10 Acoustic Guitar Songs - The Songs That Taught Me To Play

These are my top 10 acoustic guitar songs that I learned as a beginner guitar player growing up. In this video I am sharing my top 10 list of acoustic songs that you may or may want to learn. These songs each taught me a valuable lesson about playing and have left a mark on me to this day and they range from easy to hard. Each of these 10 songs is great in their own rite but they are unique to my guitar journey. Everyones journey as a guitar player is different and there are many factors involved. Like who your teacher was, what their influences were and the time period that you learned to play in. I would love to hear what your top songs would be so feel free to leave a comment.
00:00 Intro
01:25 Song1 (Horse w No Name)
03:33 Song 2 (Wish You Were Here)
04:57 Song 3 (You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away)
06:38 Song 4 (Fade To Black)
08:33 Song 5 (Every Rose Has Its Thorn)
09:54 Song 6 (Over The Hills And Far Away)
11:35 Song 7 (More Than Words)
13:00 Song 8 (Fire And Rain)
14:37 Song 9 (The Boxer)
16:30 Song 10 (Layla)
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[@martindiesman1690]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey. At 67 I retired and decided to learn guitar. I’m 75 now. Of course I still have so much to learn. Hearing your journey was so enjoyable and inspiring. It made want to pick up the guitar even more.😊 You have a special knack of humanizing the guitar learning experience. It can be so lovely and frustrating at the same time. Stumbling across your video really made my morning. Thank you so much!

[@FrankPersico]

If it makes you feel any better I’m playing 40 years and I still get frustrated. You are never don’t learning … as soon as you open a new door on the guitar in the form of an improvement the joy is short lived because you learn that behind that door you just revealed 100 new doors lol. Best of luck to you

[@Bushman9]

My first major acoustic guitar accomplishment was Angie. I was so proud of learning that one on my own.

[@FrankPersico]

That’s awesome. Started with the first letter of the alphabet and not a bad one to start with ! 👍

[@Popspicker]

That was fascinating, love watching how someone’s journey develops. I only started at 50 years old and have the comfort blanket of KZbin and yet I am not even in the same league as people like you. I always admire musicians who could pick up how to play from listening to things over and over again also you have a really listenable, relaxed singing voice …. all in all, a great watch!

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed and thank you for commenting.

[@drumreaper]

So glad I ran across your KZbin channel! At my age (70) I find there's still much to be learned. Your style is so laid back and easy to watch. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@FrankPersico]

It’s my pleasure. Guitar is very humbling indeed :)

[@jrpipik]

The first day I got a guitar, I learned the E chord. My brothers were into bluegrass and would sit around and play. I think it was "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms." I just kept hammering that E chord. They finally asked me to stop till I learned a couple more chords.

[@FrankPersico]

Hmm i replied to this earlier but for some reason its now showing up right. LOL .. but yes we just keep playing it and playing it until people cant stand it.. then play it some more!! haha

[@briankowald6465]

Started with D

[@candybonhomme5915]

I started playing later in life at 49 but some of those songs were my starters. Wish you were here, horse with no name. My Beatles first was love me do. Brown eyed girl, american pie. You never forget your first songs. Great video.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for watching and posting!

[@FASFatherandSon]

Hmmm, I'm wondering what was the first Beatles' song I tried to play. Might have been "Hard Days Night"

[@Bixll09]

Hotel California, Wish you were here, Old Man, More than a feelin, Sound of Silence and the Boxer, etc... My songs I learned from. Started playing at 47, now 57 and I am building my own electrics, an acoustic will also happen. LOL

[@FrankPersico]

Awesome thanks so much for sharing with us all.

[@arepchangkija3218]

Thoroughly enjoyed your journey with the acoustic guitar and songs that resonate to this day. Your personal touch stands out.

[@FrankPersico]

Thank you kindly!

[@erikgainesmusic4399]

The first song I learned on guitar was Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovie, then went on to learn Friends in low places, Killing time and various other country songs by artists like Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Allan Jackson, and George Straight from the 90's. I used to walk down the street to a BBQ place on Thursday nights when I was 12 and play those country songs for 2 pulled pork sandwiches. I thought that was the life.

[@FrankPersico]

Awesome thanks for sharing… hahaha “will play for food” I can relate

[@timjoyce8636]

That WAS THE LIFE!

