Songs for Level 6

These recommendations consolidate the whole of Grade 4 — Levels 4, 5 and 6 together — because this level doesn't stand alone. I've distilled it down to all the meat and none of the faff: five songs that between them cover everything, then a longer list below organised by what each one is for. The honest headline at this stage: most songs are now doable. From here on, what separates Grade 4 from Grades 5, 6 and 7 is usually the details, not the material. So knuckle down on exactly the songs you want to play — and come and talk them through on the Discord community or the Monday live streams.

Top five and why

Five songs that between them consolidate everything from Levels 4, 5 and 6:

• Day Tripper — The Beatles. One of those riffs everyone wants to learn, and it earns its place: the intricate riff, single-string picking, barre chords, power chords and that middle section make it a complete Grade 4 workout in one song.

• Purple Haze — Jimi Hendrix. Solidifies the E minor pentatonic superhighway and consolidates material from all three of the last levels.

• Under Pressure — Queen & David Bowie. The triad song. (Substitute by The Who is a fine alternative if you'd rather.)

• All Along the Watchtower — Jimi Hendrix. The number one choice for the Hendrix and Frusciante techniques, especially after the jam track this level — and yes, including the solo.

• Roxanne — The Police. Shows you the higher level of triad playing and exactly where it's going.

The Hendrix and Frusciante path

More of the rhythm-lead style from the jam track:

• Under the Bridge — Red Hot Chili Peppers. The higher-level example — the introduction and full song are really Grade 5, but that's no reason not to start with the parts you can reach; it's essentially a five-chord song with that major seventh sitting beautifully inside it.

• Californication — Red Hot Chili Peppers. Really cool, with a great solo worth learning.

And there's more of this style to come later in the course, when we dig into Stevie Ray Vaughan and particularly John Mayer.

The triad and delay path

The triad work is exemplified by basically all of U2's classic lead lines — and the other half of that sound is the dotted eighth-note delay, covered in the full setup video linked below:

• Where the Streets Have No Name — U2. The definitive triad-plus-delay lead line, straight from The Joshua Tree.

• With or Without You — U2. Same album, same idea — and the bassline you already used as a practice routine in the D major triads lesson.

• Shut Up and Dance — Walk the Moon. The most U2 lead line ever written by someone else — the same trick in modern clothes.

• Sweet Disposition — The Temper Trap. Runs on exactly the same dotted-eighth idea.

• My Generation — The Who. A one-note riff if you learn it as a beginner, but full of double stops and proper Grade 4 detail if you learn it older.

The major seventh path

• Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now — The Smiths. Plus plenty more Johnny Marr where that came from.

• Something — The Beatles. The maj7 masterclass from the chord lesson, in full song form.

• Can't Take My Eyes Off You — Frankie Valli / Andy Williams. Both versions share the same harmonic DNA.

• Valerie — Amy Winehouse. Right at Grade 4 level and a brilliant rhythm workout — a few Amy Winehouse songs sit nicely here.

The wider list

• Smells Like Teen Spirit — Nirvana. A beginner riff if you play the outline, Grade 4 once you nail the detail.

• I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor — Arctic Monkeys. The same is true of most of the first album.

• Lullaby — The Cure. And so many of their hits fit here.

• AC/DC — plenty of the catalogue sits at this level too.