The Very First Song...

[JSeth]

So, what was the very first song you learned to play on the guitar? (this thread was inspired by lucidology's about the first record you bought...).

I wanted to play tenor saxophone when I was 7; my brother and sister, drums and piano, respectively. My Dad loved music, but reasoned (and rightly so!) that with all those instruments, we'd drive both he and my mother insane!!! So he ponied up the big bucks for a $12 Sears Silvertone acoustic - probably a Stella - I don't know if I could fret the thing today, the action was soooo high and stiff!

All that notwithstanding, I loved the thing - and I learned to play "Tom Dooley", which was the current rage, Kingston Trio hit song. No chords, no singing, just the melody on single notes - man! I was proud of myself for learning that tune! And I still remember that it was difficult, too - I played it at a Cub Scout Jamboree, in front of about 500 scouts and leaders as a part of a skit; I can still remember screwing it up somewhere along the line, an inadvertant clam... and everyone laughing. OUCH! THAT memory pretty much ruined me for performing for decades, until I sorted it out. Nowadays, when I'm performing, I will sometimes play "Tom Dooley" as an intro or outro, and make a mistake on purpose - and then go from there...

So, what was your first tune?

[A-Bone]

"Under the Milky Way" by The Church. Not necessarily my favorite song these days, but I do have a soft spot for it because of this.

[snoggin]

House of the rising sun,, I bet this is number one

[A-Bone]

House of the rising sun,, I bet this is number one


I bet you are right.

[Mudder]

Stand by Me.

[TwoTubMan]

House of the rising sun,, I bet this is number one

Same here. Second was "Dirty Water" by The Standells.

[Scott K]

Metallica - Seek and Destroy

[MarcJ]

Hey Joe.

[stratocat63]

Day Tripper. Not the whole song, just the riff ;-)

[J.H.]

Day Tripper (edit: you beat me to it) I think the second tune for me was Satisfaction.

[shredtrash]

First complete song: Problem Child by AC/DC
First riff: Stairway to Heaven (opening sequence)

[Suproman77]

First riff: Heartbreaker. It's the reason I learned to play the guitar.

First complete song: What Is and What Should Never Be....I think.

[shihanderek]

Smoke on the Water baby!

[Chuck Snider]

Smoke on the Water baby!


Ha! Me too:eek:

[Smakutus]

First was "She" by KISS but I never learned the whole thing. The first song I learned all the way through was "Surrender" by Cheap Trick. (First song I ever played with a drummer and bass player too..)

Jeff

[dets1]

sunshine of your love.

[Ulysses]

Same here. Second was "Dirty Water" by The Standells.


"Dirty Water" came to mind from my own exprerience. Add "Secret Agent Man", "Wipe Out", and "Gloria".

[konavet]

"Walk Don't Run" - The Ventures

[kingsleyd]

Smoke on the Water baby!

Yeah, but did you learn to play it right?!?!?

Mine was "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by the Animals.

[darth_vader]

Father & Son - Cat Stevens

[franksguitar]

Fist riffs Stuff like Satisfaction, Secret Agent man. Pipeline. First song House of the Rising Sun

[gunnar1104]

First riff- Smoke on the Water
First Song- Two Suns in the Sunset - Pink Floyd (absolutely fantastic song)

[daddyo]

Probably something like "Where O Where Can my Little Dog Be" from Mel Bay's first book. Single note melody. The first song that was worth anything would have been proabably "English Dance" from Aaron Shearer's first book.

[bluesjunior]

Cryin' Time Again by Buck Owens.

[Greg Charlton]

First song was probably some cowboy chord / rancherita that my grandpa taught me.

First solo was from Willie Nelson's version of "Stardust" - essentially the melody line plucked on a nylon string.

[decay-o-caster]

Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.