[@DoofsterDan]

Old fart here: the ‘killer’ groove for me was on House of the Rising Sun. By the third lesson it was ‘revealed’-nothing but a simple arpeggio of chords I had to learn anyway- and I was floored.

[@FrankPersico]

Excellent song. Thanks for sharing

[@chuckcaruso2813]

You’re awesome, Frank. Thanks for helping me and the rest of us on our guitar journey. Keep posting your great videos!

[@FrankPersico]

My pleasure! I have a new one coming out on the morning of the 4th.

[@dougmackey3696]

What a great video. Love the journey with the time stamps. I’m on board.

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed! And welcome

[@daverichards6557]

A beautiful compilation so beautifully told. I really enjoyed listening to this journey of yours. Thank you for sharing.

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for commenting

[@shawnmkramer]

What a great trip down memory lane Frank! So good to revisit the magic of when I first heard these songs. I started playing in 1985 at 13 years old.

[@FrankPersico]

Nice so you are just a bit older than me. Thanks for commenting I’ll have some more vids coming soon that should resonate with us X-ers in particular

[@jarojasn]

Love the videos, I can relate to this one a lot. Thanks

[@FrankPersico]

Awesome! Thanks for commenting

[@stevejohnston8020]

John Martyn "May you never" inspired my finger style ... Slaps, pull offs, etc. And drop D tuning. 1978.

[@davidkopec5587]

I never heard of that song or artist before. Just listened to the song. Thanks for mentioning it!

[@FrankPersico]

Nice one. Thanks for sharing

[@cozmickid80]

What a great video. Resonated with me a lot. Thanks for sharing!

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chrisbergonzi7977]

Great tunes all...thanky my man...

[@FrankPersico]

My pleasure. Thanks for commenting

[@mackvismusic8622]

Nice story telling! Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, lots of good players!

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks so much. Yeah this area has created many great players

[@AG-wg1sy]

Friday morning video! Awesome! Thanks Frank!

[@FrankPersico]

Hell yesss lol

[@Gitchagoat420]

I’ve been playing for 40 years and never learned any songs. I wish I had, but only wanted to write my own songs. I think I missed out on a lot.

[@FrankPersico]

There is definitely something to be said for learning other peoples songs. Any great song writer usually knows a bunch of covers and have studied the craft of songwriting by learning and analyzing other songs. That being said its never too late to learn some covers!. thanks for the comment. sharing your perspective gives us all a chance to learn.

[@runner_swt77]

Great job. Thank you

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for watching!

[@davidvandunk6168]

Nice journey, continue your travels!!!

[@FrankPersico]

Thank you! Will do! :)

[@Gitchagoat420]

I love “Horse With No Name”. We sang it in Chorus in school.

[@FrankPersico]

👍👍🎶🎵

[@garryames1824]

That was my first song too. Love it!!!

[@FrankPersico]

That’s cool! Thanks for sharing

[@theguitarcarpenter3574]

I am now subscribed and a fan of your approach. From Washington learning to do mic night songs. Thanks Jay. The Guitar Carpenter.

[@FrankPersico]

Welcome aboard!

[@esugumshoe]

Hey Frank your channel is great! I grew up in Queens too!

[@FrankPersico]

Cool, thanks. Queens in da house !! lol

[@dusandrca3378]

Cool guy! Very nice story and journey! 👍

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks:)

[@thefirstdude]

Thanks for your trip down memory lane! I started learning a few years ago and have a long way to go. Your 10 songs here give me hope. Thanks again.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for commenting. You got this! Little by little. I’m playing quite a long time and always learning new things and get frustrated along the way as well! 😝

[@thefirstdude]

@@FrankPersico Thanks. Keep up the good work. I envy your playing and gigging. It looks like fun.

[@Moselli56]

Best video year Frank! Absolutely excellent explanation of the different styles and how versatile the acoustic guitar is! Well done!

[@FrankPersico]

Wow, thanks! I appreciate it

[@edfeten4724]

I loved this video!!!

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you liked it thanks so much

[@marksmith7789]

Great list thanks!

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for watching!

