# Guitar-God recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480 "2007-12-01T19:58:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/1 "2007-12-01T19:58:04Z")
I am making a disc for my nephew is is young and just starting guitar lessons - can you recommend some artists/songs? I have: Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Van Halen, Hendrix - Others? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/2 "2007-12-01T20:11:44Z")
Duane Allman, Leo Kottke, Joe Satriani ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/3 "2007-12-01T22:12:30Z")
Derek Trucks, Carlos Santana. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/4 "2007-12-01T22:36:20Z")
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love, Crossroads John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Featuring Eric Clapton - Hide Away The Yardbirds, featuring Jeff Beck - I’m a Man Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart) - Let Me Love You, Beck’s Bolero Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love, In My Time of Dying John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Featuring Peter Green - The Super-Natural The Rolling Stones - Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’, All Down the Line Henrdrix - Little Wing, The Wind Cries Mary Free - All Right Now The Allman Brothers Band - Statesboro Blues, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed David Bowie, Featuring Mick Ronson - Moonage Daydream, Hang Onto Yourself SRV - Pride and Joy, Riviera Paradise, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) UFO (live off Strangers in the Night) - Lights Out, Rock Bottom There are bazillions of others, but those are some great ones… ---
**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:** [December 1, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/5 "2007-12-01T22:37:30Z")
Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Michael Hedges, BB King… ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/6 "2007-12-01T22:42:22Z")
Steve Vai ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/7 "2007-12-01T22:44:22Z")
Brian May(Queen)-Sheer Heart Attack and many others. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/8 "2007-12-02T00:33:22Z")
Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits: Sultans of Swing. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/9 "2007-12-02T00:48:39Z")
[QUOTE=Poysyn] I am making a disc for my nephew is is young and just starting guitar lessons - can you recommend some artists/songs? I have: Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Van Halen, Hendrix - Others? [/QUOTE] Find bands _he_ likes and give him those songs. Find classic guitar songs…that are easy to play. Anyone just starting out isn’t going to be able to play like the gods. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/10 "2007-12-02T00:57:00Z")
[QUOTE=Runs With Scissors] Find bands _he_ likes and give him those songs. Find classic guitar songs…that are easy to play. Anyone just starting out isn’t going to be able to play like the gods. [/QUOTE] Okay _he_ is turning eight, so he is just starting to know there are bands out there other than his parents’ favorites. This was hopefully a present to broaden his horizons and let him hear some cool stuff. It’s not for him to learn - to inspire ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/11 "2007-12-02T00:58:22Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] Cream - Sunshine of Your Love, Crossroads John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Featuring Eric Clapton - Hide Away The Yardbirds, featuring Jeff Beck - I’m a Man Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart) - Let Me Love You, Beck’s Bolero Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love, In My Time of Dying John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Featuring Peter Green - The Super-Natural The Rolling Stones - Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’, All Down the Line Henrdrix - Little Wing, The Wind Cries Mary Free - All Right Now The Allman Brothers Band - Statesboro Blues, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed David Bowie, Featuring Mick Ronson - Moonage Daydream, Hang Onto Yourself SRV - Pride and Joy, Riviera Paradise, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) UFO (live off Strangers in the Night) - Lights Out, Rock Bottom There are bazillions of others, but those are some great ones… [/QUOTE] EXACTLY what I am looking for, thanks - and thanks everyone else too - this is going to be a great mix! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/12 "2007-12-02T02:18:16Z")
[QUOTE=Poysyn] EXACTLY what I am looking for, thanks - and thanks everyone else too - this is going to be a great mix! [/QUOTE] Glad to be of service. Since your nephew is 8, I would strongly recommend you start him with cool, fun songs that put him on a path towards guitar god-dom (am I allowed to type it that way? 🙂 ) - The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop, Rockaway Beach - The Sweet - Fox on the Run, Ballroom Blitz (trust me on this) - David Bowie - Suffragette City (he won’t know what Wham Bam, Thank You Ma’am means, so you’re cool there) - The Beach Boys - Fun, Fun, Fun - Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode, Rock n’ Roll Music - Eddie Cochran - Twenty-Flight Rock, Summertime Blues - Rock n’ Roll Trio - Train Kept a Rollin’ - The Beatles - Day Tripper, Yellow Submarine - The Replacements - I Will Dare I play all this stuff for my kids - soon to be 10 and 7 and they love it. ---
**Author:** ![tonedef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@tonedef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonedef)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/13 "2007-12-02T04:12:43Z")
If his just started playing guitar **Tom Morello** from Rage Against The Machine does alot fo stuff thats fun to play/learn when you first start playing guitar. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/14 "2007-12-02T05:15:47Z")
Leslie West from Mountain (and West, Bruce, and Lang). Lowell George from Little Feat. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/15 "2007-12-02T05:17:01Z")
The Ventures! He’ll be playing “Pipeline” in a day. 😃 Really. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/16 "2007-12-02T06:25:46Z")
Robert Cray John Mayer - Gravity ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/17 "2007-12-02T10:20:40Z")
One lesser known but excellent talent is [Davey Johnstone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davey_Johnstone), who has played with Magna Carta, Alice Cooper, and on most of Elton John’s songs. Check out his instructional video, [Davey Johnstone: Starlicks Master Sessions](http://www.daveyjohnstonefan.com/starlicks.html). ---
**Author:** ![DirtyHippy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtyhippy/32/107_2.png) [@DirtyHippy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirtyHippy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/18 "2007-12-02T14:48:13Z")
Frank Zappa. Everybody remembers him for the goofy stuff, but he was also an awesome guitar player. _Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar_ (1981) and its follow ups really showcased this. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/19 "2007-12-03T09:53:07Z")
Maybe some old blues, like Son House or Robert Johnson. Or Jazz - John MacLaughlin or John Scofield. And you have to put some Django Reinhart on the compilation - just to show your nephew that you can play amazing guitar even if you only have 3 working fingers on your left hand. ---
**Author:** ![BACI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@BACI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BACI)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480/20 "2007-12-03T10:02:30Z")
“Do you feel like I do” - Peter Frampton (Frampton Comes Alive). Easy riff, inspired extended solo. I listened to it 1,000 when I was a pre-teen guitar hopeful. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-god-recommendations/428480.md?page=2)