songs that every guitarist should know and more!
 

so i'm an okay rhythm guitarist and i want to move on to learning lead... but at the same time, while i can play pretty okay, i don't know that many songs... so post what songs you think every guitar player should know... and others that would be cool to know... especially classic rock songs that i used to knwo but have forgetten... help me out guys!!!

to start it off though, i think every guitarist should know...

1. stairway to heaven
2. pink floyd's wish you were here
3. nirvana's smells like teen spirit

what else?

Everyone should start with:

Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
Cream - Sunshine of your Love

Then move onto:

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
The Beatles - Day Tripper
The Beatles - Paperback Writer
The Beatles - I Feel Fine (I still can't play that flawlessly...)

I Feel Fine is a bitch to play....

"House of the Rising Sun." It's like everybody who I think doesn't know how to play guitar, knows how to play this. My dad, my gf's dad, and my high school janitor all knew how to play it. It's like a right of passage, or something.

come on, there must be more players than this out there...

Tuesday's gone- Skynryd

Were you being serious here?

Pinball Wizard is a great acoustic guitar song to play, especially the opening.

Blackbird by the Beatles is also a good "benchmark" song when you reach a certain level of skill.

Foxey Lady - Jimi Hendrix is a must in my opinion.

Then quickly advance to "The leper affinity" by Opeth :D

--Jaded

13 steps: Pantera
Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray (easy but fun to play)

I was curious about this as well.

yeah, i was... maybe i should say... every guitarist born after 1980 should learn it... that song is what started a new movement in music. it's easy, it's super recognizable, and it's got it's place in history, especially for poeple of my generation growing up during the grunge era.

Yes, a title that says songs that every guitarist should know about.... Is a strong statement. I don't think Kurt was known for his guitar playing skills.

EDIT:

Now, don't get me wrong here.... Everyone is entilted to their own opinions and likes and dislikes. But, maybe the next time refine your title a bit more so people that know what they are talking about will think you do as well.

Some bass riffs everyone should know:

"Low Rider" - War
"Seemann" - Rammstein
"March of the Pigs" - NIN

Some bass riffs for the more advanced:

"Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" - Primus
"Under My Skin" - Mudvayne (this is INCLUDING the bass solo)
"Schism" - Tool

see, this is where i have to disagree with you. kurt may not have been known for his guitar skills, but that doesn't make the song any less important. it's something, at least if you're starting out play these days, you probably should know. it's an easy song to play, easy to play with others, and a great song for beginners to get into. if you've been playing for 10 years, yeah, it's a nothing song to play. but it's also one that you can pull out at anytime and people will recognize. and in my opinion, it's one of the modern songs taht every guitarist should know.

I'm reminded of a scene in Wayne's World 2 (I think, it may have been 1) where Wayne is in a guitar shop, and starts playing Stairway, when the owner coughs and points to a sign which says "No Stairway to Heaven"

Nirvana's smells like teen spirit,and all of his songs and albums are not that hard.

I 2nd both "Blackbird" and "Wish you were here".

and add:

"Layla" Eric Clapton - Fast and slow version.
"I want you (she's so heavy)" Beatles
"Yesterday" Beatles
"Dust in the wind" Kansas

Under The Bridge by The RHCP
I can't get John's flair on the main riff but it's still a beautiful song and people are impressed when you play it.

Over The Hills And Far Away by Led Zeppelin
Just a kick ass song.

Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
That is another super good and recognizable song.

Yeah, it was Wayne's World 1. Wayne just plays the first two notes, then he gets 'informed' by the owner.
My local guitar shop has one of those signs, but it proudly declares "Do not play Stairway to Heaven, House of the Rising Sun, and absolutely no Nirvana"

I second Over the Hills and Far away. I remember my old roommate taught me how to play that and Wish you were here, Pink Floyd. They are staple campfire songs. Even my early 20's cousin's can sing along! .... and that's a good thing, cause I can't sing worth a shit!

One word YNGWIE!!!!! Period!

Black Dog.

eruption

Every guitar player should have at least one song they wrote themselves. Other people's songs just don't feel the same.

You should learn "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison, "American Pie" by Don McLean and "Closer to Fine" by Indigo Girls. Why? Because if you learn these songs, girls will flock to you.

Trust me.

Dyer Maker is a good chick magnet song as well.

Oh, also.

The duel from crossroads. That movie kicked ass.

Dueling Banjoes is a good one to know. It starts of with a few easy riffs and goes into some tear ass pickin'

Also "Mood for a Day" by Yes...(Steve Howe solo), for all you fingerstylists out there.

Yngwie is a complete and total wanker. He follows the same patterns at lightnign speed but never comes up with something innovative or brilliant. /rant
I have a vendetta against that man.

At this point, i doubt it's a matter of everyone needing to know, seems like every guitarist does anyway, i can't walk into a music store without some fourteen year old kid picking up that vaunted fender and start tearing into it. It gets pretty old.

Hell's Bells - AC/DC
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Jimi

(slightly embarrassed by all the songs on this list that I don't know)

Yngwie does kind of suck. Did you hear his acoustic guitar solo? Sucked, could barely pick out a clear note.

I was coming in this thread to mention this very song.

Long Train Running by the Doobie Brothers-simply one of the best opening riffs-the first few bars as the individual instruments come in is perfection.
Any opening ZZTop riff...

Re: songs that every guitarist should know and more!
 

Flashback to Wayne's World, in the guitar shop..




For those of us not in the 'know', since every guitarist knows how to play stairway to heaven, it's the automatic "test" song when you pick up a guitar you've never played before. Wayne started playing it in a guitar shop, and the storekeeper said "HEY!", and pointed to a sign in the shop that read "NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN."

Re: Re: songs that every guitarist should know and more!
 

"No Stairway? Denied!!!"

Dude, you all forgot about Smoke on the Water! Don't know about you fuckers but this was the first thing I played. That and Crazy Train..... Oh such a long time ago. Life was simple then ;)

A-HEM, iamtheone