Songs that improved your technique

[SlinkyMan]

What songs do you find really helped improve your guitar chops (speed/accuracy/phrasing/chord progressions/improvisation) ? I find that alot of Hendrix, like Little Wing, The Wind Cries Mary etc. really helped me out, as well as lots of older Joe Satriani (Always with you, always with me), Steve Vai (For the Love of God) etc, etc.

Share yours!

[neve1073]

Donna Lee

[neastguy]

the clap

[Randy]

"Cause we've ended as lovers"

Pretty much everything off of UFO's "No heavy petting" album.

[PlexiBreath]

The number one song that did the most for my playing is "Bold As Love". It did far more for my playing than anything I would call number two. It took me almost two weeks to figure it all out and be able to play it, it then took 6 months for me to discover the skewed rhythmic idiosyncies to dial in the proper groove and feel.

I will agree with Randy in the previous post about the great things you can get from "Cause We've Ended As Lovers", I'd add to that Jeff Beck's Goodby Porkpie Hat.

[drummondrs]

Bach Double Violin Partita 1002

I find that classical pieces really do help position shifts and picking.

[1-Take-Wonder]

Originally Posted by PlexiBreath

The number one song that did the most for my playing is "Bold As Love". It did far more for my playing than anything I would call number two. It took me almost two weeks to figure it all out and be able to play it, it then took 6 months for me to discover the skewed rhythmic idiosyncies to dial in the proper groove and feel.

Thread Theft:

speaking of proper groove and feel, Did anyone see John Mayer play this on one of the disaster benefits? He went up a notch in my book after pulling it off...I knew he was a "player" but I thought he really delivered on the spirit of the song, both vocally and in his playing.

[tiptone]

Led Zeppelin: What is & What Should Never Be

The singer in the band I was playing in really wanted to cover this song and the other guitar player said he couldn't/wouldn't play slide. So I learned to play slide to pull off the solo.

[crazy4blues]

Pretty much the Stax and Motown song books. Lots of string skipping and double stops--all done with understatement and taste. Definitely gets me out of the minor penatonic thing.

[RobertMiller]

Back when Eric Johnson released Tones, I had a holy shit moment. Tried to cop everything off of it. And my playing improved tremendously. Everything from chickin pickin, different chord voicings, position shifting, sweep picking, and on and on. Completely freed me from the rut I was in.

Of course, after I learned it, I had to figure out what the hell it all meant - I had a lot of new chops but no context - and that's when I began delving into theory and jazz. But I'd have to say Cliffs of Dover, Zap, Victory, and other songs off the Tones album improved my playing more than anything else.

[Dajbro]

Teen Town - Jaco Pastorius
Donna Lee - Charlie Parker
Freedom Jazz Dance - Eddie Harris (great for getting 4ths under your fingers)
Bach Inventions
Various Steve Coleman compositions

Those are a few out of many

David

[DrDespair]

Hotel california
under the bridge
The rain song
shape of my heart
solsbury hill

drDespair

[rotren]

Any song from Chick Corea Electric Band's first album.

[BC742007]

Phish - You Enjoy Myself

If you have never heard this take a listen. Its definitely cool.
When I first started learning it I didn't even know arpeggios so at first I thought it was all just random notes. After trying to learn it for a while I realized that the notes were played in a sequence and order and made shapes. It took me a couple months to learn it all the way through due to how much I knew at the time I started learning it. It took a little time to get the timing and speed right too. The song also broke harmonic boundaries for me and helped me realize a boatload of things.

[Tinman]

"Sultans of Swing"

When this song came out all I knew how to play was hard rock with a Marshall and a Les Paul (which is not a bad thing). I learned all the solos on Sultans and my playing was forever changed. (as was my gear)