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What do you play...

bratpack7

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Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
246
When you go to a guitar store and pull one off the shelf? Or when you are out and someone sticks a guitar in your hands and says "play something"?

We could even break it down into electric and acoustic.
 

goldtop0

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Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
I usually launch into one or two old Clapton tunes Bernard Jenkins and Snake Drive if playing electric or a vamp in E with a rock/rockabilly feel when using acoustic or acoustic electric.
 
B

bigsby'd

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I always do a hybrid picking (pick + fingers) Mystery Train type thing.
 

Cogswell

The Duke of Dumbassery
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Mar 19, 2002
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15,717
Normally I'll start with Blitzkrieg Bop & move into Stella By Starlight
 

CoolJoMark

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Feb 15, 2009
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387
a few years back there was a song called 'stairway to heaven' that was somewhat popular...seems to still get people's attention when played
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Honestly I go immediately brain dead and my ears go to tin- esp at a GC where I can't hear to properly tune the thing. This is more true if the salesman is standing there. Once the fog clears Monkey Man, Crossroads, and/or Red House. I know the tone I want in those songs and they are incators to me- oh yeah- and Nationwide too.
I just smile at the acoustics.
 

Nihon Jim

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Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
511
Honestly I go immediately brain dead and my ears go to tin- esp at a GC where I can't hear to properly tune the thing. This is more true if the salesman is standing there.

:applaude Same thing happens to me. When I finally get over it I launch into Highway to Hell then follow that with a short medley of more ACDC then some LZ. If the place is full of hot shots doing the Satriani/Vai/Gilbert thing then I quietly roll with a thick jazz-toned version of Satin Doll. :jim
 

Ryan Givhan

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Apr 13, 2009
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3,220
i usually just noodle up and down the neck to make sure it sounds good in all positions. then i strum some open chords and then some bar chords. if it still has my attention at that point, i'll break into whatever song is in my head.
 

Ad_02Std

Active member
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
5,055
"Rumble" - Link Wray :2cool

I break this one out when faced with competition from a shredder. It's infinitely more badass than anything they would play, but they just can't bring themselves to play something so simple.
 

frazettafan

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Oct 28, 2006
Messages
4,072
Honestly I go immediately brain dead and my ears go to tin- esp at a GC where I can't hear to properly tune the thing. This is more true if the salesman is standing there..

Me too. ("Monkey Man'' is a great one, btw!).

Then if the fog clears its usually a Hendrix pastich - 'Castlesmadeofsand/Windcries/Littlewing/Axis then some lead: 'Sylvia' by Focus, 'Jessica'/'Reelin' in the Years' and if by then everyone in the shop is not thoroghly convinced of my averageness I'll start in on the first lead break to Wishbone Ash's "Sometime World" and maybe some blues crap.

If it's acoustic it'll be "High Flyers" by UFO and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You".

Then I'm usually shown the door....the windows.........and finally the street!!.
 
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Ace139

Active member
Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
1,759
I usually like to play a bunch of "Cowboy Chords"

And them some Bare Chords up and down the neck

Play some scales up and down the neck with lots of bends to check the action and sustain.

Find an Amp that is close to what I have and try both clean and OD tones.

This gives me the best insight to the tone of the guitar - to see if it's something I like.
 

Black58

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Oct 28, 2005
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10,139
I break this one out when faced with competition from a shredder. It's infinitely more badass than anything they would play, but they just can't bring themselves to play something so simple.

In all honesty,
I get tunnel-vision when I'm checkin' something out
and I really don't care what's happening around me.


... although, I must admit,
it IS fun playin' my own common-chord/weird position, strange timing, rythymic creations;
Screws 'em up on SO many levels.

.. The "fun" one being the fact that they, fer the most part,
can't play ANY rythym worth a shit! :hee .. :wah
 

slammintone

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2001
Messages
2,003
I play whatever, usually some wankin' riffereage combination of notes and licks I came up with and just sail them across the fretboard and up and down the neck to see what's what. Lots of times I get some interested looks because nobody's ever heard shit like that before. Probably don't want to hear it ever again! I can't play fast shit note for note like Yngwie or Michael Shenkar, I play fast shit like Slammintone. It sounds more natural and slick than someone 40ish still stumbling along trying to do Hot For Teacher or whatnot and not quite cuttin it and embarrasing themselves but lookin around like "yeah baby that's right, I'm the shit. Deal with it!"
 

Thunderheart

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Joined
Dec 14, 2001
Messages
132
Since I'm learning and a lefty there isn't much in the way of guitars....and even so if I'm fortunate to find something to play I'm embarrassed so I'll just try to pick a scale and maybe strum an E chord. Seems when I'm in the music store there is usually one or two wannabes playing everything twice as fast, twice as loud and twice as bad. :) :)
 

Foggy72

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2010
Messages
442
a few years back there was a song called 'stairway to heaven' that was somewhat popular...seems to still get people's attention when played

Absolutely. Then people will know you are a serious player.
I start with Stairway, then quickly go to the opening of "Sweet Child of Mine", then finish with "Smoke on the Water". That generally makes their jaws drop.
Even the guy 3 amps over from me will stop playing his DragonForce stuff to listen. Respect.....
 

frazettafan

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Oct 28, 2006
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4,072
In all honesty,

.. The "fun" one being the fact that they, fer the most part,
can't play ANY rythym worth a shit! :hee .. :wah

Thats true, I never hear much rythym goin' down - it's still all speed stuff mainly.

A mate of mine was a big Oasis fan 'till recently. He's actually a very good player but often play's real weird Zappa-esque come Andy Summers come Andy Partridge chordal stuff. One day he was doing such in a Denmark St. shop and Noel Gallagher walks in and stands right in front of him and listens for two minutes. He waits 'till there's a break and say's "You're fookin' crap mate......totally, ooterly, fookin' sad!!"

Not an Oasis fan anymore.......
 

Mitchell

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Joined
Feb 20, 2002
Messages
3,012
"Rumble" - Link Wray

U dah man 58.. :dude:

Electric,, I usually do my version of "Paranoid" or "SBS".

Acoustic,, Im always listening to the wood, so a blues shuffle and some treble notes above the 12th fret and onto the next one.. :)
 
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