# What songs do today's young people learn when starting out on guitar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 19, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273 "2023-07-19T22:14:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273/1 "2023-07-19T22:14:27Z")
When I was 17 and learning guitar, the first song I learned was Feelin’ Alright, by Traffic. Nothing but A7 and D, easy peasy, a good one to get started on. Next up were some simple Stones, Dylan, Hank Williams, and Van Morrison tunes. I wonder what songs young people of today start out with? Those old chestnuts, or some new stuff I’ve never heard of? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273/2 "2023-07-20T00:21:07Z")
I’ll bet it’s still “Blowing in the Wind” and “I Can See Clearly Now”. When I was teaching high school two decades ago, all the newbie’s were noodling the riff to “Heart Shaped Box” more than 10 years after it came out. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273/3 "2023-07-20T05:23:08Z")
I ran into my roommate from freshman year of college ('72) who said “Oh, man, I hope you finally figured out the guitar part to that YES song… _‘Roundabout’?_ You _only_ practiced it in the stairwell _every_ night for the whole semester.” ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273/4 "2023-07-20T06:34:41Z")
I’ve heard that Sweet Child 'o Mine is popular (the lead, so not for beginners) as are some Metallica tunes. What, are you going to teach over the summer? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273/5 "2023-07-20T12:55:35Z")
The opening to Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” is a good lesson in open strings and entry-level hybrid picking, though some of the chords are not for beginners. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273/6 "2023-07-20T12:56:22Z")
My teen daughter started out with Mylie’s _The Climb_ and some Taylor Swift songs.