JIMI HENDRIX: HEY JOE
GUITAR LESSON
Learn the intro, solo, rhythm fills, chord embellishments, and fretboard concepts behind one of Hendrix’s most important guitar performances.
“Hey Joe” is one of the best songs a guitarist can study if they want to understand Jimi Hendrix’s approach to rhythm and lead guitar.
The chord progression is simple: E, C, G, D, and A. But Hendrix turns that simple structure into something much deeper, using chord embellishments, pentatonic phrases, double stops, bends, slides, inversions, dynamics, and melodic fills that move in and around the chords.
This course teaches the song, but it also teaches the larger guitar concepts behind the song. You’ll learn the intro, the solo, the scales, the rhythm ideas, and the fretboard connections that make Hendrix’s playing feel so alive.
If you’re ready to move beyond static chord shapes and boxed-in pentatonic licks, this course gives you a practical way into Hendrix-style rhythm and lead guitar.
Learn the Song and the Guitar Language Behind It
A lot of guitar players learn songs in pieces.
You memorize the intro. You learn a solo. You pick up a few licks. But the song still feels disconnected because you do not fully understand how the chords, scales, fills, and phrasing work together.
That is exactly why “Hey Joe” is such a useful study.
The progression gives you a clear roadmap, while Hendrix’s guitar part shows you how to connect rhythm and lead playing in a musical way. He does not just strum the chords and then switch into a solo. He blends everything together: chord shapes, melodic fills, double stops, pentatonic ideas, and expressive phrasing.
In this course, Shane breaks down the song and the concepts behind it so you can learn the part, understand the fretboard, and start using the same tools in your own playing.
What You’ll Learn in This Course
This course is built around Hendrix’s version of “Hey Joe,” but the goal is bigger than learning one song. You’ll study the way Hendrix connects chord shapes, pentatonic scales, rhythm parts, and lead lines across the neck.
The “Hey Joe” Intro
Learn the opening guitar part and understand how the phrases connect to the chords underneath them.
The Solo
Work through the solo with a focus on phrasing, bends, double stops, timing, and melodic movement.
Major and Minor Pentatonic Blending
See how Hendrix moves between major and minor pentatonic sounds to create phrases that feel bluesy, vocal, and connected to the progression.
Chord Embellishments
Learn how hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, partial chords, and melodic fragments can make simple chords feel more expressive.
Rhythm and Lead Connection
Study how Hendrix blends rhythm guitar and lead guitar instead of treating them as two separate jobs.
Double Stops and Fills
Use two-note phrases, chord tones, and small melodic ideas to create fills between vocal lines and chord changes.
CAGED and Fretboard Visualization
Connect the chords in “Hey Joe” to CAGED shapes, pentatonic positions, triads, and nearby lead ideas.
Improvisation Tools
Learn how to use the material from the song to build your own rhythm fills, licks, and solos.
Dynamics, Timing, and Feel
Work on pick attack, note length, rhythmic placement, and the details that make a part sound musical instead of mechanical.
What’s Included?
Inside the course, you’ll get roughly 6 hours of video instruction focused on Hendrix’s version of “Hey Joe.”
The course includes the intro and solo fully tabbed, notated, performed, and explained. You’ll also get custom backing tracks at different tempos so you can practice the material slowly, build control, and work toward playing along with the full progression.
You’ll also get PDFs and guitar tab for 14 rhythmic approaches that combine major pentatonic ideas with chord shapes, 21 pentatonic licks designed to help you phrase across the neck, and 20 drills that build your pentatonic knowledge, hand strength, and Hendrix-style techniques.
The course also covers the major and minor pentatonic scales and chord shapes used throughout the song, so you can understand how the parts fit together instead of memorizing them in isolation.
Learn from Shane Lamb
This course is taught by Shane Lamb, founder of Green Hills Guitar Studio in Nashville.
Shane’s teaching focuses on helping guitarists understand what they are playing, not just where to put their fingers. In this course, he uses “Hey Joe” as a practical study in Hendrix-style guitar: chord movement, scale choices, rhythm fills, solo phrasing, dynamics, and fretboard awareness.
The point is not to copy Hendrix forever. The point is to understand the ideas well enough that they start showing up in your own rhythm parts, solos, songwriting, and improvisation.
Who This Course Is For
This course is a good fit if you:
- Want to learn “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix
- Are ready to move beyond basic chord strumming
- Know some pentatonic scales but feel stuck in boxes
- Want to connect rhythm guitar and lead guitar
- Want to understand how Hendrix used chords, fills, and licks together
- Are working on double stops, bends, slides, and melodic phrasing
- Want to build solos that follow the chord changes
- Are learning CAGED and want to apply it to a real song
- Want a deeper study of Hendrix-style guitar playing
- Like structured video lessons with tabs, PDFs, drills, and backing tracks
How the Course Works
Start with the Song
Begin with the core parts of “Hey Joe,” including the intro, progression, and solo.
Learn the Scales
Study the major and minor pentatonic material Hendrix uses throughout the song.
Connect Chords and Lead Lines
See how the chord shapes, scale positions, double stops, and fills overlap across the neck.
Practice the Rhythm Approaches
Work through multiple ways to make the progression feel more musical, expressive, and alive.
Build Your Lick Vocabulary
Use the included pentatonic licks and drills to improve phrasing, timing, strength, and fretboard movement.
Apply the Concepts
Use the ideas from “Hey Joe” in other songs, solos, rhythm parts, jams, and improvisation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn “Hey Joe” and Build a More Connected Guitar Style
“Hey Joe” is more than a classic Hendrix song. It is a practical study in how rhythm guitar, lead guitar, chord movement, pentatonic scales, and feel can all work together.
This course gives you a complete path through the song while helping you understand the concepts that make the guitar part work.
If you want to learn “Hey Joe” and build a stronger foundation for Hendrix-style rhythm and lead playing, this course gives you the song, the tools, and the practice material to get there.
