Wednesday 20 February 2019

100+ Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners | Chord Charts & Tabs Included (2019)

Whether you are just starting to learn the guitar or you're more advanced, learning your favourite songs on the guitar is an extremely fun experience that will motivate you to keep learning, and grow your repertoire. By learning to master your favourite songs on the guitar your love for music can only continue to grow. Best of all the next time a guitar comes out at a party or an event, you will be ready to impress your friends and family. The list of easy guitar songs we've assembled below was put together primarily with the beginner guitarist in mind and it includes both acoustic guitar songs as well as electric, with and without the capo.
"A capo is a device used on the neck of a stringed (typically fretted) instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is a common ..." via Wikipedia
Some are as easy as two-chord songs which utilize open chords and are a great starting point for beginner guitar players, others use barre chords, and some have fairly challenging chord progressions and require more advanced technique. The list includes a variety of styles stemming from easy rock guitar songs, country songs, pop songs, Christmas songs and many more (see below for a full list of included styles and genres). Furthermore, it includes links to easy guitar chords, tabs, and strum patterns, although, as previously mentioned, there are several advanced guitar songs that have also been included in our ultimate list of easy songs to learn to play on guitar for beginners.

Easy Guitar Songs


You will probably recognize nearly every single one of these songs and wonder, how in the world are these songs easy to play?  You might be surprised at how simple these hit songs are to play on the guitar.  Try out our top 20 easy songs to learn on guitar today.


  • Complicated Avril Lavigne
  • Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
  • T.N.T - AC/DC
  • Summer Of 69 - Bryan Adams
  • Times Like These - Foo Fighters
  • Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
  • Walk Of Life - Dire Straits
  • Perfect - Ed Sheeran
  • Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
  • Let It Be - The Beatles
  • Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
  • That's All Right Mama - Elvis Presley
  • How Bizarre - OMC
  • Dance The Night Away - The Mavericks
  • Englishman In New York - Sting
  • Breezin' - George Benson
  • Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
  • Guns Of Brixton - The Clash
  • I Shot The Sheriff - Bob Marley
  • Miss You - The Rolling Stones

Featured Easy Guitar Song: Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond




Beginner Guitar Songs


Brand new to learning the guitar? Learning how to play the guitar is a wild journey that can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. Beginner guitar players should start with the basics and work their way up in song difficulty over time as you become more and more proficient. Learn the fundamentals of the guitar with these easy guitar songs for beginners.  


  • Stay With Me - Sam Smith
  • Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
  • Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
  • Creep - Radiohead
  • Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
  • Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
  • Knocking On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan
  • Stand By Me - Ben E. King
  • Mockingbird - James Taylor
  • I Can’t Explain - The Who
  • Die Young - Kesha
  • Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
  • Dynamite - Taio Cruz
  • Heart Of Gold - Neil Young
  • Time Of Your Life - Green Day
  • Imagine - John Lennon
  • Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
  • Viva La Vida - Coldplay
  • Wonderwall - Oasis
  • Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton



Featured Beginner Guitar Song: Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton



Easy Acoustic Guitar Songs


The acoustic guitar is a versatile instrument that you can take with you nearly everywhere. Next time you are at a party, on vacation, sitting around a campfire, have the skills and repertoire to impress your friends with these 20 easy songs to play on acoustic guitar.  


  • Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
  • Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
  • Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi
  • Patience - Guns N' Roses
  • Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
  • More Than Words - Extreme
  • Have You Ever Seen the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • Layla - Eric Clapton
  • She Talks to Angels - The Black Crowes
  • Everlong - Foo Fighters
  • Let Her Go - Passenger
  • Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
  • Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
  • The House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
  • Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
  • Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin
  • Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
  • I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
  • Silent Lucidity - Queensrÿche
  • Every Rose Has its Thorn - Poison


Featured Acoustic Guitar Song: Free Fallin' - Tom Petty



Electric Guitar Songs


The electric guitar can produce incredible sounds you will recognize anywhere. Learning the electric guitar doesn't need to be an overwhelming feat, below you will find 20 of the most hard hitting electric guitar songs you need to add to your repertoire so you can lay down some heavy riffs.  


