What Musical Aspects Makes Purple Haze Considered Psychedelic Rock
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Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix is considered one of the classic songs of psychedelic rock. But what musical aspects make it psychedelic?
The Electric Guitar
Jimi Hendrix is widely known as one of the greatest and most influential electric guitarists in rock history. His signature sound was characterized by his use of feedback and wah-wah pedals, and his innovative playing style.
Jimi Hendrix’s Unique Style
While performing the song “Purple Haze” Jimi Hendrix creates a very unique sound by using a technique called trilling. This technique is when a musician rapidly alternates between two notes, usually a semitone or tone apart. This caused what is called an battle of the fundamental tones which are the lowest note in a chord and its octave. This technique gives the listener a sense of instability and creates an overall ethereal effect.
The Use of Distortion
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture, mind or drug experiences. The music is intended to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously.
Psychedelic rock often uses distorted electric guitar sounds, sitar, microtonal scales, and countries during their extended improvisations. Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” exemplifies these traits. Psychedelic rock studies unusual time signatures, modal melodies, drone tones, and noise gamelan textures.
The Rhythm Section
It is the main riff which is considered to be the most important element in this song. The riff is played on a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar by Jimi Hendrix. The song is in 4/4 time and is played with a syncopated rhythm.
The Use of Odd Time Signatures
4/4 is considered “common time” in music, meaning there are four quarter note beats per measure. (A whole note equals four quarter notes.) The vast majority of popular music is in 4/4, including rock, blues, soul, funk, disco, pop, country and some jazz. Even though it’s sometimes called “four-four time”, there are other time signatures that use four quarter note beats per measure.
6/8 is sometimes called “compound duple meter” because there are two basic beats (or pulses) in each measure and each beat is divided into three parts. 6/8 is also felt in twos because each half note gets one beat. Examples of songs in 6/8 time are “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum and “Your likely to get what you want” by the Talking Heads.
3/4 is also felt in twos because each half note equals one beat. However, 3/4 is considered “simple meter” because there’s only one basic pulse or beat per measure. This time signature is also called “waltz time”. Songs written in 3/4 include Lara’s Theme from Doctor Zhivago and the Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven.
The Use of Repetition
In “Purple Haze,” the use of repetition creates a sense of multiple layered sound, which was a new concept in music at the time. The riff is played three times, with each repetition getting louder and more distorted. This creates a feeling of being trapped in a dream-like state, which was often associated with psychedelic drugs. The use of reverb and feedback also contributes to the ‘trippy’ sound of the song.
The Vocals
song is in the key of E minor and follows a standard blues chord progression of E minor, A minor, and B minor. The verses consist of simple chord progressions, with a basic drum beat. The chorus introduces a new chord progression of G major, D major, and E major. This chord progression is repeated three times.
The Use of Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect that creates a undulating, wavering pitch. It is created by repeatedly changing the tension on the vocal cords, which alters the pitch of the note being sung. Vibrato can make a note sound more dramatic or emotional, and it is often used to add expressiveness to a singer’s performance.
Vibrato is an important element of many styles of singing, but it is particularly associated with psychedelic rock. The wavering pitch of vibrato can create an unsettling or dreamlike effect, which can be perfect for conveying the trippy, distorted reality of a psychedelic experience. The use of vibrato was popularized by psychedelic bands like The Beatles and The Doors, and it remains an important part of psychedelic rock music today.
The Use of Echo
The use of echo was definitely one of the things that made “Purple Haze” sound psychedelic. By today’s standards, the echo might not sound all that special, but in 1967, it was pretty cutting edge.
Echo is created by recording a sound and then playing it back a short time later. The delay between the original sound and the echo is called “pre-delay.” The pre-delay on “Purple Haze” is about 125 milliseconds, which was considered pretty long at the time.
Most popular music up to that point had very little or no pre-delay. This made the echo on “Purple Haze” stand out even more and gave the song a very “trippy” sound.
