The free resource for this guide is a songbook that will teach you some popular and easy tunes, like "Bad Moon Raising", " Hallelujah", or "Hey Joe". Click the button below to request your access to the free download area.
In this mega list we are going to provide some great examples of easy guitar songs for beginners , with a limited number of basic guitar chords (click here for a complete chords ebook).
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If you grew up in the early 90's, you probably wanted to scream after hearing this song played a bazillion times! It wasn't written by Billy Ray Cyrus, but he sure made it popular. Despite it being played into the ground back then it is actually a great song for beginning guitar players. In fact, if you know a drummer and bass player, all three of you can play this with minimal
This 50's song had a big comeback after the movie Beetlejuice, it is a traditional Jamaican folk song made popular by Harry Belafonte. While this song is simply C major and G major like the rest on this list, the key to playing it is to get the strum right. Jamaican and reggae type songs often have an emphasis on the 2 and 4 beat, strum with a percussive type effect on these beats as you play the Banana Boat Song.
As mentioned before, most songs that only have these two chords in them of C and G will often be kid's songs or folk songs. However, it is always good to know these really simple songs like Mary had a Little Lamb because you never know when you will have a young audience that will want to hear a familiar tune!
I included this great song by The Beatles because it is a good example of how even a two chord song can be a little difficult to play. You will find much of the verse is in G with a short part in the C major chord, in fact many sites have the chord as G7. As you learn to play it, it will seem strange that you are staying in that same G chord for much of the verse. I find this can be fixed by good strumming and switching between G and G7. It's really all about using your ear. G7 is not that much different than G major and now is a great time to pick it up and start using it. With Paperback Writer you see that even two chords in a song it is not always easy!
Sly and the Family Stone has always been one of my favorite bands, and their song Everyday People fits our two chords of C and G perfectly. This song sounds great on an acoustic or electric guitar, just remember to add a little bit of soul and funk to it! Another song about peace and equality and all it needs is two chords! (Technically this song is in the Key of G , but it fits our needs for only using C and G)
This song dates all the way back to the 1840's, so while it may be a simple children's song we have to give it some respect for such staying power. It transitions back and forth quite simply between C and G without much fuss and is a great beginners song. It sounds fine with basic strumming, but it sounds much better with a little finger picking, give it a try and see what sounds best to you! (If you have an electric guitar plug it into and amp and give this old folk tune some rockin' amplification!
Some of these songs have the F chord in some parts. Full bar chords are not easy for beginners. If you're not comfortable yet with bar chords , you can use one of the simplified shapes that you find on the F major chord diagrams page.
The Penguins released the song Earth Angel in 1954 and it was one of the first songs to crossover from the rhythm and blues charts to the pop charts. Which along with a few other songs from that era helped pave the way for the Rock explosion. Doo Wop songs nearly always followed this same progression as Earth Angel.
This was the popular song by the Swedish rock musician Eagle Eye Cherry back in 1997. This particular tune is different than the other Axis of Awesome and Doo Wop tunes in that it starts in A minor. It uses the same four chords, but that slight switching up of the chords gives it a whole new vibe compared to the rest.
Anyone alive in 2003 would have heard this song played all the time, the video was a huge hit. Later it was released as an acoustic version by the artist Obadiah Parker, that is why I have included it in this list, it is a great acoustic guitar song. Like the last one this song uses these 4 chords in a different way, ending on the A minor this time.
This song by Green Day is usually played with power chords on the guitar. Power chords are not complete chords, the are only the root and fifth and are common in punk, grunge, and 90's music. However, it is still a fine song to play with regular chords.
Love him or hate him, John Denver wrote many songs and many hits. However, this particular tune was made famous by Peter, Paul, and Mary. In fact it was their final and biggest hit, back in 1966. This is a great song when you begin playing these five chords, slow and easy changing between each chord.
