# How to pick "FREEDOM" riff by JIMI HENDRIX
**URL:** https://forum.troygrady.com/t/how-to-pick-freedom-riff-by-jimi-hendrix/99775
**Category:** Playing Technique
**Created:** [August 20, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/how-to-pick-freedom-riff-by-jimi-hendrix/99775 "2026-08-20T01:39:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@alfonsodelag](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/alfonsodelag)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/how-to-pick-freedom-riff-by-jimi-hendrix/99775/1 "2026-08-20T01:39:08Z")
How would you pick this Jimi Hendrix riff from the song FREEDOM?
In the video, it’s from 2:50 to 3:18:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH0DewjizaA&t=169)
Here’s an Image of it:
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### Author:  [@Twangsta](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/Twangsta)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2026, 11:46am UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/how-to-pick-freedom-riff-by-jimi-hendrix/99775/2 "2026-08-20T11:46:42Z")
All down strokes, till the C# chord, there you do you try to do a down and up to return to the low E on the 12th. You can even hammer on the third (E#) on the C# at the G string.
That tab doesn’t seem right to me, but with Hendrix there is no one way, just get the feel and grove.
This guys tab is much better, I wouldn’t be watching guitar hero for much anything.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BFx8RLzzs0&t=1137)
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### Author:  [@Achilleus](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/Achilleus)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/how-to-pick-freedom-riff-by-jimi-hendrix/99775/3 "2026-08-21T16:49:26Z")
The key to this particular “rhythm-lead” style of Hendrix’s playing (and many others who use a similar system) is that his picking hand is synced to the tempo of the song. So: every downbeat and upbeat gets a downstroke, and every “a” and “e” sixteenth note between those gets an upstroke. It’s also worth knowing and noting that Hendrix’s actual picking is imprecise by design here; if you’re worried about actually picking only the strings in the notation, you’re setting yourself up for a very hard time. Hendrix (et al.) are able to get controlled and accurate tempo-locked funky rhythm-lead by virtue of comprehensive muting control via the fretting hand.
So, as a representation of what’s actually happening in just the first three notes of the phrase, a more “real” tab might look like:
> | 9 - 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> | 9 - 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> | X - x - -x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> | x - - - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> | - - - - - -X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> | - - - - - 12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
That’s down-up-down, where the Xs represent likely accidental muted strings that are inaudible in the actual song.
For me, personally, I would describe the feel of the picking as less like picking and more like “brushing” targeted groups of strings with a shallow, bouncy motion, like if your pick was a cotton ball and you were trying to quickly but gently dust the strings off.