My instructor has suggested I should start learning a song all the way through. This sounds like a great change from endless chord progressions, but I'm stumped in picking a good song. There are some very good beginner songs here, but I would really like something a little more metal oriented. I'm a big fan of Metallica and Iron Maiden - both of which may be too challenging. He has suggested Guns and Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine, but I don't like that song so much. I'm also a big fan of classic blues - Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
Does anyone have a good suggestion of a beginner song within this genre??
-Kirk
Kirk, what about "Can I Play With Madness" - seems pretty easy.
Also, I think "Hallowed be thy name" would be fun to learn - at least the beginning...
You could also look at Highway to Hell by ACDC - very simply chord pattern
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
I'm learning Back in Black right now.
The main riff is pretty easy to get down.
e|------------------------|------------3-0-------------|
B|---------3-3-3----------|----------------3-0---------|
G|---------2-2-2------2-2-|--2-----------------2b4r2-0-|
D|--2------0-0-0------2-2-|--2-------------------------|
A|--2-----------------0-0-|--0-------------------------|
E|--0---------------------|----------------------------|
|------------------------|---------------------------|
|---------3-3-3----------|---------------------------|
|---------2-2-2------2-2-|--2------------------------|
|--2------0-0-0------2-2-|--2------------------------|
|--2-----------------0-0-|--0------------------------|
|--0---------------------|-------7-4--7-5--7-6--7-7-|
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
Try :
Whole Lotta Rosie - by ACDC its not really metal but its rock, but itll start you off. Its got a great riff really fun to play once u get the hang of it :)
I second AC/DC. The songs are pretty easy. Some of the solos are difficult, but there are a lot of simple ones. In fact, I'm learning "Shook Me All Night Long" right now. It just may be the first solo I've learned all the way through and have practiced good enough to be able to play it at speed. I may post a clip in the "Hear Here" section this weekend.
Almost everything on "Let There Be Rock" is super easy.
Thank you all for the great ideas. I'll give AC/DC a second look for certain.
My goal is to find something that is easy enough for a rank amateur beginner but still challenging. I don't want something too easy but at the same time, something too difficult may just be discouraging. As much as I would like a Joe Satriani song, I'll just have to wait for a while on that one. 8^)
I'll second the AC/DC stuff but I wouldn't consider that to be really metal..more just straight ahead Rock n Roll.
I've also been working on three of their songs. The rhythm is easy on all of the Ac/DC songs I'm working on Shook me all Night Long, Back in Black and Hell's Bells but the solo's for Back in Black and Hell's Bell's are a bit challenging.
The solo for Shook me all night is pretty easy and I've been playing it fairly regulary so i won't forget it. I'm pretty much got the Back in Black solo down too but not quite up to full speed yet in all the parts. there's a couple fast runs in there.
When I think metal I think Metallica, Megadeath etc. those kinda bands and I'd liek to get into some of that myself.
How about..now don't laugh Smoke on the Water, not just the riff the whole song and solo. I've been messing around with the the rhythm part lately which is fairly easy and the solo doesn't sound to extreme either.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
I'll second the AC/DC stuff but I wouldn't consider that to be really metal..more just straight ahead Rock n Roll.
I seem to recall it was considered metal back when I was young.
Which was around the time it was recorded. :?
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
As far as I'm concerned, AC/DC qualifies as metal. As does Led Zeppelin, Van Halen (prior to Sammy Hagar), etc.
Based on the suggestions, I may be following Angus for a while...
kent,
I dunno. To me metal is played fast with alot of gain and usually incorporates some bit of shredding even in small amounts, with alot of plam muting etc. AC/DC doesn't play like that.
To me AC/DC would just be loud rock and roll but maybe that's me.
Bands like Metal-lica, Megadeath, Pantera etc have a totally different sound than AC/DC which I would consider more in the lines of classic rock.
But with that said, whatever you want to call it, AC/DC songs are fun to play.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
How bout some slayer, South of Heaven and Seasons in the abyss are fairly easy songs (and for the most part sound good played with or without distortion). This love by Pantera is fairly simple as well. This might be heavier metal than what you were aiming for but when you list metallica as a band that's a pretty wide open.
Metallica tends to be very complicated, when you print a metallica tab it's going to be at least 5 pages without much repeat with page long solo's etc, not that much of it is difficult to play but it's difficult to remember. Iron Maiden tends to fairly complex but not as bad as Metallica... I have found fairly simple tabs for Wasting Love and Mother Russia in the past, and they were not much harder than the songs I listed above.
Yeah, Metallica is certainly at one end of my metal range. The truth is, my inspirations are as follows: Metallica, Eric Clapton (of course), Brian Setzer, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link Wray, Neil Young. That's a fairly diverse set, I think. 8^)
KirkD,
If it sounds like metal and smells like metal then it's metal. wasn't trying to be difficult or anything since I'm playing alot of AC/DC lately myself and they are fun songs to play.
In a general sense I would agree they fall under the "metal" umbrella but I don't consider them to be a real metal band.
But it doesn't matter what you call it if you like it go for it. I really love the sound of the intro to Hell's Bells, it's fun cranking the amp and CD player and playing along.
PS - I personally wouldn't consider Led Zepplin to be metal although back in the day they would be. Van Halen not sure but I wouldn't consider them to be overly metal either.
Maliciant has a good list to try. I would consider those metal bands.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
cnev, thanks for the clarification, and certainly no offense taken. That's what makes it all art, I suppose - one man's metal is another man's hard rock.
There are lots of great suggestions here and I have plenty to choose from! That being said, keep them coming! And, thanks to everyone for the ideas.
-Kirk
If you find metal coming out of your amplifier, then you can be sure you're playing metal. :lol:
By the way, I always wonder why metal is called metal ?
On the topic, some good metal songs imo -
Crazy Train (rhythm) - Sabbath
Paranoid - Sabbath
Songs by Motorhead are also good to start. I love that band.
