#009 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Little Wing

Original by Jimi Hendrix Experience.--click to hear

"Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix. He first recorded the song on the 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love. It is ranked #357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

"Little Wing" is played using the unique chord/melody guitar style that Hendrix developed during his early career stints in rhythm and blues bands. In this style, the guitar sounds as though it is playing two parts. This is done by simultaneously playing multiple complementary notes, often parts of chords, and then changing a note within the chord to create a melodic effect. Other songs played in this style include "Life Without You" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, "Catch the Rainbow" and "Rainbow Eyes" by Rainbow, "The Boy From Seattle" by Steve Vai, "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam, and "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The unusual flanging sound of the lead guitar part is a result of the Doppler effect which is created using a rotating speaker cabinet, or Leslie speaker.

The studio version features a glockenspiel playing the root note of the chords.

Hendrix's studio version can be found on numerous compilation albums, including The Ultimate Experience (1993). He also performed the song in concert, and some of those recordings are available on CD, includingThe Jimi Hendrix Experience.