Guitarwaze Picks - Ten 70s Rock Songs to Learn
At Guitarwaze we are working hard on our song library. It will be a database for all guitar learners to be able to learn the tunes they love with our cutting edge motion technology guitar lessons. Today, when you want to learn how to play a specific song, you will either go for a chord chart or a youtube video tutorial of someone teaching you how to play it. You have websites, such as Ultimate Guitar, which have an excellent song libraries for guitar chords already. Guitarwaze takes this a step further. We will give you the chord charts with an ever growing library of songs, but we will also give you 3D motion capture videos, that will teach you the song, from start to finish, together with voice controlled interaction with your "teacher".
Naturally, we are doing extensive research on the songs of all times and genres, that need to be part of this library.
Here are some of our favourite Ten 70s Rock Tunes:
1. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
A sing along favourite of all times and just a beautiful tune. This is a great song to learn for beginners, as it doesn't involve complicated picking patterns rhythms, and evolves around a fairly simple strumming pattern with articulation. The song is also a great introduction to the use of the pentatonic scale pattern, being played in G pentatonic.
2. Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
This is one of the most popular songs to learn on the guitar and is considered a tune for the intermediate player. It is part of the Guitarwaze course curriculum towards the end of Level 3 and the beginning of Level 4. The song is a brilliant exercise for learning chord progression and has a bass line and melody line as well as combining strumming, finger picking, riffs and guitar solos, to name only a few techniques.
3. Father And Son - Cat Stevens
An emotional song, loved by many, is another great one suitable for novices to intermediate players. It is played in G and with a strumming pattern including hammered strums. You'll be playing fairly easy chord progressions, strumming patterns and chord embellishments.
4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan
A super simple song to learn for beginners as it switches between 4 simple chords and is played in a commonly used strumming pattern. If you're more advanced, well it's an awesome tune, you'll have fun with this one.
5. Smoke On the Water - Deep Purple
This song can be played on the acoustic guitar but has a much better effect on the electric guitar. The iconic intro is almost a must if you want to know a few 70s tunes and listeners simply can't help busting some moves to this one. It is a great song for beginners and you can show off your first riffs. You'll also be using double stops, power chords and some very groovy slides.
6. The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel
What an absolute tune! The lyrics, the vibe, harmonies..just beautiful. And as an acoustic guitar song, it is an intermediate level song, that will challenge your rhythmic finger picking skills. In terms of chords and chord progressions it's not that difficult to learn, besides the chord progression of the verse being quite speedy. The other challenge you'll face is the tricky right hand picking pattern and getting the intro down smoothly. But when you have, you've levelled up on skill and will enjoy this one forever.
7. Dust in the Wind - Kansas
This is another one we have picked for its finger picking challenges. A song for intermediate players and great for learning a useful finger picking pattern, which is used in this and many other songs. Practicing this tune will give you stamina and strength.
8. Working Class Hero - John Lennon
A bit of John Lennon had to be in here as well and we chose this song because it's easy but wonderfully rhythmic. You use only 3 simple chords for this one but it's that hammered strum that dictates the song and gives it that monotonous vibe of the working class man's every day life. The only thing you'll want to pay attention to is the slight difference in chord timings between chorus and verse.
9. Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
A beautiful rock ballad that is played with a gorgeous but simple chord progression and can be played by beginners with some sweet strumming patterns, as well as more advanced players who want to get into those solos. The only thing that can be tricky for beginners are a few barre chords but with a little practice you'll have those down as well and have increased your strength and flexibility.
10. Hotel California - The Eagles
A popular song that anybody can sing along to. It's not for the faint hearted guitar players but it's not impossibly difficult either. There are some barre chords so here's the time to embrace them. The chord progression isn't commonly used and therefore maybe less intuitive, but this too is only a matter of a bit of practice.
And let's not forget one of the best known guitar solos of all time, which will give you finger picking skills, stamina and deep satisfaction once mastered.
Our tech guys and guitar masters are hard at work, compiling lessons for each of these and thousands more. Tune up and stay tuned!