This song was the first hit by the band The Plain White T's , Time magazine even put it on there list of best songs of 2007. They make great use of these five chords and are a great song to have in your repertoire.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are great at writing songs for people learning to play the guitar! This song was released in 2000 and as usual is about their struggles with addiction, and they always knew how to make great music from serious issues. This song has the five necessary chords we are using however it starts on an A minor, giving it that solemn and serious feel.
Soul Asylum released this power ballad about depression back in 1992, a heavily rotated radio play and video at the time. If you notice so far many of the songs on this list have a much more serious and sometimes sad feeling, that is because the E minor and A minor. Upbeat songs are often always in major keys, as soon as we add minors it can give it a more downcast attitude. This song also has a slash chord ( Em/B ) where it uses the B in the bass instead of E, however it is fine to play the regular Em if you are more comfortable with that.
It is a true shame David Bowie is no longer around, truly a genius songwriter and musician. Ziggy Stardust is a part of his 1972 concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars . We could write an entire article about this album alone as it easily ranks on many lists of the best albums of all time. In the meantime, we can play this tune on either an acoustic or electric guitar, it will always sound great!
This is another solemn minor tune and written by Creedence Clearwater Revival . It has a folk rock feel and was essentially a protest song against the Vietnam War. The long fadeout of this song is supposed to represent the rain that will not stop, so when playing this always leave a long outro. It uses the minor chords sparingly, but still has that desolate feel.
As always the Red Hot Chili Peppers make great songs to play on guitar. This song was on their hit album Blood Sugar Sex Magik and pushed them into the mainstream. This song also has a slash chord (C/G) which means the G note is played in the bass of the C chord instead of the C note. However, you can always just play the C chord until you get the hang of slash chords. As you start playing it you will know all the chords necessary, however once you get to the chorus you will find a little surprise... a D minor chord . Once you learn it now you can move onto six chord songs!
Peter Sarstedt was a one hit wonder back in 1969 with this song. The 2007 Wes Anderson film The Darjeeling Limited used his tune bringing him back into the limelight briefly. He recently passed away (in January 2017) so it only seems fitting to include this gem on our list. This traditional sounding folk tune/love song is easy for any guitar player who knows these chords.
Of course we always come back to the Beatles , the album titled after this song was released a month after they broke up. Despite being recorded while the band was disintegrating this is definitely one of their best known songs. Interestingly you will find this song listed in four chord song lists, especially because the main verse follows the Axis of Awesome chord progression. However, adding the D minor into the end of the words " let it be " really makes the song all the better. This is a good example of how some songs can be played simply, yet are enhanced as we learn our chords.
This song by Simon and Garfunkel reportedly took over 100 hours to record and produce! Using such instruments as pedal steel guitar and piccolo trumpet, it is a masterpiece. Once you know the basic six chords in the Key of C you can make your own beautiful renditions of this on acoustic guitar (there is a Dm7 thrown in there, just to keep you on your toes!). A version of this song was recently played on the radio show Prairie Home Companion and is worth a listen!
In the last sections we have discussed songs that you can play with just two, three, four, five and six chords. We have stayed in the key of C major to keep it easy with the chords C, Dm, Em, F, G, and Am.
Of course there are many songs out there that don't stay in one key, and some songs that have strange chords in them, but we are going to take the next logical step; B flat and E flat .
Now if you thought Bb was hard to play, try adding Eb into the progression! Whether you play the Harry Chapin version above or the more recent Ugly Kid Joe , this is a great starter song adding in both of our difficult chords. Take your time in the beginning and it will slowly get easier.
I hesitated to add this Doors classic in, it fits a perfect common progression of C-Bb-Eb-C . The big surprise is that the end of the song jumps up in key by half a step. However, notice that even in the slightly higher key it still follows the I-VIIb-IIIb-C pattern. As you progress in your song playing with Eb, Bb, and beyond; it is good to notice these patterns, it will help your future jamming abilities. 2ff7e9595c
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