Have you ever listened to a song and wondered why a certain instrument sounds so good? Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt, or Louis Armstrong all reshaped the way we think of their instruments! Let\u2019s take a look at 10 twentieth century musicians who have forever changed the way we play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jimi Hendrix is one of the most important electric guitar players in history, and is arguably the creator of the modern electric guitar sound. In addition to his solid foundations in blues, Hendrix was also a versatile guitar player in styles such as rock, jazz, soul, British rock, and psychedelic rock. His versatility, combined with his expressive technique and his experimental approach to music technology led to the signature sound of his music.
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Hendrix used an old blues technique, using the thumb of his fretting hand to play the bass notes. By applying this technique to electric guitar, he could use the other four fingers more freely to create distinct voicings, which can be heard on songs like \u201cThe Wind Cries Mary,\u201d \u201cBold As Love,\u201d and \u201cLittle Wing.\u201d
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Hendrix also used pedal effects in many of his songs. The pedals he used included fuzz pedals (such as Roger Mayer Octavia<\/a> and Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face<\/a>), along with the Uni-Vibe pedal<\/a>, distortion, wah wah, and other effects. He was not the first one to use pedal effects, but he used them in a clear and expressive way that made the guitar the lead act of a song. In addition to his guitar work, Hendrix also produced and mixed his own albums. He even started his own studio in New York, Electric Lady studios in Greenwich Village, which he designed with Berklee Online course author John Storyk<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with Hendrix, Django Reinhardt is considered one of the most influential guitarists of all time, with one of the best techniques and articulations. What may be most remarkable though is that he achieved this level of playing by mostly using just two fingers of his fretting hand. When he was 18 years old, Django Reinhardt had an accident and lost functionality in two of his fingers, leaving him with only his index and middle finger to play guitar. He was forced to figure out how to solo with two fingers, which brought out his impeccable articulation. Additionally, he created his own signature chord voicings, which became the basis of the style of music that is called \u201cGyspy Jazz\u201d or \u201cManouche\u201d today. He was still able to use the injured fingers for playing certain chords, but they had limited strength and mobility. But had that accident not happened, perhaps we would not have this style of music today. Django definitely gave the world a life lesson about turning a crisis into an opportunity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nDjango Reinhardt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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