Beginning to play guitar is like fishing in the ocean for the first time. Where does one cast a line?
The answer has changed over the decades, but there are some songs that remain eternal starting points — the base camps at the Mt. Everest of learning the instrument, to cavalierly toss a second metaphor into what’s almost always initially a sonic fray.
So, to put this musical starting line (metaphor three!) in perspective, here’s a rundown of 10 of the most common gateway songs to guitar mania:
"Sweet Child O’ Mine": No instrument shop was safe for at least two years after this song became a single in August 1987. Blame Slash. His insanely catchy string skipping Gibson Les Paul riff on the intro to Guns N’ Roses third radio hit was imitated by every kid shopping for a first guitar. As legend goes, Slash first played the part during a rehearsal as a joke, but the joke was on every hapless music store employee or patron within earshot.
"Eruption": And before "Sweet Child O’ Mine" ersatz versions of Eddie Van Halen’s "Eruption" solo spewed equally deadly fumes, making Eddie the first guitarist revolutionary to also impair the instrument. Imagine six ambitious young would-be players trying to hammer their way into fame at the same time... in different keys... and the horror of what once was typical guitar store static becomes chilling palpable once again.
"Wild Thing": For a generation of players who came of age after 1966, this was common ground – the first chapter in the bible of three-chord rock. Originally a hit for first-generation psychedelic rockers The Troggs, it’s been unoriginally played by everyone including Hendrix ever since.
"Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door": For every struggling guitar player who can’t quite get it down, this beautiful Dylan classic is also the perfect tune for setting up the line, "I’m not really interested in guitar playing. I only want to learn guitar as a tool for songwriting." Excuses aside, this four-chord wonder does have its charm and, since it incorporates a seventh chord, does push the envelope for beginners harder than "Wild Thing."
"Rockin’ In The Free World": Okay, Neil Young’s performance of this number has more meat than its circular Em-D-C-G method. First of all, it’s a protest number from 1989 — a time, like now, when we really needed protest numbers. And Young’s solos rip. The real lesson here for budding players isn’t that it’s an easy song to play with just a handful of chords, but that a handful of chords can be used to travel to remarkable places. It’s a great springboard for ideas and improvisation.
"Smoke On The Water": Along with "Cat Scratch Fever," the two-string intro to this number might be the most copped melody of the classic rock era. But does anybody besides Deep Purple actually know the rest of the song?
"Iron Man": Another two-string wonder, and a great tune, but if suddenly all the distortion pedals decided to leave the Earth in protest over decades of abuse, would any beginner ever start here again? You bet!
"Seven Nation Army": Alternating between three- and two-chord riffs in E, this modern classic by the White Stripes is a perfect example of Jack White’s ability to build great mountains out of sonic molehills. It’s the same kind of estimable talent that made John Lee Hooker such a great player. You schooled players who scoff, trying playing Johnny Lee’s stuff the way he did it and I guarantee all your learnin’ will not help your sorry hind quarters play "Boogie Chillen" correctly. Anyway, a song like "Seven Nation Army," which let’s a beginner stay in one easy-to-navigate stream yet requires quick, decisive changes, is a good place for anyone to commence.
"Working Class Hero": With one chord less than "Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door," this John Lennon classic is also a crutch for budding "songwriters," but only if it’s allowed to play out that way. Unlike Dylan, Lennon throws in an E hammer-on and an open A string, thus giving "Working Class Hero" the higher purpose of illustrating how a held chord can be a living, changing thing instead of a stagnant strum-ble bum.
"No Rain": This is ground zero for a generation of jam band players, which, needless to say, makes it a mixed blessing. Some mistake it for a kind of Americana touchstone, but with its E-D-G-A structure, it’s pretty much a slacker "Wild Thing" in a frou-frou bee costume. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I thought this was a list of songs that a beginner could learn to play? What the hell? And I keep seeing people say Smells Like Teen Spirit was their first song. Well it was mine too haha.
Eruption is no way a beginner song .It is also not the hardest song but definitely not for beginners .
I agree with 7revor .Green Day is pretty good to start out.Also playing the crazy train riff could help a lot .The paranoid riff is also pretty good to start out with especially since it has some hammer on's and pull off's .
The title reminded me of the part in Wayne's World where he goes into the guitar shop and starts to play Stairway to Heaven, but the salesman points at the No Stairway sign after the first note.
