Why Jimi Hendrix Is The Best Guitarist And What That Has To Do With Tiki Bars

I’m a guitar player. I’ve been playing since I was thirteen.

Yep, that’s me!

We musicians love to talk about music. Who is the best drummer? Which is the first punk band, the Sex Pistols or the Ramones? Who is better, the Beatles or the Stones? We can debate these important topics for hours, but there is one thing we all mostly agree on: Jimi Hendrix is the best guitar player ever.

I think most people will agree, but I think it brings up a more important question: why is Hendrix considered the best?

Hendrix wasn’t the most technical guitarist, or even the fastest. What he did have was emotion. He had tons of emotion! When you listen Hendrix playing, you feel it. When Jimi makes his guitar scream, it runs shivers up your back! No other guitar player has been able to do that as well as Jimi Hendrix did.

This is one of my favorite solos from Jimi Hendrix. It’s from a live version of “Machine Gun.”

Great music makes you feel something. Different bands create different moods. That mood can be happiness (the Beatles), sadness (the Cure), or anger (Black Flag). Sometimes it’s the feeling of being relaxed and calm like you get from Exotica. This leads me to Tiki bars.

I’ve been to my share of bars, but most are just that: bars. A bar may have cool ambience, serve special cocktails, play good music, and have cool seating, but most don’t stir up any emotions for me. I’m not feeling anything at regular bar, but when I go to a Tiki bar it’s another story. A good Tiki bar will relax me and make me forget where I’m at. After a drink or two, I’ll be swaying along with the music, especially if it’s something exotic. The Tiki bar experience is all-encompassing.

When I listen to Jimi Hendrix, the notes coming out of his guitar are the only thing I’m hearing.

When I’m at a Tiki bar, the only thing that I care about is the now!