Hendrix: The Lyric Notebook

The handwritten lyrics for Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland are kept safely under glass in Seattle’s unique rock ’n’ roll museum, Experience Music Project. But visitors can still page though them for a glimpse into the legendary guitarist’s creative process. Layered within the kiosk’s virtual pages, hundreds of photographs and songs take audiences on a journey through music history, helping them understand Hendrix as musician, lyricist, wandering gypsy, and inheritor of a vibrant blues tradition. The kiosk’s design is shaped by the unique needs of a rock ’n’ roll museum: offer content rich enough for the most die-hard Hendrix fan, but give the Hendrix novice a quick-yet-satisfying peek into the musician’s creative process. The result is a two-tiered experience that is both shallow and deep. At the notebook level, users can page through drafts of Hendrix’s famous songs, drag a filter over the lyrics to translate the musician’s handwriting, and compare the written and recorded version of each song. Animated teasers break through each page to lure more curious fans beneath the notebook’s surface. This second level offers four unique, media-rich worlds that explore Hendrix’s musical origins, influences, and legacy. To tell the story, the kiosk incorporates photos, music, and animation—including a Fantasia-inspired “sound analyzer” that visually illustrates Hendrix’s guitar style within the blues tradition.