NO MORE MR.BRIGHTSIDE!

The 10 songs you should never cover. Or at least think twice before trying...

- Jonathan Horsley

Learning songs is the best way to master the guitar. You develop techniques as you go, expanding your musical vocabulary. When it’s time to play your first concerts, there will inevitably be a cover or two. But some tracks are best left in the practice space. These are the uncoverable…

01 MR. BRIGHTSIDE THE KILLERS

The anthem of student nightclubs across the UK, its appeal juiced by cheap hooch, Mr. Brightside is big, dumb fun – but perform it at your peril. It’s one of the hardest songs to play clean. Most will fall off the fretboard during the twisty chords and relentless picking of the opening riff. And if you make it through that, the five-fret stretch on the G6 chord in the pre-chorus will get you –guaranteed!

02 BEAT IT MICHAEL JACKSON

At first, this was in the list because the guitar solo is untouchable, a peerless cameo from an Eddie Van Halen at the peak of his powers. Inviting rock’s greatest player onboard with the King of Pop was an act of cultural alchemy. But even if you managed to nail the notes, what about the tone? And if when you finally get that down, the Variac glowing beetroot red, who’s going to sing it?

03 STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN LED ZEPPELIN