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.
Comments
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YFJ-oacjZM_hJLxz68Q52utfBWKeJES5whClrcSs2Nw/edit?usp=sharing
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youhey 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!...
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.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
Smells Like Teen Spirit (plus a few other Nirvana songs, mostly just simple power chord sequences!)
Wonderwall
Parklife
Song 2
There She Goes
House Of the Rising Sun?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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.
Folsum Prison Blues.
Hotel California.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
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)
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.
I suggest covering The Ramones, at half tempo, in a Dub Reggae stylee.