Tag Archives: Conway Savage

Back to School Sale – Get Back in Shape After Your Summer Break

And then all of a sudden, it’s September! In other words: kick off your swimming trunks and grab your guitar. To give you a little nudge in the right direction we’ve set up a Back to School discount, offering you 50% off! So you can ‘get back in shape after your summer break’. Because you know, that guitar in the corner isn’t going to play itself.

That’s why it’s important to slowly, bit-by-bit, get into the routine of practicing every day. What do you say we put on some tea and try out some easy four-chord songs for breakfast? We’ve listed seven tracks that all consist of a maximum of four triads. This way you can practice one song a day for a whole week.

Sublime – What I Got

We promised a maximum of four chords right? Let’s start off the week even easier. The song to lift your moody Monday is Sublime’s “What I Got“. The perfect example to show that a song doesn’t have to be difficult to be good. Two chords are enough.

The Wild Rover – The Dubliners

A classic song from ye ole’ Irish pub on Tuesday. “The Wild Rover” by The Dubliners is the song that fits into any jam. Besides, it’s the perfect way to practice your basic chords: G, C, D, and A.

Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash    

The legendary lyrics “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die” come straight from the heart of outlaw singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The song “Folsom Prison” is a classic. Perfect for celebrating that it’s Wednesday and we’re halfway there!

Simple – Florida Georgia Line  

Let’s keep it “Simple” on Thursday. This track by Florida Georgia Line doesn’t seem that simple at first sight. The chords Eb, Ab, and Bb might scare you a bit, but let’s be smart: just slide the capo tool to the first fret and have another look at the chords. Way better right?

Blitzkrieg Bop – Ramones

Friday means: almost weekend! Let’s start off this day by rebelling with this punk wonder “Blitzkrieg Bob“. Let this Ramones classic be your theme song of the day. This also gives you a chance to get rid of some of that extra anger by playing loud and hard, and screaming: “Hey, ho! Let’s go!”

Tanist – Conway Savage

Saturday, time to recuperate from that stressful week with a slow and beautiful track by the late Bad Seeds pianist, Conway Savage. You can play “Tanist” on your guitar or piano. For those of you that want to get more advanced, try fingerpicking the chords instead of straight strumming them.   

Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

Everything must come to an end. Yup, “Bitter Sweet Symphony“, that’s life! There’s no better song for your Sunday. Look back at all your jams this week and ask yourself: “have I improved?” If you played for at least ten minutes a day, the answer must be “Yes!” Keep up the routine, and watch yourself get better every day!

R.I.P. Conway Savage – Four songs in tribute to the Bad Seed on Nick Cave’s keys

We all shed a tear last Sunday when Conway Savage of the Bad Seeds, the band of Nick Cave, passed away after a long battle with cancer. The man on the keys leaves a legacy of some delicate tunes behind which have to be remembered and cherished. That’s why we selected four songs to play along with.

Savage’s band the Bad Seeds are left to grieve. In their official statement they say: “A member of Bad Seeds for nearly thirty years, Conway was the anarchic thread that ran through the band’s live performances. He was much loved by everyone, band members and fans alike.”

“Irascible, funny, terrifying, sentimental, warm-hearted, gentle, acerbic, honest, genuine – he was all of these things and quite literally ‘had the gift of a golden voice,’ high and sweet and drenched in soul.”

Never Going to See You Again – Conway Savage & Suzie Higgie

Savage started playing the piano in one of his parents’ pubs at quite a young age. In an interview he recalls the experience as beautiful and relaxing. Later on, he began to use his ‘golden voice’. In “Never Going to See You Again” – which is a collaboration between Savage and singer-songwriter Suzie Higgie – we get a pretty good taste of that soul-drenched throat… 

The Ones You Love – Conway Savage

Though we all know Conway Savage from his longtime appearance as key master of the Bad Seeds, the artist also had a solo career. On the record Nothing Broken which was released in 2000, we find this gem: “The Ones You Love“. A really simple but oh so delicate song written in the key of C.

Storms of Life – Conway Savage

On his Rare Songs & Performances 1989-2004 compilation album Savage released tracks he had recorded over the years. One of these songs is “Storms of Life“. This melancholic ballad leaves you with a feeling of doubt, joy and the urge to go out and get after it.

The Willow Garden – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

And of course there was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. One of the most successful acts of Conway Savage’s career. He ruled over the piano, organ, and mic as a true warrior of soul. We can hear him shine on many tracks, for example “The Willow Garden“. This track was released on the album Murder Ballads in 1996.

This artist will be missed by all. And as his own band puts it in an anecdote: “On a drunken night, at four in the morning, in a hotel bar in Cologne, Conway sat at the piano and sang Streets of Laredo to us, in his sweet, melancholy style and stopped the world for a moment. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Goodbye Conway, there isn’t a dry eye in the house.”