Why do you like Hendrix?

Originally posted by wcssar
something i forgot till after i went back and watched a few jh clips is that he was so cool and self assured self possessed it was like man if i ever do something i hope i can do it like that no worries just doing it.

You know, wcssar, you just might have the answer there. The self-confidence aspect definitely plays a huge role in performance. "Play it like you mean it" has long been my #1 rule, especially on stage. Even all the right notes don't sound good if played tentatively. It very well could be just the air of confidence he projected that caused the masses to stand in awe. He never seemed to doubt what he was playing, even when totally departing from the song he was playing, just knowing that the band would follow.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I can see how people could think him "great" due the fact he he played what he played and meant it. All of it.

Good call there, wcssar. Way to go.

there is no best there is just your favorite.

Got to agree there, too, although I think Andre Segovia is pretty much considered the best "technical" player ever. That man was amazing the way he flowed on the most complex pieces.

I remember seeing a video somewhere of Segovia giving a lesson to Carlos Montoya (another of the best). At one point, Montoya's thumb popped over the neck for one of those "thumb chords", and quick as a blink Segovia smacked that thumb with the edge of a ruler! Probably the only man on the planet who could get away that!