What was the first song you learned on guitar? (Acoustic AND electric)

Smoke on the water

Don’t laugh:

Acoustic - Happy Birthday

Electric - Star Wars Main Theme

House of the rising sun

Acoustic - Twinkle Twinkle

Electric - Smoke on the Water (self taught, like every other self-respecting crappy guitar player).

Angie- Rolling Stones . RIP my teacher Jack Mittleman who used to tell me if I played rolling stones songs girls would throw their panties at me

I learned the classic blues riff. 2, 4, 5. But the first actual song was About a Girl by Nirvana back in the 90's

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Electric - One by Metallica Acoustic - Blackbird

I already played violin before learning guitar, so it was a bit easier to start with some trickier songs

Come as you are was the first riff, first whole song was Basket Case by Green Day.

AC/DC Jailbreak. It was probably around 1977 or so. My older brother's friend showed me how to play the chords.

Electric: LZ - Over the hills and far away. Have no idea how that happened. But I read in the book, that it was also Slashes first song to learn also.

Acoustic: AiC - Nutshell. One of the reasons I wanted to play guitar.

Brain Stew - Green Day

The first complete song was ZZ top La grange. First progression or riffage was just jamming with my pops playing the basic 12 bar Blues 1,4,5 with the E chromatic turnaround.

The first song I learned how to play on the guitar, funnily enough, is the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby. What makes it so funny, at least to me, is that it’s one of a few Beatles songs that has absolutely zero guitar in it. I only figured out that irony some 20 years later.

Horse With No Name by America

First song was three weeks in after learning open chords: Mother, Pink Floyd.

First on electric was 2 years later: Heartbreaker (the main riff, not the solo), Zep.

The acoustic version of Be Quiet and Drive by Deftones. Sounds very nice!

Ode to Joy

Bush-Glycerine, that was the first one my teacher taught me to get me used to power chords and 4/4 strumming….I was taking lessons in the 90s, so power chords really were dominating the airwaves at that time…when I’m teaching friends I also teach them power chords first, because I’m like “there’s tons of songs you’ll be able to play instantly if you just master that one hand position…” I think it encourages someone to keep learning more complex things, if they know that they can play a whole song early in the learning process, even if it’s just simple power chords…. I technically learned the main riff on come as you are on acoustic before getting a guitar. I think that was a lot of people’s first riff if they were learning when I did.

Wonderwall

Don't hate me please

Walk Don't Run by the Ventures. I had access to both acoustic and electric at the time so I played around with both of them.

Knockin’ on Heavens Door

And as many songs as I could off The Black Keys Magic Potion album.

Come as you are

I started on electric and the first song I can remember being able to play through is Cherub Rock, Smashing Pumpkins. It didn't have a god-forsaken barre chord. CAGED. Easy.

I think on acoustic my first song was House of the Rising Sun. Forced me to learn Fmaj.

Wipe out, & Louie louie

Polly by Nirvana.

everlong

Murder By Numbers.

to be honest i've been playing since i was 17 years old and i still don't know too many complete songs, LOL. i just only learn parts that i like. with that said, the very first song i confidently mastered on acoustic is Cat Power's Satisfaction Rolling Stones cover. I also learned Good Woman on electric, which is played with some distortion.

Learned el Powerchorde and song dos by blur

Foolin'

Iron man and smoke on the water but first song I learned in lessons was back in black

Running with the devil

I remember learning a bunch of Nirvana, cause that's what all my friends were playing. After that, I decided to tackle Stairway.... much disappointment for a very long time.

Cliffs of Dover

Stormy Monday Blues

Seven nation army

Bob Marley - Redemption Song

Acoustic- Midnight Rider by the Allman Brothers Electric- Whole Lotta loves by Led Zepplin.

Greensleeves

You Really Got Me

My first song on eletric was toxicity by soad and on acoustic was “come as you are”

Baby, Can I Hold You - Tracy Chapman

First two I learned were Brown Eyed Girl and Run Around by Blues Traveller. (Can't remember which was first). Both acoustic.

When I Come Around by Green Day

Iron Man

3 Little Birds - Bob Marley

Behind these hazel eyes by Kelly Clarkson.

