Analysis Of Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is considered one of the most highly regarded and influential rock guitarists in American history. Hendrix was a pioneer for the genre of hard rock; an instrumental genius. His combination of sounds on his guitar and on stage was both chaotic and brilliant at the same time. Though he was a powerful performer in general, many remember him for his breakthrough performance at Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, when he sang “Star Spangled Banner.” This particular performance is regarded to be one that made the festival so famous, for Hendrix took advantage of the stage unlike any artist had before. He transformed and expanded upon his typical style of song and performance at Woodstock through a number of different elements. Production

I was reminded of this reading because I feel that Hendrix’s performance is a strong example of how different methods of hearing sound create totally different experiences for the listener. While listening to music through an iPod can be isolating, hearing a song live can be a completely different and riveting experience. Bull states that “sound itself is normative, mediating and reflecting the cultural predispositions of the listener who gates experience” (Bull, 2007, p.8). Rather than using sound to isolate the crowd into their own internal thoughts, Hendrix bounces the sound he generates from the crowd back to the stage, and a forceful silence arises. I see the audience's “cultural predispositions” to be altered and expanded upon by the fact that they lived during the time of the Vietnam War. Through language, which can be any system of representation, we are able to “use signs and symbols to represent or re-present whatever exists in the world in terms of a meaningful concept, image, or idea” (Du Gay et al., 2013, p.7). While the audience members all had their own thoughts and feelings about what was going on at the time, Hendrix uses his performance to create a unified feeling of advocating for

“I remember people literally tearing their hair out. I looked out with one eye and I saw people grabbing their heads, so ecstatic, so stunned and moved, a lot of people holding their breath,” stated Diltz. Hendrix’s breakthrough performance left the nation in shock, as the idea of deviating from the traditional when delivering America’s anthem had never been done in such a way. Jimi Hendrix was no doubt, an incredible guitarist and live performer, but what was so different and shocking about “Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock, was how he used various aspects of production, such as sound, costume, and audience connection to reflect upon both the nation’s controversies and pride in an innovative