First good song: House of the Rising Sun

First cool song: Comin' Into Los Angeleeez

First riff: Satisfaction

First scale: A minor pentatonic

[SW33THAND5]

the first song that i tried to learn was the RAIN SONG...i had no lessons and before i got half of the song down i had already learned several others but i always kept working on it. it was later that i found out that it was in another open tuning. :(

i managed to comp and work out a pretty good version. :)

[The Guy]

redemption song by bob marley

[SmilingDave]

First song - "Born To Be Wild"

[Strat335]

Tom Dooley for me, too! Just the melody....along with "What I Say", Ray Charles... and "Swingin Doors" Merle Haggard.

[90wreck]

House of the rising sun,, I bet this is number one
Yup...followed closely by "Little Black Egg"...maybe.

[DocLovett]

House of the rising sun,, I bet this is number one
Yep, me too...

[shihanderek]

Yeah, but did you learn to play it right?!?!?

Mine was "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by the Animals.


Heck, I don't know, I may still not play it right. :D

[mcknigs]

"My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" on baritone ukulele.

"I'm Eighteen" (A. Cooper) and "Let It Rain" (Clapton) on guitar.

-Scott

[Roark]

Knothole Blues

[mark norwine]

Michael, Row the Boat to Shore

[haymaker]

Etude in somethingorother . . . after months of learning how to read music. Damn classical guitar lessons

[brlfq]

Secret Agent Man

[Road Warrior]

Song: Little Black Egg.
Riff: The Bass riff to Louie Louie, but on guitar.
I was REALLY proud when I finally mastered a G chord...!

[Chi]

fifth grade talent show at our catholic shool. we played (these were the first songs I learned through from beginning to end) Smoke on the Water (DP), Johnny B Goode Chuck Berry)and Cocaine (Clapton).

You should have seen the parents and teachers faces when our singer (a David Lee Roth wannabee) started singing the words to Cocaine!!!:nono:roll

[RichieRich]

it was a Van Halen song, not sure which.

[Lo Blues]

Sunshine Of Your Love. Single notes you know,

duh duh duh duh, duh, duh, duh, duh duuuh duh.

[jjboogie]

Diving Duck......Taj Mahal's version.

[Tricks]

Polythene Pam (from Abbey Road)

[ezyrydr]

it was one of the three and I can't remember which one.

Iron Man

Polly (Nirvana Unplugged)

Smoke on the Water

[lhallam]

Same here. Second was "Dirty Water" by The Standells.


Too funny, those were my first two.

[kwaves99]

House of the rising sun,, I bet this is number one


Bingo!!!

[subendo]

Free Fallin by Tom Petty. And first riff was "How Many More Times" by zeppelin.

[nnick]

Detroit Rock City

[mark norwine]

Sunshine Of Your Love. Single notes you know,

duh duh duh duh, duh, duh, duh, duh duuuh duh.

Ain't it grand!?! I can read those "duhs" and the song just fills my head!

[Ricman]

Probably "Strutter" or "Black Diamond" by Kiss. First song I ever played with a band was "Rockin' Me" by Steve Miller.

[hellbender]

We gotta get outa this place.

[Flyin' Brian]

Walk Don't Run - The Ventures

[epluribus]

Rising Sun House here too. Stormy Monday was next--first "improv" as well.

A good buddy, (the "rich" kid, but a great guy) played Walk Don't Run at the school talent show--his first trip to the stage. Some kind of archtop, a huge red metalflake Kustom that blistered the gym walls, and an Austin Powers outfit his mom made for him. (Dang it, who was the british songwriter Powers' costumes were patterned on?) He played it very well, stood stock still, petrified--first time in his life I think he had to deal with actual girls paying attention to him.

[Tone_Terrific]

Probably something like "Where O Where Can my Little Dog Be" from Mel Bay's first book. Single note melody. The first song that was worth anything would have been proabably "English Dance" from Aaron Shearer's first book.

MB1...That's the book.
Then, maybe, On Top of Old Smoky or Clementine.
Probably still can't play a good version of either.

[bluesjuke]

"From Me to You"
"Pipeline"
"Wipeout"

All around the time they were new.