Guitar Playing Guilty Pleasures

[sunvalleylaw]

I think somewhere there is a thread regarding guilty pleasures in terms of influences. This here is a topic about guilty pleasures you enjoy while playing. For me, it is basic, downstroking power chords, typically in quarter or eighth notes. When I just don't really care if I am learning anything or progressing and just need to make some noise, this is what I go for. Examples below:

Been learning this one. Too fun to bang out power chords and play around with the distorted lead on my Vik with the Rodent. The fan base has been overrun by middle schoolers since I first started listening to these guys back in the '90s, but I still love them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUm8JbQDG9E
For an entertaining MTV style vid of this that is nice to play along with click here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgR-l3fhygw


Was reminded of this on the radio today and it brought the topic to mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJEySrDerj0

Ok, this one adds some chucking, but it is the same idea, and so overplayed it is a guilty pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPQR-OsH0RQ


Ok, what are some guilty playing pleasures you go to just for the fun of it?

 

[Andy]

For me it's Juliana Hatfield, I pretty much have everything she has recorded.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Thanks for playing Andy! If I find out some other folks' guilty pleasures, I may find some more of my own. I was not really aware of her. I checked out her myspace page. I like her, off the top, "Now I'm Gone, hooked me right away. I like that style of female indie rocker voice.

 

[Spudman]

Mine is playing my own stuff I guess. When I have a money earning project going I'm pretty focused on learning the covers and while that has its merits it still gets a little old and constrictive. I love to turn on the looper and start stacking bits and then letting it play for 20 minutes driving myself insane with a cacophony of noise.

 

[aeolian]

Here's a few I always find fun to play:

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Nice Ones Aeolian. I think that is just about my favorite FHT track. But I would not consider playing Stray Cat Strut well to be slacking or a guilty pleasure. Setzer rocks!

Spud, good one too. I like to see what I can do on my own too, but at my level it is usually trying to find my own melodies or phrases over the top of someone else's song in the form of a backing track. I am not at the point where I am laying down layers of my own chord progressions, and rhythms yet.

 

[Spudman]

Here's a few I always find fun to play:



Cardigans. Way cool!

 

[Robert]

I love playing AC/DC heavy riffs... they are easy riffs mostly, but always sound huge. Those guys know how to create heavy rock'n roll riffs! :dude:

For Those About To Rock
Hells Bells
Rock'n Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
Dirty Deeds...
TNT
Back In Black
Highway To Hell
High Voltage
etc... the list goes on and on... :rockon:

 

[R_of_G]

I can't get enough of playing Ramones and Buzzcocks songs but I don't feel the least bit guilty about it. There's no rule about having to have more than three chords to be a great song.

 

[Fab4]

Have you noticed, Aeolian, that it really is easier to cop those nifty Ventures dance steps when you don't have an annoying cord running between your guitar and amp? It sure works for the V-boys in that video.

When I discovered that little trick, I was able to really start groovin' to the surf-side beat...and everybody stopped yelling at me to turn my guitar down. Swingin', man!

 

[R.B. Huckleberry]

Ratt, Motley Crue...anything from the Sunset Strip in the 80's! I cut my teeth on that stuff & never really outgrew it.

 

[Ch0jin]

I'm gunna have to unblock youtube at work tomorrow, I wanna see the clips and post my own!!

Anyway..
I'm rubbish at guitar so nothing fancy here in my list of guilty pleasures.

Top of the list (in terms of guilt) is Iron Man. Excluding the solo it's so easy and everyone, but everyone knows it. (which is why it's something I enjoy alone)

Apart from that, a few Magic Dirt songs like Short Black, That's Negative Baby and Anita's Miracle Suntan Lotion. They are a 2 guitar band, but I just bash out the "easy" parts Adalita plays and jump around the house like I'm a real rock star.

A couple of Alkaline Trio songs are recent fav's too like "Jaked on Green Beers" (really, really good little pop punk song a-la old-old Blink 182) and "Warbrain" (OK so Warbrain is -clearly- two guitars, but I just switch between the rhythm bit and the lead bit, if you listen to the song you'll see what I mean, it's super ez)

Apart from that I'd have to include the G Pentatonic scale as a guilty pleasure. It was the first one I learned so it's the one I'm best at. Played along to a blues BT or just mucking around fingerstyle.