This is a good article for me as I am getting a guitar in a couple of days, I've been a bassist for 5 years playing everything from Prog-Death and Black Metal to Funk and Jazz but felt like expanding outwards into songwriting, and although I already know chords, scales and some music theory it would just help to learn guitar as well.
...I can play three of these. Not even interested in most of the others, and never heard of the last one. My first song was Come As You Are. Nirvana is good to start with, as is some Metallica rhythm, i.e Whiplash, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Seek and Destroy, etc. Whoever wrote this is an idiot, Eruption is by no means a beginner's song. Or even intermediate.
The Unforgiven was extremely easy but I really want to know how eruption got on the list.. tremelo picking and tapping isn't hard to learn but it takes a bit
This is a good article for me as I am getting a guitar in a couple of days, I've been a bassist for 5 years playing everything from Prog-Death and Black Metal to Funk and Jazz but felt like expanding outwards into songwriting, and although I already know chords, scales and some music theory it would just help to learn guitar as well.
First full song I learned on guitar was Have You Ever Seen The Rain.
Nice, i remember one of the first full songs i played was Bad Moon Rising. Seriously tho i dnt even remember the VERY first song i started out on tbh tho. I did an after school program in 8th grade. It was guitar class. I just played basic easy songs like those for awhile, wich had chord charts, no tabs like probably most of the ppl here.
In the first hour after I picked up a guitar for the first time (my sister's flowered MIJ Telecaster) I tuned it, played an Em chord, learned to play Mary Had a Little Lamb, and then looked up the tablature to the Comfortably Numb outtro solo.
Eruption's not even a song...? Eddie just whails on the tremolo and taps like crazy. I will admit when I began, the tapping parts were one of the first things I tried when I was still trying to be a rock star. Then I never used tapping again. Personally, I love Brain Stew by Green Day as a starting song. easy power chords, and there's time to move your hand to reset the fingering in between notes.
It seems that lots of new guitar players these days only learn riffs and solos and such and miss a lot in skipping "chord mashing"... I have a little cousin who can play Master of Puppets in double time but couldn't play a three-chord country song to save his life.
You think Eruption is a good song for beginners? ...Eh?
The worst thing about it is beginners trying it and thinking that they can play it right (when in fact they play it as sloppy as f**k) and there's not much to learn after that...
The first day that I ever picked up a guitar I learned how to read tabs and headed over to UG. An article somewhere on the internets (all of them) I read that easy songs for beginners were:
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
The Beatles - Let It Be
So I started with wish you were here and I practiced until my fingers hurt (bout 10 mins in those days, haha) and I had something which sounded like wish you were here, amazed I proceeded to tell my family and friends that I was not an accomplished musician. I'm some 7 years later I don't think I've ever told anyone that I was accomplished or a musician since but my fingers don't hurt even after hours of abuse.
This is a good article for me as I am getting a guitar in a couple of days, I've been a bassist for 5 years playing everything from Prog-Death and Black Metal to Funk and Jazz but felt like expanding outwards into songwriting, and although I already know chords, scales and some music theory it would just help to learn guitar as well. What guitar r u gonna buy?
I am ordering an Ibanez RG350EXZ tonight, its got a tremelo as well which my guitarist (I play in an Alt-Rock band at the moment) needs for some stuff he has written but doesnt have one himself.
I started out playing Sex Pistols songs. Stuff like pretty vacant, helps you get a feel for rhythm and a little bit of lead. A nice stepping stone when you first start to play.
This is a good article for me as I am getting a guitar in a couple of days, I've been a bassist for 5 years playing everything from Prog-Death and Black Metal to Funk and Jazz but felt like expanding outwards into songwriting, and although I already know chords, scales and some music theory it would just help to learn guitar as well. What guitar r u gonna buy?
I am ordering an Ibanez RG350EXZ tonight, its got a tremelo as well which my guitarist (I play in an Alt-Rock band at the moment) needs for some stuff he has written but doesnt have one himself.
I started off with Nirvana too hehe. My first song was "About a Girl". I had a hard time strumming those E G chords. Now I'm playing Thrash Metal and I got way better. I could play stuff like Jato Unit now.
This is a good article for me as I am getting a guitar in a couple of days, I've been a bassist for 5 years playing everything from Prog-Death and Black Metal to Funk and Jazz but felt like expanding outwards into songwriting, and although I already know chords, scales and some music theory it would just help to learn guitar as well. What guitar r u gonna buy?