[@JoeyColors]

In no particular order these are the players who set me on my acoustic guitar journey; Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Hank Williams, Neil Young, David Bromberg, Taj Mahal, Lightning Hopkins, John Prine, Steve Goodman, Jerry Garcia, Nick Lucas, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Leo Kotke, John Fahey, Rambling Jack Elliot, Jerry Garcia, and most recently, Hayes Carll.

[@FrankPersico]

Awesome list. Thanks for sharing with us all

[@macstil585]

Man Frank you are such a gas..love this video..we picked up guitar at same time but I dropped it 6 times lol..wish I had been as committed as you..great lesson in perseverance ..interesting mix of songs too🎵🎵🎵🙏

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for the comment. Well over the long term I guess I was committed but there were many lengths of time where I slacked and I still feel some guilt about it (hmmm another video perhaps?) so if you wanna talk perseverance I’d say YOU have it. Cuz you ultimately didn’t give it up. Cheers

[@doncarr9435]

Enjoyed this vid immensely.

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@eddiecarter9831]

I started playing in rock bands when I was 15, but I started on a horrible Sears & Roebuck guitar that my dad had growing up. It was painful to play, but I loved guitar. I went to more acoustic playing in my mid 20s, playing music with my wife and eldest daughter. MTV Unplugged was very influential with opening my eyes to what the acoustic guitar was capable of. Of course, there was Zep, the Beatles, & Tull, but all of those songs were written for acoustic. I didn't realize the acoustic guitar could also interpret electric songs well. Then I went to my first bluegrass show, which included Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and the legendary Tony Rice. WOW! That really opened my eyes to the magic of acoustic music. I've been doing acoustic solo gigs for around 3 years now (I do include electric as well), and I love the challenge of turning pop and rock songs into acoustic solo pieces. Loving these videos!

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for the comment and the kind words. Same here. I love the versatility of acoustic and how it is “self contained” so to speak. All you need is an acoustic with you and you got a party lol!

[@TheStrumminCanuck]

Thanks for the video. I was just compiling a list of “crowd Favourites” and can’t believe I’d forgotten, Every Rose. I’m also going to have to learn Fire and Rain as well as Over the Hills and Far Away (not sure if I can sing and play that one at the same time though). Keep Rockin’!

[@FrankPersico]

Hahaha yeah I had forgotten Every Rose myself for quite a few years and then someone had asked me to play it one day and well let’s just say I brought it back. As for fire and rain you can do it. Just take it slow

[@howardowens721]

Useful video. Thank you.

[@FrankPersico]

Glad it was helpful!

[@EdwardMiner-vy1pq]

You sound very spot on!

[@FrankPersico]

Thank you

[@MrJimmymcauley]

Very entertaining and informative watch. Thanks.

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mylon999]

Over the hills and far away is one of the first songs I learned to play back in the early 80's. It is probably the reason I wanted to learn to play!

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for sharing. I can totally understand as I’m most other guitarists can as well. 🤘

[@davidadkins2563]

Well,, I didn’t start learning until I was 60,,and I like your song choices,, I think I’ll learn them in the order you did,, thanks for a great video..well at least from when you started playing hahaha

[@FrankPersico]

It’s great that you picked up guitar. No matter what age you started you never stop learning something new.

[@kerryfromaj9032]

Rumble by Link Wray was the first song I learned. Then Fever by The Cramps. Started late at 58 and I am 63 now. This guitar endeavour certainly won’t grow cold before I’m gone and gone cold. 🥶 Great video today, it is entertaining yet very educational on your techniques growing along with your learning and experience. My techniques were all over the place day one. No teacher or metronome for a couple years was my biggest hold back. I could watch Marty but until someone actually interacted and showed me it was more of a struggle than needed be.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for contributing. It’s fascinating how we all have different ways of learning … we are all different and it’s cool to see how these differences make us all play differently. Did that make sense?!? lol

[@ambroseharper8316]

Nice list 😊

[@FrankPersico]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@jesseserna8424]

My parents was country,my dad was a musician and tried to encourage me to learn..but when I became a teenager and heard a Led Zeppelin song “Over the Hills and Far Away “ that really inspired me to learn guitar (which deeply disappointed my dad 😢) 🤷🏻‍♂️..thank you

[@FrankPersico]

Zeppelin can have that effect on people:)

[@kevinburke6938]

