Jimi Hendrix - Star Spangled Banner - Guitar Tab

About Star Spangled Banner

Few guitar moments in history carry as much weight as Jimi Hendrix playing the national anthem at Woodstock in 1969, completely solo and unaccompanied. The performance is built not on chord work but on single-note melody, and what makes it challenging is the expressive control it demands: wide vibrato, controlled feedback, dive bombs with the whammy bar, and pick slides all serve the musical narrative. In Eb Standard tuning, the open strings ring a little looser, which actually helps the sustain and feedback Hendrix coaxed from his Stratocaster. At 66 BPM there is nowhere to hide, and every bent note or squealing harmonic needs to land with intention. The hardest sections are the abstract, effects-heavy passages in the middle where pitch and rhythm become fluid. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop those moments slowed down so you can hear exactly what the guitar is doing before you attempt to replicate the feel. This is as much an exercise in blues-rock expression as it is in melody.

• The performance is in Eb Standard tuning, so tune all six strings down a half step to match Hendrix's pitch and string feel.
• Whammy bar technique is central to this piece, used to simulate sirens and explosions, so a Stratocaster-style tremolo is strongly recommended.
• The slow tempo of 66 BPM puts the focus entirely on sustain, vibrato control, and feedback management rather than speed or chord changes.