Are There Any Songs That You Won’t Play?

[Jim Comeaux]

There are innumerable songs that I can’t play, but there are two that I just don’t play. I don’t want to learn them on my guitar or mandolin, and if the truth be known, I don’t even want to listen to them. The two tunes are “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Dueling Banjos”, and that is not the original name for that tune. Way back when, in the early days, the Osbourne brothers did that tune and it was labeled “Banjo Mandolin Feud”. No, don’t flame me yet. I am also a recovering banjo player, clean and fingerpick free for 25 years now, and I got so tired of playing and heating those two tunes that I just burned out on them, even today. If I get a hankering for a banjo tune, I’ll cue up Ralph Stanley’s “Clinch Mountain Backstep”.

[PeterM]

I have been in GC only 1 time. But I still will not play that song. (Stairway)

Or Wagon Wheel.

[gerhardp]

Morning has broken

[nostatic]

There was a time when I dreaded two song getting called (typically at very different gigs): Mustang Sally and Blue Bossa (and special runner-up to Stormy Monday). I saw the light at Bass Nature Camp though, and came back determined that if anyone called any tune - including those - that my job was to play the best version I'd ever done.

So in days past - yes, tunes I wouldn't play. These days, whatever gets called gets played.

[BuddyO]

The Chicken Dance

[McCawber]

Back in the '60's when I was trying to learn guitar (and banjo), my folk group quickly got burned out on "Kumbaya" and "500 Miles." I still cringe on the rare occasions I hear them now. BTW, we weren't the only folkies who didn't like these tunes - i remember sitting in on frequent circle jams when someone would declare that one or both of these songs were not welcome.

Now I'm more interested in bluegrass and a little country, so it isn't much of a problem.

[J Patrick]

….a lot more of them I won’t than will….if I gotta name some…anything by Cat Stevens….or Jimmy Buffet….I ain’t saying why…and no disrespect intended to either artist or anyone that does cover their songs…

[M19]

All the ones I don't know or haven't learned.

[RussL30]

I love jamming to Foggy Mountain.

I refuse to ever learn or play any song by Luke Bryan or any similar “country” artist.

This will get me flamed because for some reason they’re so revered on every guitar forum, but I’ve also never made an effort to learn any Beatles or John Lennon song and probably never will.

[Mark Stone]

I think there's a lot of songs I'm not interested in learning. To me it all comes down to personal taste, I guess. A couple of posts have mentioned Cat Stevens - I learned a bunch of his material to use in clubs/bars, because "back in the day" Cat Stevens songs were requested frequently. But I didn't enjoy them. These days I'm playing acoustic in a Church band, so I have to learn the material whether I like it or not. Fortunately, I like 99% of the tunes I'm learning there.

[slimey]

Any Johnny Cash.

[Mandobart]

Just about every song that has been played way too many times over the decades. Some of these are found on every boomer cover band's play list. Some are songs I really liked over the years and they were great the first 1000 times I heard them and next 1000 I played them.

I know many AGF'ers like and play these tunes. I mean you no disrespect and I know there are bar crowds that love them and tip you for them. They're just too worn out to me. A partial list:

Brown Eyed Girl, Sweet Home Alabama, Margaritaville, A Pirate Looks at 40, Wagon Wheel, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, anything by Bon Jovi, anything by Journey, Mustang Sally, Tuesday's Gone, The Weight, Pancho and Lefty, Folsom Prison Blues, City of New Orleans, Paradise, Angel from Montgomery, just about any pop country music written since 1990, just about anything played on a commercial classic rock station, any of the Eagles hits, Heart of Gold, Don't Think Twice, most anything by The Beatles, I know there's more.

I also am personally turned off by any church that has a praise or worship band. I prefer simple traditional service without entertainment. Just congregation and piano or organ. I'll never play in a praise/worship band, despite being asked.

Again, most of these aren't songs I hate (except bro country - I seriously hate all of it). Most are songs I'm just plain tired of, and feel like they're sucking up more than their share of oxygen, choking out great but unknown music.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

Just about every song that has been played way too many times over the decades. Some of these are found on every boomer cover band's play list. Some are songs I really liked over the years and they were great the first 1000 times I heard them and next 1000 I played them.

I know many AGF'ers like and play these tunes. I mean you no disrespect and I know there are bar crowds that love them and tip you for them. They're just too worn out to me. A partial list:

Brown Eyed Girl, Sweet Home Alabama, Margaritaville, A Pirate Looks at 40, Wagon Wheel, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, anything by Bon Jovi, anything by Journey, Mustang Sally, Tuesday's Gone, The Weight, Pancho and Lefty, Folsom Prison Blues, City of New Orleans, Paradise, Angel from Montgomery, just about any pop country music written since 1990, just about anything played on a commercial classic rock station, any of the Eagles hits, Heart of Gold, Don't Think Twice, most anything by The Beatles, I know there's more.

Again, most of these aren't songs I hate (except bro country - I seriously hate all of it). Most are songs I'm just plain tired of, and feel like they're sucking up more than their share of oxygen, choking out great but unknown music.

I guess you don't take requests at gigs?

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

I guess you don't take requests at gigs?

No, I usually don't. I let the audience know up front my specialty is obscure music on obscure instruments. When you start out with a 10 string mandola, 10 string mandocello and 10 string Hardanger viola on stage, it visually grabs their attention and sparks their curiosity. They don't know what they're going to hear, and have no idea what to request anyway.

There are plenty of "human jukebox" people entertaining audiences here, but they're all pretty much doing the same thing. I'm the only one doing what I'm doing in my area.

[Rudy4]

Any that I won't play? Really only one that I can think of: