You know, I get the impression that Jimi never had any formal muscial education. I don't think he was unfamiliar with written music but that wasn't his priority or his preferred method of learning guitar stuff.

He obviously had a very good ear, a "phonographic" memory and a system for inwardly cataloguing all the chords and effects he needed. I think he was the proverbial genius who could lay his hands on his instrument and make it sing without thinking about it too deeply.

I used to wish that could happen for me, that I could just start strumming and the music would manifest without much conscious effort. I think there are some musicians who can do that (particularly older experienced types). But then there's the category of geniuses from whose gifted fingers music (effortlessly) forth flows!!

If I could critique Jimi in some way, I'd say he sang too much and should have played the gee-tar much more, but I'm biased toward instrumentation anyway. He was a good singer; I don't think I've ever noted him to be vocally off pitch.

Now ... I'd really like to have heard Jimi "unplugged" on acoustic. What would that have been like? Inspiring or disappointing?

And what would "1st rays of the rising sun" been like had he been able to complete it? What else would he have accomplished were he still alive today?