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Honky Tonk Woman by The Rolling Stones — How to Play

honky tonk womanHonky Tonk Woman, by The Rolling Stones, features some great Blues by Keith Richards, who uses an open G tuning, which is great for that particular style.

An open G tuning is when we tune the notes of our guitar to the notes of a G Major chord. This means we tune our guitar from low to high – D G D G B D. The G Open tuning is great for slide playing and for Blues playing. Open G is used here in Honky Tonk Woman, and it’s also used in several other Rolling Stones songs.
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War Pigs, by Black Sabbath – How to Play

war pigsWar Pigs was originally titled Walpurgis and had different lyrics, but the record label deemed it too Satanic so the band changed the lyrics and re-titled the song.

War Pigs first appeared on the 1970 Black Sabbath album, Paranoid. The siren in the beginning of the song was added by the record label without the band’s knowledge or consent. The melodic Guitar Solo at the end of the song is titled Luke’s Wall.

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Bring On The Night by the Police — How to Play

bring on the nightBring On the Night was written in 1979 by Sting, for the second of the Police records: Reggatta de Blanc.

Bring On the Night uses lyrics from an earlier song, as well as words from a poem by Ted Hughes titled King of Carrion. Andy Summers used a Fender Telecaster with a Maple neck, and a Gibson bridge humbucker in his neck position at the time of this recording. His amp of choice was a Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead.
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Light My Fire by The Doors — How to Play

light my fireThere are only about four sections of music to learn in Light My Fire, which The Doors released in January, 1967 on their self-titled debut album.

Robby Krieger is said to have written most of the song himself, and also claims that it is the first one that he ever wrote. For this song, and for their entire first record, Robby uses his Gibson SG straight into a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier.

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Comfortably Numb, by Pink Floyd – How to Play

comfortably numbFeaturing two very well known Guitar Solos, Comfortably Numb, from Pink Floyd's The Wall, is a great song to learn to play... just takes a little work at first.

From their 1979 record entitled The Wall, Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb features two very well known Guitar Solos, and it’s legendary for having caused huge arguments between band members David Gilmour and Roger Waters.

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Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin – How to Play

whole lotta loveEven though the steady picking pattern will most likely prove to be challenging, this a great song for beginners as well as experienced players to learn how to play.

Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin, was released in 1969, as part of their second record, Led Zeppelin II. This song includes a middle section that features extensive studio experimentation by Jimmy Page and engineer Eddie Kramer. If you listen closely, you can hear a Theremin instrument being played, as well as loosened guitar strings being pulled tight. Continue reading “Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin – How to Play”

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Roxanne, by The Police — How to Play

roxanneRoxanne, the very popular first single by The Police, helped make them a household name. But with only two main sections to learn, it's a very easy song to play.

This time we take a look at the song “Roxanne” by The Police. This song was written by Sting in 1978 for their debut album “Outlandos d’Amour.” This was the first single and it helped make The Police a household name. You can hear Sting accidentally sit on a Piano and laugh in the very beginning. With only two main sections to learn, this is a very easy song to play.

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Gimme Shelter, by the Rolling Stones – How to Play

gimme shelterThe beginning Guitar section of Gimme Shelter, by The Rolling Stones, can be a bit of a challenge, but with a little practice, you'll find it to be worth the effort.

Gimme Shelter, by The Rolling Stones, was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for the 1969 record “Let It Bleed,” on which it appears as the opening song. It features an Open Tuning on the Guitar; in other words, the strings are tuned to an open chord, instead of the standard tuning.

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You Shook Me All Night Long, by AC/DC — How to Play

You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DYou Shook Me All Night Long, by AC/DC, is straightforward, well known, and easy to play, making it great for beginners as well as practiced vets.

You Shook Me All Night Long, from the Australian Rock & Roll band AC/DC, was released in 1980 for the album “Back In Black.” It was their first single, and featured lead singer Brian Johnson who was replacing Bon Scott, who had passed away earlier. This is a very well known song that is pretty straightforward and easy to play, making it great for beginners.

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Sunshine of Your Love, by Cream — How to Play

Sunshine Of Your Love by CreamSunshine of Your Love, by Cream, is fun and fairly easy to play and to remember, making it great for begining guitar players.

Sunshine Of Your Love, by Cream, was released in 1967. It was written by the bass player Jack Bruce after seeing a Jimi Hendrix concert and there were later contributions by Eric Clapton and Pete Brown. Sunshine of Your Love features a noticeable distortion on the bass, more likely to have been created by Bruce having pushed his Marshall amp too hard, rather than by using a Fuzz pedal, though several types were available.

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