Looking for guitar music
March 10, 2005 4:55 PM Subscribe
I play rudimentary guitar and am looking for a book that will give me the chords and words for loads of the 'classic' tunes that people like to hear in the pub or round the campfire. (That's classic as in popular and timeless not classical...)
I'd prefer chords to tab, and as wide a range of stuff as possible, recent pop/rock favourites, Simon and Garfunkel, Beatles, famliar folk songs etc. I remember at school having a series of books which were styled as songs for buskers (I guess my school aimed high in terms of our future careers). That's the kind of thing I'm after, though I can't find those particular books now. Preferably orderable from amazon.co.uk.
I'd prefer chords to tab, and as wide a range of stuff as possible, recent pop/rock favourites, Simon and Garfunkel, Beatles, famliar folk songs etc. I remember at school having a series of books which were styled as songs for buskers (I guess my school aimed high in terms of our future careers). That's the kind of thing I'm after, though I can't find those particular books now. Preferably orderable from amazon.co.uk.
Asking your local reference librarian where the "fake books" are might be a good start. These are large books with hundreds of standards, mostly with just the chords. I imagine amazon has them too.
posted by telstar at 5:05 PM on March 10, 2005
posted by telstar at 5:05 PM on March 10, 2005
something like this or this or this one (angel was a centerfold AND carry on my wayward son!? sign me up!)?
Note I haven't used any of these personally... but there should be some thick-arse fake books at your local music store to browse and see if they fit the bill *Shrugy*
good luck! (and rock on)
rampy
posted by rampy at 5:10 PM on March 10, 2005
Note I haven't used any of these personally... but there should be some thick-arse fake books at your local music store to browse and see if they fit the bill *Shrugy*
good luck! (and rock on)
rampy
posted by rampy at 5:10 PM on March 10, 2005
I know you asked for a book, but if you're at all interested in learning some of those tunes from an online source, there's nothing as comprehensive as olga.net (the OnLine Guitar Archive). You can always print these out, slot them into a binder, and make your own book that contains only your favorites.
posted by Miko at 5:41 PM on March 10, 2005
posted by Miko at 5:41 PM on March 10, 2005
Acoustic Guitar Tab White Pages
Beware of olga, in my experience only about 5% of the transcriptions are worthwhile.
posted by mischief at 6:26 PM on March 10, 2005
"About a Girl * Across the Universe * Adia * Angie * At Seventeen * Barely Breathing * Behind Blue Eyes * Best of My Love * Bitch * The Boxer * Building a Mystery * Change the World * Come to My Window * Crazy on You * Drive * Dust in the Wind * Fast Car * Galileo * Here Comes the Sun * I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow * Iris * Jack and Diane * Layla * Learning to Fly * Leader of the Band * Leaving on a Jet Plane * Loser * Maggie May * Mr. Jones * More Than Words * Name * Not Fade Away * Patience * Pinball Wizard * Pink Houses * Signs * Silent Lucidity * Southern Cross * Suite: Judy Blue Eyes * Superman (It's Not Easy) * Sweet Home Chicago * 3 AM * Tears in Heaven * Time for Me to Fly * Time in a Bottle * Torn * Wonderwall * Yellow * Yesterday * You've Got a Friend * and many more"Also Guitar Tab White Pages and Greater Guitar White Pages, all available at Amazon for about $20 each. Although these are tabbed, the general chord forms are also indicated.
Beware of olga, in my experience only about 5% of the transcriptions are worthwhile.
posted by mischief at 6:26 PM on March 10, 2005
Beware of olga, in my experience only about 5% of the transcriptions are worthwhile.
But you can't beat the price. I still go there now and then and I've found it useful...
posted by knave at 7:25 PM on March 10, 2005
But you can't beat the price. I still go there now and then and I've found it useful...
posted by knave at 7:25 PM on March 10, 2005
Beware of olga, in my experience only about 5% of the transcriptions are worthwhile.
That's very true of the tab, but usually there's enough to go on....especially for a beginning player who's looking for basic three-chord versions. It's also very useful just to page through and go 'oh yeah! Forgot about that tune! I should learn that!'
posted by Miko at 7:41 PM on March 10, 2005
That's very true of the tab, but usually there's enough to go on....especially for a beginning player who's looking for basic three-chord versions. It's also very useful just to page through and go 'oh yeah! Forgot about that tune! I should learn that!'
posted by Miko at 7:41 PM on March 10, 2005
"you can't beat the price" : You get what you pay for. ;-P
posted by mischief at 8:26 PM on March 10, 2005
posted by mischief at 8:26 PM on March 10, 2005
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned "Rise Up Singing" yet.
It has a huge collection of traditional, blues, folk revival, popular 60s and 70s, etc, songs organized by topic with lyrics and chords. I'm an extreme guitar beginner myself, but I know a couple seasoned players who rely on it for chords, so it must be at least reasonably accurate in that department. It's really the perfect campfire songbook.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881322122/qid=1110524693/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1851887-2752134
(apologies for the link; computer-specific problems with some html)
posted by hippugeek at 11:09 PM on March 10, 2005
It has a huge collection of traditional, blues, folk revival, popular 60s and 70s, etc, songs organized by topic with lyrics and chords. I'm an extreme guitar beginner myself, but I know a couple seasoned players who rely on it for chords, so it must be at least reasonably accurate in that department. It's really the perfect campfire songbook.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881322122/qid=1110524693/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1851887-2752134
(apologies for the link; computer-specific problems with some html)
posted by hippugeek at 11:09 PM on March 10, 2005
There are many song books that fit your description. Go to your local music stores and look through the song books. Look in the index and pick the one with the selection of songs you like best. Also, check out the chord diagrams to be sure they are not too advanced for you, or too simple, for that matter.
