15 Easiest Songs to Learn on Guitar That Will Teach You Basic Chords

Learning the guitar is an excellent decision for anyone, no matter how young, old, or inexperienced you are. Of course, guitar learning poses significant challenges, as nobody wakes up one day and can instantly strum out an entire melody! Before you can smoothly play the likes of Through the Fire and Flames and Far Beyond the Sun (two complex songs to learn, even for experienced guitar players), you’ll need to tackle some of the most accessible songs to learn on guitar first. That way, you can learn the basic chords and develop your finger-plucking skills.
Of course, before you can do all of that, you’ll need a guitar that’s in tune. If you’re still at that stage, here is How to Choose, Tune, & Play Your First Guitar. It’s a crucial step!
Key Takeaways:
- Learning Songs is a Great Way to Teach Yourself Basic Chords
- Some Songs Will Be Easier than Others
- You Can Learn Songs in a Range of Genres When Learning the Guitar!
Should You Learn Guitar Songs as a Beginner?
Yes! Some might assume the best way to learn the guitar is by learning each chord individually. While this can be helpful, it cannot be the only lesson you pursue, as you won’t learn additional skills from guitar-playing, such as rhythm. Getting to grips with the most accessible songs to learn on the guitar is helpful for several reasons – for one, it allows you to play the chords in time and in a particular order, which tends to be a trickier hurdle to overcome as a beginner. As well as that, learning a song is undeniably a lot more enjoyable than simply learning the chords E minor, D, and A minor – once you have nailed even one section of the song, you’ll already feel like a guitar player!
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What Are the Basic Chords?
One of the most overwhelming things when learning guitar is the number of chords and their variants. It’s hard to know where to begin. Luckily, there are particular chords considered to be suitable for beginners, and they include:
- Em
- E
- Am
- C
- A
- G
- D
- Dm
- E7
- D7
- A7
- C7
You can master most of these with some of the most accessible songs to learn on guitar, listed below. These chords are effective because they are simple to grip and can get more complex as you develop your guitar skills. They will also work to play a wide range of songs so that you can play pop, rock, blues, classic country songs, and many others once you’ve nailed them.
The 15 Easiest Songs to Learn Basic Chords
Now, let's move on to some easy songs to learn on the guitar. These span several music genres and will develop your skills quickly, particularly when understanding basic chords.
1. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Who wouldn’t want to learn a Pink Floyd song? The world-changing progressive rock band had some of the best guitarists, including David Gilmour. The good news is you don’t need to be at his level to play one of their most beloved songs, Wish You Were Here. Wish You Were Here comprises six chords: Em7, A7sus4, G, D, C, and Am. A7sus4 may sound out of reach for a beginner, but it’s super simple to learn. If you struggle with the Em7 chord, there is an alternative that simplifies getting the fingering right, so consider using that.
John Lennon released the much-loved song about peace and harmony in 1971, and it’s still as popular today as ever, with guitarists with little and lots of experience learning it for the first time. It makes a good song for a beginner, as it includes several beginner-friendly chords, including C Major, F Major, G Major, E Major, E Major 7, C Major 7, and D Minor. The main tricky one here is the F Major, a barre chord that may take some practice but will feel amazing to master finally. Plus, once you get comfortable playing Imagine, you can add some embellishments to make the song your own.
3. Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Van Morrison released a couple of songs that are easy to learn on guitar, including Brown Eyed Girl, a perfect soft rock melody about an old love that is undeniably uplifting. As a guitar beginner, you can play this enjoyable melody once you know the chords G, C, D, E Minor, and D7. All you then need is your acoustic guitar and some strumming ability!
The Beatles changed pop forever, releasing album after album of deep, meaningful, and eclectic songs, all perfectly created thanks to the mixed blend of talent from each of the Liverpudlian musicians, including the likes of John Lennon and George Harrison. Let It Be is a particular stand-out; a song inspired by Paul McCartney’s mother, who died when he was just 14. It’s a sad but beautiful song and doesn’t require too much effort to learn, as you only need to know four chords to play this tune: G major, C major, D major, and E minor. The song isn’t particularly fast, too, which means you’ll find it easier to complete in its entirety without missing a chord.
As a bonus tip – the song No Woman No Cry has the same chords as Let it Be, so you can master that once you know how to play Let it Be!