Great songs Frank! I overlap with you on Over the Hills and Far Away, Wish You Were Here, the Beatles, James Taylor, the Boxer, Clapton Unplugged, etc. Great video.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the kind words

[@jeriboxx4331]

Great list. Dust in the wind, also Fade to Black.. My Dad could play Classical Gas and Malaquena as a kid blew my mind…still chasing them…

[@FrankPersico]

Wow your dad sounds like a talented man!! Thanks for sharing with us all

[@TheHesseJames]

I started guitar playing in 1978 with a book for classical guitar and the last song in it was Malagueña. No tabs, only all that notes in classical notation. Very intimidating but I made it through. Next were Beatles songbook, Cat Stevens. Then, somebody showed me Samba Pa Ti and Stairway and next I found a guitar magazine which had the tabs for the Hey Joe solo which I played for like a thousand times on my electric.

[@charlespilny3749]

Great video. My old guitar teacher used Mel Bay, and never wandered off. So sadly, I never really learned to play. Grew up in the 50’s and 60’s with Elvis. Sometimes the Cowboy chords were enough, but not really all we needed.

[@FrankPersico]

Ahhh. That is a shame. I try to balance it out for students so that they get some of the fun stuff too

[@charlespilny3749]

@@FrankPersico I’m far better on keyboard (piano) with a great teacher now. Still a mess with guitar, but now at 79, not as easy to move old fingers like that.

[@hammy1704]

Very interesting collection, James Taylor and Paul Simon are just song writing gods. I’m a 66 year old learner. My music taste is as wide as the Clyde as we say in Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 thanks I enjoyed your video.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for watching and commenting. Have a great day

[@JRLNeal]

A great selection of songs Frank and I have to say I was privileged to be a teenager in the 60s in UK so I knew all about the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Eric Clapton. I was a late starter only playing guitar properly when I was 18 in 1969 and I'm now 72. Do I add to this list or also put Don McLean and Donovan. And to make it very folky the King of folk guitar in Britain, Ralph McTell. Check out his most famous song streets of London and many others Clare to Here, ZigZag Line, and the epic Nettle Wine. I also listen to other players but could never play their stuff such as Stefan Grossman., Burt Jansch, John Redbourne, John Martyn.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks so much and thanks even more for sharing with us. I will check that out!

[@gdslick]

Great video Frank

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks 👍appreciate it

[@Russell-u8h]

Good playing

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks so much

[@FASFatherandSon]

Hahaha, you took me down memory lanes there Frank. Great video as always. I do it my own way but I have to finish learning "More Than Words." I was like 70 percent complete a year ago

[@FrankPersico]

Music can do that. It’s like grandmas cooking lol.

[@FASFatherandSon]

@@FrankPersico lol, I miss my Grandma's cooking.

[@ruebenbrown5722]

You have an awesome voice too.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks so much I appreciate it

[@richardboss3358]

Great voice too!

[@FrankPersico]

Thank you 🙏

[@richardboss3358]

@@FrankPersico Surprised more people haven't commented on it.

[@robertgrimsted877]

Hi frank my first good song I played was house of the rising sun In 1980 love the vids 😀🎸

[@FrankPersico]

Classic!! Can’t go wrong with that one

[@mikeholper5992]

Thanks as always for the great video Frank. I’m about 10 years older than you. My older brother had an acoustic guitar and a few song books lying around from groups and artists in the late sixties/early 70s that I first learned from. As I later learned, these books were terrible in that they didn’t show you how an artist actually played the song, especially if they used a capo. I remember Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver), American Pie, Proud Mary sounding ok. But I couldn’t figure out why songs like Norwegian Wood, Sound of Silence, Cats in the Cradle, and Fire and Rain didn’t sound like the records. The discovery of the capo was a magical thing. I spent hours and hours listening and rewinding cassette tapes trying to figure out how the songs were played.

[@FrankPersico]

Hey Mike thanks for sharing. I know exactly what you mean: you would be so excited to get a book thinking that it would solve the riddle lol. Nope!

