15 year drumming veteran needs guitar songs to play

[exitwound]

I'm attempting to pick up the guitar. I'm a long time drummer with some keyboarding lessons in the past.

I have virtually no experience with the guitar other than trying to teach myself the fret board and how it all works. I gots some new strings for the Baby Dean and now I need some pointer songs to fool around with.

Anyone have any recommendations that would be exceptionally easy for someone who can't really maneuver around the neck yet, doesn't know chords etc... Basically, someone who's been playing for like a week. Just need something to play along to, or practice, that would be good for teaching the basics.

Thanks.

[m21sniper]

Smoke on the water, iron man, chicago 25 or 6 from 4, the theme from Spy hunter, and any SOD song are all very easy to learn to play.

Those were the songs i learned on many, many moons ago.

[futuresoptions]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Smoke on the water, iron man, chicago 25 or 6 from 4, the theme from Spy hunter, and any SOD song are all very easy to learn to play.

Those were the songs i learned on many, many moons ago.

+1


If you learn the C, D, F, & G chords, you can damn near strum any song...

[craigster59]

Lynrd Skynrd's "Simple Man", REM's "The One I Love", Pearl Jam "Last Kiss" are all easy. The chords Bill posted are good, but D, E, A are also used in a lot of songs. Try Guitar Tabs, Guitar Chords and Lyrics - Chordie and you'll find almost any song you want to play.

[McLovin]

I love guitar, but it doesn't love me back unfortunately.

So I'm stuck with easy songs only.

I've found the easiest to play, in their entirety, are songs by the Offspring (luckily they are one of my favs, though).

All chords, rarely a solo, but they rock well.

Example:

[exitwound]

Indeed. I can play pretty much any Green Day song out there for the same reason. Unfortunately, I want to play more than power chords :-P

[McLovin]

you've learned more, and are further ahead, in a week than I am in years and countless hours of hacking away at guitar.

i also want to play more than power chords . . . but can't! I've already gone through the 7 stages of grief on that, am at acceptance, so I'm ok with it now.

[exitwound]

What do you mean you can't learn more than power chords?

[McLovin]

ok, I can learn some of the other basic chords, too.

but can't do solos at all, have a very hard time transitioning between chords if there is any spacing at all between them, can't bend strings for squat, etc. Almost every rock song, other than some offspring or green day, etc. songs have parts to them that I can never get down, no matter how long or hard I try.

Basically, just can't play guitar well.

And it's not for lack of trying. Although I guess I've never had a really extended period of extensive practice. But on and off over the years (I first started learning 30 years ago), I certainly have hundreds and hundreds of hours of practice.

just have no musical talent. which is odd because my son is an excellent musician, and my brother is a pretty serious hobbiest guitarist who plays around 20-25 paid rock gigs a year. and sad because I really love music and would love be a good guitar player!

[exitwound]

Use it as an excuse to spend time with your brother! Tell him you suck. It'll make him feel like the better brother. So you're doing it for BOTH of you!

I wish I had a quieter house. I have a roommate who works nights so he sleeps until 4pm, then my other roommate comes home at 5pm. So I don't have much time to play loudly. Though, they really don't mind if I play the drums. But being so 'new' at the guitar, doing scales and such is embarassing :-P

[futuresoptions]

Pick a couple songs you really like and then get the tabs for them on the net.... that's another good start...

[exitwound]

The stuff I listen to is way too involved and technical. It's all guitar-driven insanity. That's why I'm requesting stuff that I may not know about to go look up and try.

[89911]

I have played drums for years, little bit of piano and the guitar on and off for 20 years. You will find out that most songs 1: Are mostly variations of about 5-6 chords. 2: Any new song is a variation of maybe 3-4 chords. 3. Its actually disappointing to find out that this is all there is too many of songs from guitar drivin bands (Greenday, Offspring, ETC). 4. That to actually play the other small percentage of songs that aren't easy will take you a few years developing your abilities. Which leads you back to 2 and why you will find endless youtube videos of others playing these songs.

[Rick Lee]

Try Cliffs of Dover, I'm the One and Little Fighter. No prob.

[nostatic]

First guitar solo I learned on electric was "After Midnight" (Clapton '70 solo album version) but I'd already been playing acoustic for 8 years. If you can play E, A, C, D, G, Em, Am at the nut and barre E/Em and A/Am forms you can play 99% of all rock songs. E/A/D will get you a bunch by themselves.

[lowyder993s]

I'm in the same boat as McLovin...it is something I REALLY want to be good at. But as well, I have a tin ear and couldn't hold a 4 beat count for 3 min. for a million dollars. That said, the last 2 I learned were easy, one has a small lead in it.
Animals, by Nickleback:

Nickelback - Animals

Molson | MySpace Video
Bad girlfriend by Theory of a deadman:

Both Drop D tuning

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by 89911

I have played drums for years, little bit of piano and the guitar on and off for 20 years. You will find out that most songs 1: Are mostly variations of about 5-6 chords. 2: Any new song is a variation of maybe 3-4 chords. 3. Its actually disappointing to find out that this is all there is too many of songs from guitar drivin bands (Greenday, Offspring, ETC). 4. That to actually play the other small percentage of songs that aren't easy will take you a few years developing your abilities. Which leads you back to 2 and why you will find endless youtube videos of others playing these songs.

Brilliant!

That's actually exactly what happens to me. For ex., saw offspring this summer, that got me motivated. I'd listen to some of the songs, think "Wow, that rocks pretty good, if I could just crank up the stereo, guitar amp and distortion and play along with that, that would be so awesome!"

These are of course basic songs that someone like nostatic, gogar, or any of the other guitar gods here could literally learn in 5 minutes, but even the basic ones take me several hours a day for several days to get down start to finish. Which I usually enjoy doing, when I'm motivated.

But after all that, when I have it down, it is somewhat disappointing, because then it seems so simple. And, by that time, I've heard the song so many times, gone over it so many times, and deconstructed it, it kind of ruins the song for me.

I'll learn 5 or 6 songs over the course of a few months, get bored, start to think "Why am I doing this??" then put the guitar away for a year, two or more.

[ODDJOB UNO]

IRON BUTTERFLY............INNA GADDA DA VIDA man...................this song will git cho da CHICKS! i swear!

[McLovin]

the electric organ player always gets all the chicks!

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by McLovin

Brilliant!

That's actually exactly what happens to me. For ex., saw offspring this summer, that got me motivated. I'd listen to some of the songs, think "Wow, that rocks pretty good, if I could just crank up the stereo, guitar amp and distortion and play along with that, that would be so awesome!"

These are of course basic songs that someone like nostatic, gogar, or any of the other guitar gods here could literally learn in 5 minutes, but even the basic ones take me several hours a day for several days to get down start to finish. Which I usually enjoy doing, when I'm motivated.

But after all that, when I have it down, it is somewhat disappointing, because then it seems so simple. And, by that time, I've heard the song so many times, gone over it so many times, and deconstructed it, it kind of ruins the song for me.

I'll learn 5 or 6 songs over the course of a few months, get bored, start to think "Why am I doing this??" then put the guitar away for a year, two or more.

That's me to a tee!