Hardcore Black 666: How to Play Hendrix "Hey Joe"

Okay, this post is all about How to Play "Hey Joe", the Jimi Hendrix classic.

First of all, here is a good quality video of Jimi playing the song:

Now let's take our first look at how to play the song, starting with the intro:

Here is a video on just the intro, nice and slow :

And yet another way of playing the intro:

This video is about the chord progression and the pentatonic scale in E:

And finally a video on how to do the main guitar solo:

As well as all these videos to watch, some tabulature would be handy as well.

Hey Joe
Jimi Hendrix

Intro
0---------0------------------------------------------------x
3-5----5-3-------------------------------------------------x
------------- --42---0-------------------------------------x
----- --------------------2--------x-------0----0---0------x
---- ------------------------------x----2-5---5---4----0---x
-------------------------------0---x-----------------------x

Intro (cont'd)
-------------------------|
-------------------------|
-------------------------|
-----------0----------0--|
---0---2-----0---2-------|
-------------------------|

Verse
C G D A E E E E
C G D A E E E E
Repeat this chord sequence throughout the song.

And Lyrics:

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand
I'm goin' down to shoot my ol' lady
I caught her messin' 'round with another man

Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my ol' lady now
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
And that ain't too cool

Hey Joe, hey, Joe, I heard you shot your woman down
Hey Joe, hey, Joe, I heard you shot your woman down, baby
He said, "Yeah, I did it, yes I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man"

Yes I did, I shot her
You know I caught my her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah, and I gave her the gun

Hey Joe, hey Joe
Where you gonna run to, now where you gonna run to now
Hey Joe, hey Joe
Lord, where you gonna run to, now where you gonna run to, baby

I'm goin' way down south, way down south
Way down to Mexico way, yeah
I'm goin' way down south, way down south, baby
Way down where I can be free

Ain't no one gonna mess with me there, baby
Ain't no hang-man gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope, a rope around me, yeah
You better believe it, baby

Hey, Joe, you better run on down, you better
Goodbye everybody

Here is a video that shows how to play the chords for the song, with some nice little inbetween runs added in:

And a Tab for the Solo from "911tabs" on the internet:

Band: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Song: Hey Joe (Solo)
Composer: Jimi Hendrix
Tabber: Calum croft
Tuning: Standard

key:
BU= Bend up to the pitch of note signalled
BD= Bend down to pitch of note signalled
P= Pull off.
H= Hammer on.
#/(#)= e.g. 9/(14) This means sound the first note in this case 9 (the grace note) then immediately slide
to the next note indicated do not pluck this note it should ring out anyway if your fast enough.
X= Pick rake (mute string with fretting hand).
FHT= Fretting hand tap (this is just like a hammer on but you don’t sound any note before it.
~= Trill

the arrows are just to show you to carry on and the lines down the middle of the are just the sections i
suggest practicing individually before playing the hole thing together.

e:------------12-------------------------------------|------------12--12--12>
B:--15BU(17)------15--12-----------------------------|--15BU(17)--X---15--12>
G:--------------------12--14BU(16)BD(14)P12------12--|---------------------->
D:-------------------------------------------14------|---------------------->
A:---------------------------------------------------|---------------------->
E:---------------------------------------------------|---------------------->

>--------------------------------------------------|------------------------>
>------------12------------------------------------|------------------12---->
>--14BU(16)------14--12--14P12----------12------12-|----------12------14---->
>-------------------------------14----------14-----|----------12--14------14>
>--------------------------------------------------|-9/(14)-------14-------->
>--------------------------------------------------|------------------------>

>---------------------------|--12--12------------12------------------------------->
>--15BU(17)--------15BU(17)-|--12--15--12--------12--15------------12------------->
>---------------------------|----------14BU(16)----------14BU(16)--------------14->
D---------------------------|------------------------------------------12--14----->
>---------------------------|----------------------------------------------------->
>---------------------------|----------------------------------------------------->

>-----|--------------12--15BU(17)--12----------------12-----------------------|>
>-----|----------12------------------------------15------15-------------------|>
>--12-|14BU(16)------------------------14BU(16)--------------14BU(16)--12~----|>
>-----|---------------------------------------------------------------------14|>
>-----|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|>
>-----|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|>

>---------------------------------------------|
>----------------------X----------------------|
>----------------------12---------------------|
>--------------14--16------14-----------------|
>-----12/(16)--------------------FHT2/(16)/---|
>--0------------------------------------------|

I also highly recommend Googling on "Power Tab" for Hey Joe, and downloading the version four 5 star tab from Ultimate Guitar Tabs. This gives excellent detail for playing all of the fills between the chords. You will need to have the free "Power Tab" editor software installed on your computer from their site at: http://www.power-tab.net/ .
(See our previous post earlier this month all about "Power Tab".

This will help work out things like the low notes run: