Rust is a very popular survival game currently available on the Steam gaming platform. Since its release, its developers have continually upgraded the contents of the game with new additions.
One of these new additions happened to be playable musical instruments. While these are fun to play, it is notoriously difficult to be able to play a song that sounds good.
If you’re a fan of Rust and looking for songs to play on your guitar, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll show you some of the best songs you can play, as well as a method to play custom songs.
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How Can I Play Songs In Rust?
The acoustic guitar that you can play in Rust sounds very out-of-tune. However, with a little effort, you can easily plunk out your favorite melodies.
In order to play a song, you’ll need to utilize the number pad and the keys of your keyboard. To play a single note, you’ll need to push a number key along with the left-click of your mouse. If you happen to press the right-click button, you’ll be able to play chords.
Another thing to note is that looking up will cause your note’s pitch to be higher. Similarly, looking down will drop your note’s pitch. Because of this, it can be really hard to be accurate with your notes.
You can find a dedicated tuner within the game to help with this. Quite often, you might see these on a wall. They indicate where you need to look in order to play the correct pitch.
However, we’re going to focus on the tried and true songs that you can play in Rust. You’ll be able to play these using the keyboard. If you’re interested in playing custom songs, be sure to read on.
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” – Traditional Nursery Rhyme
A great starting point to learning any instrument is to learn how to play songs you grew up hearing. Because of this, nursery rhymes are often ideal. They consist of melodies that are ingrained into your subconscious, allowing you to easily figure them out.
You can play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star relatively easily. The rhythm should be easy to figure out as you’ll no doubt be familiar with this tune.
Tab: Reddit.com
“Ode To Joy” by Ludwig van Beethoven
Ode To Joy is a true classic and a staple song for any musician. Quite often, this is one of the traditional songs that beginners (playing actual instruments) learn.
The reason for this is quite simple. It has a very recognizable melody, and it’s pretty easy to play. You’ll be able to translate this one to Rust without any issues.
Due to its simplicity, this song would sound great if you have any friends to join you on other instruments. You could literally form a digital orchestra.
Tab: Reddit.com
“All Star” by Smashmouth
Smashmouth’s 1999 smash hit All Star has become a bit of a meme in recent years. There are likely not too many people who aren’t familiar with this track. Hearing it is likely to incite some laughter.
All Star is often the butt of many jokes, largely due to how the song starts. With one word, you’re sure to know that All Star is what is playing. From a musician’s standpoint, achieving this is an incredible accomplishment.
What’s perhaps even funnier is to hear somebody play All Star on the guitar in Rust. It is possible, though you’ll likely be limited to playing the melody in single notes.
Really, though, the melody is all you need for this to be recognized. The delivery of the song’s lyrics has a very unique rhythm. As soon as someone hears the melody, they are sure want to start singing along.
Give this one a whirl the next time your group could use a bit of comedic relief. You’re sure to gain some laughter.
Tab: Reddit.com
“Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes
Seven Nation Army is one of the most popular songs for new guitarists to play. Its iconic riff is seriously undeniable.
This is one of the many reasons why Seven Nation Army climbed to the top of its charts upon its release. Modern culture (at the time) could simply not get enough of this song. This is surprising considering how simple of a song it is (though the best ones always seem to be simple).
Surprisingly, Seven Nation Army holds up quite well when translated onto Rust instruments. You’ll be able to easily play the song’s iconic riff without any issues.
In fact, you’ll find that there are people who have dedicated quite a bit of time to play this song. These people are mostly interested in playing it as a sort of digital band. They’ve figured out every instrument’s part (which is fairly easy considering the song’s composition).
You’re more likely to see this main riff being played on the shovel bass. If you’d like to play this riff yourself, you’re in luck. It can be adapted to the guitar in Rust without any issue.
Tab: Reddit.com
“Megalovania” from Undertale
Undertale was an excellent game that came out in 2015. This RPG won the hearts of many gamers around the world.
People who have played Undertale absolutely love the empathetic nature of the underlying story. The characters (and the way they looked) also helped to set hooks into gamers’ hearts.
Undertale also had a wickedly awesome soundtrack for a video game. The song Megalovania is one of the best tracks from the game’s soundtrack.
This song is sure to pump anyone up, featuring a signature descending riff that is downright infectious. Surprisingly enough, it can be played on the Rust guitar.
It might sound better on the game’s piano, however, due to the accuracy issues the guitar has. You should also know that you’ll only really be able to play that main descending riff. That is unless you plan to sink hours into learning how to play it (then the world is yours).
For the most part, Megalovania can be recognized by that main riff alone. Even those who haven’t heard the song before will likely find it to be familiar.
Make sure you get that awesome rhythm down. It’s integral to making the riff sound the way it does.
Tab: Reddit.com
“Drunken Sailor” – Traditional Sea Shanty
Drunken Sailor is a song that was traditionally sung aboard ships to raise the morale of its sailors. Now, you can bring this great shanty to Rust and play it for all of your friends.
This is a random song to bust out. However, it has a familiar melody that most people are likely to recognize. It can also be a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor should your friends play like a drunken sailor.
Of course, when you’re all by your lonesome self trying to survive, a simple sea shanty can get you through. After all, music is a great way to cure loneliness.
Drunken Sailor has an extremely long history of being sung as a shanty. The historical records are a little hazy surrounding the song. However, historians have agreed that it was at least sung in the 1830s, though it could originate much earlier.
Tab: Reddit.com
“Sandstorm” by Darude
If you’re looking to play into meme culture, be sure to learn how to play Sandstorm by Darude. Playing this is sure to bust a few guts in laughter.
You’ve likely heard this song featured in commercials and sports-related broadcasts. It has an instrumental hook that is a signature facet of this song. In fact, it helped to set the precedent for the electronic music that came out around the same time.
The tab for this emulates the iconic filter synth that plays throughout the song. You’ll need to work out the correct rhythm to make sure that the guitar actually sounds like the song.
When you pull it off correctly, there’s no denying that you’re playing Sandstorm. You know it’s about to go down when you hear this one!
Tab: Reddit.com
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
When John Denver hits the spot, there’s nothing better. One of his most famous songs, Take Me Home, Country Roads, can be easily played in Rust. To play it, you’ll be essentially playing the vocal melody of the song.
This is a great song to bust out, especially when you can’t find your way back to base camp. It’s also a bonafide singalong song that is sure to have people yelling the chorus over their microphones.
After all, camaraderie is often what makes playing online games so fun. Take a chance and bond with some fellow gamers over a little bit of John Denver.
The first time John Denver ever played this song, he received a standing ovation that lasted 5 minutes. We can’t guarantee the same thing for you, but it’s definitely worth a shot.
Tab: Reddit.com
“Pirates Of The Caribbean Theme” by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer
There seem to be a few different camps of people when it comes to the Pirates Of The Caribbean films. Those who are fans of the film series absolutely love everything about these movies, sometimes to the point of obsession.
With that being said, the main theme song is quite delightful. You would expect nothing less with masterful composer Hans Zimmer playing a compositional role in the soundtrack.
You can play the main theme song to Pirates Of The Caribbean on the guitar in Rust. It’ll take you some practicing to get the rhythmic melody down, but you’ll be able to tell what it is.
This can make a great little song to play when your clan is venturing on a quest to ransack bases. After all, a little music can make your journey that much more enjoyable.
Tab: Reddit.com
Why Are Some Players Extremely Good At The Guitar In Rust?
You may have noticed that there tends to be a stark difference between guitar players in Rust. Some players have superhuman skills when it comes to rattling off songs. It can be downright mind-boggling to wrap your head around how they might be actually playing these songs.
The reality is that they are likely using some extra tools to help them. Some players use scripts to play songs in Rust. However, this could potentially get you labeled as a cheater and result in a server ban.
