi Hendrix, who reinvented the electric guitar.

 

               DeltaNick

 

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