Learning guitar requires finding songs that inspire you while also understanding its basics, such as sharps raising pitch while flats lower it.
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” is an inspiring song to help you practice key changes. With its simple chord progressions and no capo required for playing it, this tune offers ample practice opportunities.
1. “How Great Thou Art”
Guitar chords are groups of notes played together on the guitar. Depending on their use in songs, guitar chords may be called power chords, fifth intervals, or something else entirely.
This particular chord utilizes a simple pattern consisting of R-5-R-3-(5)-(R). Both C and G forms of this chord use this same interval pattern – they simply start on different strings.
2. “Amazing Grace”
Amazing Grace is an iconic spiritual song, commonly heard at funerals, memorial services and church/community events around the world. Additionally, its popularity among musicians and singers of various genres makes it one of the go-to songs at these occasions.
John Newton wrote the lyrics for this epic tune written by William Murray; however, in 1835 they were given their signature tune and given prominence within American folk song culture. A powerful track with an incredible history.
3. “It’s My Life”
This song by Bon Jovi is about living life to its fullest and not allowing negative words from others to control your destiny. This is one of their best motivational songs to live life to its fullest!
Notes on chords are C, D and G; an acoustic ballad version was released as part of Bon Jovi’s This Left Feels Right album.
4. “Crying In The Chapel”
Elvis Presley made this gospel track famous after recording and releasing it as an Easter single in 1965, using its limited production to showcase Presley’s soulful vocals and powerful performance.
This song’s lyrics convey feelings of spiritual longing, redemption and hope – it is often performed at funerals or memorial services.
6. “You Are My Sunshine”
Beginners just starting to master basic chords will find this song an ideal way to build their knowledge. Chords are groups of tones typically played together on guitar, a chromatically fretted string instrument.
An X or O over a string in a guitar chord chart indicates whether to open or mutes that string (see our page on general music theory for more information).
On the left-hand side of the chart, numbers placed over each finger indicate which is to be used.
7. “The Star Spangled Banner”
The Star Spangled Banner, composed by Francis Scott Key in 1814 as a poem after witnessing American soldiers raising their flag during bombardment by British forces during the War of 1812 at Fort McHenry, is considered to be the national anthem of the United States.
It gained widespread acclaim during the Civil War and eventually received official recognition by Congress in 1931; nowadays it can often be heard being performed at sporting events and public functions.
8. “Autumn Leaves”
Guitars (and pianos) are multi-timbral instruments, meaning that they can produce multiple notes simultaneously – this gives chords their distinctive sound as opposed to woodwind or brass instruments which only play one note at a time.
As your guitar playing abilities advance, you will begin learning more complex chords with varied voicings that add variation on a basic chord structure.
9. “It’s My Life”
A chord is any collection of notes played together on an instrument. Guitars and other stringed instruments, in contrast to woodwind and brass instruments which only allow one note at a time, can perform chords simultaneously.
Major chords are among the easiest chords to learn and should be one of your first priorities as a beginner musician. Once you master them, thousands of songs become playable!
10. “I Will Always Love You”
Chords in musical terms refer to groups of three or more notes played together at once; typically composed of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of their corresponding major scale.
Minor chords are the opposite of major ones; they evoke negative emotions while remaining easy for beginners to play! Sus chords (the third note out of any regular chord is replaced with another note).