Songs Worth Learning - 8
There are certain songs that I think every guitar player should try to learn. Either they have cool guitar parts, or they will expand your playing skills, or they will introduce you to a style of music you may not have played before. I am going to recommend songs in several styles of music and explain why I think they should be added to your “play list.” Obviously, these are my choices, and no doubt, some will disagree with my choices. But each song has something good to offer so I think they are worth learning.
This will eventually be a huge list so I am going to post them one song at a time in no particular order. Take your time and enjoy each one.
Oye Como Va - Santana
The song was written in 1963 by popular latin jazz musician Tito Puente, but when Santana covered it replacing the flute and horn parts with overdriven rock guitar it became a huge hit for the young latin rock group. The rhythmic Am7 to D9 chords and latin percussion provide the perfect bed for the single note rock guitar of Carlos Santana playing the melody. Good practice for playing a melody on guitar and adding “feeling” or “emotion” instead of just playing notes. And of course, there is the very cool walk-down arpeggio chords before the organ solo where the guitar player gets to simply vamp on two chords, another good thing to practice. A cool rhythm and lead guitar workout that is a lot of fun to play.
