Songs Every Guitarist Should Know...

Aura Lee, or at least Mel Bay seems to think so.

If you are talking about someone being an accomplished guitarist (as opposed to someone who plays songs on guitar), then I think it's more a stylistic approach.  A guitarist should probably be able to strum a reggae rhythm, do a blues lead, do a country style alternating bass, and a few other skills.  But that doesn't mean it has to be Three Little Birds, Every Day I've Got the Blues, and Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys. 

By the by, I love your avatar lilwing.

- Zurf

any that someone can enjoy.

Why?

Let me tell you a quick story I heard from a friend who played bass for Roy Clark.  My friend's habit was to show up about two hours before showtime to warm up and practice.  He ran warmup exercises for a while, and then he practiced and got himself ready to play on stage by playing songs he enjoyed and not necessarily the songs that were on the set list.

Well, it turns out that that just happened to be Mr. Clark's habit as well.  So my buddy was running through some songs he enjoyed playing, which were mostly swing jazz and jazz standards.  Turns out those were among Roy Clark's favorites as well.  So the two of them jammed for an hour or hour and a half on jazz standards and blew away other members of the band.  One of the band members said that this music was too good to go to waste in a practice room and that they should work a jazz set into the show.  Mr. Clark said, "These folks paid good money to hear a country music concert, not a jazz concert.  So we're going to give them what they paid to hear and we're going to do it the best we know how." 

So, just because B.B. King always plays blues on albums and on stage, don't think that he might not have other styles in his toolkit.

- Zurf

Here's a story that John McCutcheon told from stage some ten years ago or so.  It related to an incident he had years before that when he was on a cultural tour to still Russia (still part of the Soviet Union at the time).  He does mostly his own music, or the Appalachian folk music that inspires his music.  So, he's on a train in Russia with a bunch of Russians who don't speak English and they are all trying to find a song - any song - that they can share and play together.  Finally, John McCutcheon started to play The Beatles' "Yesterday" and every one of those musicians knew it and played and sang along - EVEN THOSE WHO DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH!!! 

So, yeah, I guess there are certain songs that everyone knows. 

- Zurf

In that case, the entire Legend album by Bob Marley is a good start. 

I'm impressed with the artwork.  What would be really cool is if you drew it out on a real guitar.  Maybe not going up the neck.  I used to have an electric bass with a bunch of artwork on the body and thought it was cool.  Unfortunately, it did not survive my borrowing a copy of "Electric Guitar Maintenance for Dummies" or some such book from the local library.  It wound up as a pile of wires and screws and pieces of wood and I scrapped it. I must not be Dummie enough.   

When I replace my Yamaha with a better quality guitar, I will likely do something like that to my Yamaha - which will then be assigned campfire duty and still be in heavy rotation. 

- Zurf

Bars full of singing Irishmen is one of the best things about the place.   A sing/song is a traditional aspect of the society.    I knew I loved the place when I walked into a packed pub and 300 people were singing "I would walk 500 miles...." at the top of their lungs. 

Ha Z try this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5JKsefLVaM

down, down. down, down-up,  ..... down, down, down, down-up.

And for me it seems Brown Eyed Girl is the one song everyone must know.  It's not my favorite, it just shows up on set lists at every bar in every town.
Another one that I do like and think everyone should learn is 12-bar blues.  Because with or without lyrics, and no matter what you seem to be able to play along with some other guitarists when you play the basics.
Oh, and I gotta agree with Tubatooter.  Knockin on Heaven's Door is probably the first one you should know and for those same reasons.

Steve