My kid is learning to play the guitar

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He asked me to make him a cd of really killer guitar songs, so he can "decide which guy he wants to play like" (ha ha) and I thought I'd come to y'all for help. What are your top 10? Who are the guitarists you think someone just starting out (he's 9 1/2) should hear? Who will inspire him?

― luna, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe a dumb question but what does he like already?

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

Musically he's all over the map - his current obsession is Green Day, but not guitar specific - he just likes them. I just want anything and everything.

― luna, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:40 (nineteen years ago)

And does he have an electric guitar, an acoustic or both?

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

This is something of a cliche, but when I was young and picking up guitar I got really into blues and classic rock. I think a lot of young players start there because it's easy to get decent at and fun/satisfying to play. I would learn licks from Angus Young, David Gilmour, BB King, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and so forth.

― St3ve Go1db3rg, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:42 (nineteen years ago)

Don't tell him about Hendrix until he's much older - now he'll only want to set his guitar on fire.

― StanM, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

He knows about Hendrix - I've been playing Hendrix, ACDC, BB King and a little Van Halen, but that's it so far. I'm looking for specific songs, if possible.

― luna, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

Since you asked for "killer guitar" I searched for exactly that term on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Killer-Guitar-Various-Artists/dp/B000NSMGXI

?

― StanM, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

this is a really cute question.

― Surmounter, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 16:58 (nineteen years ago)

"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd has one of my favorite guitar solos, and it's probably not too daunting for a young player.

― St3ve Go1db3rg, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 17:00 (nineteen years ago)

i was gonna say!! thought it was a bit cheap as a suggestion tho. i guess for a 9yr old it doesn't really matter

― Surmounter, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

seriously, punk rock is the best thing ever when you're starting out because in literally four tries you can sound every bit as awesome as the misfits.

classic and blues rock was too tough for me when i was just getting started - too much extraneous shit, fills and bends and all that junk that i got way into later but was just frustrating at first.

― pretzel walrus, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

Hit him with a lot of Chuck Berry... also the 3rd Velvet Underground album, tons of great rhythm playing by Reed and great leads by Morrison... "What Goes On" especially.

First two Big Star albums, first two DEVO albums, first B-52's album...they aren't WOW AMAZING GUITARISM showcases, but they are fun albums that have a lot of guitar, lots of fun approaches to what can be done with the instrument, hopefully not TOO intimidating for the beginning player.

Neil Young's Everybody Knows This is Nowhere would be a huge education for a beginning player, I'd think.

― Rock Hardy, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 17:15 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not sure if he wants to emulate everything, or just wants a variety of stuff to listen to to see what he likes. Thanks for the suggestions thus far, however, as I know dick about music.

― luna, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

early on, I remember learning some AC/DC stuff...really easy to play rhythm stuff but you feel like a million bucks!

Is he taking lessons?

I had formal lessons and I've always been thankful for my mom making me take them...a good teacher can really do a world of good.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 18:25 (nineteen years ago)

People to avoid for the time being because they're so fuckin' amazing it might be discouraging: Richard Thompson, John Fahey, Robert Fripp.

― Rock Hardy, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 18:34 (nineteen years ago)

Guitar Player magazine put together a series of CDs called Legends of Guitar that could have been designed for just this situation: they give you a song apiece by a good variety of big names. They're out of print but you can find them on Amazon or eBay. The 60s and 70s rock volumes would be good to start with.

― dad a, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

Burn his fingers off and give him some Django records.

Or just skip to the second part.

― Oilyrags, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 19:08 (nineteen years ago)

Jandek

― Curt1s Stephens, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 20:49 (nineteen years ago)

Again, I'm not lookin' for things to teach him, just stuff for him to listen to right now, stuff to get into.

― luna, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 21:40 (nineteen years ago)

marnie stern

― rps, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 21:41 (nineteen years ago)

i second the AC/DC recs

try Robert Quine!

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 21:52 (nineteen years ago)

When I took guitar lessons, my main influences were Tracy Chapman and Counting Crows. In retrospect, that explains a lot. (So, don't put "Fast Car" and "Round Here" on that mix cd)

― Tape Store, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 22:54 (nineteen years ago)

As a kid in high school music class, we had a dead beat teacher, and we'd just sit around trading riffs on the crappy acoustics lying around. I always found Jimmy Page riffs the most satisfying to learn, because they lead the songs, and the catchiest of his riffs don't require a ton of dexterity, it's just about the feel. I remember immense satisfaction learning how to play Whole Lotta, Misty Mountain Hop, Kashmir, Over the Hills. U2 riffs too- Sunday Bloody Sunday, I Will Follow.

― bendy, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 23:01 (nineteen years ago)

Some catchy beginning-to-play riffs (that are maybe so obvious no one's bothered to mention them):

Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
Iron Butterfly - Inna Gadda da Vida (maybe start with the single edit?)
Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker
Doors - Roadhouse Blues
Black Sabbath - Iron Man
Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water
Nirvana - Come As You Are
Metallica - Enter Sandman
White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Less easy but possibly still inspirational:

Derek and the Dominos - Layla
Beatles - Blackbird
Simple light classical stuff like "Spanish Romance" or Yes' "Mood for a Day"; maybe Heitor Villa-Lobos - Prelude 1
Jeff Beck Group - Beck's Bolero
Stevie Ray Vaughan - "Little Wing?"

― Sundar, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 23:38 (nineteen years ago)

Hell, you could try the whole "Concierto di Aranjuez" (John Williams playing.) Kids like to be impressed enough to get better.