You’re not out of luck though. There’s a method players use to be able to play their favorite songs with a high degree of instrumentation.
How Can I Play My Favorite Songs In Rust?
An interesting feature in Rust is that the instruments have MIDI capability. If you’re unsure of what MIDI is, don’t worry. This is essentially musical information that has been digitized for a computer to recognize.
MIDI started to become popular in the 1980s as everyday consumers were able to have computers in their homes. Many musicians have used MIDI to compose complex musical pieces. Bizarro guitarist Frank Zappa is a notable musician who used MIDI to compose music late in his career.
The reason MIDI is so attractive is that you can assign nearly any sound type to the underlying musical information. Because of this, you can easily compose a musical passage for any type of instrument.
How does this tie into Rust? Well, it’s quite simple.
Rust has several instruments, each with its own unique sound. When you feed MIDI information to Rust, the instruments will play the passage in their own unique sound.
This essentially allows you to take any MIDI recording and play it on the instruments within Rust. You can even plug in a piano with MIDI functions to play the instruments. Each will respond to the MIDI information that you send.
How Do I Set Up Rust To Play MIDI Songs?
If you’d like to try this method of playing Rust instruments, you’ll need a few things to get started. Once you do this basic setup, you’ll be free to play nearly any song you wish.
The first thing you’ll need to do is go to your game settings, particularly in the “Experimental” options. You’ll find an option for “MIDI Input,” which you’ll need to enable.
Secondly, you’ll want to download a MIDI player program. This is what you will use to open your MIDI files.
You’ll also need a free program called loopMIDI. This is used to set up an output for your MIDI information to go through. You can do this easily by clicking on the “+” button in the program and creating your own output.
Thirdly, you’ll need to download some MIDI files. Try and find your favorite songs and see how they sound. You can likely find MIDI recordings of nearly any song that has ever been written.
How Do I Get MIDI Files To Play In Rust?
After you have the programs and a MIDI file, drag the MIDI file into your MIDI player. This will allow you to be able to hear the song within the player program. Be sure to set the program’s output to correspond with the one created in loopMIDI.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be just about ready to play in Rust. The last thing you’ll need to do, of course, is pick up your guitar. After you’ve picked it up, press play on your MIDI player program.
The recording will play through the guitar and you’ll be able to hear it. If you wish to switch instruments, the song will be played on those as well. You need to manually stop the song in the MIDI player to stop the song from playing.
It may seem time-consuming and like a lot of work. However, it can be quite fun to hear your favorite songs played in this manner.
Of course, you’re essentially setting up a digital version of a player piano. Some purists may find fault with your methods. But really, this is the only way to play seriously intricate pieces on the Rust guitar.
What MIDI Songs Sound Good In Rust?
Out of all the instruments available to play in Rust, the piano is perhaps the best sounding of them all. This is because the piano has the capability to play in both lower registers and higher registers. Meanwhile, the guitar has a narrower range of playable notes.
The key to finding a good MIDI song for the guitar in Rust comes down to a few different factors. These factors are as follows:
- Overall simplicity
- Make sure the song is within the ideal range for the guitar
You’re not going to have much luck playing something that is overly complex unless it is within the guitar’s range. Similarly, if there are too many complexities within a set range, it can come across as muddled-sounding.
You might have the best luck isolating the guitar part within the MIDI file itself. This will allow you to play famous riffs that everyone knows and loves without interference.
Top Rust Guitar Songs, Final Thoughts
No matter what method you choose to play the guitar in Rust, other players are bound to appreciate it. Playing an instrument in Rust can really add a much-needed dose of humor and randomness into the game.
Soon enough, you’ll likely find other musical experts in Rust with whom you can trade favorite songs. This will give you a wide collection of songs to choose from to accompany any in-game moment.
Side note, do you want to learn to play guitar songs the easy way? Learn how here – results are guaranteed!