Songs all Guitarists SHOULD know.

stimpsonslostson

After years of only playing with by myself on the sofa I'm joining a few mates to embark on a biweekly informal jam thing (and maybe playing in public eventually). We're using Riffstation/Songsterr as a starting point and collaborating on arrangements etc when we get together.

We're compiling a list of commonly known songs that we feel most guitarists should be able to muddle through to use as a starting point for our efforts.

We all know the following well enough to get through without too many issues:
Back in Black- AC/DC
Stairway- Led Zep
Sweet Home Chicago- Blues Brothers version
Fortunate Son- CCR
Under the Bridge- RHCP
Learn to Fly- Foo Fighters

So, what other staples would you expect most guitarists to be able to do? Fun/easy songs for getting the ball rolling. Generally blues/rock is preferred, but anything will be considered- we were messing about with "rock arrangements" of Blank Space by Taylor Swift, Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and Angels by Robbie Williams last time we got together.

Legionreturns

Have a look at @bigjon s incredibly useful jam list...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YFJ-oacjZM_hJLxz68Q52utfBWKeJES5whClrcSs2Nw/edit?usp=sharing

Modellista

More Than Words.

enjo

Sounds like what I would like to do soon so keeping an eye on this 

poopot

If you are gigging... and it’s covers... anything a drunk crowd can sing along too without any effort:

hey jude - get to the nah nah nah nahs as soon as possible.
chelsea dagger - do do doo etc
hush - nah nah nah nah etc
sex on fire - always goes down well
mr brightside - again, a cracking singalong.
500 miles - stop laughing!... everyone will be singing it!...

Add in a medley of “play that funky music”, “sex machine” and “superstition” and you’re laughing!...

adamm82

I think Stairway to Heaven had been very useful to learn lots of different styles. and sounds impressive to others. 
They don't appreciate the hard bits sometimes. I play the solo and I get 'how do I know that's correct?' but for the beginning bit they love it. 

On a side note it makes me wonder if I should learn Zep songs with correct musical timing or Jimmy Page timing. 

stimpsonslostson

Legionreturns said:

Have a look at @bigjon s incredibly useful jam list...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YFJ-oacjZM_hJLxz68Q52utfBWKeJES5whClrcSs2Nw/edit?usp=sharing

That's VERY helpful thanks.

adamm82 said:

I think Stairway to Heaven had been very useful to learn lots of different styles. and sounds impressive to others. 
They don't appreciate the hard bits sometimes. I play the solo and I get 'how do I know that's correct?' but for the beginning bit they love it. 

On a side note it makes me wonder if I should learn Zep songs with correct musical timing or Jimmy Page timing. 

My attempts at solos are less than note perfect, I aim to hit the "big/key" notes at the right times, but I'm improving with practice. Playing the song at less than full speed helps a lot.

Phil_aka_Pip

most stones and a lot of beatles numbers. blues standards, cream. hendrix

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Everyone of my age/era who ever picked up a guitar will probably have played:

Smells Like Teen Spirit (plus a few other Nirvana songs, mostly just simple power chord sequences!)
Wonderwall
Parklife
Song 2
There She Goes

cj73

stimpsonslostson said:

Legionreturns said:

Have a look at @bigjon s incredibly useful jam list...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YFJ-oacjZM_hJLxz68Q52utfBWKeJES5whClrcSs2Nw/edit?usp=sharing

That's VERY helpful thanks.

adamm82 said:

I think Stairway to Heaven had been very useful to learn lots of different styles. and sounds impressive to others. 
They don't appreciate the hard bits sometimes. I play the solo and I get 'how do I know that's correct?' but for the beginning bit they love it. 

On a side note it makes me wonder if I should learn Zep songs with correct musical timing or Jimmy Page timing. 

My attempts at solos are less than note perfect, I aim to hit the "big/key" notes at the right times, but I'm improving with practice. Playing the song at less than full speed helps a lot.

You are jimmy page!

amarok1971

comfortably numb of course!

ICBM

I don't know any of those.

House Of the Rising Sun?

SNAKEBITE

Bung in a couple of Elvis and Buddy Holly numbers.

drippycat

Learning the words is the hard part but if you can do La Bamba it's a stupidly easy chord structure & gets people doing their best 'this is what Mexican bandits shout like and I'm the first person ever to do this' routine. Oh, and just you + acoustic guitar + Jailhouse Rock = they dance.

Neill

If you want to animate an audience there are two dead certs which any decent covers band should know, Brown Sugar and Spirit in the Sky.  You can get a good ten minutes out of "Spirit".  

Of course every band should be able to do a decent version of Johnny B Goode or Roll over Beethoven

Rockin all over the World is always popular,  and we found that Sharp Dressed Man segued into it very well.

I think the first song I ever played with a live band was Bad Moon Rising, nice easy song to kick off with that everyone knows.

Virginia Plain is also very easy and sounds impressive once you have learned the lyrics.

These are all old songs but if you aspire to playing to an audience solid tunes with a strong rhythm that most folk recognise are where it's at.
 

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

I don't know any of those.

House Of the Rising Sun?

I heard that on the radio last night, it's better than I remembered it - real energy to it. The guitar part is a lot faster than I remembered. 

Sassafras

I know a lot of Dr Feelgood stuff. That normally goes down well wherever you play.

Rocker

Smoke on the water,

Folsum Prison Blues.

Hotel California.

Wolfetone

I would go;

Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Let it Be (Beatles)
When I saw her standing there (Beatles)
Whole lotta Rosie (AC/DC)
Caroline (Quo)
Tush (ZZ Top)

BintyTwanger77

poopot said:

If you are gigging... and it’s covers... anything a drunk crowd can sing along too without any effort:

hey jude - get to the nah nah nah nahs as soon as possible.
chelsea dagger - do do doo etc
hush - nah nah nah nah etc
sex on fire - always goes down well
mr brightside - again, a cracking singalong.
500 miles - stop laughing!... everyone will be singing it!...

Add in a medley of “play that funky music”, “sex machine” and “superstition” and you’re laughing!...

The ska band I play sax for did a 2Tone-style cover of 500 Miles at my friends' wedding...went down a storm. There were a lot of my fellow Scots at the reception.

Funkfingers

Any song sufficiently well known to get on a music store Please Do Not Play The Following list should be avoided at all costs. 

I suggest covering The Ramones, at half tempo, in a Dub Reggae stylee.