posted by wsg at 11:28 PM on March 10, 2005
posted by wsg at 11:28 PM on March 10, 2005
And if you're a real beginner, check out that they've transposed the chords into a guitar-friendly (=#) key. No point in all your favourite songs if they're all transcribed in the key of E flat (which is the Key Of Doom). You want Ds, Gs, As, Es.
posted by Pericles at 1:04 AM on March 11, 2005
posted by Pericles at 1:04 AM on March 11, 2005
Response by poster: Thanks everyone, the phrase 'fake book' unlocks a lot of useful answers - I hadn't heard that before. I sadly don't have a local music store due to having picked a daftly remote place to live, hence the amazon request.
Oh, and I can play the piano and know some music theory, so transposition isn't too much of a problem. But I will look out for the Key of Doom, the mere thought of which sends shivers down my spine. I'm off to look through the answers above, any more favourites you can suggest are welcome.
posted by penguin pie at 6:38 AM on March 11, 2005
Oh, and I can play the piano and know some music theory, so transposition isn't too much of a problem. But I will look out for the Key of Doom, the mere thought of which sends shivers down my spine. I'm off to look through the answers above, any more favourites you can suggest are welcome.
posted by penguin pie at 6:38 AM on March 11, 2005
Books?! In my days we'd just play along with the songs until we got it, or at least got close enough. (Of course I can only play music, not read it...)
posted by raster at 6:52 AM on March 11, 2005
posted by raster at 6:52 AM on March 11, 2005
I used to use Rise Up singing, but it's really wildly inaccurate. Even the keys are often completely at variance with the songs as originally composed. It's much worse than olga; it's what you get when you have a grassroots bunch of people bringing in their tattered, coffee-stained notebook pages of songs they have approximated around the campfire for years. And, though it does have some folk-rock favorites (a bit of Dylan, Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, PP&M,Simon & Garfunkel) it doesn't have the classic rock/pub tunes that most general hanging-out jam session crowds want to hear. It does have a whole lot of crunchy songs like 'Womyn Spirit Rising' and things of that nature. Still, it's just that I'm burned out on it, and it might be just what you're looking for.
The Key of Doom is a constant hazard in fake books. In fact, an E-flat chord appearing anywhere is almost always a sign that the chording is not correct. Anytime I see an E-flat chord, alarm bells go off. Here's what it's all about. The song is technically in the key of E flat. But the E flat barre chord is a c-form chord played at the 3rd fret. When you see it in sheet music, the reality is that the guitar player who's actually playing on the recording either has a capo at the third fret, and is playing in C or G, or has a capo at the first fret, and is playing in D. Rock music, especially the party classics, is most often going to be played with open chord forms (of course, there are many many exceptions, it's not true of metal, don't forget the F and B barres, etc. etc.) But for the most part, whenever you see a lot of sharps and flats and barred chords and odd keys, suspect the work of a capo.
I think this comes about when formally musically trained transcribers listen to the recordings. Yes, they do hear a true E-flat chord; but they don't think about how a non-classically-trained guitarist would actually prefer to handle playing in that key. I think it's a piano-centric point of view.
Don't be afraid of Olga. It's really not that bad, especially for jam purposes. Also keep in mind that any one transcription should be just a starting point.If you're playing along following sheet music, and your ear tells you 'That's not right', do what sounds right. Trust your ear. Try to find out what parts of the transcription work and what don't. Compare the page with the recording. This is what a musician has to do. You can never trust a transcription just because it's in print -- there are things even in published fake books that are way off base. Whatever grad student transcribed that song that day might have had a long night out the night before. Your ear will be the best judge of what's right and wrong; if it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't. And that ability will improve with time and careful listening, as well.
posted by Miko at 7:04 AM on March 11, 2005
The Key of Doom is a constant hazard in fake books. In fact, an E-flat chord appearing anywhere is almost always a sign that the chording is not correct. Anytime I see an E-flat chord, alarm bells go off. Here's what it's all about. The song is technically in the key of E flat. But the E flat barre chord is a c-form chord played at the 3rd fret. When you see it in sheet music, the reality is that the guitar player who's actually playing on the recording either has a capo at the third fret, and is playing in C or G, or has a capo at the first fret, and is playing in D. Rock music, especially the party classics, is most often going to be played with open chord forms (of course, there are many many exceptions, it's not true of metal, don't forget the F and B barres, etc. etc.) But for the most part, whenever you see a lot of sharps and flats and barred chords and odd keys, suspect the work of a capo.
I think this comes about when formally musically trained transcribers listen to the recordings. Yes, they do hear a true E-flat chord; but they don't think about how a non-classically-trained guitarist would actually prefer to handle playing in that key. I think it's a piano-centric point of view.
Don't be afraid of Olga. It's really not that bad, especially for jam purposes. Also keep in mind that any one transcription should be just a starting point.If you're playing along following sheet music, and your ear tells you 'That's not right', do what sounds right. Trust your ear. Try to find out what parts of the transcription work and what don't. Compare the page with the recording. This is what a musician has to do. You can never trust a transcription just because it's in print -- there are things even in published fake books that are way off base. Whatever grad student transcribed that song that day might have had a long night out the night before. Your ear will be the best judge of what's right and wrong; if it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't. And that ability will improve with time and careful listening, as well.
posted by Miko at 7:04 AM on March 11, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
good luck!
rampy
posted by rampy at 5:05 PM on March 10, 2005