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Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett Talks Jimi Hendrix’s Influence on His Music

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett reveals Jimi Hendrix‘s influence and a huge impact on his music. Hammett also says reinvented the METALLICA band.

Greg Prato‘s new book, he shows how Jimi Hendrix’s impact on music. He also pointed out Hendrix influences a lot of musician’s guitar style from the 70s to today. Also, “Avatar of the Electric Guitar: The Genius of Jimi Hendrix” book includes some of the most interview series with important musicians that Jimi Hendrix has inspired over the years.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett’s interview with Louder Sound, how Jimi Hendrix’s music and style impact and influences on the band:

“The first time I heard Jimi Hendrix, I was too young to figure out how old I was! Because my older brother – who’s 11 years older than me – had the first three albums. I distinctly remember ‘Are You Experienced and ‘Axis’ – because of the album covers. And being a kid, I was trying to figure out the album covers – because of the imagery. I would sit there and stare at them while the music was going on.

I think I was maybe five or six years old. And, I remember looking at ‘Are You Experienced’ and looking at Jimi’s jacket, and thinking, ‘This is really exotic-looking.’ And then looking at the ‘Axis’ cover, and seeing all the multiple faces, and seeing those exotic creatures, as well – it actually is a Hindu image.

Fast-forward maybe seven or eight years, I remember sitting with my friends and I was at the third concert I’d ever been to – Led Zeppelin at Day on the Green in 1977. Judas Priest opened the show and Rick Derringer played… and then there was a long wait before Led Zeppelin came on.”

Kirk Hammett also added:

“When I realized that, I thought, ‘This is the key to that sound that Black Sabbath uses, that Deep Purple uses, that all these blues bands use… it’s that flatted fifth! It’s that ‘blues note’ that’s in the pentatonic scale.’ Some of the first music theory that I had ever been exposed to was from that song. Also, the E7 sharp 9 – the chord that Jimi Hendrix used for ‘Purple Haze,’ ‘Foxy Lady,’ and tons of other songs – that’s a really complicated chord for someone who was just starting to learn how to play guitar… but I managed to play it.

So, I learned how to play ‘Purple Haze’ – and I learned it completely wrong. But that’s just what happens when you’re first learning how to play guitar. I remember going to school the next day and saying to my friends. ‘I think I can play ‘Purple Haze’ now… we should form a band!’

We were like, ‘OK. You’re going to be the drummer, you’re going to be the bass player, you’re going to be the singer. I’m going to be a guitar player.’ And at the end of the week, we showed up at my friend’s house. We borrowed a Vox amp from the high school music class – and we all played through it. It had four inputs, so we could plug in – bass, guitar, and vocals. We turned it up… and that amp lasted about three minutes before we blew it up. But you know what? We still kept on playing through it. I played ‘Purple Haze’ every day for the next three months. So, I try to get it better and better, and trying to do the solo.”

You can also order Greg Prato‘s – “Avatar of the Electric Guitar: The Genius of Jimi Hendrix” book here. Listen to METALLICA‘s Kirk Hammett plays “Little Wing” cover below.

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