Easy Guitar Songs
Finding Easy acoustic guitar songs is simple with the Guitar tricks website. (Which you can find my full Guitar Tricks Review Here)
It has been compiled a nice list of easy to learn guitar songs that will improve your fingering and control. These songs can also be easy electric guitar songs as well as for the acoustic. Practice finding the perfect chords every time with these simple songs.
Have a Little Faith in Me – John Hiatt
Have a Little Faith in Me is a great choice for our easy guitar songs. It offers the student to find the right chords and get used to the fingerings. It is great for learning to move around the fingerboard with ease. This will improve your strength, dexterity, and speed. Practicing this song allows new students to improve their confidence as well.
Lucky Man – REM
This is a great beginner guitar song that is a 1970’s classic. If you are looking to improve your strumming, this is a perfect piece to test your skills. It also helps with gaining confidence in the fingerings. This lesson helps with getting your chords to move a bit smoother and more quickly as well.
Wide Open Spaces – Dixie Chicks
The video of Wide Open Spaces was made Country Music Association’s Video of the Year in 1999. The song was originally made for another band, solely by a woman names Susan Gibson. Once the song was a hit, she started getting paid royalties from the song. This made it complicated for the other band members as well as they didn’t all agree in what direction the band should go in. So, the other band ended up breaking up and going their separate ways.
Now, the Guitartricks.com has broken the song up into easy to understand pieces. This is a great song by the campfire or for a sing-along. First, there is an overview of the song. Then, you will take a look at the different capos and how to use them. The chords will be broken down and strumming will be mastered.
The night we met – Emerson Lake and Palmer
With a simple strumming pattern, this song offers practice for open as well as barre chords. (Check out my basic guitar chords post here) This modern pop ballad version also gives you some bonus material that can help improve your speed and agility.
Pinball Wizard – The Who
With some simplified chord shapes and nice strumming patterns, we have simplified this song down to be a great beginner guitar lesson. There are some tricky parts, but it’s great to help improve with speed and dexterity. Fun little fact, this song was in the movie Tommy.
Behind Blue Eyes – The Who
The song Behind Blue eyes is a great classic. And, it helps to learn your open chords as well as some of your extended chords. It is good to get your chords under your fingers smoothly and practice your strumming pattern.
Stay – Rihanna
Stay is a modern R&B pop ballad that helps with the open and barre chords and offers a simple strumming pattern. This quick moving song offers a high tempo. To get this song properly, practicing at a much slower tempo is recommended.
Losing my Religion – R.E.M
This is perfect for the beginner with an easy strum an easy handful of chords. This too will add to your confidence of the fingerings of each cord as well as improve your speed. Losing my Religion was originally made by REM and it was about being at the end of one’s rope. This is a great beginner guitar song with lots of skills to be made.
Perfect – Ed Sheeran
This is a recent pop hit that will really get you working on your open chords. this is great to get a new guitar player used to time and feel. Everything in this song is felt in groups of three. This song is great for practicing your chord changing and strums.
Little Red Rooster -The Rolling Stones
This classic blues song will help teach about blues jam. It has a 14 barre structure instead of the normal 12 barre structure that is found in most blues songs. This particular song even has a bonus lesson that will show you how to play this in a different key.
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
This is a classic southern rock song and it features only three chords. This will allow you to get the chords down really well. These chords are D Chord, C Chord, and G Chord. This was the first single Lynyrd Skynyrd got to chart.
Big Lights Big City – Jimmy Reed
This song is a cautionary tale of leaving the big city for the country life. This is an easy guitar song in the key of A Major. This 12 barre blues song has great harmony and helps with strumming.
T-Bone Shuffle – T-Bone Walker
This is a classic blues song in the Key of A flat. This is a great one to get better at coordinating your right and left hand to get the sound proper. It is a great jam song. This one is easy and fun, will certainly get your toes tapping.
The Thrill is Gone – B.B. King
This is the fabulous BB King hit that has a simple right hand with 4 chords in an A minor. This song will help with form and strumming. It a 12 barre blues structure that is repeated seven times. This repetitiveness is great for learning. This was B.B. King’s biggest hit, as he didn’t make much on the charts but was a pioneer for an entire generation of musicians.
Wooly Bully – Sam and the Shame and Pharaohs
This is a classic three-chord song in the key of “G”. It a basic 12 barre blues song that has simple quarter note down strums. There are 3 chords to learn, these chords are G, C, and D chords. This song is a great tool to really get these chords down right. And, the strum pattern is very simple for this song.
