The first "rock" song I learned to play the whole way through on the guitar was "Rock The Nation"
by Montrose. I remember hearing that song back in wood shop class in the early to mid 80's in high school. We had a teacher who had 8 track stereo and on Fridays he would play music, and this was one of them. When I heard that, I thought, man , I have GOT to get that song figured out.
Such a great riff.
Montrose-Rock The Nation
Montrose (feat. Joe Satriani) 'Rock the Nation' from "The Concert for Ronnie Montrose'
[Edited on 12/22/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Melissa -- Though maybe that's more of a ballad? Anyway, my instructor knew I was a ABB fan so, I think to keep me interested through the tough early times, he had me working on Melissa chords from very much the beginning. Took a LONG time to learn to play it usefully, but certainly kept me interested.
Melissa also became one of the first songs (and certainly the first non-cowboy-chord song) that I learned to sing and play.
First rocker? Probably Sublime's Santeria -- and again that was certainly the first one that I could sing and play.
Hey Joe was pretty early in the list too, of singing and playing.
I know I was hacking around on the chords to Clapton's Why Does Love Got To be So Sad, pretty much from the beginning, but that was pretty brutal for a long time.
I really can't remember specifically, I know I started learning 12-bar blues first, so it had to be something to that effect. I do remember being frustrated at first starting out, and then noodling along to "Mountain Jam" and finding that scale and basic melody.
Cool thread. 1969. Plunking out the intro riff of "Satisfaction" on the low E of my brother's nylon string. Might not count just riff. First rock song start to finish "Comin Into Los Angeles" by Arlo Guthrie.
Plunking out the intro riff of "Satisfaction" on the low E of my brother's nylon string. Might not count just riff.
my "first" too!
then i moved on to:
then:
"Smoke on the Water" cranked through an old Kustom Bass Amp when i was like 12 on some old $#itty Yamaha guitar. Classic.
Hold On I'm Coming by Sam & Dave
Didn't we both also start with Please Be With Me for fingerpicking?
Now that's a great one to learn by. Still play that one today along with All My Friends.
More than Words by Extreme..........Stairway was probably the second
one of the first songs I learned was the ocean...
"Dead Flowers"
about 2/3rds of the way through the first mel bay book my guitar teacher looked at me and said " i can see that you're really not into this sh*t". he then proceeded to chart out "hold your head up" by argent. there was no stopping me after that! 
about 2/3rds of the way through the first mel bay book my guitar teacher looked at me and said " i can see that you're really not into this sh*t". he then proceeded to chart out "hold your head up" by argent. there was no stopping me after that!
iIce!!! It took me awhile for my teacher to stray away from Mel Bay. Finally we got to the rock stuff after the basics.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
The first song I learned to play was "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot. The first "solo" was Statesboro Blues, which I learned by attempting to play along with the record in standard tuning. Months later a jamming friend showed me the open E tuning which led me to Little Martha.....I then got into the Anthologies (I & II) and those led me to Elmore James and other blues greats...
My mother's youngest sister was three years older than me and was involved in the Early Sixties Folk Scare. She had a beautiful brown Epiphone, I loved the smell of it and the vibrations of the box against my chest.
She taught me my first tune, "House of the Rising Sun" in her key.
When the first song you learn has Dm, F, G, A7, and Bb and is about a brothel you are pretty much doomed from jump.
This was about six months before the Beatles played on Ed Sullivan.
Smoke on the water
When the first song you learn has Dm, F, G, A7, and Bb and is about a brothel you are pretty much doomed from jump.
Haha!...Excellent.
Slow Talking Walter ( The Fire Engine Guy )
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!!!!
Hocus Pocus, China Grove and Whole Lotta Love
The grateful dead's ripple.