I am ordering an Ibanez RG350EXZ tonight, its got a tremelo as well which my guitarist (I play in an Alt-Rock band at the moment) needs for some stuff he has written but doesnt have one himself. Nice, well good luck!
Please give me suggestions on nice accoustic songs. Not neccessarily beginners. Only it sounds good. I play at an intermediate level. The only important thing is that it have to sound good on guitar only and without singing involved. Thanks!
No beginner is skilled to pull off the whole song, but doesn't everybody try to learn some of those tapping sequences in Eruption?
As a beginner, I started off with The Trooper, War Pigs, Smells Like Teen Spirit, and Black Magic Woman.
Very frustrating at first, but persistence pays off.
I remember trying to play Eruption when I first started guitar. I can definitely tell you from experience that a beginner would NOT be able to play that.
Like others' have posted... Eruption, Sweet Child o' Mine, really? As a beginner's song? I agree with Smoke On The Water, Ironman, Smells Like Teen Spirit. I would add Living After Midnight by Priest, Cocaine by Clapton, almost anything by Green Day, What I Like About You by The Romantics, Proud Mary by CCR... you get the point.
My first song was Santa Monica by Everclear...sweet, sweet power chords. I also started on Wish You Were Here early. Its a great beginner song because it uses the usual chords, but the intro does some nice, simple hammer-ons.
"Eruption" is a great song for beginners! Also, "No Boundaries" by Michael Angelo Batio, anything by Andy McKee, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Vai are other good ones for those who are just starting out.
For real though, Nirvana has some good songs for beginners. The idea is that you want to be able to play the song the whole way through, in time with the original recording, instead of learning little riffs or licks here and there.
I actually did learn "Smoke on the Water" in its entirety around the time I started and actually had the solo down pretty close. Could I still play it now? Probably not. I think my real problem with this list is that it's mostly about lead guitar stuff and seems to almost look down on the Dylan and Lennon songs, when in reality, you can't be a good lead player if you can't be a good rhythm player.
I probably would of switched Eruption with Sunshine Of Your Love. But being a Ledhead, I would of personally added Whole Lotta Love, but pretty decent list none the less.
Bob by NOFX was my first song. Two chords, one single reggae section in the middle, and flowing chords in the end solo. Yeah, maybe Iron Man is a blast to learn riffing right, but nothing's better than stretching your fingers with punk chords.
joshuahughes34 wrote on 06/18/2012 - 11:23 am / quote |
Personally Smells like teen spirit kicked me off. helped me learn up and down picking techinque (yeah im talking about super beginner stuff)
DeadestMoon wrote on 06/18/2012 - 11:55 am / quote |
I thought this was a list of songs that a beginner could learn to play? What the hell? And I keep seeing people say Smells Like Teen Spirit was their first song. Well it was mine too haha.
Root Beer wrote on 06/18/2012 - 12:56 pm / quote |
Smells Like Teen Spirit instead of Eruption (wtf?) and this is a good list.
Shush, if the next generation of beginners don't hear about or learn nay Nirvana, then maybe the Love monster will starve and die!
You guys didn't quite get it because the title is misleading once again... This should be 'Top 10 songs beginners try to play', because those are songs that usually people try to play it first. Seven Nation Army and Smoke on the water riffs were the first one for me, and yeah, it is missing Nirvana.
Pipeline was my first song, then went onto Smoke on the water and Ironman. But Sweet Child O Mine was what made pick up the guitar. Been playin ever since that song came out. And to be totally honest, I still don't have it down....lol without playin it a couple times first.
Yeah, Eruption is a pretty good beginners songs. And if you want easy songs to practice with your garage band, try "Dance of Eternity" by Dream Theater, or even some Animals as Leaders tune.
i dont remember what songs exactly I learned first, but I know that nearly all the first songs I learned were from metallica(without solos of course).
but i also get where this list is coming from. Every time I walk into a guitarshop, Im always expecting to hear some new kids trying to play sweet child o mine and eruption. title shouldnt be "for beginners" rather "top 10 songs beginners (try) to play"
Pop punk-ish songs are always easy and fun when beginning (someone mentioned Green Day here). Smells Like Teen Spirit is also the biggest miss here since almost everyone has at least learned that riff when beginning.
My first song I learned in entirety was Exo-Politics by Muse. And Muse has a few really simple beginner songs that can be mad fun.