  • Iron Man - Black Sabbath
  • Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
  • “Master of Puppets” – Metallica
  • This Means War” – Avenged Sevenfold
  • Sin City - ACDC
  • Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
  • I Can't Quit You Baby - Willie Dixon
  • It Hurts Me Too - Elmore James
  • Smoking Gun - Robert Cray
  • Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
  • Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
  • Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones
  • Wild Thing - The Troggs
  • Two Tickets To Paradise - Eddie Money
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
  • Still Got The Blues - Gary Moore
  • Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave
  • Born Free - Kid Rock
  • Rockstar - Nickelback
  • Fire Flies - Owl City


Featured Easy Electric Guitar Song: Iron Man - Black Sabbath



Classical Guitar Songs


Classical songs when played on the guitar have the unique ability to captivate and inspire the audience like no other instrument. Unfortunately few guitarists choose to learn classical guitar songs due to a lack of mainstream popularity.  Stand out from the crowd of guitarists and showcase your skills with by learning how to play some of the worlds most famous pieces of classical music on the guitar. These classical songs on the guitar have a special place in our heart, check out our top 20 classical songs to play on the guitar.  


  • Cavatina - Stanley Myers
  • Lonely Shepherd - Gheorghe Zamfir
  • Canarios - Gaspar Sanz
  • Guitar concerto in D – Vivaldi
  • Libertango – Piazzolla
  • La Catedral - Augustin Barrios Mangoré
  • Capricho Arabe - Francisco Tarrega
  • Recuerdos de la Alhambra - Francisco Tarrega
  • Gran Vals by Francisco Tárrega
  • Fantasia No. 10 by Alonso Mudarra
  • Ave Maria – Schubert
  • Malaguena by Michael Lucarelli
  • Fur Elise - Beethoven
  • Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven
  • Prelude in D - Caracassi
  • Ode To Joy - Beethoven
  • Air On The G String - Bach
  • Theme From Water Music - Handel
  • Lullaby - Brahms
  • Bourree Op. 17, No. 5 - Le Couppey


Featured Easy Classical Guitar Song: Fur Elise - Beethoven



Country Guitar Songs


Country music is a blast to play and the guitar is the country artists instrument of choice.  Country songs are some of the easiest to learn how to play on the guitar and with a little bit of practice, you can be picking right alongside your favorite guitarists. Learn how to play some of our favorite country hits from Willie Nelson to Carrie Underwood with our beginner's list of the top 20 country songs to play on the guitar.  


  • Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
  • Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
  • Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton
  • Guitars, Cadillacs - Dwight Yoakam
  • Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker
  • Bottoms Up - Brantley Gilbert
  • On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
  • Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • Broken Halos - Chris Stapleton
  • Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band
  • Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson
  • Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash
  • Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • Whiskey Lullaby - Brad Paisley
  • Les Nuits avec mon ennemi: Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
  • Fast as You - Dwight Yoakam
  • Angel of the Morning - Juice Newton
  • A Satisfied Mind - Porter Wagoner
  • Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
  • Good Directions - Billy Currington


Featured Easy Country Guitar Song: Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd



Christmas Guitar Songs


Christmas time is nearly upon us once again and it is time to break out the guitar and start to string our favorite Christmas songs.  Gather your friends and family near the Christmas tree and have them sing along to the best Christmas songs on the guitar. The classical Christmas carols we all know and love are actually incredibly easy to learn how to play on the guitar. Here are 20 of the best Christmas songs you should learn how to play on the guitar.  