[@brendachristopher2693]

I enjoyed your video, thank you for sharing. I'm 69 years old and I started learning the guitar two years ago, I don't use a pick. Horse with No Name is one of my favourite songs, I need to learn it. I have very small hands so it's been physically challenging but I love the guitar and I'm obsessed! My baby finger is only 1 3/4", that's my obstacle as it makes a lot of chords difficult, 4 finger G is a pain. I have a friend who plays by ear and he pushed me to do barre chords right from the beginning, I'm getting pretty good. ?? He also says "just listen" which is very intimidating. I wonder how important that is at my age and with chords for any song being available immediately, I didn't want to spend hours, days or months trying to learn a song by ear but I have found that it happens naturally to some extent. I'm not musically gifted but I know practicing and enjoying playing produces good results. I'm also learning to sing, that's very trippy, the voice coming out of my face always surprises me but I think I sound good. ?? lol I've learned the following songs, some are fairly new and I'm still working on them. Wish You Were Here Creep Mad World House of the Rising Sun Hotel California Short People For What It's Worth Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald And I Love Her While My Guitar Gently Weeps Where Have All the Flowers Gone Eleanor Rigby Angie Come As You Are Dancing in the Moonlight. My Ding -a-Ling Stray Cat Strut Fire and Rain, I must learn this one.

[@FrankPersico]

Looks like you are doing pretty well. Congrats on your progress!!

[@franssongs]

I was 12 and mom got me guitar lessons from a guy who advertised in the local paper. I went down to his basement and there was a whole band set up. He played some type of electric guitar. He. Showed me 3 chords during the first lesson, wrote the diagrams on a sheet of paper, showed me how to form them with my fingers. Then he asked me what song I wanted to learn and wrote the lyrics down and the chord names in. The appropriate spot. I don’t recall the first one, but I took that home and worked on it like crazy. I loved it, I was actually making music I recognized. I took 10 lessons from him and have been playing ever since. I still have those sheets and remember his name some 50 years later.

[@FrankPersico]

That’s great! My first teachers have that same place in my memory. Both gone now but I’m thankful for them. Thanks for sharing

[@ruebenbrown5722]

Norwegian wood by The Beatles is a song I taught myself to play. I still play it today. I used my fingers bcos I couldnt use a pick I'm amazed how accurate players pluck the base strings while strumming. I guess it gets down to precise.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for sharing

[@PeteFolksinger]

Awesome video! I made a video called Pete Finger picking Journey that is similar in themes and songs, but a inverted timeline from your story. S&G were where I started in late 60's, and I am now at 69 only beginning to break into the cool acoustic sounds of 80's and 90's rock. (My latest learn is Don't Stop Believin'). Newer stuff is also greatly added by use of a looper. The Boxer remains a go-to favorite. I played it at a HS assembly in 1972 (my finger picking was way off but sort of passable then), along with American Pie!

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks fo much for sharing and for the kind words. all the best to you.

[@jamescurnutt1628]

Pretty good list. A few of those are on my list. I am about 10 years older than you. For me, there was the Doobie Brother's 'Listen to The Music. ' Boston, 'More Than a Feeling, ' Jim Croce , 'Time in a Bottle.' And we all had to do Stairway. I have a nice 12-string for Wish You Were Here and Stairway. Peace.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for sharing:) great songs as well

[@joanarling]

Oh man, can I relate to your story! Even though my progression was very different. I learned finger-picking rather early, I think it was in my second year, and that's when I met Werner Lämmerhirt, a fantastic guitarist (probably little known outside Germany). I just wanted to throw my guitar out of the window. I don't know what kept me trying, I was devastated at the time. Later I picked up an electric guitar and joined several bands who did rock, even though my heart wasn't really in it, being more some kind of singer-songwriter. That's long past, but boy did you send me on a journey! Thank you very much!

[@FrankPersico]

My pleasure and thanks for taking the time to share your story with us all! Still playing?!?

[@joanarling]

@@FrankPersico After a hiatus of several years, yes I do. But privately only -- I've become too old for gigs 🙂.

[@alexanderzhuravel298]

Hi Frank! Hello from Kyiv, Ukraine! Really nice journey through the so heartworming songs of 90's, thank you so much! Joke about Marty Shwartz is brilliant, lol ))))

[@FrankPersico]

Thank you very much! Thanks for the comment and I wish you all the best and to be safe over there. Hopefully this will all end over there soon. 🙏

[@jed1166]

I’d Love To Change the World by 10 Years After… once I could play AND sing this one, things started to really progress. Taught me to arpeggiate, and tune down D to D, so I could hit the high notes. I now play 70% of my songs in D tuning, and capo to get the other 30% in my vocal sweet-spot.

