Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child - Guitar Tab

About Voodoo Child

Few tracks put wah-wah technique front and centre as bluntly as "Voodoo Child." The opening riff, built on a slow, loping feel in E minor, is almost entirely about how you work the wah pedal in sync with your picking attack. Getting that locked-in, vocal quality means the pedal sweep and the pick have to hit together, and most players rush it at first. The song sits at 96 BPM, which feels deceptively relaxed until you realise how much space you have to fill with phrasing and dynamics. Jimi Hendrix tuned down a half step to Eb Standard, so match that tuning before you start or every bend will feel wrong and sound wrong. The Blues Rock vocabulary here leans heavily on pentatonic runs with aggressive vibrato and wide bends that need real left-hand strength to execute cleanly. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the intro riff slowed down and focus on locking the wah sweep to your pick stroke before bringing it back up to tempo.

• The entire song is played in Eb Standard tuning, a half step down from standard, so retuning before practice is essential.
• The signature wah-wah riff in E minor requires precise coordination between your picking attack and pedal sweep to get the correct vocal tone.
• Wide string bends and heavy vibrato throughout demand strong left-hand technique, making finger conditioning a worthwhile focus before tackling this song.