hannukah harry

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?

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KWSN

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...)

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Derwood

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

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evilbeefchan

"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.

hannukah harry

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

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Mojo_PeiPei

Tuesday's gone- Skynryd

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iamtheone

Were you being serious here?

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Derwood

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.

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Jadedfox

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

Then quickly advance to "The leper affinity" by Opeth

--Jaded

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iamtheone

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

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kwoodmex

I was curious about this as well.

hannukah harry

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.

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iamtheone

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.

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Memnoch

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

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hannukah harry

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.

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rockzilla

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"

qtpye4u84

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

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micah67

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

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Smimpinj

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.

wakelagger

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"

perripken

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!

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yceats

One word YNGWIE!!!!! Period!

a_divine_martyr

Black Dog.

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eruption

Phaenx

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

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quadro2000

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.

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Mojo_PeiPei

Dyer Maker is a good chick magnet song as well.

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Phaenx

Oh, also.

The duel from crossroads. That movie kicked ass.

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GuttersnipeXL

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.

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Smimpinj

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.

mystmarimatt

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.

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vermin

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

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

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Phaenx

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

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"I went shopping last night at like 1am. The place was empty and this old woman just making polite conversation said to me, 'where is everyone??' I replied, 'In bed, same place you and I should be!' Took me ten minutes to figure out why she gave me a dirty look." --Some guy

H12

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

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ngdawg

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...

Fenton-J-Cool

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."

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KWSN

"No Stairway? Denied!!!"

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iamtheone

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

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KWSN

A-HEM, iamtheone

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