[@FrankPersico]

That’s awesome thanks for sharing. I personally keep my guitar down a half when I play solo gigs. Way more options for my voice

[@gregorysmith7697]

Brother You covered all that very well Gibsons best sounding I have a J-45 workhorse Hank called it that lol

[@FrankPersico]

Nice! I had a j45 for a stretch. Wish I still had that one

[@CPB24421]

Thx for the trip down memory lane. 6 of those were on my early list 30 years ago (ish).. now I feel old and will go and cry manfully in the corner.♥

[@FrankPersico]

Hahaah thanks for the comment.

[@FASFatherandSon]

Lol

[@eclipticom]

Very interesting journey, not too different from mine! The difference is I started with accordion lessons. After watching Back to the Future, I realised accordion is not rock and roll and maybe music is not for me. After few years gap I started to play guitar by ear and tabs, but the music I liked. Milestones: Pink Floyd: Is there anybody out there? Eric Clapton: Signe Police: Every breath you take SRV: Mary had a little lamb But at this point I play electric guitar including Johnny B. Goode. And 30 years later I find out the technique I learned as kid is so go great, I still can play faster on accordion and gipsy jazz and Django is quite appealing now.

[@FrankPersico]

Oh wow. accordion. totally cool. you got good taste im music too man! cheers and thanks for posting the comment!

[@ghijkmnop]

Very happy to see your smiling face this morning! Here are some acoustic songs that influenced me (per your request) Dog and Butterfly, plus the rest of the second side of that album Stairway to Heaven (of course) Sandman - actually pretty much the whole America Greatest Hits record Millworker (and a bunch of JT songs) Have to Say I Love You in a Song - Same as with America, pretty much all the Jim Croce hits ended up in my repertoire We Just Disagree Give a Little Bit

[@FrankPersico]

Rock on! Ahh give a little bit. Great tune .. thanks for sharing with us

[@ghijkmnop]

@@FrankPersico Thank YOU, actually. It's great to have you on YT.

[@user-hi9ke7co3e]

Love this! Same here and add Melissa by Allman Bros! Love you’re Layla - did u do a lesson in that Clapton classic?

[@FrankPersico]

Learn how to play the acoustic guitar version of Layla by Eric Clapton kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5a4kGqCmbubeK8

[@user-hi9ke7co3e]

@@FrankPersico Perfect! Wow you did just what I hoped for, and your playing is crispy and clear! Outstanding! Thank you!

[@Miguel_ON65]

What young you are! Great! I am from 1965 year! Greetings from Madrid

[@FrankPersico]

Hello there. Thanks for commenting. I will be 50 in 4 short days lol

[@Miguel_ON65]

@@FrankPersico My birthday is next July 2nd. too!!!

[@FrankPersico]

@@Miguel_ON65 Shout out to my fellow Cancer! happy bday

[@Miguel_ON65]

@@FrankPersico SAME TO YOU MY FRIEND, pity not be posible some beers and a couple of songs! Have a great day🎸🎸🪇🎉🎉🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

[@BCDanno63]

@@Miguel_ON65 Gracias por la buena idea. Intentaré que algo así suceda en tu cumpleaños o cerca de él. ¡¡Buena salud para ti!!

[@BCDanno63]

Buddy that was prob the best vid yet!!!! Only thing missing was a pic of that woman who made it all possible (Da Mama) 😉!! Our Journeys were quite different as Guitar was the last accessory to be added to my repitoir .. various vocal things occupied my early years of entertaining …

[@FrankPersico]

Hey brotha! .. you are right about that. should have found a pic of her. but she would prob come back from the grave and kill me for posting her pic..lol. hope all is well. gotta get over to your place this summer!!!

[@BCDanno63]

@@FrankPersico Let it be written, let it be done!!

[@jeffcollins1172]

You’re from Queens? I was born and raised there, left at 18. I lived in Flushing on the border by Bayside off Northern Blvd. I was 9 in the late 60’s and took lessons from a guy into the 50’s music. I was a Beatle fan, he didn’t want to go there plus he was kind of an abusive instructor for a 9 year old. I wanted to play but because of my bad experience, I didn’t take lessons again until I was 50. So here I am at 66, in a band for 10 years and loving it. I occassionally do the solo act which I am really interested in you looper videos.

