Mastering any piece of music requires time, repetition and practice. Be patient with yourself and don’t give up until you can play it without making mistakes or muffled strings.
This song uses an easy four-chord progression, making it ideal for beginners. Additionally, the G/B chord makes playing this piece simpler than with regular open G chords.
1. Right Here Waiting
Learning some songs is an ideal way to start playing guitar, making practice sessions more engaging and helping you understand how chords work.
This song is a great beginner rock tune which uses four easy chords in C, making it familiar for most new guitarists. Additionally, barre chords will help teach how to stretch out across the fretboard.
2. No Woman No Cry
Beginner guitarists may benefit from learning some simple songs when starting out on the instrument, as this provides them with a familiar base to build off of and helps maintain momentum.
No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley is an easy five chord song for beginners to learn, with an engaging progression comprised of both open and power chords for an outstanding sounding melody.
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan is another straightforward four chord song designed for beginners. This tune employs an open chord progression with a basic rhythm strumming pattern.
3. Earth Angel
This doo-wop hit is an ideal song to start learning with for beginners, being simple to pick up with accessible chords that new guitarists will quickly grasp. Additionally, it serves as a useful song when learning bar the F chord.
This classic song should be part of every guitarist’s repertoire. Utilizing just three chords, its rhythm provides ample opportunity for practicing strumming! Additionally, its use provides an ideal opportunity to master G and C fingering techniques as well.
4. Halloween
No list of easy guitar songs would be complete without including at least one Beatles tune, and this one certainly fits the bill. Utilizing just three chords (G, C and D), its strumming pattern is fairly simple with up, down, up-up-down up until strumming pattern returns back down again at end.
It has a solemn minor feel and provides an opportunity to work on minor chord progressions. Additionally, its progression leads to G major, making this song perfect for practicing power chords as well.
It is an iconic tune and well worth exploring further.
5. The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Beginners will find it an excellent song to start learning as it utilizes four chords easily on the hands, unlike some reggae songs with harder ska-inspired beats that might prove challenging.
This song also introduces barre (pronounced bar) chords, which involve using all three frets simultaneously and require more neck movement than standard chords. Barre chords provide another great opportunity to build hand strength while developing your chording abilities; though mastering them won’t come easily!
6. Creedence Clearwater Revival
This song is sure to impress any guitar-soloing friends of yours! All it requires are five chords: D, Bm, Em and A; alternatively you could add a capo at the third fret for added ease.
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic song provides an excellent opportunity to practice basic chords and changing between them, and introduces the G to C transition that will often appear in songs. Chord-grids provide useful practice on practicing your fingers on the guitar neck; 1 represents index finger frets while 2 and so forth represent middle fingers frets – perfect for practicing index-middle finger-thumb sequence.
7. The Rain
Fun and crowd pleasing song to play! This tune provides a good workout for beginner power chords and open chords, including G/B chords (G with B note in bass). However, be wary if this type of chord is unfamiliar – take extra caution if performing.
Chord grids outline which strings and frets make up each chord shape, so practice reading these diagrams while fretting your fingers along each fret to familiarize yourself with chord shapes.
8. Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum first formed as Minneapolis rockers Loud Fast Rules in 1981, but their 1993 hit song, “Runaway Train”, cemented their reputation. Comprised of singer/guitarist Dave Pirner, bassist Dan Murphy and drummer Karl Mueller; original member Pat Morley was replaced in 1984.
In 1993, MTV made headlines for featuring a video for a song with images and names of missing children – an innovative move by an unfamiliar group to garner significant exposure and break into mainstream radio playback and one of the Big Three labels.