Little Wing
"Little Wing" is a song by Jimi Hendrix. It is from the 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love. The song has been covered extensively by a wide range of artists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gil Evans, Sting, Pantera, Metallica and Derek and the Dominos(though this version is hardly recognizable as the same song, and is played and arranged in a completely different style). It is considered to be one of the most widely covered songs of the twentieth century, as well as one of Hendrix's best.
The song is played with complete disregard for traditional Rhythm/Lead style guitar playing. It is played in a style often called chord/melody, and is arranged so that a single guitar sounds as though it's playing two parts, similar in concept to classical guitar, but when played sounds much different. This is done by simultaneously playing multiple complementary notes, often parts of chords, and then changing a note of this part of the chord to make a melody. Other songs played in this style include "The Boy From Seattle" by Steve Vai, "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam, and "Under the Bridge" by The 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 song "Tapparella" performed by the Italian band Elio e le Storie Tese has its intro very similar to Hendrix's Little Wing, and it is possibly a tribute to this artist, especially as it is performed live by the guitarist Davide Civaschi (Cesareo).
Besides on the original album, Hendrix's version can be found on numerous compilation albums, including The Ultimate Experience (1993).
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