[@FrankPersico]

Yessir born and raised. Maybe one day I will leave. I always say if I left New York then I’d have nothing to complain about so I rather stay here and bitch about it lol. I have a new looper video coming out on July 4 at 8:15am… another basic one just to drive some of the skills home.

[@gregorysmith7697]

That song was wrote in a laundry Mat in Dallas Tx Every Rose has its thorn

[@FrankPersico]

Oh wow didn’t know that

[@artcarnrick6905]

Frank, I was a “shrimp” in High School, most girls were taller than me and I wasn’t very popular as I took a lot of math and science classes. Truth be told, I started playing to get “popular”, then learned that you could also make money if you could play cover tunes. Sam Cooke tunes worked (You Send Me), and even turned a few heads when I played it last week. Although I solo now and don’t do much “band” work (got tired of running a baby-sitting service), in the beginning I used to play a lot of 1, 4, 5 Rock songs like Great Balls of Fire, Splish Splash, Long Tall Sally, etc.; So to be an effective soloist, I decided to learn to play properly and moved into the Classical / Fingerstyle arena. You’ve Got a Friend, Yellow River, Whiter Shade of Pale (G), Solitary Man all in current repertoire and reflect my learning curve from the early to late 60’s until I shifted to more ballad-oriented stuff. If you listen to “Stewball Was a Racehorse”, “Every Breath You Take, and the Bach Cello piece in D… there has been a lot of either stealing or borrowing going on over the years. Last week some horn players showed up, wanted to sit in, and the audience requested some Dylan… I keep an iPad full of 1400 tunes for moments like that… thanks for sharing…

[@FrankPersico]

Great comment and thank you. Question on the ballad oriented stuff how do you approach it on the acoustic. Like if you had long sustained chords? I used to sometimes bring out an electric (my tele) to play that style.

[@arturoquimico]

@@FrankPersico Regarding long sustained chords or "empty" phrases... sometimes it's good to leave them alone... let the song breathe... other times if in a group, a sideman will fill the space. Adding "classical" passages I have learned from Sor or Bach can fill in a sustained chord... or maybe a faux James Taylor riff... there are also a lot of Chet Atkins fills out there on KZbin. In the last 20 years, I have played everything fingerstyle and use a Godin Classical electric... also, to my surprise, my voice has changed from a squeaky unpleasant tenor, to a mildly tolerable baritone in my old age... So long as the melodic note is no higher than a high G, I can probably cover the tune. Otherwise, I contract it out (mostly ladies to sing high harmonies).

[@martinzebrabar1912]

Hy Frank I share “wish you were here” from your list. And for me David Bowie is my favorite musician. So I learned “Ziggy Stardust, Space oddity and Heroes” from him. I stayed in Space and I learned “Rocket Man” from Elton John. And because I am a “Wild one” I learned that song from Iggy Pop and his ultimate travel song “The Passenger”. “Psycho Killer” from Talking Heads was quite a rhythm challenge for me but an absolute fun song to play…I also started to write my own songs so I can bring my own message to the world😂 Sometimes I do busking sometimes I play small gigs but I don’t have to make my money like that…but I have a lot of fun and I agree with you that the acoustic guitar is just the best instrument. Sunny greetings from Senegal Martin

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks for sharing your list. I gotta check some of those songs out myself!

[@passdasalt]

First song I learned was Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind. Yeah, I'm old. But it was nice and slow easy chord changes for a ten year old.

[@FrankPersico]

And a great song!

[@bluesmama5]

Blackbird. Brought me up the neck.

[@FrankPersico]

Oh yeah … great one. Didn’t come into my world till a bit later on but a definite must know as an acoustic player

[@rodneykitchen3869]

Thanks very good vid, Ps what is your guitar ? Sounds great. Rod in London

[@FrankPersico]

The dark guitar is a Gibson songwriter … the other is an old Martin D1 from like 96: thanks for the compliments :)

[@davidbrandt6925]

Great video Frank! I learned guitar from a guy from your area, Richie Gilbert. His family moved to PA in 1973 where I met him. I just listened to the album, Never a Dull Moment by Rod Stewart last night. Are you familiar?

