From Spanish to Japanese, and everything in between
A favorite at any karaoke party, Van Morrison's 1967 smash hit 'Brown Eyed Girl' is a perfect crowd-pleaser to learn when you're first starting out. Four of the easiest and most useful chords and a little bit of soul is all that's needed to get this track down.
The Beatles are the biggest band in history, and they didn't claim that title by playing complicated, inaccessible songs. Countless Beatles songs are just as easy to play as they are to listen to, and 1966's 'Eleanor Rigby' is a perfect example.
Perhaps the most polarizing pop song ever written, you either love 'Wonderwall' or you hate it. Regardless of how you feel about the Gallagher brothers and their biggest hit, it's undeniable that it's an easy song to learn. Just five basic chords to learn and you're ready to go.
Ed Sheeran, the acoustic guitar-toting pop darling himself, is a great person to get into if you're looking to learn simple but powerful songs on the guitar. 'Photograph' is played with a capo and can help you get acquainted with the full length of the guitar neck, but the chords are simple and easy to remember.
Reggae is one of the most enjoyable genres to play on guitar, for both its simplicity and its openness. Bob Marley's timeless tune 'Stir It Up' only requires a simple repetition of three easy chords, at a slow and relaxed pace that leaves tons of room for improvisation.
Fleetwood Mac's heartfelt 1975 ballad 'Landslide' is a perfect song to learn some fingerpicking patterns with. The patterns are simple, and the base chords are easy to learn and don't change too much, making it perfect for beginners.
Hank Williams, a legend of country music, wrote 'Jambalaya' way back in 1955, and it found renewed popularity once more in 1973 when it was covered by the Carpenters. The song only requires two easy chords, and is a great choice for singalongs.
Depending on who you ask, Bob Dylan is arguably the greatest singer-songwriter of all time. While it's true that many of his biggest hits are filled with dizzying fingerpicking and frantic strumming patterns, the biggest hit is actually a simple, easy-to-learn, three-chord ballad.
Looking to learn something a little heavier than just campfire jams? The iconic riff from Blur's 1997 hit 'Song 2' is just two chord structures moved up and down the neck of the guitar, making it a super easy tune to pick up.
'Bad Moon Rising,' Credence Clearwater Revival's classic from 1969, is a must-have in your guitar repertoire, and you can easily learn its three chords in just a few hours.
One of Nirvana's many timeless classics, 1991's 'Come as You Are' only takes two chords. You'll be sounding just like Kurt Cobain before lunchtime!
The theme song of the South, the album version of 'Sweet Home Alabama' might be filled with flashy licks and fancy fingerpicking patterns, but the core of the song is based around just three chords, making it easy to learn and also a great long-term project if you want to learn to play it note-for-note.
Fans of classic rock icons AC/DC will be happy to know that their most famous song is a breeze to learn. With only four basic chords to get down, you'll be rocking out before you even break a sweat.
One of Taylor Swift's biggest early hits, 2014's 'Shake It Off' is easy to learn, with only three chords involved, and it's sure to please a crowd.
Pink Floyd's greatest deep cut, 1975's 'Wish You Were Here' is also one of their easiest to learn on guitar. While there are a couple more than four chords involved, they're easy to learn, and once you've got them memorized the rest will be a breeze.
One of the greatest songs by one of the world's greatest rock bands, The Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' is easy to learn while still challenging beginners to become more acquainted with the whole fretboard.
Another singalong favorite, Ben E. King's 1961 hit 'Stand By Me' is a great song to play in groups and with friends. The song uses the four easiest and most common chords in music, so learning this one will be quick and easy.
One of the most frequently covered songs in history, Leonard Cohen's breathtakingly beautiful ballad 'Hallelujah' is another deceptively simple song that only uses four chords but can fill a room with sound and emotion.