Green Day and Blink are perfect for beginners. Anything jack white does and is simple and mazing, so readily available to be played and classic. self esteem and smells like teen spirit are good starters aswell.
Enter Sandman was and still is the one that keeps me inspired, then Help!, and lastly (and sorry for the ones that doesn't like the next one) Tears Don't Fall.
First song I learned was iron man, decided it would be a great idea to play it in front of my class for a talent show. I think I must have ended up playing for at least 4 or 5 minutes longer than the song, had to skip the solo too. God I was terrible. Come to think of it, my entire first 3 years of playing was bad black sabbath and metallica covers.
Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison. My ex, who was nicknamed Rose, ended things with me and drove me to guitar lol Don't know what i'd do without my guitar now lol
im pretty sure this article is about what songs make beginners want to play, not songs that are good for beginners. obviously eruption will **** anyone up
That was one of my first songs too man. Idk if its just me, but i think a lot of ppl here r bullshitting about what they consider the "first" song that they have played. Someone mentioned Knights of Cyndonia. Hmmm, sure it was, sureee...you must have messed up quite a bit in the process too but u wont admit it. lol anyways im just saying, songs like A Horse With No Name r prime examples of easy beginner acoustic songs, and thats how i started it all. Just with an acoustic guitar.
I taught my brother "Lee" and "Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Cage" by Tenacious D yesterday. He can noodle about and play riffs but he basically has no technique, for instance palm muting was proving to be a struggle.
The first song I learned was Seek and Destroy, on James Hetfield mode; first full song I learned was Killing in the Name. Rage stuff is good for learning as a beginner.
I don't know anyone who could learn these songs as their first song who wasn't autistic or already an advanced keyboard player or something.
Please give me suggestions on nice accoustic songs. Not neccessarily beginners. Only it sounds good. I play at an intermediate level. The only important thing is that it have to sound good on guitar only and without singing involved. Thanks!
Go to Justinguitar.com, go under lessons, then look down at the bottom for songs for solo acoustic (or something like that) he's got an exceptional version of Yesterday by the Beatles on there, I believe there is an Eric Clapton tune and one more.
Eruption is NOT a song for beginners. For me, the first real solo I learned was 4 years into my playing and it was the Smoke on the Water solo, closely followed by the solo of Children of the Grave. Helped me a lot with my pentatonic stuff.
I think what they meant y adding 'eruption' is that it's the song that beginners always take a stab at even though they can't get through it. I certainly did, and the same was true for Van Halen's "Panama". It took me almost two years to get Panama down, but it was one of the first things I decided I wanted to learn.
"Eruption" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" are there because everybody tries to play them when they first pick up a guitar!
...Don't kid yourself, you know you tried them as well! Haha
Roadhouse Blues - The Doors. An iconic opening riff that I figured out in like 10 minutes of owning my first guitar. Prior to that I just made horrifying noise on other peoples guitars. After learing Roadhouse Blues, I pestered friends until they'd teach me Smashing Pumkins, Nirvana and Soundgarden songs... Outshined by Soundgarden is another good beginner song.
i started off with KISS songs. Nice solid powerchord riffs. especiallly songs like love gun and detroit rock city. hell, i had only been playing a few months before i got deuce down to a t, solo and all. i still use some of those licks.
my first song was, indeed, seven nation army. i even bought a slide with my first electric so that i could play the solo (after i learned that it was on a slide) and that's what got me into alternative music.. and then came the blues..
One of the first songs (the first maybe, my memory is fuzzy)I started with was Wake Me Up When September Ends. After that I learned a bunch of power chord smashing (drop d tuned) Linkin Park and Papa Roach songs.
My real improvements came when I first started attempting to play Metallica songs, after discovering that some of them were pretty simple riffs to play. Enter Sandman, Seek and Destroy, Master of Puppets (slow and sloppy beginner version), and Some Kind of Monster (St Anger was the first Metallica record I heard when it first came out; sad but true).
I couldn't play the solos (well I tried), but the rhythms were a good jumping point.
am I the only person that struggled with the intro riff to sweet child of mine more than erruption? hahaha probably. Idk it took me a long time to get down because string skipping isn't a technique I normally utilize lol. but my first song was of course.. smoke on the water.
First full song I learned on guitar was Have You Ever Seen The Rain. Nice, i remember one of the first full songs i played was Bad Moon Rising. Seriously tho i dnt even remember the VERY first song i started out on tbh tho. I did an after school program in 8th grade. It was guitar class. I just played basic easy songs like those for awhile, wich had chord charts, no tabs like probably most of the ppl here.
