Favorite Songs with Acoustic Guitar

[Argonne69]

 I dabbled a bit with acoustic guitar through the years, but could never quite get the hang of it. I had a 12 string for a while, and loved the sound of it. 

 

What are your favorite songs that are either all acoustic, or have a key part played on the acoustic guitar. I have a bunch, but I'll start with a handful of the best. 

 

Heart "Crazy on You". Nancy really goes to town on this one. 

 

 

Electric Light Orchestra "Fire on High". Classic. 

 

 

REO Speedwagon "Time for Me to Fly". 

 

 

Rolling Stones "Wild Horses". 

 

 

Boston "More than a Feeling" 

 

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Argonne69

[Petethreeput]

 

 

 

 

 

[aloha b.]

My friend John Keawe from Hawaii Island on the slack key guitar. He and some friends were the first Hawaiian musicians to win a Grammy.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by aloha b.

[NAM2212]

 

 

[miamistomp]

 

[NAM2212]

I honestly don’t know if I have seen one better than this: 

 

He plays it live as well. 

[touch]

 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by touch

[tiderider]

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by tiderider

[touch]

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by touch

[nitram]

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by nitram

[Argonne69]

Wouldn't be a thread about acoustic guitar without James Taylor. You've got a friend. 

 

 

[touch]

 

[Maroon_19]

This is always the first song that comes to mind when I think acoustic.  32 years later and I'm still amazed at Nuno and a 12 string guitar.

I do love that Jason Isbell stuff posted up above tho.  Cover me up is one of the best songs I think I've ever heard.
 

 

[doctoro]

This might be a really obvious selection but it was just amazing when I first heard them play it. 
I have been a Page fan forever and a day. 
So I would have to put this over played song very high on my list 

Can’t leave out this iconic acoustic song by Paul McCartney. 
 

One of my personal favorites 

not on Spotify but I can go to YouTube 

 

When I thought music had died in the late 80’s early 90’s grunge emerged and this band made me take notice. I was shocked they even knew what an acoustic guitar was. But super talented to say the least. 

 

[Springsteennut]

Bruce Springsteen doing Born to Run during his Broadway show really good. 

[touch]

Argonne69 you are the one around here that knows how to strum some strings. You mentioned playing a 12 string in your original post. I know nothing about playing a guitar, but found this interesting and thought you might as well.

 

....Petty wrote "American Girl" on his acoustic guitar, not by choice but because it was the only guitar he owned.
When the song was brought to the studio, it was time to up the ante. Drummer Stan Lynch provided a Bo Diddley-inspired backbeat. "The drums are all on one track, which is really unusual," Petty recalled. "They're damn present." And what sounds like a 12-string guitar was two six-strings played by Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell, layered on top of each other. Campbell's trick to making the song sound more in tune? Leaving the third out of several chords, creating a sound that mirrored that of a horn section.

Petty and the Heartbreakers were my favorite rock and roll band. 

 

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-petty-american-girl/

 

 

 

[miamistomp]

 A 12 string isn't difficult other than the fact it has a wider neck and more string tension

 

Many 12 string players will tune down from standard E tuning to D to lessen string tension, then use a capo where needed

 

Leadbelly tuned all the way down to C

 

 

[blaird]

I used to play a lot of guitar back in my college and early teaching days about 15 years ago but havent played much in the last 7-8 years. But I do have some of my fav songs to play on acoustic...

 

Black Crowes- She Talks to Angels

Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Nirvana- All Apologies

Plain White Ts- Hey There Delilah, Rhythm of Love

Staind- Its Been Awhile, Outside, Epiphany

[Argonne69]

Wow. How could I leave out Wish You Were Here in my initial post. 'Probably one of the most iconic acoustic pieces in rock. 

 

[Argonne69]

In the late 70s and early 80s, hometown heros Styx was one of my favorite bands. They had four multi-platinum albums starting with Grand Illusion. I was in a band in 1985 that practiced a few blocks from where they started as a band. 

 

Fooling Yourself is one of my favorite tracks by the band. In addition to Tommy Shaw's acoustic guitar, Dennis DeYoung's keyboard intro is pretty sweet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

America - Sister Golden Hair. Bonus for the slide guitar 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Argonne69

[Hawkeye77]

Amie - Pure Prairie League

[Argonne69]

 

 

[miamistomp]

 

[miamistomp]

 

[bacchus00]

Went to John Mayer Wednesday in DC and he played a mostly acoustic set since his drummer had COVID. Pretty unbelievable.

 

Some great acoustic songs he played:

 

Who Says

Stop This Train

Til The Right One Comes and he played that into You Can Call Me Al

Neon

Free Falling

In Your Atmosphere

 

really cool show

 

[Argonne69]

 

 

[rainkingjr]

 

[doctoro]

You can probably guess my age when I put up some of these bands of my youth. But I used to really love the hard rock and heavy metal bands of the 60’s, 70’s and some of thr hair bands of the 80’s. 
I found some studio outtakes 

of Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi lead guitarist and of course Ozzie 

Who doesn’t know The Wizard Of Oz?  
But this took me back to my days of debauchery and this was a nice break between the shredding and drum solos. 
 

 

[Hankshank]

Great stuff. Have watched those videos numerous times. Pretty easy to play. The chord and the solo after ”running out forever to the country morning breeze”, love to play that.

 

otherwise I prefer to play stuff I come up with myself.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Hankshank