do you have a go-to song or riff that you play?

[MattZ]

There hasn't been much action around here recently so I wanted to get some going. It occurred to me that I go through phases where I have a go-to riff or song that I play when I pick up my guitar before I start messing around. Or if I sit down in a guitar store to check out a new instrument.

 

These days, since I am focusing on my acoustic playing mostly, I find that if my guitar is in standard tuning after I've picked it up, that I play the opening runs to Mountain Bed.

 

If it's in drop D tuning, the intro to Spiders.

 

Then I move on to whatever else I feel like playing in the moment. Does anyone else do this?

[GtrPlyr]

I've been playing an acoustic tuned to open F# a lot over the past month. So I'm basically always playing one of the 4-5 songs I've written in that tuning. I usually start with this little finger-picked intro that I kinda like from one of the songs. Once in a while I break into something else, but usually I'm just fine-tuning these songs.

[stagerug]

Bob Dylan's 49th Beard

 

Gun

 

House of the Rising Sun

 

Remember the Mountain Bed

 

Spiders (solo)... So much fun to play!

 

Tangled up in Blue

 

Black Girl

 

I had to think about it, but these are the songs I play FIRST almost all the time.

[Guest Gym Teacher Man]

Standard - I usually run through at least some parts of Guyute. It seems to give me a good ear and it's fun as hell to play. If I have a capo around, I go with Mountain Bed. Usually only the first couple of verses because I can't remember all of those lyrics. It's one of my absolutely favorite things to play and I'm just so proud that I can play it.

 

Drop D - I usually fuck around a bit with Sunken Treasure or Spiders if I have a capo. I don't know much in Drop D.

 

Open D - Pot Kettle Black or Simple Twist of Fate if I have a capo.

[stagerug]

Standard - I usually run through at least some parts of Guyute. It seems to give me a good ear and it's fun as hell to play. If I have a capo around, I go with Mountain Bed. Usually only the first couple of verses because I can't remember all of those lyrics. It's one of my absolutely favorite things to play and I'm just so proud that I can play it.

 

I feel the same way about RTMB. It was one of those songs that I figured I'd never learn when I first started.

 

Guyute... wow. That's some stuff there. I haven't even ATTEMPTED a Trey song.

[MattZ]

hey stagerug - just giving you a hard time, but you can't have 7 songs that you always play first when you pick up a guitar.

[stagerug]

hey stagerug - just giving you a hard time, but you can't have 7 songs that you always play first when you pick up a guitar.

 

 

I have one of those Cheap Trick Guitars!

 

If I had to pick one... Bob Dylan's 49th Beard, probably.

[ginandcigarettes]

I don't have a typical thing that I play when I pick up a guitar, though there are trends and tendencies. I will often play the opening lick to "I Looked Away" by Derek and the Dominos:

0..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

e--------------------------|

B--------------------------|

G--------------------------|

D--------------------------|

A--------------------0--2--|

E-----------------3--------|

 

1..V.....V.....V.....V.....2..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

e--------------------------|--------------------------|

B--------1---1----1--------|--------------------------|

G--------0---0----0--------|--------0-----------------|

D--------2-----0h2---2-----|--------0--------0--2--3--|

A--3-----------------------|--------------0h2---------|

E-----------------------3--|--------------------------|

 

3..V.....V.....V.....V.....4..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

e--------------------------|--------------------------|

B--------1-----------------|--------------------------|

G--------2-----------------|--------0-----------------|

D--------------3--2--0-----|-----0h2------------------|

A-----------------------3--|--------------------0--2--|

E--------------------------|-----------3-----3--------|

 

Or the lick to "I Wanna Come Home" by the Bottle Rockets. I tabbed this about 7 years ago before I knew what I didn't know about listening and transcribing, so apologies for things that don't really happen in the song, but this is what I play. Also, I didn't have enough room to tab all of the hammer ons, but basically any time there is a fretted note immediately before of arter an open string, you hammer on:

 

0..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

e--------------------------|

B--------1--1--1--1--------|

G--------2--0--2--0--0--0--|

D--------------------2--0--|

A--------------------------|

E--------------------------|

 

1..V.....V.....V.....V.....2..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

e--------------------------|--------------------------|

B--------------------------|--------------------------|

G--0-----------0-----------|--------0--0--0--0--------|

D

[Guest Gym Teacher Man]

I feel the same way about RTMB. It was one of those songs that I figured I'd never learn when I first started.