Amy Winehouse was an influential singer/songwriter known for her eclectic style and contralto vocals. One of her most well-known songs is Valerie. While this song thrives thanks to the vocals, you still need a melody to make it work, and you can learn it on guitar pretty quickly. The guitar chords include C, D minor, F, E minor, G, and Cmaj7.
If you want to learn a sweet, melodic song on the guitar that isn’t hard to understand, why not try I’m Yours by Jason Mraz? It’s always a crowd-pleaser, and the chords are pretty simple, including G, D, E minor, C, A7, Dsus4, and Bm, with the hardest one here being Bm.
7. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Are you looking for a country rock song? You can’t go wrong with Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd – not only extremely enjoyable to sing along to but also refreshingly simple to learn on the guitar. It only contains four simple chords: D, C, G, and F! It’s a three-chord progression song that even the most inexperienced guitar players can pick up quickly. Once you start strumming, you’ll instantly feel transported to the American South.
8. Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
As Bob Marley says, you don’t have to worry about anything, not when you play this easy guitar song to learn! Three Little Birds is an uplifting, light-hearted tune all about letting the worries of life melt away. You can do just that while playing this song – it’s so easy that you’ll feel completely relaxed. It is only made up of three chords: A, D, and E, which come together to form the popular reggae beat that you’ll want to play over and over again. Watch out for the strumming technique; however, this part can be trickier than learning the chords.
Another uplifting tune includes Stand By Me by Ben E. King. It contains entirely open chords, including C, A minor, F, and G, making it one of the most accessible songs to learn on guitar. Plus, you need to be on time with the beat - the one area in which you may struggle slightly is the timing of the intro riff, but it’s more than achievable for a beginner! You’ll be singing along to your guitar strumming before too long.
10. Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
What about a more recent ballad? Lewis Capaldi captured the hearts of the nation thanks to his incredible voice. In 2019, he released Someone You Love, an instant hit. While it might take some work to reach Capaldi’s level of voice control, you can play it on guitar quickly with the chords C, G, A minor, F, D minor, Dm7, and Am7.
The soulful, sweet song Hey, Soul Sister by Train is popular for guitarists of all abilities to learn – including beginners. This distinctive song uses C, G, A minor, and F chords, creating an upbeat melody you can’t help singing along to.
12. Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Nearly everyone knows the words to the song Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver. It’s the type of song that can get even the shyest people belting out the tune! However, not everyone knows how to play it on guitar, and you can learn that even as a beginner, which will surely impress the people around you who would be happy to sing along. Country Roads has six chords to learn: G, E minor, D, C, F, and D7.
13. House of the Rising Sun – The Animals
Another easy song to learn on guitar is House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. This famous tune encapsulates the deep, gritty atmosphere of New Orleans with its folky riffs and dark lyrics. It’s a great song to learn, as it is easy and a much-loved tune that will impress many people, especially those who love blues and rock. The chords for House of the Rising Sun include A minor, C, D E, and F in the early stages of the song, and then C/E, E7, and F7 further in.
Radiohead’s Creep is known and loved all over the world. You might not envision playing guitar and singing to Creep as a beginner, but it’s more than doable. It includes four chords: G, B, C, and C minor. However, it’s important to note that some may struggle with B and C minor, as these are both barre chords and may take more practice to make perfect. There are accessible versions of barre chords for beginners, so you can use those at first when playing Creep.
Fleetwood Mac released multiple iconic and beloved songs, from The Chain to Dreams to Landslide. If you’re a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac and want to play one of their songs on the guitar, you can’t go wrong with Landslide, as it’s arguably one of the easiest ones to learn (as well as a lot of fun!). Landslide includes quite a few chords compared to the rest of the songs on this list, including C, G, A minor, D7, E minor, D, A, B minor, E7, and F# minor. While it might sound like a lot, these are all doable and will help you expand your guitar-playing knowledge, including learning a wide range of chords. Once you master Landslide, you can move on to more complex songs.
What Else to Consider When Choosing the Right Song to Learn
When picking an easy guitar song to learn, you likely steer towards one that has simple chords you already know how to play. That is undeniably a good idea, but how else do you pick a song? Choose one you already know, as you’ll be more familiar with the rhythm, making strumming to the beat much more accessible. It makes sense to learn a guitar song you genuinely enjoy, as you’ll want to play it repeatedly!
Are you looking for more songs you can learn on guitar? If you’ve started to bypass the beginner’s stage and want to search for songs based on genre, consider these 10 Emotional Songs to Learn on Piano and Guitar. Not only will they be fun to learn, but they’ll evoke genuine emotions in you.
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