Admittedly, I’ve played this song for a lot of years, and I’ve probably forgotten (or ignored) some of the particular, finer details 🙂

However, this is how I play it (never the same way once) and how we do it in my band, and I’m certain that there is enough here that – if you were so inclined – you could figure out those last few details.

It’s a super fun song with some neat ideas (especially the A minor 7 chord) and I hope you get something out of it.


    18 replies to "Fire!"

    • JimmyD

      Along the lines of Louis Ogden’s story, I was absolutely enthralled with Jimi and his passing crushed my young soul at the time.
      But a few years later I worked in a big repair shop with a large crew and I supplied the music via a giant boom box. HENDRIX LPS were a staple and I liked it LOUD.
      Thinking back though I realize not everyone appreciated the volume. But not like HENDRIX???
      How could ANYBODY not like HENDRIX????? Or Zeppelin? or Santana? or Clapton? or Allman Bros? or Bloomfield? or B.B.? or……

    • Darryl Manire

      Hi.. Griff, thanks

    • Con

      Good of you to share this. The octaves was a jazz technique pioneered by Wes Montgomery I believe ? Excellent

    • Mike H.

      Love this lesson. I think Hey Joe was my first Hendrix experience but Fire was what absolutely hooked me forever. It’s the sound of the staccato octaves that set it apart and above other songs of the day and still… to this day. Genius stuff.

    • Bob S.

      Fantastic! You can’t play enough Hendrix lessons Griff! As a BGU 2.0 & many other of your courses devotee, I’d love to see a whole course devoted to Hendrix discussions beyond this & Little Wing. You make it so plain to see & understand his genius laid out in simple terms. Thank you SO much! I know my comments are a bit late to the game, but better late than never. I saw Jimi a handful of times throughout the 60s. Sheer magic. Like the passing of so many other really good players in their prime through the years, what a horrendously stupid loss. They just seem to flame out too soon. Luckily we have you to highlight & teach their genius while showcasing your own. Your pal, Bob S.

    • Ken

      I never particularly cared for this JH song, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching you play and explain it. If my observations are somewhere to close, it seems Mr. Hendrix was an E Minor pentatonic music machine. I was too young to fully appreciate what he could do but I see it now thru a new perspective. He knew WHAT he wanted to do and he knew HOW to perform it.
      How about a band of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Vai , Jeff Beck and any drummer.
      They would probably blow the place apart with vibrato.

    • Warren St Amant

      Griff
      I love the Hendrix stuff. Can you create some Jimi Hendrix on dvd & tab manual ?
      I would purchase it in a heart beat. Thanks for the awesome video.

      Warren

    • William Donaldson

      Great job explaining. As a vocalist, in a band, just bought a 5 string Ibenez bass about a year and a half ago, closer to two years. I was given a BRAND NEW Fender 4 string precision jazz bass by a guy who was at one my gigs, saw that I had improved (watching a lot of blues bass on YOUTUBE) each time he and his wife had come out to hear us play. And I just bought an acoustic guitar about a month ago from a guy who just tryin to get a guitar off his hands, It’s been fun and listening to you explain FIRE…was very understandable and good visuals…

      THANKS

      BILL

    • Chris CLEMANS

      Wow great memories Griff now I will play it

      • PAUL

        FROM WHAT I SAW HIM PLAY AT MONTERY POP FESTIVAL, SITTING ON SIDE STAGE, YOU GOT IT GRIFF. THE LEAD, HE GOES UP TO A HIGH NOTE ON THE FIRST LIYC. THEN HE WAS STONED AND WHEN I SAW HIM PLAY AGAIN, HE DID IT DIFFERANT.

    • Louis Ogden

      Thanks for the memory and a good laugh, Griff. Many, many years ago (1967 -1968) I was in a garage band called, Oh man – called “The Aeons of Tyme.” We got a gig one night at a Post Legion in a semi-rural area. We started off with some biggies like ‘Louie Louie’ and ‘Gloria.’ We had just learned our version of ‘Fire,’ the crowd went nuts and not in a good way when we cranked up our Silvertone amps. It seems the good ole boys didn’t like that fizydelic stuff and expressed their displeasure. We ended up going back to the top forty of the day and the crowd cheered back up. It was scary for a few minutes as I consider myself a pacifist and they obviously weren’t.

    • John

      Move over, Rover, and let Griffy take over

    • Frank

      As a band the best times were when we covered a song the way we wanted to. The down fall of our band was when we took in a super lead guitarist who insisted on playing everything note for note. We felt like robots and I guess we lost our creativity and identity. So Griff you’re making a very valid point, play it to you level with your own sound.

    • Jack

      Hi, Griff.

      God, he was a fun guy, wasn’t he? Thanks for showing this clip. I remember I was a kid when I heard him play that song. It’s one of those songs that grips you from the start. TONS of energy.

    • Johnny M.

      Awesome video. Thanks Griff, well done.

    • tony

      Wow hey very cool. For reasons I am not sure of . I was wondering what could done with octaves . this is a interesting concept . thanks for this one .

    • Jason

      Thanks Griff.
      No such thing as too much Jimi.
      Nice lesson as usual

    • Alvaro Ahumada

      Thanks Griff, nice video! From Chile, Alvaro

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