I’ve been playing guitar for 20+ years, sometimes with a band but mostly in my room playing along to my favorite songs. I’m not a great technical soloist but can keep up with most jams that don’t involve super-speedy hammer-ons or Eddie Van Halen-esque fireworks. I love Neil Young’s style, and find his somewhat sloppy, mid-tempo songs to be my perfect speed. Some of my recent favorites are The War on Drugs’ latest album and the Beachwood Sparks’ early track “Time.” I also dig playing rhythm and especially enjoy the rhythm guitar on Waylon Jennings’s “Waylon Live” record.
I just picked up a used Gibson Firebird '70s Studio Tribute guitar and am looking for some new songs to play along with. So Doper guitarists: what are your recommendations?
Lately, I seem to be stuck on Aerosmith’s first four albums, e.g., Last Child, Mama Kin, Sick as a Dog, etc. Also Rolling Stones groove songs, like Monkey Man and Can’t You Hear me Knockin’.
I go to YouTube, check out the infinite ways folks are trying to show me how to play the song, pick out my favorite bits and construct my own approach. From there I set up the groove and then alternate between parts of the song and dropping in lead fills where they fit.
Mostly 90s alt rock, check out STP ( Interstate love song, Plush, Creep, Sour Girl, Vasoline), early Pearl Jam, and Garbage. Brad Paisley has some really good country stuff, and the Stones catalog can keep you pretty busy as well.
I watch Morrisman Smith YouTube channel. He plays along with the original songs and shows the chords.
I start by playing with Morrisman and learn the song. Then play with the original. It’s a lot of fun. This isn’t a style of music I could ever play live. I’d have to join a band. Playing with the recordings is a good substitute.
James Brown Try Me
I can only manage some of the simplest blues stuff (seems I can’t keep time very well. Not good for a drummer!) and a couple ZZ Top songs I’ve practiced too much.
As I have said in other threads, I also tend to just play standard chord patterns. I will toggle between E and A, playing fingerstyle rhythm grooves and adding fills. Just feeling out the spaces for minutes at a time, seeing if I can transition from Blues to Funk or something in a sorta seamless way.
I play loud when I am playing electric. My 18 watt Tweed Deluxe, boosted by an overdrive, can get up there. But I like to hear the notes rub together, e.g., doing a Keith Richards Open G chord change, like the intro to Start Me Up (also the same chords used by the Black Crowes on Twice as Hard when Chris Robinson sings “and no one ever wanna know - love ain’t funny”).
When you are in Open G and are barring all strings across the 7th fret (that’s a D), and you hammer on two fingers in an A minor 7 chord shape (in Open G that makes a G chord) and you let it ring on a good, loud tube amp? Oh man.
I used to play out, but nowadays I mostly noodle around original blues compositions. My excuse is that I’m deferring to Robben Ford, who says, “I never wanted to learn other guitarists parts, 'cause I never wanted to work that hard.”
But sometimes for inspiration I’ll play SRV’s version of Little Wing, or as much of it as my fingers can still handle. When that doesn’t inspire me, I’ll know I’m dead.
when I am playing electric. My 18 watt Tweed Deluxe, boosted by an overdrive, can get up there. But I like to hear the notes rub together, e.g., doing a Keith Richards Open G chord change, like the intro to Start Me Up (also the same chords used by the Black Crowes on Twice as Hard when Chris Robinson sings “and no one ever wanna know - love ain’t funny”).