I believe I learned Down On the Corner first. Then Proud Mary and Bad Moon Rising. Then about 10 more CCR songs. Incredibly easy and fun to play.
my first song was Raining Blood. not even kidding. i loved slayer so much as a 12 year old kid, i knew i had to play like them. so i picked up my brothers acoustic, looked up the tabs, and kept f***in it up until i could do it correctly.
[SARCASM] I THINK ALL NEWBS NEED TO LEARN PROTEST THE HERO! [SARCASM] But Seriously, March Of The S.O.D By Stormtroopers Of Death Is An Easy One To Start With. Also They Say By Scars On Broadway
This list is terrible... I mean, I can't play Eruption, only the very last tapping thing. I'm not trying to tho... That song can't even be nailed by advanced guitar players... This is my list for beginners:
At first, I recommend you to start with songs that only got chords, like Knockin' on Heavens door(that's the only song I agree with). It's very easy to play. Just 4 Chords(G-D-C, G-D-Am). If you play that easily, you can start with more chord changing. For example: the chords of Sweet Child O' Mine. That one is really cool, even if you play the solo in chords. Look up for that chords, and you even go wild by just playing chords. Very cool. After that, you can start with more strumming songs, like Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson. That song is very relaxing, and you're practicing your sliding techniques as well. If you practice for one hour, you can play it. The fourth song I recommend, is Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Fast strumming and chord changing, but if you practice, it wouldn't be so hard. The 5th song is Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The intro should be very easy, but now you need to play the whole song(with the 2 solo's). Just keep trying, and you'll control the skills. Now you can start with Stairway to Heaven, very beautiful song to play, and very hard for a beginner. After that, you can start with Crazy train. A fast song, but in the end, if you've been trough all these songs, it wouldn't be so hard.
Any other songs I recommend:
Stray Cats - Stray Cat Strut
Green Day - Wake Me up when september ends
The Who - Pinball Wizard
AC/DC - Back in Black
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul To Squeeze
I started with Green Day. Mostly off American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. They were the only band I listened to, then I learned Smells like Teen Spirit and Seven Nation Army. My music taste expanded and I got better at guitar!
I've heard No Rain like last year, so when I play it I don't feel like a beginner.
I'm still having my problems to play Eruption perfectly, so I can't image a beginner even try to play this one.
I began by spamming the chords of Zombie by The Cranberries...
I don't think there is any of these song which is really writen for beginners... Even Smoke on The Water has a ****ing solo which is not playable by newbies.
I'll probably get a lot of down votes for this, but it has to be said, I'm genuinely surprised that Wonderwall is not on this list. I don't think I know a guitarist who didn't play that song when they first started out. It doesn't get much easier than that and it's great for chord changing practice.
Awesome tune...but not sure I would recommend that for beginners. People who have never touched a guitar before have difficulty playing the easiest of melodies like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". When I first started out I couldn't play most of my favourite bands because they're just not beginner level pieces of music. Didn't stop me trying (and failing) though
Haha the first real song Itried to play was Enter Sandman two years ago. I couldn´t do the solo. I laugh about this when I listen to this nowadays, since I´m playing Megadeth and getting further to playing Marty solos
Smells Like teen spirit, Fat Lip, Meant to Live, Unforgiven ( Besides the solo at first) all the first songs i learned. Not hard but gave me somewhat of a challenge as a beginner
Smells Like teen spirit, Fat Lip, Meant to Live, Unforgiven ( Besides the solo at first) all the first songs i learned. Not hard but gave me somewhat of a challenge as a beginner
I started off on a Terada No500 Classical guitar just strumming chords, then I decided to be a bit more serious with music and learned Blackbird, I found it built right hand and left hand technique and help me explore the upper frets of the fretboard, the second song is Vincent by Don McLean which help teach me arpeggios
I was at a friends house, who had his Ibanez RG sitting on a guitar stand in his living room. I picked it up, and the opening riff came out somehow. I never put the guitar down, as I like to say. It's pretty much true.
It's been 2 years almost to the day since, and I know the Abbey Road version of Knights (the one with the sweet solo with the string bending in the outro, right after the last of the vocals), among other things.
Thank you, Matt Bellamy and Muse for inspiring my love for this instrument. I have no plans to stop anytime soon.
it makes no sense why is smells like teen spirit not on 
