“There’s not a guitar teacher in the world that would ever teach anyone to play a guitar like that”: Buzz Osborne thinks Jimi Hendrix is one of the greatest guitarists ever – but says his technique was “wrong”

Singer Buzz Osborne of the Melvins performs onstage at the Metropol in Berlin, Germany on June 11, 2023.

Jimi Hendrix is universally regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all time, and rightfully revered as one of the most significant musicians ever, on any instrument. 

A pioneer of rock guitar, Hendrix’s impact is still felt today, and continues to influence emerging generations of aspiring guitarists through his back catalog of iconic music.

The Melvins' Buzz Osborne agrees with all the above, but as he explains in the new issue of Total Guitar, there’s something about Hendrix’s playing that many don’t discuss: his technique is “wrong,” and he “played weird.”

“In lots of circles, Hendrix is considered the greatest guitar player ever,” Osborne says. “But there’s not a guitar teacher in the world that would ever teach anyone to play a guitar like that.”

Despite Hendrix’s unadvisable technique, the Melvins guitarist still concedes that the Stratocaster master remains the “best.” However, the question over how Hendrix managed to carve his iconic legacy with such a “weird” approach remains a mystery to Osborne.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Osborne continues. “Hendrix played weird! His technique is wrong. Everything is out of tune, everything is wrong, but he’s the best. If he’s the best, then wouldn’t you want to teach people that sensibility?”

(Image credit: David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)

Of course, there’s something to be said about how unpolished and raw techniques often lead to the most natural, personable, and ‘unchained’ playing approaches. 

Had Hendrix played perfectly in tune, with a by-the-book strumming and fretting technique, it’s reasonable to argue some of that naturalistic vibe and hallowed magic touch that made him such a force to be reckoned with may have been lost.

Perhaps guitar teachers don’t teach anyone to play a guitar like Hendrix because you simply can’t teach someone to play a guitar like Hendrix. The fact “everything is wrong” might be the reason everything is right. Food for thought.

Indeed, Hendrix’s individual technique has inspired countless guitarists, and informed whole genres. Speaking to Total Guitar last year, Hammett said Hendrix’s style helped birth metal and psychedelia.

Head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Total Guitar, which also features interviews with St. Vincent, Slash, and Kerry King.