[@FrankPersico]

I will have to check that out actually thanks for posting.

[@jamespurdy5948]

All solid choices. Mine were Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly, Wake up little Susie by The Everly Brothers, Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin, Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme Simon and Garfunkel, Tequila Sunrise The Eagles, Secret Agent Man Johnny Rivers and I Should Have Known Better The Beatles.

[@FrankPersico]

Great songs. Thanks for sharing

[@EveyoneCallsMeTheDude]

I wanna say the first song I learned to play was actually Ashokin Fairwell, the fiddle tune from the civil war doc by Ken burns, but the first song l learned to play and sing at the same time was Black By Pearl Jam and yesterday I got down My beloved monster lol I find I take on songs that I perceive as really technical and once I get into them their not bad but songs that I think are going to be easy for some reason can give me some of the hardest times. A lot of times I think it’s because I’m trying to dress up a song that on guitar alone is pretty vanilla

[@FrankPersico]

It’s true. Never take an “easy” song for granted. To deliver something artfully is always a healthy challenge imho

[@j.blogsblues]

All my early playing was with Bob Dylan songbooks, but these days my Dylan type strumming and a pretty strong voice means Nina Simone's hit Feeling Good goes down well, I play it with Em, Em7, C and B7 so it's nice and simple to play meaning I can let the vocal rip a bit. I find Wonderful World goes down well as does Need Your Love So bad. Oh and don't worry about the occasional eejit who complains about your chatty intro's I'm sure most of us who like and get some great tips from your channel enjoy you setting the scene with a bit of preamble.

[@FrankPersico]

You had me at “Dylan”! Thanks for sharing your experience and for your kind words regarding the “eejits” lol love it!

[@donaldlucas8688]

Your mon is a gem!

[@FrankPersico]

:) I appreciate the kind words

[@professorwhoopee]

Hi Frank. Can I ask what kind of magnetic pickups you use pls?

[@FrankPersico]

The one in my Martin is an LR Baggs I bought years ago… it’s called the M1. I’m not sure if they still make it but they probably do. It’s pretty popular

[@Kliffy123]

You are so good! I personally think it takes more talent to play cover songs than original songs. Covers require a great ear and also knowing a ton of chords.

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks so much.

[@dionst.michael1482]

In my family it was country music so the first cord any of the boys who played guitars it was the g cord which was one step closer to the classic g-run! Lol

[@FrankPersico]

Nice! My mom used to play a lot of Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers around the house when I was a kid

[@michaelhubler4920]

Very Enjoyable Video

[@FrankPersico]

Thanks so much

[@michaelcarman-yv9tm]

beautiful video. wish you were my next door neighbor. thanks mucho.

[@FrankPersico]

Hahaah thanks 🙏

[@shaykavanagh3734]

My very first song was Early morning rain by Gordon Lightfoot in the early 1970’s😊😊

[@FrankPersico]

Oooh nice one

[@tuesdaybreedlove3018]

❤❤❤🎉

[@FrankPersico]

👍😀

[@briankowald6465]

Take me home country roads

[@FrankPersico]

Nice. Thanks for sharing

[@bourbonloftstudio]

Frank is so real.

[@FrankPersico]

I try

[@EduardoDiaz-wy4mi]

Instructor looks like a skinny version of myself 😄👍

[@FrankPersico]

You must be a handsome devil lolllol

[@Emrys345_Guitar]

Johnny Cash, hurt, was the very first song I learned.

[@FrankPersico]

Sweet! The Man in Black lol

[@Emrys345_Guitar]

@@FrankPersico yes sir!

[@silvio9732]

¿Has escuchado la canción " Love song" de Elton John (!)? Es mas antigua que tu mismo.Es la única canción de Elton John con guitarra acústica.

[@FrankPersico]

Oh wow great info and yes. Thanks for sharing!:)

[@gregorysmith7697]

According to Bret micheals

[@FrankPersico]

Lol

[@Kevins-Rocky-Road]

Poison stole that song from me and I will prove it one day.

[@FrankPersico]

Damn … that’s a lotta $$$

[@Gitchagoat420]

Metallica has some of the most beautiful melodies.

[@FrankPersico]

Agreed

[@jollyrodgers7272]

Is this going to be a long story? - LOL

[@FrankPersico]

Knowing me probably lol