What song started your guitar journey?

[Glennwillow]

I didn't learn to play the guitar because of a specific song. I just wanted to learn to play.

At that stage of my life I was listening to a lot of Peter, Paul & Mary (1964) and I knew an older girl, Betsy, who was an accomplished player and good singer. I was 16 in the summer of '64, working in the basket room of the local, municipal swimming pool, and she would come in during slack times and play songs. I was pretty shy about singing, but she knew how to encourage me, and she was so good. She eventually offered to sell the nylon string Kay guitar she was playing to me for $50. My parents allowed me to use some of the money I made at the pool (I was paid $0.99/hr) to buy that guitar.

The first song I learned on that guitar was "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." Betsy played that song a lot; I learned the chords from her. Then I learned a huge pile of Peter, Paul & Mary songs.

- Glenn

[emtsteve]

I started playing 10 years ago at age 46 and the first song I remember trying to play was "Needle and the Damage Done." For many years I could play parts of songs and never tried to sing. That changed about 3 years ago when I started taking vocal lessons and committed to learning to play AND SING songs all the way through. The first song I learned to play and sing was John Prine's "Blue Umbrella." Since then I've added quite a few and I have about 10-15 I can pull off at the drop of a hat, and another 100+ I can get through with the help of my iPad and a little bit of noodling to get the groove.

My heart lies with 60/70's folk music though and that's where I started and what I really like to play, with a smattering of classic rock, bluegrass, and old time stuff.

[Jimmyhaws]

Originally Posted by DfwTF

I am a little younger I guess. For me it was the entirety of Live at Luther College by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds.

I was a senior in high school when it came out. It blew my mind. I immediately asked my Dad to teach me how to play. (Funny story - I was at Tone Shop in Addison, TX and a guy next to me started playing the outro to What Would You Say from this album. I started playing it with him. It was also his inspiration for taking up guitar.)

That is a great album! His songs are great when learning guitar. Some are pretty tricky and some aren't too difficult.

[texastengu]

It was in this month in 1964 when I bought the Meet The Beatles album and “I Want to Hold to Hold Your Hand” came out the speakers of the RCA stereo console…

[J Patrick]

….at the age of 12 the hook to “What I Say” is the first thing I remember plunking out on my brothers cheap acoustic….

[gfspencer]

Tom Dooley

[rbock]

John Fahey: Sunflower River Blues. My introduction to Travis picking.

[ssstewart]

Gymnopedie #1 by E Satie and performed by Liona Boyd I got the cassette for Xmas as a young lad and was fascinated by the sound she created using harmonics. I gave up the tuba & dropped out of the the Town Band i was in

[islandguitar]

Fall of '66, 5th floor of my college dorm....."Stew Ball" ("was a race horse and I wish he were mine!"). Played in D.....memories!!!

[SalFromChatham]

Lying Eyes

[kakashi]

thank you all for sharing! seems like i'm probably one of the younger guys in here, it's cool to see what captured your ear that was being played during your time as we all come from different generations, backgrounds, and culture.

[Andromeda]

Two songs really inspired me to play the guitar. Rocky Mountain High by John Denver and The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel.

[Skip Ellis]

First sheet music I bought in the early 60s was "Green Fields" by the Brothers Four. Also Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Chad Mitchell Trio - most everyone during the great folk music scare of the 1960s. Also Duane Eddy, Chet Atkins, Johnny Smith, and Wes Montgomery.

[johnhutch]

Not sure if this was the very first, but surely got me interested in picking up the guitar. Prince could do it all...

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=dmwLlj51iTA

[jrb715]

Mama Tried: Merle