[Mr.Charlie]

What kind of stuff do you guys reccomend for a solely acoustic player? Any songs in particular that maybe the dead didn't do acoustic but you've found to be good on acoustic? Any songs that serve as good ways to learn techniques and such on acoustic? My playing isn't very fast, i'm trying to build up more speed, but its tough, any reccomendations there? Or just keep plugging away...

[gratephulphish123]

black dog by zeppelin was always my speed exercize. i'd start playing it waaaaaaay slower than page then generally increase how fast i played it as i increased my fingers ability

[shakedown_04092]

I like playing Little Sadie on acoustic. Probably my favorite acoustic song to play right now, but I don't play acoustic much. I like any of JGB's stuff on acoustic, really, because it sounds so natural and organic.

Definitely keep plugging away! Keep trying to learn even when you hit those plateaus, just work through them, because even though you can't see it, there's another plateau right up around the bend, and when you arrive at it, you'll be better than you were when you left the last plateau.

Or something like that....

[tigerstrat]

A few songs that were never to my knowledge performed live acoustically, but imho work very well that way are:

Box of Rain
Unbroken Chain
Lazy River Road

[Shaggy]

Neil Young has a great style on acoustic and it's well worth learning along with some of his songs.

As you move along you can test yourself with some Nick Drake.

[shakedown_04092]

A few songs that were never to my knowledge performed live acoustically, but imho work very well that way are:

Box of Rain
Unbroken Chain
Lazy River Road

Agreed...but LR Road was played acoustically - if you count just Bob on acoustic "acoustically", and if not, wasn't it played at that Phil & Friends show? The original one from '94? Can't remember...

But to add to your list of acoustic songs:

Loser
Black Peter
Althea
Cassidy
Bird Song (or anything from the Warfield/Radio City run, for that matter)
BT Wind
Candyman
Wharf Rat
WRS > Let It Grow
Whisky In The Jar
Stagger Lee
Queen Jane
Mountains of the Moon
Mama Tried/Mexicali/MAMU/Big River/Maggie's Farm


fuck it, I could go on for a while but I don't feel like it

[Henry]

I agree with Shakedown, Loser, Black Peter, Candyman and Bird Song work well for me acoustically. Deal is also fun to play and Uncle John's Band might turn out nice, too. Or how about Bertha to speed it up a bit. Don't forget Friend Of The Devil, Ripple, I Know You Rider and Dire Wolf, of course those were often played acoustically by the Dead. I might also include some of the old-timey stuff that Jerry did on his own, Dreadful Wind and Rain is a big favorite of mine or The Girl At the Crossroads Bar. Being a big NRPS fan, I'll play some of their songs as well, Henry, Last Lonely Eagle, One Too Many Stories to name just a few... I even sometimes do Garden Of Eden on acoustic. Then, Peter Rowan's Midnight Moonlight, an absolute killer. Dylan songs are cool,the trouble with them is that most are so awfully long and I can't ever remember all the words...