I have a wild tale of wanting to play guitar. A ton of my family play instruments and my granddad was one of them. When I told him I wanted to play guitar he handed me his Alvarez acoustic guitar with horrific action on it and the Hell Freezes Over DVD by the Eagles. He said, "You can't play guitar until you can play Hotel California." And I retreated to my room with the guitar and DVD for 2 weeks. When I was ready to play for him I played both the strumming and the picking part to the song and blew him away but that's what I had watched for 2 weeks straight learning it.

All the way through? Probably combinations of riffs that I was putting together for my own “song” enjoyment.

But the very first songs ever I tried to play, or their main riffs, were Jumping Jack Flash, and Smoke on the Water. I only knew one chord, E at the nut, and then I figured out how to play that shape as a bar chord, then I played various song chorus themes with just that one bar chord, moving it up and down the neck, before I even learned D and A chords at the nut, and later the C and G chords.

Almost 52 years ago now. :)

Electric - Blitzkrieg Bop

Acoustic - Come As You Are

96 quite bitter beings - CKY

Hurt Country Roads Knocking on Heavens door.

The three trinity that will forever have a special place in my heart as what started my guitar learning journey

I spent months trying to learn the Last of Us (Main Theme). I hadn't touched a guitar almost ever, and I immediately decided it was a good idea to try fast fingerpicking... I can at least play it now!

boulevard of broken dreams

Electric: Would you love a monsterman by Lordi

Acoustic: Desolate Ways by Morbid Angel

Same here with Come as You Are. It's the perfect first song to learn.

1. I was 13 and I guess my guitar teacher thought my first song should be alternate picking. Don’t Cry by GnR He went easy on me for the second song in the intro to Jeremy which was recorded w a 12 string bass

Acoustic: Mary Had a Little Lamb. I was 9. It's what the teacher taught me, but I wanted to learn the "Batman" theme song that Link Wray was playing on TV.

First one I learned on Electric some years later was "Wild Thing" which my 15YO band members and I picked because it was easy, and I could play barre chords/power chords by then.

Electric - Face to the floor - Chevelle

Electric- Children of the Grave (Black Sabbath) learned that one on a Tony Iommi replica guitar! Acoustic- Beth, MTV Unplugged (KISS)

Both: Aerials by SOAD

I mean, smoke on the water was taught to me so that's technically it, but the first song I learned that I wanted to was some kinda hate by the misfits.

I have never actually listened to smoke on the water, it was just something my friend wanted me to . Ironically I don't remember how to play it

electric: Survivor - Eye of the Tiger

acoustic: Bláznova Ukolébavka (a classic Czech song, it's just three open chords, the name means "The Fool's Lullaby" in English)

Elinor Rigby

Holiday by Green Day

First electric: Dammit - Blink 182 First acoustic: Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin

Acoustic:

His Theme by Toby Fox. I love that melody to death, and I was determend to learn how to play it when I was almost a compleate beginner.

Electric:

Technically Enter Sandman but I didn't fully learn it so I'm not gonna count it. Unholy Confession by Avenged Sevenfold was probably the first song I fully learned from start to finish.

Cat scratch fever

Just started within this last month but I’ve picked Satisfaction by the stones and I’m making solid progress.

House of the rising sun

Acoustic: first whole song was Mr. Jones by Counting Crows

Electric: first whole song was a brain Stew by Green Day followed closely by Whole Lotta Love (my first "solo" was the call and response riffs) by Zep

Enter sandman

I dont play acoustic

Obviously the smoke on the water lick. The first one that I really wanted to learn though was About a girl - Nirvana. It was a good song for learning to smoothly switch between chords for a beginner.

Electric: AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long"
Acoustic: Eric Clapton's Unplugged "Hey Hey"

Smells like teen spirit though I forgot how to play it

Probably first one I could play was knocking on heavens door.

First song I learned that I played and sung to and performed for an audience was “where did you sleep last night” thanks to the unplugged from New York tab book

Mr big “to be with you”

Come as you are

House of the rising sun

Smoke/water, iron Man, sunshine/love.

IIRC Smells Like Teen Spirit, probably because it was easy enough

first song on acoustic was gracias a la vida by violeta parra and first electric song i cant remember was probably like seven nation army bc i already knew it on acoustic

First riff was Run To You - Bryan Adams. It was a long time ago! (1991 to be precise).

Acoustic: The pretend version of smoke on the Water on the E string Electric: It's My Life by Bon Jovi

Highway to Hell. On my sister’s nylon-string classical

Where Am I? by Title Fight for both

House of the Rising Sun.

Green Green Grass of Home 🤣 it was one of the few songs my dad knew, and he taught it to me.