Rock Me Baby – B.B. King
This features a 12 barre verse that is played over and over again. This is a standard blues form. As a bonus, the blues shuffle rhythm pattern is taught with this lesson.
Sharona – The Knack
This has been reduced down for beginners. The picking is a little tricky and will take a bit of work is well worth it. This is great for an easy electric guitar song as well as acoustic. The riff is simplified to a straight-ahead chord progression.
Things Called Love – Bonnie Raitt
This is a fun swinging pop rock song that has an amazing blues feel. This lesson offers a little country strumming on a fun chord progression. It is played in two different keys and the rhythm structure is constantly changing. This helps you learn how to go from one feel and style to another on the turn of a dime. Don’t forget to strum with a pick correctly for this one.
Woman – John Lennon
This is a great classic that is perfect playing around a campfire. It offers a lot of barre changes and a lot of barre chords. It has chord arpeggiation and suspended chords as well. And, there is a key change that happens 3/4 way through the song. Practicing and playing this fun song will help you become a great rhythm guitar player.
When Will I Be Loved – Linda Ronstadt
This is a fun song to play with only 3 chords, mostly open, with one barre chord. There is a shuffle strum. This classic tune is great for working on your strumming as well as where your hands are placed.
(Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
This has some great chord progressions. This song can be a bit intimidating for a beginner because it does have some barre chords coming in but they do a great job at teaching them in a way that is simple to understand. This song is great for practicing fretting your barre chords. It has a simple strumming pattern with some nice and easy chord progressions.
Imagine – John Lennon
This sugarcoated political message song with the brainchild of John Lennon. In this song, he is asking everyone to imagine a place with there were not things that would divide people. This such as religions, possessions, money, and power to name a few were removed the world would be better. This classic song is perfect for easy guitar lessons. There are open chords, barre chords, and a simple strumming pattern. This is a great song for sing-alongs. Some of the songs are a bit more challenging for beginners because of the F barre chord. This barre chord can be difficult for beginners and that makes this a great song for practicing.
Nobody Told Me
John Lennon wrote this song in 1976 and recorded it in 1980. He didn’t include it on the album though. Instead, he gave it to Ringo Starr. It finally surfaced after John Lennon’s death in 1984 as a single, along with other single’s that had been recorded and not released. In 1998 a different take was release with John Lennon Anthology set. In this classic and famous song, you will learn a straight forward strumming pattern. This classic solo has some great quirky chords in that are simplified for the easy guitar lessons. This is a great song to learn barre chords and extended chords better and have a better understanding of the guitar.
Honky Tonk Women – The Rolling Stones
This song was written about a prostitute. The Stones would play this at most of their live shows with many great theatrics. And, this classic song is available as an easy guitar lesson song which also expands on open chords and some suspended chord extensions with a sound known from The Rolling Stones.
Let it Be – The Beatles
Let it Be has a strong history, it was originally meant to inspire The Beatles and to get back to live performances, something they did better than in a studio. However, the band broke up before this song was released. Which gives this song a unique meaning to “Let it Be”. It is about leaving your problems behind and moving on. The words “Mother Mary” are referring to Paul McCartney’s mom, who passed away when he was 14, Paul is the one that wrote this song. This song is a great choice for a new guitar player as it helps with learning chords to the two progressions and repeating them over and over. This song has some challenges for beginners as well as the left hand. There is a bonus strumming lesson included as well.
You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
This is a great sing-along song to learn for the guitar and takes 2 chords and a rocking groove. It has an interesting 16th note feel in the right hand which they have simplified for the beginners. This is a great song to improve your C and F Chord as well as practicing getting more control with your right hand.
Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones
There are a few barre chords in the chord progressions that are a great challenge to the new guitar players. This is a fun song to play and a great sing-along song. It is really worth the effort to learn the few chord progressions in this song and practice at getting better. It offers simple strumming patterns and open chords.
Hotel California – Eagles
Hotel California is a classic, no doubt, which won a Grammy for Record of the year in 1977. The band didn’t show up to get the award but watched it from the T.V. while rehearsing. There are fun lines such as “She’s got the Mercedes Bends” that many thought it was a typo and should be “Mercedes Benz”, but that was an intentional play on words. Hotel California is an American classic but can be played by a beginner as well. This song is simplified down to basic chords and strumming to make it easier to play for beginners. It has a lot of various chords in the song that helps the beginner get better and knowing the fingering of the chords. The barre chord shapes are hard for a beginner but with lots of practice, you will get better.
