Surely every beginners worst nightmare..........
You have some old friends round for a few drinks. Its quite late and you're all feeling pretty mellow. Talking about the 'good old days' and having a wry look at todays youth and its taste in music.
One of your mates glances across at the guitar in the corner, 'Hows the lessons going?'
You give your stock answer 'Well, its only been 7 months so I'm no Hendrix but I'm learning all the time'
'Give us a tune then' :shock: :shock: :shock:
Its crunch time!
I have the bare bones of about a dozen songs and can play about 4 all the way through with some degree of confidence so not a huge amount to choose from :roll:
'Okaaaaaay' thinking furiously 'I can do that but only if you sing along to it!'
I had them backed into a corner and I thought they would fold. Nope, they said they would sing if I would print out the words for them.
Hmmmmm. Something easy, open chords with a basic strumming pattern. Something that they would know how to sing along to......
JUMP TO 3 MINUTES LATER for the final chorus (All together now)
'Let it be..... Let it be...... Oh let it be..... Yeah let it be..... Whisper words of wisdom.... Let it be'
'Let it be' is such a nice song to play. A great melody and proper inspirational lyrics. I really enjoyed playing it, much more than I thought I would under the circumstances :mrgreen:
So this brings me to my question for my fellow learners. What would YOU have played in my situation last night?
How would you have entertained 3 three of your oldest and dearest friends?
Cheers,
Simon
There are too many songs that have an 'F' chord in them.
Wild Thing!! :D Well, maybe not - I guess whatever you feel like playing at the moment really. If you could plug an electric in, maybe a little ACDC. A lot of it is pretty easy to play, and they are fun to sing along to.
default songs I have played all my life
Baby Please Dont Go for example.
you will end up playing something you love the most. eventually, you will know many songs, but one or two will be your killer songs.
now that you are a guitar slinger you will be expected to draw, partner.
your aim will be perfect if you keep wearing your gun...guitar
and target practice.
Smooooke on the waaaaterrrr.... :lol:
I'm still learning basic chords, myself, but I think what you played was a great choice.
It's a dry heat!
The most important thing to remember while entertained others is to have fun 'yourself'.
You should not be appearing to be playing for 'someone'. Rather you should be playing for yourself and indeed having fun. This will drive the others to join you in your music.
Regarding the ol' friends. Play some songs which you all know. You can ask them their favourites and give it a try even if you don't know the song well on the guitar. A song will sound good or passable if you can play the main three or four simple chords associated with it (like Gmajor, Dmajor, Cmajor and Eminor).
Play with feeling, play with passion and play with a view to enjoy. Playing in a group is one of the most fun activites that can be for a guitarist.
Good luck !
Smooooke on the waaaaterrrr.... :lol:
I'm still learning basic chords, myself, but I think what you played was a great choice.
Always start with that one....hehehehehe. Once you get over the groans and moans... start in on WStripes 7 Nation Army.. then sock em dead with some Stairway. hehehehe
But that's just he "smart ass" in me.
Then with all the seriousness I'd scrape together something I knew real well.
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
Yep, always have a few "can't miss" numbers in your back pocket for those times you and the friends are feeling good but probably not in the shape to be tackling anything too complex. Time to go for the lowest common denominator sing along you can play in your sleep or similiar state.
Blowin in the WInd
Last Kiss
Sweet Home Alabama
Four Strong Winds
Rocky Racoon
and of course
Hey Jude
If it'd been me in that situation, and with a similar amount of guitar time under my belt, it would have been
Stand By Me (G, Em, C and D)
followed by the slightly trickier Brown Eyed Girl (G, Em, C and D7)
moving on to Elvis' "His Latest Flame" (G, Em, C and D)
and following that up with "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (G, Em C and D)
These days I'd play "Stand By Me" in A - A, F#m, D and E - but back then, I didn't know the F#m chord......
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
'Okaaaaaay' thinking furiously 'I can do that but only if you sing along to it!'
I had them backed into a corner and I thought they would fold. Nope, they said they would sing if I would print out the words for them.
Hi Simon,
That strategy was an absolute stroke of genius. :D
I'll remember that next time it happens to me. I would have guessed that they'd fold too, but by the sound of it, it was good that they didn't. Not only would it have defused the potential embarrassment by sharing it around, it would have been a lot more fun too.
I'd also be tempted by Let It Be, or else one of a range of easy traditional old songs that I've already got the words and music printed out for.
Sounds like you had an enjoyable night and can now look forward to many more of the same. Good one! 8)
Cheers,
Chris
I would play some AC/DC or Led Zep. Most of their songs are really fun to sing so everyone would enjoy themselves.
I would play some AC/DC or Led Zep. Most of their songs are really fun to sing so everyone would enjoy themselves.
I'd guess most people with 7 months experience would be a little intimidated by Led Zep or AC/DC......?
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
You've got to keep a slide in your pocket and learn the intro to Free Bird, because it won't be too long before somebody'll holler "FREE BIRD!" at you when you're playing. 8)
(Else, you'll have to give 'em a "free bird" with one hand or the other.) :lol:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
You've got to keep a slide in your pocket and learn the intro to Free Bird, because it won't be too long before somebody'll holler "FREE BIRD!" at you when you're playing. 8)
(Else, you'll have to give 'em a "free bird" with one hand or the other.) :lol:
I was trying that a few months ago. Still can't find my slides. I think the dog took 'em. :lol:
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Saw off a section of handlebar. Makes a good slide.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Saw off a section of handlebar. Makes a good slide.
I use her bike. She won't miss it. :)
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
