5 songs to learn as a new guitrist

[wstandis]

Hello, I am new to playing the guitar and was wondering what your reccomendations would be for the top 5 songs to learn. I am looking for songs that are somewhat easy to learn but are very strong in fundamentals. (if that makes any sense)

Not looking for green day power chords but also not looking for overly complex songs. Just songs that teach.

[tuberattler]

Free bird, Tuesday's gone (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Train leaves here this morning (Eagles), Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull), Rock N Roll, Black Dog (Led Zep), Mexican Blackbird, I'm Nationwide, Sharp Dressed Man (anything by ZZTop) Anything off Ted Nugents first album,

Just start learning them they all will teach you something.. listen and play along with 'em and you'll figure it out after a while, if you get stumped do a google search and you'll probably find the difficult part you can't figure.

Practice, Practice, Practice...and practice some more!!

[mmcquain]

1. Sweet Home Alabama - a classic rock standard with only 4 chords but a great study in Southern Rock (and music theory in that this song uses the same chords as Can't You See but this song is in G whereas Can't is in D - spend some time comparing the leads and you'll start to uncover lots of nuances that will help develop your ear and playing). I'd also recommend That Smell as a great study in how 3 guitarist can all play together without getting in each others way.

2. One Way Out - a basic blues pattern but a true gem for classic tone, feel and slide playing.

3. Crossroads - Clapton's solo is considered THE blues rock solo and a great study of lead guitar playing.

4. Hotel California - a nice chord progression that moves beyond 3 chord blues and the ending solo is such a classic that even non guitarist can sing/play air guitar to this one.

5. LaGrange - THE song to learn pinch harmonics from.

Also recommended: Molly Hatchet's first 3 albums - these guys can play lead guitar for hours on end... pretty simple chord changes but great songs to jam to (and Dreams I'll Never See is a great song/solo all around). The Outlaws are also great to learn from - especially to hear the differences between a Strat (Hughie) and a Les Paul (Billy/Freddie).

[mmcquain]

Free bird, Tuesday's gone (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Train leaves here this morning (Eagles), Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull), Rock N Roll, Black Dog (Led Zep), Mexican Blackbird, I'm Nationwide, Sharp Dressed Man (anything by ZZTop) Anything off Ted Nugents first album

A great list and I agree that you should just start and practice, practice, practice. You may want to get some of the Jam With CDs for some of these songs or artists and then practice soloing over them. Sometimes you'll want to learn/play them note-for-note (to learn some new riffs and licks) but also practice IMPROVISING over them (don't worry about hitting "wrong" notes... that's how we learn). This will help develop your ears and help you develop your own sound.

[wstandis]

Jam with cds??????

i assume these are what they sound like....... can anyone reccomend any good ones?

[mmcquain]

Jam with cds?????? i assume these are what they sound like....... can anyone reccomend any good ones?

Go to Music Dispatch and look for the "Recorded Versions" series (I think Hal Leonard is the publisher). They have them for everybody from the blues/classic rock to modern, grunge, and metal. I've also seen a few on eBay that are decent. Go to any big music store (Sam Ash, Guitar Center, etc.) and I'm sure they'll have a few mixed in with their song books. Good luck!

Another source is the right here on TFF (and on the LesPaulForum.com) in the Jam Zone. Simply download the backing track MP3 to your PC and then jam along. If you have a basic sound card and the right software you can record your jams into your PC. If you have a CD burner on your computer then you can burn them off onto a CD to listen to in the car (or load them onto an iPod, etc.). There's even shareware you can download and try for free to do the recording - just do a search on the forum to see what people use. I've found that listening back to myself the next day lets me hear what I played with "fresh ears" and I'll pickup things that worked and didn't work better than right when I'm in the middle of playing it.

[wstandis]

Thanks for the help.

[Kap'n]

Anything off Ted Nugents first album

Interesting. I learned every song off of that album when I first started. Hey Baby is a great tune. Koko Taylor (!) covered that one, I think.

