Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile Slight Return guitar tab

From patch@nicoh.com Thu May 8 13:51:00 1997

Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 23:37:26 -0700

From: Master of None

To: guitar@olga.net

Subject: h/hendrix_jimi/voodoo_chile_slight_return.tab

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), by Jimi Hendrix

[lyrics removed -- see diet-olga policy]

I'm going by the Woodstock CD because I'm too lazy to tune my guitar down

a half step for how it was on the Ultimate Experience!

"Tabbed" by the great Patty Robison, patch@nicoh.com

Intro

USING: The amazing, all powerful Vox Wah.

At first he's just strumming muted and wah-ing

I'm not sure, but it might sound better if you do this strumming with an E

chord like the dude who tabbed this before me did. Since Jimi's in an E

minor pentatonic, anyhow.

That is just a second position barre chord:

e--7-----

B--9-----

G--9-----

D--9-----

A--7-----

E--------

So, just figure out some hypnotic muted rhythm while holding your fingers

OVER that position, that is don't press the frets. It produces this barely

audible E sound that you can only hear if you're insane. Trust me...

Here's the intro

E-|----------------------------------------------------|

B-|----------------------------------------------------|

G-|-7--7h9p7h9p7---7------------7h9p7h9p7---9~~--------|

D-|-------------9---5-5-5h7p5-------------9--------2---|

A-|---------------------------7--------------------2---|

E-|------------------------------------------------0---|

HEY, make sure that when you hit that e minor chord at the end, you only

let it ring for a second before you mute it out with your palm

Since you don't want to sit and read the exact same phrase four times in a

row, I'll just tell you the secret: You repeat that EXaCT phrase three times,

then on the fourth time it does this:

E-|--------------------------------------------------------------|

B-|---------------------------------------------12----12---------|

G-|-7--7h9p7h9p7---7------------7h9p7h9p7---7---14b16----14--12~-|

D-|-------------9----5-5-5h7p5------------9----------------------|

A-|---------------------------7----------------------------------|

E-|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Alright, maybe not exactly, but the little oscillation caused by the combining

of the bended note with the note on the next string that it's being bended to

being played at the same time sound pretty darn neat.

After this you do a quick slide down on the low E string, if you want,

and hit the main riff

Em

e-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

B-|------------------------------------------12----12---12----12-------------|

G-|-----------0-2b3b2p0----------------------14b16(hold)14b16----12~~--------|

D-|-2-2--2--2-----------2-2-2-2-2--2-0h2p0h2--------------------------2-2-2-2|

A-|-2-2--2--2-----------2-2-2-2-2-------------------------------------2-2-2-2|

E-|-0-0--3--------------0-0-0-3-0-------------------------------------0-0-3-0|

You have to kinda get a little strum pattern going. The two quick strikes

of the e minor up there are like, down, up real fast, etc.

Most of the song's main riff is like this, just like Chris said, but if you

need any help, here's the scale you can use, very basically

Most people who know a bit of theory can figure out how to improvise on this

very easily....in other words, I don't mean to be overly explanative!

e|--------------------------------0---3--|

B|--------------------------0---3--------|

G|--------------------0---2--------------|

D|--------------0---2--------------------|

A|--------0---2--------------------------|

E|-0---3---------------------------------|

So you can use any combination of these notes in that riff (and much much

more, yes i know)

There's another cool high part in the first main riff somewhere, and it's

in this range. Fuck around with it, make it beautiful

e|------------------------------------------------------|

B|-15b17--15b17--15-12----------------------------------|

G|---------------------14-12--14b16b14-12---------------|

D|----------------------------------------14-12-12h14---|

A|------------------------------------------------------|

E|------------------------------------------------------|

Seems like the stand up next to a mountain verse part is pretty close to how

chris did it. Except for one thing, I suppose. I suspect Jimi's using the

e minor pentatonic in the next octave when he says "WELL I STAND UP NEXT TO

A MOUNTAIN!" and the guitar sounds really high. Therefore, you may just have

to go up and use the positions above, but the zeros will now be 12th fret

notes and the others will be corresponding to that (The 3 will now be on the

15th fret, and so on...)

Or else you can try using a second, third, or fourth position minor pentatonic

instead. That might be easier. Who knows, I haven't been at this too long

He does use this thing below for the bridge (This is what Chris wrote

before)...and just so you know, these note combinations are used extensively

in COUNTRY music, so for once there's some country method that doesn't suck.

Hee hee

E-|---------------------------------|

B-|---------------------------------|

G-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|

D-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

A-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|

E-|---------------------------------|

I pick up all the pieces...

E-|---------------------------------|

B-|---------------------------------|

G-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

D-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|

A-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

E-|---------------------------------|

Cos i'm a voodoo...

Hendrix of course goes totally freak out during the extended five minute long

solo in which he switches to another song and does thing previously thought

to be impossible in the world of guitar. Could you do this? Probably, just

hit the high notes and stick to the e minor pentatonic. Oh yes, make sure

you play with your teeth, behind your head, with your toes, do some fretting

with your elbows, butt, etc. It's all up to you.

And if this just really sucks, go learn something from the guys who KNOW

what they're talking about at http://www.jimi-hendrix.com

They're real good at explaining this stuff....

Keep on frettin'

Get this song at:  amazon.com sheetmusicplus.com

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