Challenging Guitar Songs for All Skill Levels
Learning to play the guitar is a rewarding journey, but you'll find that as you progress, certain songs will pose challenges specific to your current skill level. This article explores some challenging guitar songs that will push your abilities to the next level.
Challenges for Beginners
For beginners, mastering simple transitions between open chords can be a significant challenge. However, once you've got a few chords under your fingers, moving on to barre chords introduces a whole new level of complexity. Here are a few songs that can help you overcome these early difficulties:
Blackbird by The Beatles - While it might look daunting at first, this iconic fingerstyle piece is actually quite fun and a great party trick to impress your friends with.
Africa by Toto and Take on Me by Aha - These songs feature frequent and rapid chord changes, especially in the "Take on Me" chorus, where a chord change occurs on every word. This requires quick and accurate chord transitions that can be quite challenging for beginners.
Intermediate Level Challenges
Once you've mastered the basics, you might feel ready for something more complex. Here are some intermediate-level songs that will challenge your skills:
Knocking On Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan - This song confines itself to only three chords but plays for an endless duration, making it endlessly fun and rewarding to play.
Tango Tarrega by Francisco Tárrega (preferably on nylon-string guitar) - This piece is great for those looking to start reading sheet music. Remember to tune down to achieve the desired sound.
Neon by John Mayer - This song with drop-c tuning is a fantastic challenge for intermediate players. You'll learn how to play slap guitar, which can be a handy addition to your repertoire.
Advanced Challenges
If you've mastered the basics and intermediate techniques, you're ready for some really challenging songs that will take your guitar playing to new heights.
Master of Puppets by Metallica - This song features one of the hardest rhythm parts in rock and metal, making it a great advanced-level challenge for your technique and stamina.
Never Going Back Again by Fleetwood Mac - For those familiar with Travis picking, mastering this song will be a massive challenge, as it pushes you to improve your picking and chord transitions.
John Mclaughlin's Johnao's FormBuilder by Berklee College of Music Students - This specific adaptation of a John Mclaughlin song, arranged and performed by Berklee College of Music students, is a challenging piece that will test your advanced skills and understanding of complex progressive rock.
Songs by Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Rory Gallagher - Any of these artists' songs will challenge you and add a new dimension to your guitar playing. These legendary musicians have pushed the boundaries of guitar techniques and will test your skills to their limits.
Conclusion
Learning challenging guitar songs is an excellent way to push your skills to the next level. Whether you're a beginner, an intermediate player, or an advanced guitarist, there are numerous songs that will keep you engaged and growing as a musician. So, dive into these challenges and enjoy the journey to becoming a master guitarist!