# acoustic picking/strumming pieces **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528 "2004-02-04T19:47:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Homer\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Homer\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/1 "2004-02-04T19:47:44Z")
can anyone please recommened me some good pieces to learn on the guitar which dont require mad tunings, i,e bron yr aur stomp, that i could learn, adn if poss a site or link to listen to it, i just want to learn some mroe stuff for my acoustic cheers ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/2 "2004-02-04T22:24:16Z")
Well, I am not a big acoustic player - I tend to play electric stuff on acoustic, but the obvious places to check are: alt.guitar.tab (go to Google, click on Groups and look for alt.guitar, then within that, pick alt.guitar.tab) OLGA - the OnLine Guitar Archive (easy to find via Google) and a new one I came across: [http://littlebrother.nlpd.com/](http://littlebrother.nlpd.com/) Little Brother’s home page - enough to keep any guitar nut occupied for awhile - click on the acoustic section and it shows a bunch of links to tabs and fingerstyle websites… Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/3 "2004-02-04T22:39:38Z")
These are my two major pickin’ party pieces that don’t require retuning: Leonard Cohen, [Suzanne](http://www.guitaretab.com/c/cohen-leonard/3756.htm). The Beatles, [Blackbird](http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/b/beatles/blackbird_tab.htm). (Can’t guarantee the quality of the TAB I’ve linked to - I find it’s always best to learn the piece, then listen to it to see if the transcriber has messed up anywhere, and adapt it.) I’d love to be able to play anything by Leo Kottke, but I’m just not good enough. For pieces you _are_ prepared to retune for, nothing beats [Nick Drake](http://www.algonet.se/~iguana/DRAKE/NDtabs2.html) for beauty and complexity. Impossible to play if you don’t listen to the songs obsessively first. Joni Mitchell is a close second, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/4 "2004-02-04T23:15:52Z")
“Blackbird” can be pretty difficult if you’re not familiar with Travis picking. Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and “Comfortably Numb” are two strumming acoustic classic everyone shopuld know ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/5 "2004-02-04T23:49:55Z")
Libba Cotton’s “Freight Train”. Piedmont blues is a great way to start picking, and gets you very nicely into all kinds of other good stuff like Bluegrass, Country, chicken-picking, etc. I hesitate to say this, but nonetheless it’s true: “Stairway to Heaven” is a good learning experience. It’s got it all, really (picking, strumming, power chords, big fast barre chords, solos, you name it), in one song, and anyone can teach it to you because almost every single acoustic guitar player alive today, whether they will admit it or not, knows how to play it. ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/6 "2004-02-05T00:09:24Z")
Radiohead - Karma Police Foo Fighters - Big Me A lot of stuff by Dylan Beatles - You’ve Got to Hide your love away, rocky raccoon, any early stuff Pearl Jam - Last Kiss (G Em C D) Gilligan’s Island Theme Song Counting Crows - Round Here Eagles - Take It Easy ---
**Author:** ![SnowySeason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnowySeason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnowySeason)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/7 "2004-02-05T00:11:14Z")
Strumming Songs; The first song I ever learned how to play on guitar is ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis. Jack Johnson also has a lot of good stumming style songs such as ‘Flake.’ Picking Songs; I really recommend trying out the song ‘Unintended’ by Muse. You may not have heard it before, it’s not only easy to learn and play but it’s a good song by an awesome band. Also the song ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM is fun and easy to pick. Many people also enjoy ‘Time of your life’ by Greenday. Here’s a good tab site; [http://www.guitartabs.cc/home.php](http://www.guitartabs.cc/home.php) Hope these might help you a little. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/8 "2004-02-05T06:07:31Z")
I learned to pick “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas in pretty short order when I was first learning guitar. It’s pretty easy and sounds great. ---
**Author:** ![Homer\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Homer\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/9 "2004-02-05T13:32:46Z")
cheers guys, incidently i can already play all of stairway(and the rest of the zep catalogue)!!, round here, blackbird ill check the others though ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/10 "2004-02-05T17:48:36Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > “Blackbird” can be pretty difficult if you’re not familiar with Travis picking. I ain’t never heard of Travis picking, and I can play it just fine (thumb for the bass, middle finger for the top notes, and first finger for the G drone - or is that what you mean?). ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/11 "2004-02-05T19:18:35Z")
Try the Allman Brothers’ **Lil Martha** , Pure Prarie League’s **Amie (Fallin In and Out of Love)**, or anything from the Indigo Girls’ _Rites of Passage_ album (simple strumming, mostly). Phish - **The Horse** Jimmy Buffet - **God’s Own Drunk (the Bear)** Fleetwood Mac / Smashing Pumpkins - **Landslide** Tom Petty - **Don’t Fade on Me** , several other songs on _Wildflowers_ ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/12 "2004-02-05T19:56:35Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I ain’t never heard of Travis picking, and I can play it just fine (thumb for the bass, middle finger for the top notes, and first finger for the G drone - or is that what you mean?). It’s hard to say without seeing you do it. You might be Travis picking without knowing what it’s called. Different people will tell you different patterns are Travis picking and the others are Travis variations (I suspect people most people believe their favorite is the original and everyone else’s are variations ) but this is what I was taught vis a vis Travis picking (T for thumb, 1 for index, 2 for middle…): 3+T, 1, 2, 3, T where 3+1 is thumb and ring playing at the same time. It goes into Travis picking on the word “night” and bounces back and forth from there…at least that’s what it sounds like to me. You sound like you’re playing the same thing, but letting your middle finger do the work for your ring finger. ---
**Author:** ![Consumer\_Sovereignty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Consumer\_Sovereignty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Consumer_Sovereignty)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/13 "2004-03-20T06:25:55Z")
Sorry to bring up an old thread but… **Mason Williams - Classical Gas** It can be played on classical or acoustic guitar and is a great piece for picking. This was the first song I learnt, (and in hindsight probably not such a good idea…) nevertheless a fantastic instrumental hit of the late 60’s. But I guess that I’m biased towards it… ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-picking-strumming-pieces/227528/14 "2004-03-20T07:02:58Z")
I think R.E.M.'s “Driver 8” sounds very nice when played solo acoustic.