The Importance of Being Simple

It took me a long time to learn how to write a song that I actually thought was decent enough to share with other people. While part of the problem was just time -- there is no shortcut to being a good guitarist, as practice, and lots of it, is the only sure fire way to becoming proficient -- the other part of the problem was the music I listened to. I was and still am a big fan of artists like Guns n' Roses, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix; when I was first learning to play guitar, I listened almost exclusively to those three. While they are nothing short of inspirational, their music is quite complex for the novice, and hence not the best material to start out emulating.

As I grew older and my musical tastes expanded beyond hard rock, I found a lot of music that was simpler and easier to play. Here's a short list of artists whose songs are perfect for studying for the musician just starting out:

the Beatles -- It's been over 40 years since they dropped their first album, but their influence is undeniable. Early Beatles contains quite a few songs that are simple and great to play.
Oasis - Given that they openly admit to being Beatles copycats, Oasis is a prime example of how simple chord changes can be used to create melodic songs that still rock.
Green Day -- Simplicity is one of the fundamental principles of punk music, as the genre consists largely of songs that have just three chords in them. Green Day are the kings of three chord glory.
Weezer -- Like Green Day, Weezer also excels in making the most out of three chords. Both bands focus on creating great melodies while using simple chord progressions.