I actually suggest NOT learning anything that was released on vinyl first. Why? Because tape speed was often manipulated on the tracks to get a better feel. As a result, not only are a lot of tracks not at concert pitch, but often they aren't even in tune to each other.

Something I used to do a lot was to put on an album, and play it all the way through with my guitar in my hands, with the goal of learning some/all of the chords, and keys for solos. I didn't always get it, but it was a great rapid-fire way of learning. I think it's something that's helped me fit in at jams.

[chuckocaster]

good point kap'n, as always.

what are you into wstandis? i would say that that would be a better place to start as a guitar player. to really get down, and then inside the style you love is going to be more beneficial than what us es tell you is key to learing.

with that said, here is what I learned on.

1. house of the rising sun, rhythm, lead, everything

2. CCR greatest hits

3. the first two black sabbath records

4. the first two zeppelin records, rhythm only on these ones

5. then i went back and learned the rest of the animal's greatest hits record

[Jesse S.]

3. Crossroads - Clapton's solo is considered THE blues rock solo and a great study of lead guitar playing.

Isn't this the one where Clapton says he lost his place and flailed around trying to get back in time?

(Although, listening to it, it sounds to me like it was the other guys who were out of time!)

[Offshore Angler]

1) All Right Now - will teach you how to break out of standard barre chords and move on the neck both up and down and diagonally. Fractured rythyms and open/fretted chords that ring out. As much as most guitar snobs hate to admit it - most of the guys who played the "corporate rock" stuff where monster, monster players with heavy theory and jazz influences. They applied it for the masses and today it's called "classic".

2) Rumble - Link Wray. Why? Because it's the coolest song ever played on guitar. That's why. If you don't think so - you don't understand the electric guitar. Try it, you'll like it. It will also teach you how to count.

3) Mellissa - Allman Brothers Band. Learn it the correct way, with the open strings and not barre chords on the minors during the verse. This song is a treasure trove of chord forms and chord scales, and using them to move the music and the listener. A must know.

4) Girl From Epenema. You gotta love a Bossa Nova when you play guitar!Your left and right hands must learn to dance together like Peterman and that girl who danced with Peterman on that show. Plus, it shows an easy way to move a chord change chromatically to build a phrase and then resolve it back, again chromatically. And you'll be changing grips quickly. Like I said, it's a dance. Like Fred and Ginger.

5)California Man - Cheap Trick. Man, this song may be the essence of pure rock guitar playing. It covers everything you need to know in 3-1/2 minutes. Rockabilly, country- influenced twangs, Chuck Berry doublestops, boogie runs, and of course, power chords (see Wray, Link) and rythym playing.

Don't worry about the solos at first, or eventhe chords, Understand each song rythmycally (sp?) first and then get the chords, and finally the solos. I can't stress this enough. You'll find out whay as you progress.

Special bonus song: From the Beginning - ELP. Sweep picking and thumpy muted rythyms and again, open/freted chord inversions that drip like honey. Can you say "Country?"

These songs will teach youtools that you can apply in any form of music. The most dangerous trap a newbie can make is to learn a couple of barre chords and then go into bluesville and stagnate. The pentatonic minor is a siren that will pull you in. Resist it. You can always play those blues tunes anytime you want but spend at least half of your practice doing sometging else. As a bonus, if you want you can ask yourself when learning the above why fretting two strings on the 5th fret makes a great sounding A minor and learn some theory which will help you too.

[Gravity Jim]

Of all the lists so far, I like OA's the best. Here's mine:

1. Wildwood Flower - Learning to play this simple tune will introduce you to the Carter Family scratch, a basic acoustic technique that leads you to double thumb fingerpicking ("The Boxer") and teaches you a lot about hammering on and pulling off notes inside of chords. You will use these techniques every time you play any country or country-rock song.