Acoustic- Cry Cry Cry by Johnny Cash Electric- Californication

Electric Simple Man

Acoustic Wagon Wheel

Doll Parts by Hole

Smells like teen spirt

One by Metallica was the first song I learned on the electric, and smoke on the water was my first on acoustic lol

When The Saints Go Marching In

Green Day - Good Riddance

Acoustic: One(Metallica) Electric: Gimme Three Steps(Lynyrd Skynyrd)

I learned “Sunshine of your Love” by playing guitar hero. I think I should take a second to thank guitar hero because I’ve been playing the guitar for almost 20 years

Four Strong Winds (Neil Young)

I Love Rock N Roll by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. Second was Sad But True. Acoustic.

First song on electric was For Whom The Bell Tolls if I remember correctly.

“Crazy Mama”, JJ Cale.

Glycerine by Bush was the first I learned straight through. By the time I got and acoustic I was a bit more advanced so I worked on Classical Gas. Didn't get it, ended up learning Classico by Tenacious D.

Plush by STP

Knockin on Heaven's Door, acoustic. Probably electric too.

I learned Nevermind by Foster the People when I was 11 on acoustic by ear, abandoned that, picked it up again and learned Wherever I May Roam by Metallica by ear again (still on acoustic), and on electric it was Soma by the Smashing Pumpkins

edit: Also when I was 11, I think I figured out a standard tuning version of the ending riff from Call of Duty BO1

Smells like teen spirit

Full song? Probably Creeping Death.

Give Peace a Chance

Thanks Justin Guitar 😂❤️

Pinball Wizard. The whole reason I asked for a guitar for Xmas. Electric? Who knows.

More than a feeling

Sure, then less all guess how old we are. OPs gotta be in his 40s.

When I come Around by Green Day

'I'll be Your Man', by The Black Keys

Dust in the Wind

Bad moon rising!

Folsom prison blues was the first one I learned to play and sing start to finish. Acoustic, ofc

House of the rising sun -the animals. I think Didn't get an electric for a good while so then it was buried alive by a7x

Metallica- one 🤘🔥❤️ on acoustic ❤️❤️

Come as you are

Stairway

Acoustic : walk the line

Electric : highway to hell

Yes I was super anoying at guitar stores when shopping for my first one

In this order:

Smoke on the water

Green onions

Just by Radio Head (insanely simplified)

I had a weird guitar teacher growing up lol

Tequila Sunrise - The Eagles

Smells like Teen Spirit

If you mean whole song, beginning to end, it was a Bob Seger song as the grand finale lesson, in the back of a guitar lesson book. Cant remember which song though.

Acoustic: Gerudo Valley from Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Electric: The title theme from Wave Race 64

Yup, I'm a giant nerd

minor threat - filler

The day my older brother brought an acoustic home he showed me how to play Glycerine. From then on I played it way more than he did. When I bought a Mexican Strat a year or so later the first song I learned on it was Adam’s Song by blink-182.

Norwegian Wood on acoustic, my teacher later added the main recurring sitar part in as well, and honestly, I can't remember the first on electric. lol I have mainly played acoustic.

TNT by AC/DC

Fake Tales of San Francisco on electric

Yknow, I still don’t think I’ve learned a song all the way through. It’s been 10 years.

When I figured out the notes to “Sunshine of your Love” on my Dad’s beat up old acoustic guitar, it’s like the universe was opening up its secrets to me.

Electric: Black Sabbath - Iron Man Acoustic: Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

1969 - Proud Mary. The book had the wrongs chords as did most books back then.

The first song I was taught in classical guitar was "Pau" by "Els Pets"

Rumble

Crying clown - the wytches for both

Electric: Boulevard of broken dreams

Acoustic: Some blues lick of which I could never get the timing right

Sweet home Alabama

Not the whole song. But for me the riff Smoke On the Water. I think this will be the majority of the 70 and 80's generation.

2nd riff Electric Funeral by Black Sabbath.

Basically the Nirvana Unplugged in New York album (I got the tab book). And later when I got electric, probably Lithium (again Nirvana).

I’d Love to Change the World by Ten Years After.

Acoustic - Pictures of You Electric - Highway to Hell

Acoustic: About a Girl -Nirvana

Electric: Chop Suey - System of a down

Kashmir, most of it anyway. I’m just starting out, so I haven’t fully gotten it down.