Guitar Lessons (2011-2013)


music

These guitar lessons were a part of a music club I co-founded at MIT, the Live Music Connection. They are a part of a program we called Open Source Music, which had the goal of making music as open and accessible as any other open-source project. We taught free music lessons in instruments such as guitar and drums, and provided loaner instruments to students free of charge. I developed a curriculum and taught guitar to over 120 MIT students over 3 years. The program is still running to this day! Lessons include topics such as single note theory, power chords, open chords, barre chords, fingerpicking, harmonics, hammer/ons pull offs, among others. For course material see here. For more information about the MIT Live Music Connection, visit their webpage.

IMG_20110307_153946

 

Here’s a sampling of practice songs used in the class. This is directly copied and pasted from emails, so pardon the rough format:

 

Songs To Be Emailed out to the class
Otherside – Red Hot Chili Peppers (The first two lines of the intro are reasonable)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/r/red_hot_chili_peppers/otherside_ver2_tab.htm

Seven Nation Army- White Stripes (You can work on the first line, plus the solo if you’re feeling ambitious!)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/w/white_stripes/seven_nation_army_ver4_tab.htm

Still Alive – Portal Theme song (This one is a little tougher, but I think you could manage the verse parts 1 and 2)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/portal/still_alive_tab.htm

The Middle – Jimmy Eat World (The intro is a good one)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/jimmy_eat_world/the_middle_ver2_tab.htm

Hypnotize – System of a Down (The intro, it’s very similar to the rolling stones song we did in class)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/system_of_a_down/hypnotize_ver4_tab.htm
Also, here are the tabs for blitzkrieg bop:
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/r/ramones/blitzkrieg_bop_tab.htm
Also, here’s another song that is good for combining single notes and power chords, Message in a Bottle by the Police:
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/t/the_police/message_in_a_bottle_ver3_tab.htm
The single note parts are pretty tough because they take a lot of hand stretching, but it’s worth a shot. Also, the parts with four-note chords, you can drop the top note of those to make a power chord, and that’s approximately correct for the song.
I’m a Believer (The Monkees / Smash Mouth)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/monkees/im_a_believer_ver4_crd.htm

You’ve got to Hide you Love Away (The Beatles, covered by everyone)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/beatles/youve_got_to_hide_your_love_away_crd.htm

Are you gonna be my girl (Jet)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/jet/are_you_gonna_be_my_girl_ver2_crd.htm

Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/f/foster_the_people/pumped_up_kicks_ver2_crd.htm

Acoustic 3 by Goo Goo Dolls (This is a good one to work on the arpeggios
we talked about in class, you can see the G major and D major chords in
the fingering)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/g/goo_goo_dolls/acoustic_3_ver2_tab.htm

Resistance by Muse-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/muse/resistance_crd.htm

Somebody Told Me by the Killers-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/k/killers/somebody_told_me_ver3_crd.htm

Starlight by Muse (You can do the verse part at least)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/muse/starlight_acoustic_crd.htm

Float on by Modest Mouse:
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/modest_mouse/float_on_acoustic_crd.htm

What I got by Sublime (This one is super easy, just two chords)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/sublime/what_i_got_crd.htm

In the end acoustic version- Linkin Park (for if you’re feeling angsty)-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/l/linkin_park/in_the_end_ver2_crd.htm

The Kids aren’t alright by the Offspring-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/o/offspring/the_kids_arent_alright_ver2_crd.htm

American Pie by Don Mclean (You can treat the Em7 and Am7 as just Em and
Am for now)-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/d/don_mclean/american_pie_ver2_crd.htm

Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons (you can ignore the Fmaj7 for now)-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/mumford_and_sons/little_lion_man_crd.htm

Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/l/lenny_kravitz/fly_away_crd.htm

Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/t/third_eye_blind/semi_charmed_life_crd.htm

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day (you can treat the sus2 chords
as just the relevant major chords)-
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/g/green_day/boulevard_of_broken_dreams_acoustic_crd.htm

Here without you by 3 doors down (A good example of the arpeggio thing
we talked about in class)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/0-9/3_doors_down/here_without_you_ver3_tab.htm

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley (you can do most of these chords, just not
the Bm or D/F#)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/jeff_buckley/hallelujah_ver3_crd.htm

Save Tonight- Eagle Eye Cherry
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/e/eagle_eye_cherry/save_tonight_ver2_tab.htm

Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel (you can treat the C/G as just a
C major)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/simon_and_garfunkel/sound_of_silence_crd.htm

Hey Soul Sister by Train
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/t/train/hey_soul_sister_ver2_crd.htm

Such Great Heights by the Postal Service (Yay Cadd9!)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/ben_gibbard/such_great_heights_acoustic_crd.htm

Numb by Linkin Park
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/l/linkin_park/numb_acoustic_crd.htm

Artist in the Ambulance by Thrice
http://www.911tabs.com/link/?3793909

 

Won’t back down by Tom Petty (This is the Johnny Cash cover, but the

chords are the same):

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/johnny_cash/wont_back_down_tab.htm

 

Time is Running Out by Muse

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/muse/time_is_running_out_acoustic_ver2_crd.htm

 

Aint no Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?6411394

 

The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/n/nirvana/the_man_who_sold_the_world_crd.htm

 

Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/jack_johnson/banana_pancakes_crd.htm

 

Take me out by Franz Ferdinand

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/f/franz_ferdinand/take_me_out_ver2_crd.htm

 

Friday by Rebecca Black (lol)

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/r/rebecca_black/friday_crd.htm

 

Otherside by Red hot Chilli Peppers (you can do this with only the open

chords we learned, but try it with Barre chords!)

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/r/red_hot_chili_peppers/otherside_acoustic_crd.htm

 

Grapevine Fires by Death Cab for Cutie

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/d/death_cab_for_cutie/grapevine_fires_ver2_crd.htm

 

I Will Follow you Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/d/death_cab_for_cutie/i_will_follow_you_into_the_dark_crd.htm

 

Unwell by Matchbox 20

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?315872

 

I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/a/aerosmith/i_dont_want_to_miss_a_thing_ver7_crd.htm

 

Hero of War by Rise Against

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?5971327

 

Santeria by Sublime

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/sublime/santeria_ver2_crd.htm

 

Hey there Delilah by Plain White Ts

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/plain_white_ts/hey_there_delilah_ver2_tab.htm
Sex and Candy (Marcy’s Playground) -There are a bunch of power chords in the verse and chorus, ignore the ‘p’s, we haven’t done those yet.
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/marcy_playground/sex_and_candy_ver4_tab.htm

Fly Away (Lenny Kravitz)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/l/lenny_kravitz/fly_away_ver4_tab.htm

More than a Feeling (Boston) –  The chorus at least is power chords, don’t worry about the rest
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/boston/more_than_a_feeling_ver2_tab.htm

The Middle (Jimmy Eat World) – The chorus
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/jimmy_eat_world/the_middle_ver2_tab.htm

The Kill (30 seconds to Mars)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/0-9/30_seconds_to_mars/the_kill_ver3_tab.htm

Smooth Criminal (Alien Ant Farm cover of Michael Jackson)
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/a/alien_ant_farm/smooth_criminal_tab.htm

Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival) -the chorus
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/c/creedence_clearwater_revival/fortunate_son_ver4_tab.htm

Glycerine (Bush)
http://www.911tabs.com/link/?3686934