Purple Haze Chords for Guitar

Purple Haze uses an E-G-A progression, but with Jimi Hendrix’s signature chord voicings that give it that unmistakable sound. The key chord is the E7#9 — sometimes called the “Hendrix chord.”

Purple Haze Chords

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The E7#9 (Hendrix Chord)

This chord comes from E major with your pinky added on. There are two main ways to play it:

Easier version: Play E major, then kink-bar the 1st and 2nd strings with your pinky at the same fret as your barre.

Jimi’s version:

• 1st finger: 4th string, 6th fret
• 2nd finger: 5th string, 7th fret
• 3rd finger: 3rd string, 7th fret
• Pinky: 2nd string, 8th fret
• Strum all six strings

The G and A Chords

You have options here:

• Open chords: Standard G and A shapes
• Barre chords: F-shape moved to the 3rd fret (G) and 5th fret (A)
• Power chords: Works fine if the full voicings are giving you trouble

Transition Tip

Getting from the E7#9 back to G or A can be tricky. One trick: hit just the bass note (E on the 6th string) to buy yourself time to form the next chord shape.

Purple Haze Intro Riff

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The Devil’s Interval

The intro starts with the flatted fifth (diminished fifth) — historically called “the devil’s interval” because it was considered too dissonant. Jimi broke rules with this one.

The opening notes:

• E at the 7th fret, 5th string
• Bb at the 6th fret, 6th string
• Bb at the 8th fret, 4th string

Play the 6th and 5th strings on the downstroke, then 4th and 5th on the upstroke. That interval clash is the signature sound.

The Scale Pattern

The rest of the intro comes from E minor pentatonic in two positions:

Upper position: 1st finger at 7th fret, 2nd at 8th, 3rd at 9th, pinky at 10th

Lower position: 1st finger at 5th fret, 2nd at 6th, 3rd at 7th, pinky at 8th

The riff moves between these two positions with slides and string bends. The timing is tricky — listen to Jimi’s original and work through it phrase by phrase.