 

Guyute... wow. That's some stuff there. I haven't even ATTEMPTED a Trey song.

 

don't get me wrong. i've by no means mastered guyute. you should try some trey songs if you're a fan. you'll find that yes, he's a god, but it'll make you feel pretty good about yourself when you realize you can play some of his stuff.

[Golden Smoghead]

Acoustic, I almost always start up playing open chords and hammering on (largely just to warm up my finger and hand muscles). Musicwise I am mostly a songwriter so I'm almost always working on a song on acoustic guitar, so I often pick up the guitar with that song in my head already and go straight to work.

 

Electric, for the first 5 years I was playing guitar or so, I'd play that opening lick from Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter" almost every time I grabbed the electric, just love the Hendrixy vibe to that riff. Nowadays it varies a ton depending on my mood.

 

On keys / piano I have this one really basic progression that I usually play, simple but that's how I like 'em: G - D - C // Em-D

 

(Of course there are notes over that with the right hand)

 

I wonder if how much you play cover songs in general affects this question, by the way. I suspect more covers = more likely to have a go-to. I don't mean that as a criticism either, in case it comes across that way.

[Moss]

I never really thought much about it but now that I have I seem to play SRV licks or the opening to "I know a little" by Skynyrd.

 

On acoustic I play "Alice's Restaurant" or maybe "Hesitation Blues".

[In a little rowboat]

Used to be Neil Young's 'I am a child' or 'The Loner' Straight to Drop D everytime...if it doesnt sound good in D, then i dont play it further

[anthony]

Eveytime I pick up the guitar, I automatically play the little travis-picked progression of Dylan's "Girl From North Country" (Dylan is capo'd, but it works in any key).

 

Previously, my "warm-up riff" used to be Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain" for the longest time.

[jff]

I've never remebered to bring a pick with me when I go to a guitar store, so I usually play a little tune I learned when I took a beginner level classical guitar class in college. It's a tune that starts off almost the same as Blackbird. Now that I know how to play Blackbird, that's what I play. Or I play the Blackbird rip-off song I made up after learning Blackbird and stealing most of the chord changes.

 

At home, I fiddle around with any of several half baked, unfinished song ideas I've been working on. Sometimes I run through a really bad version of Little Wing. Or the Little Wing rip-off song I made up after learning Little Wing and stealing most of the chord changes.

[jmacomber68w]

Off the top of my head,

 

PJ- Yellow Ledbetter

Hey Joe

dead-Sugaree

NY-cortez the killer, down by the river. Cortez is definitely my fav song to jam around with minor scales, the em, d, am progression

 

if its acoustic, ill fiddle those song, or random dave matthews, and always needle and the damage done

[tft3323]

Funny how many of the same ones are popping up...

 

For me, Sugar Mountain and Tell Me Why from Neil; Mountain Bed with a capo, and lately Black Like Me by Spoon -- really fun go to song on acoustic.

[Lance]

Radio King or Baby Let Me Follow You Down for me.

[Golden Smoghead]

I've never remebered to bring a pick with me when I go to a guitar store

 

I only just started carrying a "pocket pick" in my wallet about two years ago but man I end up using that sucker a lot, I do highly recommend just sliding one into whichever side of yer wallet you use least. I think for me it's noticeably cooler to have my own pick b/c I'm a touch picky about picks (yuk-yuk). Nowadays I'm madly in love with these ones:

 

[dondoboy]

Its usually "Up To Me"-Bob Dylan, although I have no idea why.

 

Sometimes its "Terra Novocaine" by the Church. Again, for reasons that escape me. Familiarity I guess.

[Gobias Industries]

It changes often, but lately it has been Uncle Tupelo's "Wait Up." Love that tune.

[deepseacatfish]

Laminated Cat/Not for the Season tends to be my go-to song.

[jtosmon]

I always seem to end up putting the guitar into Drop D and playing the fingerpicking version of Sunken Treasure or this one particular song I wrote. I think it's because lately I've been searching for / in love with deep, powerful sounding acoustics. My bandmate just picked up a Rosewood J-45, and those two songs were the first two that I played on it.

[DiscountSounds]

"Merry Go Round" - The Replacements. Good for an electric soundcheck since it starts out loud and distorted, then pretty quickly goes to quieter and clean.

[Sparky speaks]

Usually bring out the capo and play Remember the Mountain Bed or tune it to play Acuff Rose.....

[So Long]

Usually 'There's Hell in Hello But More in goodbye" from Jim O'Rourke.