I Always Have Ideas for “Which Songs to Play”. Here’s My Secret:

2 minutes read

So – a common problem that us guitarists have, is that when friends are around and it’s the time to play something, and we all want to sing along and have fun with everybody…

In many cases, we just “black out” and can barely think of something to play.

LEARN GUITAR SONGS BY HEART MEMORIZEOr maybe we just always come back to the 3-4 songs that we can play and sing past the 1st chorus… 

anyway-brother-heres-wonderwall-31561890
Hulk – it’s time to learn some more songs – and also get them ready for a fun performance in front of a crowd… (;

The Solution…

So here’s a tiny trick which can make your life wayyyy easier when it comes to ideas for which songs to play. (on the go)

I discovered it by coincidence just before I went with friends to a 3 days music festival, and it’s directly responsible for many successful jams and hangouts that happened there – so I wanted to make sure that you’re aware of it too.

Here it is:

memorize a song list to play
My “secret” in all its glory. When other people in the jam see it – the comments are either “that’s an awesome idea!” or more like “Sneaky you hahah”… (Btw, the titles written from right to left are in Hebrew)

Here’s Practically How to Do It – in 3 Steps

1: Take a post-it note and write some of your favorite songs that you also remember by heart. (preferably songs that are fun in social settings)

You can get some cool ideas from this post: The 13 Best Campfire Songs (without being kitschy…)

how to always know which songs to play

2: Use four pieces of clear adhesive sticky tape to securely attach the note to the back of your guitar.

3: When the jam runs low on momentum and you can’t think of what to play – just have a look there. Also – people in the jam are always happy (and surprised!) when you tell them this “sneaky secret” and hand them the guitar to have a close look at the songs that they can request!

~Once in a while – when you feel like you’re done with this current “set” of songs – just make a new note.~

how to always know which songs to play

That’s It!

You can also use this idea to make set-lists for shows for example, or many other uses that you might think of. (and if you got other cool ideas for it – let me know in a reply email – so I can pass them forward ) 

Enjoy your jams!

– Cooper
Alon Cooper

Alon Cooper

Hey! I'm Cooper, and I hope I can be a helpful friend on your musical journeys. I'm a music artist based in Austin & Amsterdam, playing venues with a band / solo, and trying to learn with the most inspiring musicians wherever I go. In the last 8 years I've lived in Australia, northern Europe, the US and more.

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The Guitar Campfire Songbook

I hope this list has given you some great ideas, and if you want to have another bunch of song ideas in a fancy PDF songbook form, then feel free to download the songbook in this link.

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