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Jimi Hendrix Star Spangled Banner Analysis

484 Words2 Pages

Genesis Caderno Music and Nationalism/Politics/War

I. MP3 #1 – Music and Nationalism
Jimi Hendrix’s version of the Star-Spangled Banner is very different then the original one. He does not sing any of the lyrics, instead he uses only his guitar as his choice of instrument and makes the song more into a instrumental version. He used a fast temp and very up beat. Hendrix’s version of the Star-Spangled Banner is more of a rock and roll beat other then the other version for example at sports events. In sports event they do more of a traditional singing strongly instead of having any sort of instrument. I believe Hendrix’s intention with this version is to show the world the Star-Spangled Banner can be played and performed in different ways. He figured Rock and Roll listeners might not enjoy the original Star-Spangled …show more content…

It has different instruments working together as well. The beginning has more of strong instruments while then leading to the end that is very soft. The texture of this excerpt is very smooth. It is able to change lines and instruments smoothly. The harmony between the different instruments makes it enjoyable to listen to. The music seems to be first very strong, then lead to fast, and then starts slowing down. I feel like this symbolizes war or a political battle. How you hear very strong instruments as the start to a war, then goes fast as to having the war currently happening. The marching in the excerpt symbolizes the political power. The ending as it gets softer it shows as the war is ending and everything is becoming more calm. The specific musical characteristics that led to my conclusion were the different beats and tempos of the excerpt. The excerpt makes me image the different stages of a war or political battle going on. This excerpt reminds of the Cold War involving the Eastern Bloc and the Western

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