# Suggestions for 'strummy' songs to teach teengers...



## distressed_romeo (Jul 17, 2006)

As I type this I'm desperately trying to think of some songs based on simple strumming patterns to teach comparative beginners...teenagers who're mostly into Nirvana and the RHCP...
I was think Higher By Creed is fairly straightforward (the intro anyway), or the chords for Nothing Else Matters or Fade to Black by Metallica. What about 'Drive' by Incubus?

Ideas, as I'm stumped (what is it the young people are listening to these days? lol)...


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## Metal Ken (Jul 17, 2006)

There's this one girl i had to show some songs that had really simple strum patterns.. they needed capo's though, and were totally pop songs.. if thats cool, i can look them up, as i forgot the name of them right offhand


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## Drew (Jul 17, 2006)

distressed_romeo said:


> As I type this I'm desperately trying to think of some songs based on simple strumming patterns to teach comparative beginners...teenagers who're mostly into Nirvana and the RHCP...
> I was think Higher By Creed is fairly straightforward (the intro anyway), or the chords for Nothing Else Matters or Fade to Black by Metallica. What about 'Drive' by Incubus?
> 
> Ideas, as I'm stumped (what is it the young people are listening to these days? lol)...



Well, if they're into Nirvana and RHCP, all of the "Unplugged" album kind of springs to mind... 

Higher actually has some reasonably complicated accents and hit-on/pulloff combos for a beginner, so I'd steer clear. It's also a song that, when you get to the chorus, doesn't really sound that good alone with just one guitar without bass and drums unless your timing is dead-perfect, so it'd be a frustrating song for a beginner. 

Hm... What else comes to mind...

"The World I Know" - Collective Soul
"Disarm" or "Today" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Sweet Child of Mine" - GnR
"Plush" - Stone Temple Pilots (though, that barred maj7 chord is kind of a bitch if you're a beginner)
"Selling the Drama" - Live
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by REM (hate the band, love the album)
"Glycerine" - Bush
"Rodeo Clowns" - G Love & Special Sauce
"What's this Life For" - Creed
"What it's Like" - Everlast. Also, "Put Your Lights On" with Santana. 

IF you really want to be insiduous, try Opeth's "Harvest." Bonus points if they've never heard of the band and you don't play 'em anything else by them until they learn the song.  

With someone who doesn't listen to metal, I'd steer away from Metallica. I know back in my grunge-rock days if I was taking lessons from someone who was into metal and they started having me learn metallica songs, it'd be a bit of a turnoff. 

Also, kind of a chance, but you could always play them SRV's "Life By the Drop" and see if they dig it enough to learn - that and his cover of "Little Wing" were the first SRV tracks I really got into, and it was really a couple months before I could really listen to anything else off his posthumous "The Sky is Crying" album, which quickly had a HUGE impact in my development as a player when things clicked. It's a straightforward tune, bluesy but with an unconventional set of changes, and has the sort of emotional honesty and vulnerability that might appeal to someone into alt/rock and grunge (and makes an awesome transition into something a little more demanding. .


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## distressed_romeo (Jul 17, 2006)

Might do 'Sweet Child...' next week...
Disarm would be a great one actually! May have to sit down and transcribe that one tonight...
Cheers guys!


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## rahul_mukerji (Jul 17, 2006)

Simple strummy songs can be found right off Nirvana's unplugged album  . I pretty much learnt Polly (simple chords, nice strum pattern) and About a Girl (easy to play, fun for beginners) and The Man who sold the world (simple lead and, again, fun).

Gin Blossom songs are easy strums too and they are ....umm .... catchy ?


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## Mastodon (Jul 17, 2006)

Teach them some funk stuff. Everybody loves funk.

My teacher used some funk songs, and a funk song he made up specifically for a stundent years ago in order to help me develop good strumming as well as good string muting skills and clean playing.

I suggest "Lover Rollercoaster" (ohio players) and "Good Times" (Grand Funk Railroad)


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## telecaster90 (Jul 18, 2006)

Try some Pink Floyd. Get the chords for some simple songs (Comfortably Numb, Breathe, WYWH) and have them jam on it. What's cool about those is that they have easy progressions to solo on once they get to that playing level.


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## distressed_romeo (Jul 18, 2006)

Already thought about WYWH. That would be a great one.


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## keithb (Jul 18, 2006)

_Colorblind_ and _Mr. Jones_ by the Counting Crows come to mind.

I'm sure I'll think of more in a minute.


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