2. Pick Up The Pieces (AWB) - Like the game of Go, the rhythm parts in this tune are very simple to learn, but can take a lifetime to master. Get your funk on, get your flatpick strumming down so you float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

3. Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young) - I've heard at least 100 guitar players play this song, and not one of them got it right. Forget the famous one-note solo for now. When you can really feel the proper timing and hear the dissonances in the rhythm part for this song, you'll be a man, my son.

For the other two, I'm going to be lazy and agree with OA: "Girl From Ipanema" is a fine choice, as would be anything that introduced you to the concept of voice leading and bigger harmonies... and "California Man" is exactly as he describes and an absolutely hoot to rock through.

And I could not agree more with the rest of his post, either. Music is about time. If you don't play in the pocket, then you suck, no matter how many notes you can hit. The simplest possible part is excellent when it's played in tune and in time, so concentrate on finding where it feels good, where it comes alive. We're not practicing gymnastics, we're making music here.

"These are the roots of rhythm, and the roots of rhythm remain." - Paul Simon

[Offshore Angler]

GJ. Great calls on the AWB and Wildwood Flower! Yep, I learned 90% of what I know from California Man. Plus, while you're learning it, you have a killer tune to listen to. Rick Neilson is my personal guitar hero.

[Mikey]

To add to OSA's fabulous list, I'll say you need to learn some Everly Brothers. Something like "Wake Up! Little Suzie" will do. I can't stress enough about the need for a good-ole- rhythm player. The Everly Brothers had it. If you can't play rhythm in the pocket, your drummer will hate you.

Next is Carl Perkins, just about anything'll do, Try "Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby". That'll get you into simple srumming and effective leads. Note that I said effective. Leads that support the song and it's feel and go along with the melodic theme are a lost art these days. Try it, you'll like it!

Next, go to California and do some surf tunes, or spy tunes for that matter. The Ventures are a good way to start. Why not do "Apache" or "Walk, Don't Run". I mentioned the Ventures because they are soooo clean, and in the pocket all the time. If you want to go out on a limb, Try some Dick Dale, but not until you've done Ventures for a couple years. Listen to him, you'll understand.

[mmcquain]

Isn't this the one where Clapton says he lost his place and flailed around trying to get back in time? (Although, listening to it, it sounds to me like it was the other guys who were out of time!)

Yes, Clapton has said in several interviews that he hates that solo and feels like he got off by 1 beat. However, just about everybody else thinks it's a great solo and most try to learn it note for note (just listen to Allen Collins on Skynyrd's live album).

[curtisstetka]

I'd second the Ventures recommendation. A lot of surf, instrumental songs feature some fantastic melodic playing and cool arrangements with some stupid singer screaming all over it. Mikey is right on.

[Offshore Angler]

But curtis, in "Surfer Joe" we all get to crack up when we're told "He's got a woody..."

[curtisstetka]

Surfer, surfer, Surfer Joe! Go man go oh oh!!!

Yeah, for some reason those guys are always talking about woodies and waxing things up and hanging 10. Must have been groovy.

[Rickenjangle]

I'm not gonna comment on a top 5, except to add the the surf/spy/Carl Perkins talk:

I think anyone who aspires to become a rockabilly cat should run (don't walk ) down to the store and buy a copy of Jeff Beck's Crazy Legs. His playing on there...it's as if he's channeling Cliff Gallup and Johnny Meeks!

[NeoFauve]

Heck, when I was "new to playing the guitar" it was
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" "Aura Lee" and "My Bonnie." That kind of stuff.

[usc96]

These lists look real familiar to many of the songs I've been learning. Go figure. I'll also put a plug in for Jimmy Buffet. I got the Songs You Know By Heart book two days ago and it's really building up my comfort level with the guitar. Little successes and all that. ;)

Based on the suggestions above, I think I'm going to teach myself Girl From Epenema next. :ahem

[wstandis]

Man that sweet home alabama ripp is addictive.

[Gravity Jim]

Yes, it is, even by the medical definition of addiction: "continued use in the face of harm." :)

[wstandis]

Hold that thought I need to go get another beer.