Irish rock group the Cranberries quickly reached the level of rock royalty, thanks in no small part to bandleader Dolores O'Riordan's haunting voice and inventive guitar playing. The band's biggest hit, 1994's 'Zombie,' uses an easy four-chord progression that is easy to memorize, giving you the opportunity to practice singing while playing.
Tracy Chapman's beautiful 1988 call to arms 'Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution' is a great song to practice singing and playing at the same time. While Chapman's lyrics and vocal rhythm can be complicated, they're easy to focus on because the four guitar chords are simple and consistent.
Another Beatles track that is always sure to delight, their dancy 1963 rendition of the Top Notes' 'Twist and Shout' only uses four chords that are easy to learn and are widely used in other songs as well.
Bon Iver's quietly heart-wrenching hit from 2007 is on almost every novice guitar player's "must-learn" list. Fortunately, that goal is easy to achieve, thanks to tune's slow pace. It's the perfect song to practice some more complex chord structures.
The feel-good hit of 1995, Alanis Morissette's infectiously catchy 'Hand in My Pocket' is a perfect tune for a nostalgic singalong, and its easy fingerpicking pattern is mostly based on just one easy chord.
Radiohead's first hit was 1992's 'Creep.' The song is still played almost daily in bars and by radio stations around the world, and it can become a daily play in your living room too once you get the chords down. While the song does use two different bar chords, the simple progression makes them easy to practice.
In 1968, guitar god Jimi Hendrix popularized Bob Dylan's 1967 song 'All Along the Watchtower' and turned it into one of the greatest rock songs of the 20th century. Despite being considered one of the best guitarists of all time, not all of his songs require the skills of a master. Hendrix's rendition of 'Watchtower' is a deceptively simple song to learn that is sure to impress.
Almost every guitar teacher on Earth will teach their students 'Hotel California' before long. The song incorporates simple fingerpicking with simple chord progressions, making it a great song to develop dexterity in your strumming hand.
Sources: (Music Grotto) (Open Mic UK) (Acoustic World)
See also: The world's greatest rock guitarists
One of the most iconic songs of the 1990s, Sublime's 'What I Got' is recognized and loved almost universally. The best news, for new guitarists, is that this classic is played with the two easiest and most common chords in music.
English singer Sam Smith's breakout hit, the heartfelt ballad 'Stay With Me' is a great song to learn if you want to impress that special someone. It's relatively easy to learn on guitar and uses only one bar chord, making it a great choice for an introduction to bar chords.
Deep Purple's 1972 song 'Smoke on the Water' starts with one of the most iconic guitar licks in history. The best part is that it's incredibly easy to learn, and you'll be playing along in no time.
The guitar is one of the most appealing instruments in the world. It's attractive, it's accessible, and if you can learn to play well, it can produce some of the most beautiful sounds you've ever heard. Studies estimate around 16 million people in the United States alone started to learn guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic, and hopefully most of them have stuck with it. Despite the exciting prospects of learning a new instrument, the actual work involved can seem boring and repetitive; no one likes repeating scales for hours on end. So why not practice with some real songs? Some of the most popular tunes ever written are easy to play, simple to learn, and can help beginners familiarize themselves with the basics of guitar playing.
Read on to find out which classic tracks can help you hone your guitar chops.
The greatest beginner songs to learn on guitar
Learn these classic and popular tunes
MUSIC Instruments
The guitar is one of the most appealing instruments in the world. It's attractive, it's accessible, and if you can learn to play well, it can produce some of the most beautiful sounds you've ever heard. Studies estimate around 16 million people in the United States alone started to learn guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic, and hopefully most of them have stuck with it. Despite the exciting prospects of learning a new instrument, the actual work involved can seem boring and repetitive; no one likes repeating scales for hours on end. So why not practice with some real songs? Some of the most popular tunes ever written are easy to play, simple to learn, and can help beginners familiarize themselves with the basics of guitar playing.
Read on to find out which classic tracks can help you hone your guitar chops.