The Boys of Summer – Don Henley
This is an easier version of the song, meant for more by the campfire and sing-alongs. It starts out with an easy way to adapt to a riff and will breakdown the fingerings for easier strumming. It is really fun to play a pop song like this as a solo artist. This has some really simple strumming in the right hand.
More Than A Feeling – Boston
This was Boston’s first single. It turns out that it was a surprising hit, since, most of the first album was recorded in Tom Scholz’s basement. Boston hit fame pretty quickly and rose to the top. Once they finally got their record deal with CBS they were required to record in a professional studio, which Scholz wasn’t impressed with. Because of the great promotions the group’s managers did, this band from the basement was noticed. Now, you can play this song with the help of amazing instructors at Guitartricks.com. This song uses mostly open chords and basic strumming. There is a bonus lesson that teaches the iconic intro that really kicks off the song.
Who will save your Soul – Jewel
Who will save your soul was a song written in by a young 16-year old that had traveled around Mexico hitchhiking. While there she noticed that many people were looking to be saved. And, she only knew 4 chords on her guitar, so, there you have it, the song was made. It was first released in 1994 but didn’t take off; however, in 1996 it was re-released as a single, and this time it made it to number 11 on the charts. This is a great lesson to learn those chords and get better at strumming.
Kiss from a Rose – Seal
This famous song won 1996 Record of the Year and Song of the year as well as the best pop vocal and it was a #1 hit in 1995 due to the fact it was on the Batman Forever soundtrack. This is Seals’ only #1 in the Billboard Charts; however, he had hit the charts 5 times total. With this song, you will have a chance to strengthen your chords and strumming rhythm as well as song form. You will learn to transition and bridge to be able to do the ending of the song.
Every Rose Has its Thorn – Poison
This all-time rock classic was #1 in the Billboard charts for three weeks from the end of 1988 to the beginning of 1989. When it first came out it was played on country stations as well, and that was far before anyone was doing cross overs. This song was in the charts for rock, pop, and country. This makes it a great song to learn and play with friends. You will learn the chords needed to play and practice your strumming once again.
Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
Runaway train was written by Dave Pirner about depression. He had the tune in his head but just couldn’t quite come up with the proper words until he went through some dark times and finished the song in a single sitting. With easy guitar lessons, you will be taught the song, as well as the chords to the song and the rhythm. Each part of the song is broken down. And, then put all back together for easy play.
Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
This song was written in only about an hour by Ronnie Van Zant’s and Gary Rossington after their grandmother and mother had passed away. It was in the movie Almost Famous. And, it is great to learn three basic open chords, which are used throughout the entire tune. They will discuss tips on strumming and how to stay relaxed and steady. This is a slow playing song, which is perfect for beginners.
Wide Open Road – Johnny Cash
Wide open road is a classic Johnny Cash song. This song is literally 5 chords with a slow tempo, perfect for learning!! By using a capo on the 5th fret to play in F Major but using C minor open chord shapes. Be prepared to learn Boom Chuck strumming pattern. The chords are C, AM, F, D& and G7 for the Wide Open Road.
Waiting for a Train – Johnny Cash
This is an interpretation of a Jimmy Roger’s Classic by Johnny Cash. This song uses 4 basic chord shapes in the key of C major and a capo on the first fret. Practicing the good left for will make your right hand sound great. This is a great opportunity to work with the C Major key, which includes F and G7.
Song of the South
Song of the South has both electric and acoustic in it. And, there is a single guitar approach that can be used as well. Song of the South was written by Bob McDill. In 1988 it reached #1 on record charts in both the US and Canada. It tells a story about a southern cotton farm during the great depression. This iconic song is a great one to learn and enjoy the various verses.
How Forever Feels
This one they talk about the tone of the song, acoustic. And, break down the intro and outro parts. Then they further break down the song into verse chords, chorus and define the strumming through a series of videos.
Easy Guitar Lessons
This is just a glimpse into the amazing selection of songs that are available for lessons. Each lesson is broken down into easy to understand sessions. And, there are a variety of instructors to choose from. So, finding an instructor that speaks the way you learn is simple. Many of the songs are broken up into simple to understand mini sessions. This allows you to practice and perfect that mini session before moving on. Many are also broken down by the way a beginner should learn, such as the chords are in one mini session for practicing them before putting them into a song.
If you are considering a guitar, the Guitartricks.com website is top notch, simple to navigate and easy to understand. They have a lot of genres to choose from and many very popular ones.
So, which easy guitar song will you work on first? Let me know in the comments below!