  • Jingle Bells
  • Drummer Boy
  • White Christmas
  • Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
  • God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
  • The Christmas Song
  • O Come All Ye Faithful
  • A Merry Little Christmas
  • Joy to the World
  • O Little Town of Bethlehem
  • Winter Wonderland
  • Last Christmas
  • Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
  • All I Want for Christmas Is You
  • We Wish You a Merry Christmas
  • Blue Christmas
  • Wonderful Christmas
  • Sleigh Ride
  • Santa Baby
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!


Featured Easy Christmas Guitar Song: Jingle Bells



Easy Guitar Chord Songs


Learning chords on the guitar? If you are a beginner guitar player or just want some easy songs on guitar, you've come to the right place. These 20 songs with easy guitar chords are perfect for practicing and getting the fundamentals down before moving on to more advanced pieces. Be sure to practice and the chords and switching between chords for each song as it will speed up your learning process tremendously!  


  • Fire – Bruce Springsteen
  • The one I love – REM
  • Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles
  • Three little birds – Bob Marley
  • Zombie – The Cranberries
  • Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
  • Otherside – Red hot Chili Peppers
  • Brown eyed girl – Van Morrison
  • Tush - ZZ Top
  • I Can’t Quit You Baby - Willie Dixon
  • My Best Friend’s Girl - The Cars
  • What I Got - Sublime
  • Low - Cracker
  • Cherub Rock - The Smashing Pumpkins
  • Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly
  • I Need My Girl - The National
  • Skinny Love - Bon Iver
  • Rock Me Baby - B. B. King
  • He Didn't Have To Be - Brad Paisley
  • (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult


Featured Easy Guitar Chord Song: Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol



Easy Rock Guitar Songs


There’s nothing as thrilling as your fingers blazin' across the strings while strumming a good rock song. As a beginner guitarist you obviously want beginner songs, but they should also be a ton of fun to learn how to play.  Our list of the top 20 rock songs on guitar not only covers that, but it also gives you a set of awesome rock songs to add to your repertoire. 


  • Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
  • Layla - Derek and the Dominos
  • Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
  • Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
  • Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • All Along the Watchtower - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  • Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
  • (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
  • Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
  • Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
  • Walk This Way - Aerosmith
  • Eruption - Van Halen
  • The House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
  • Beat It - Michael Jackson
  • Wild Thing - The Troggs
  • Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
  • Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
  • Sunshine of Your Love - Cream

Featured Guitar Rock Song: Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin



Guitar Love Songs


Is there anything more romantic than to serenade the love of your life with a beautiful guitar love song? We're willing to bet she will get goose bumps along her arms and tears in her eyes but that she’ll also never forget that time when you played her a love song on your guitar. We've put together 20 guitar love songs that you can learn with ease. Pull out your guitar and start strumming along to these beautiful love songs and watch your sweetie's heart melt.  


  • Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
  • Like I'm Gonna Lose  You - Meghan Trainor
  • Love Story - Taylor Swift
  • Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
  • I’m Yours - Jason Mraz
  • More Than Words - Extreme
  • Just the Way Your Are - Bruno Mars
  • She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
  • Your Body Is a Wonderland," John Mayer
  • Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
  • You’re Beautiful – James Blunt
  • Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews Band
  • Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
  • Marry Me – Train
  • Heaven – Bryan Adams
  • Wanted – Hunter Hayes
  • I’ll Be – Edwin McCain
  • Stay With Me – Sam Smith
  • Something – The Beatles
  • Everything – Michael Bublé


Featured Easy Guitar Love Song: Love Story - Taylor Swift



Easy Guitar Tab Songs


Guitar tabs for beginner guitarists should be easy and fun. Guitar tabs are a simplified form of musical notation that is easy to share. This list of songs with easy guitar tabs is comprised of popular hits that are easy for a beginner student to quickly pick up on, and learn how to play the guitar.  


  • Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
  • Cocaine – Eric Clapton
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
  • Walk This Way – Aerosmith
  • Taking Care of Business – BTO
  • Harder To Breathe – Maroon 5
  • The Joker – Steve Miller Band
  • My Generation – The Who
  • Iron Man – Black Sabbath
  • Pretty Woman– Roy Orbison
  • Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
  • Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • Stairway to Heaven -Led Zeppelin
  • Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
  • Blackbird - The Beatles
  • Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
  • The House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
  • Come as You Are - Nirvana
  • Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
  • Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley


Featured Guitar Tab Song: Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple



Christian Guitar Songs


Are you looking for ways to incorporate your love of the guitar with your love of God? You have your choice of popular Christian songs, but many new guitar players struggle finding songs they want to play at their appropriate skill level and become discouraged. These 20 easy Christian guitar songs are easy to play for a beginner guitarist but are also very popular, members of your church will be sure to be singing along with you.  


  • Above All - Michael W. Smith
  • I Surrender - Hillsong Worship
  • Holy Is the Lord - Chris Tomlin
  • Good Good Father - Chris Tomlin
  • Lord, I Need You - Matt Maher
  • O Come to the Altar - Elevation Worship
  • Hosanna - Hillsong United
  • God of Wonders - Third Day
  • At the Cross (Love Ran Red) -  Chris Tomlin
  • Come as You Are - Crowder
  • Your Grace Is Enough - Chris Tomlin
  • This Is Amazing Grace - Phil Wickham
  • Came to My Rescue - Hillsong United
  • Forever - Chris Tomlin
  • Nothing Is Impossible - Planetshakers
  • So Will I (100 Billion X) - Hillsong United
  • Everlasting God - Chris Tomlin
  • Reckless Love - Cory Asbury
  • Do It Again - Elevation Worship
  • Build Your Kingdom Here - Rend Collective


Featured Easy Christian Guitar Song: Good Good Father - Chris Tomlin



Kids Guitar Songs


Teaching kids to learn and love playing the guitar doesn't need to be hard.  Kids want to play songs they know and love but can become discouraged if their initial learning process is filled with boredom and difficulty. Teaching kids the basic guitar fundamentals with simple, familiar guitar songs can be an excellent learning experience that will grow their interest and confidence in learning the guitar.  Check out these 20 guitar songs for kids that only use a few chords, these songs will give them to confidence and motivation to continue learning.  


  • The Ants Go Marching
  • Yankee Doodle
  • Three Blind Mice
  • The Muffin Man
  • Ring Around the Rosies
  • Little Red Ridinghood
  • London Bridge Is Falling Down
  • Hot Cross Buns
  • Gingerbread Man
  • Happy Birthday
  • Cinderella
  • B-I-N-G-O
  • The Bear Went Over the Mountain
  • Hokey Pokey
  • Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
  • Mary Had a Little Lamb
  • Row, row, row your boat
  • Old Macdonald
  • Head Shoulders Knees And Toes
  • Im A Little Teapot


Featured Easy Kids Guitar Song: Happy Birthday



Easy Pop Songs On Guitar


Many guitarists picked up their first guitar because they thought it would be awesome to learn how to play their favourite pop songs on the guitar, and they weren't wrong. A big stumbling block for people looking to get their start learning the guitar can be picking the appropriate song for their skill level.  Slow and steady is the motto for long term success and it definitely applies to learning the guitar. You can still learn how to play your favourite pop songs on the guitar you just need a little help finding the right ones. We've compiled a list of easy pop songs for the guitar that you can begin to pickup in only a few minutes, check out our list below.


  • I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
  • Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
  • Blackbird - The Beatles
  • Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
  • Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
  • Dust in the Wind - Kansas
  • Every Breath You Take - The Police
  • Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
  • Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Love Yourself - Justin Bieber
  • Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
  • Yellow - Coldplay
  • Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
  • Zombie - The Cranberries
  • Let Her Go - Passenger
  • Hey Jude - The Beatles
  • Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
  • A Horse with No Name - America
  • Photograph - Ed Sheeran
  • Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley

Featured Easy Guitar Pop Song: Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran



The post 100+ Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners | Chord Charts & Tabs Included (2019) first appeared on Merriam School of  Music