― Sundar, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 23:47 (nineteen years ago)

Also in the second category, you could include Byrds' hits like "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn Turn Turn" that just feature the guitar sounding beautiful. Also, "Eight Miles High" (Byrds and Husker Du versions) obv.

― Sundar, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 23:52 (nineteen years ago)

I WAS REALLY INTO STEVE RAY VAUGHN WHEN I WAS HIS AGE

― chaki, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 23:58 (nineteen years ago)

Neil Young is great for learning guitar. Very simple songs that sound great on acoustic guitar and use only a few easy major chords.

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 12 April 2007 00:02 (nineteen years ago)

xxxxxpost - he's got some cheapo fender, and he will be taking guitar lessons this summer

― luna, Thursday, 12 April 2007 00:23 (nineteen years ago)

It is slightly off topic, but you should get him a book called How To Write Songs on Guitar by Rikky Rooksby.

It is a great book because it breaks down all the things that you need to know in a very straight forward fashion. What is a song, what is a scale, how do you make chords out of scales, what is a chord progression, what is a key, what is a key change... He lays in out in a way that explains what these things are, why you need to know them, and how you go about applying them in real life. It will take a lot of the pain out of learning theory. I could never get my head around theory until I came across this book.

Another thing you might want to get him is this DVD set:

http://www.amazon.com/History-Rock-Roll-Gary-Busey/dp/B0002234XQ

I am not going to say that it is the greatest resource EVAH, but it seems like a pretty good way to give a 9 year old a general outline of rock music without making him read. Have him watch it a couple times and then give him a $5-10 weekly Itunes allowance. The main thing is that you have to teach him how to dig for his own influences and how to research music for himself.

― Display Name, Thursday, 12 April 2007 00:31 (nineteen years ago)

I have that book! And I've never opened it. I don't believe in theory.

― Tape Store, Thursday, 12 April 2007 02:49 (nineteen years ago)

leave him alone and let him figure it out himself, he'll thank you later

― Johnny Hotcox, Thursday, 12 April 2007 03:01 (nineteen years ago)

No, this is nice! I like the idea of him just listening to a bunch of guitar stuff, not to learn or emulate it, but just to get all into the possibilities of his instrument!

― nabisco, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:20 (nineteen years ago)

just give him the internet and say "explore, bitch"
but then he'll probably find boobs.

seriously, tough...9 years old.
i guess raw, energetic stuff would be great for him.
ac/dc
the hives
nirvana...stuff like that.

also, the beatles are usually pretty great for starting.

― funny farm, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:45 (nineteen years ago)

oh, specific songs.
i'm really not too familiar with ac/dc.
any of the hives singles are great.
and...just get him "nevermind". he's gonna need it anyway.

beatles.
"blackbird", "taxman", "helter skelter", "dear prudence", "hey bulldog", "she said, she said"....and a whole lot more.

― funny farm, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:50 (nineteen years ago)

i hear that you and your kid have sold your guitars and bought turntables...

― stephen, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:51 (nineteen years ago)

...i hear that you and your kid have sold your turntables and bought guitars

― stephen, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:52 (nineteen years ago)

THE FIRST FOUR RAMONES ALBUMS

― marmotwolof, Thursday, 12 April 2007 06:58 (nineteen years ago)

David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
James Blood Ulmer - Church
Sonic Youth - Star Power
the White Stripes - Cannon

― nicky lo-fi, Thursday, 12 April 2007 09:25 (nineteen years ago)

rather than learning basic chords and bashing out rock songs on a cheap electric my son's been studying the more traditional/classical way on nylon-stringed acoustic for a couple years now, learning to read music etc. he doesn't practice enough but he does enjoy it, he's recently progressed beyond single-string melodies to some nice finger-picking. he also sings in a chorus and recently announced he wants to take piano lessons "cause it would be cool to play both piano and guitar."

― m coleman, Thursday, 12 April 2007 10:16 (nineteen years ago)

Get him a copy of "Digital Love," and eventually break it to him that it's really just a computer. It'll be a good life lesson.

― Tape Store, Thursday, 12 April 2007 12:30 (nineteen years ago)

Velvets, Neil Young, Big Star

― Tom D., Thursday, 12 April 2007 14:16 (nineteen years ago)

... ha ha, that's totally the Glasgow Indie guide to learning the guitar

― Tom D., Thursday, 12 April 2007 14:24 (nineteen years ago)

marnie stern

I was totally going to suggest this.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 12 April 2007 14:27 (nineteen years ago)

Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, early Bob Dylan

― m coleman, Thursday, 12 April 2007 14:44 (nineteen years ago)

"The Staunton Lick," Lemon Jelly.

Oh, and Maybelle Carter.

― Jazzbo, Thursday, 12 April 2007 14:56 (nineteen years ago)

leave him alone and let him figure it out himself, he'll thank you later

I planned to do this, but he asked specifically for recommedations, so I thought I'd better come up with stuff.

He loves the Ramones, because of Guitar Hero is really getting into Iron Man. I bought him how to books and dvds when we bought the guitar initially, but he doesn't want to know about them yet.

Some great suggestions, though - thanks y'all!

― luna, Thursday, 12 April 2007 16:04 (nineteen years ago)

queen - 'we will rock you'
queen - 'sheer heart attack'
queen - 'stone cold crazy'
queen - 'killer queen'
black sabbath - 'snowblind'
black sabbath - 'supernaut'
black sabbath - 'paranoid'

― 6335, Thursday, 12 April 2007 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

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