Ain’t No Telling

Hendrix’s Fastest Burst of Precision on Axis: Bold as Love

“Ain’t No Telling” is Hendrix at his tightest and most economical — a one-minute-fifty-second shot of energy recorded in 1967 at Olympic Studios for Axis: Bold as Love. Instead of the sprawling psychedelia he’s often known for, this track fires off crisp riffs, quick chord punches, and tightly coiled melodic ideas that show just how disciplined his songwriting could be.

The song moves with near-punk urgency, driven by Hendrix’s sharp Stratocaster attack tuned a half-step down and Mitch Mitchell’s hyper-responsive drumming. Every bar shifts shape — riff, break, fill, riff again — with zero dead space. Though radically different in mood, it shows the same tight, efficient songwriting instinct he brought to “Wait Until Tomorrow”: short ideas delivered with total intent.

Techniques to Explore

Guitarists working in this tight, riff-driven corner of late-60s rock often used a focused set of techniques. Here are a few relevant ones to study:

• Double-stop slides — quick two-note movements adding rhythmic punch
• Minor-pentatonic riffing — tight, angular phrases built from core blues vocabulary
• Syncopated chord stabs — sharp accents that lock into the drummer’s forward momentum
• Half-step-down tuning (E♭) — warmer tone with easier bends and a looser feel

Recording Notes

💬 What Do You Hear?

This track flashes by fast — but every detail matters. Which moment hits you hardest: the riff, the shifts, or the sheer precision? Drop your thoughts below.