52 Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners

2. “Learning to Fly” – Tom Petty

Chords: F – C – Am – G

“Learning to Fly” is a Tom Petty song from Into the Great Wide Open. The F – C – Am – G chord progression is played on repeat throughout the song with only minor variations. This combined with a simple strumming pattern make it one of the easiest songs to learn on guitar.

Listen:

Chord Alternatives:

If you find the F barre chord difficult to finger, you can drop the root note on string 6 and play it as a second inversion chord as shown in the first diagram. Alternatively, you can simply play it as a root position triad.

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3. “Dead Flowers” – The Rolling Stones

Chords: D – A – G

A simple 3-chord progression, “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones is about as easy as it gets. What I love about it is with three chords you get a verse, pre-chorus, and chorus that are all distinct from each other. It’s a really fun song to play with a really nice groove, particularly the chorus.

Listen:

4. “Rockin’ In the Free World” – Neil Young

Chords: Em – D – C – G – A

Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” is a great, hard rocking song played in the key of Em. It features some classic palm muting along with ringing open chords. It’s an easy guitar song to learn and one every beginner player should get under their belt.

Listen: “Rockin’ in the Free World” – Neil Young

5. “The Celestials” – The Smashing Pumpkins

Chords: Em – G – D – Cadd9 – Am

“The Celestials” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a great song to practice fundamental strumming patterns and dynamics. This song is played with a capo on the 2nd fret, but the chords shown here are based on the open forms.

Listen:

6. “Used to Love Her” – Guns N’ Roses

Chords: D – A – G

Another easy acoustic guitar song. “Used to Love Her” by Guns N’ Roses is almost identical to “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones. It uses the same three open guitar chords, only the chord progression varies just a bit. If you know one, you essentially know the other as well.

Listen: “Used to Love Her” – Guns N’ Roses

7. “One” – U2

Chords: Am – D – F – G – C

Probably my favorite U2 song, “One” is also an easy song to learn on guitar and a perfect song for a beginner. It uses mostly open chords with just one barre chord and has a simple strumming pattern.

Listen: “One” – U2

Chord Alternatives:

Similar to Learning to Fly, One uses an F barre chord which is typically the most difficult barre chord for a beginner to play. You can simply drop the root on string 6 or just play it as a root position triad to make it a lot easier to play.

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8. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Chords: C – Am – G – F – C/B – Am/G

“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” provides a good first look at slash chords, which are chords in which a note other than the root is in the bass position, noted by the slash in the chord name. The left side of the slash indicates the chord, while the right side of the slash indicates the bass note.

The song uses a common, straightforward strumming pattern, so it’s good practice as you’ll come across this pattern again.

Listen:

Chord Alternatives:

Again, we can substitute a second inversion F chord which removes the barre from string 6 or simply play the chord as a root position triad.

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9. “Ho Hey” – The Lumineers

Chords: F – C – Am – G

When it comes to The Lumineers’ music, they get a lot of mileage out these 4 chords. “Ho Hey” is no exception. It’s a perfect song for a beginner guitar player. This song also provides opportunities to vary the fingering on the F and G chords, so feel free to play around with it.

Listen: “Ho Hey” – The Lumineers

Chord Alternatives:

To make the F barre chord easier to play, you can play it as a second inversion chord or play it as a root position triad.

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10. “And It Stoned Me” – Van Morrison

Chords: G – C – D – Am – Em

“And It Stoned Me” is from Van Morrison’s epic Moondance album. It’s a five-chord song in the key of G major and is based around open chords. While the strumming pattern isn’t difficult, it is a bit different than you’ll see in a lot of the other songs on this list. It’s great practice for dynamics, rhythm and timing.

Listen: “And It Stoned Me” – Van Morrison

11. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” – Green Day

Chords: G – C – D – Cadd9 – Em

“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” comes from Green Day’s fifth album, Nimrod. While the chords are arpeggiated in the beginning of the song, they can just as easily be strummed. The strumming pattern and rhythm of this song is pretty standard, but it’s fun to play and something you’ll come across in other songs as well.

Listen: “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” – Green Day

13. “I Remember You” – Skid Row

Chords: G – Cadd9 – D – C – Em

“I Remember You” is a popular monster ballad from Skid Row. While the chords are mostly strummed, it does provide opportunities to incorporate some embellishments between the chords changes to spice things up a bit.

Listen: “I Remember You” – Skid Row

14. “Mother” – Pink Floyd

Chords: G – C – D – F

“Mother” comes from Pink Floyd’s epic concept album The Wall. It’s a simple chord progression played in the key of G, but there’s an intricacy to the strumming pattern that can trip you up if you’re not careful. If you follow the lead of the lyrics, you’ll catch on to the rhythm pretty quickly.

Listen:

Chord Alternatives:

As we’ve done previously, we can substitute a second inversion F chord or a root position F triad for the barre chord.

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15. “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” – Bob Dylan

Chords: G – C – D – Am

Probably the first song that comes to mind when you think of easy songs to play on the guitar, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” is a classic Bob Dylan tune that’s a must learn for every guitar player. Four open chords and a simple strumming pattern make it a perfect first song to get under your belt.

Listen: “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” – Bob Dylan

16. “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” – R.E.M.

Chords: D – A – G – Bm – E

Probably not a song you’ll find on a lot of lists, but this five-chord song from R.E.M. has a nice energy to it and is really fun to play. The strumming is easy, but it switches up a bit here and there (even the intro has some variation), providing a good opportunity practice different rhythm changes throughout a song.

Listen: “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” – R.E.M

Chord Alternatives:

In place of the Bm barre chord, you can remove the barre from the 5th string root note and play it as a second inversion chord to make it a little easier to play.

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17. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Chords: G – C – D – F

“Sweet Home Alabama” comes from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s second album, Second Helping. It’s a simple three-chord progression for most of the song and a suitable song for beginners. The C chord in the opening riff is played as a Cadd9, but if you’re just strumming along, the standard C major chord works as well.

Listen: “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Chord Alternatives:

Here we are again with the F barre chord. The following alternatives can be used in its place.

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18. “Wild Horses” – The Rolling Stones

Chords: Am – G – C – D – Bm – F

One of my favorite songs by the The Rolling Stones, “Wild Horses” is from their 1971 album, Sticky Fingers. It’s a classic song every guitar player will want to learn. It’s another song that provides an opportunity to dial-in your strumming dynamics and rhythm.

Listen: “Wild Horses” – The Rolling Stones

Chord Alternatives:

For Wild Horses, we can switch out both the F and Bm barre chords for easier to play versions.

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19. “No Rain” – Blind Melon

Chords: E – A – G – D – E7

Blind Melon’s “No Rain” came out during the surge of alternative and grunge music in the early ’90s. It’s primarily a four-chord song with an E7 brought in for a little embellishment. It has a great groove to it and it’s really fun to strum.

Listen: “No Rain” – Blind Melon

Chord Alternatives:

If you find the E7 chord a little strange to finger, you can swap it out with the simplified version shown below.

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20. “Summer of 69” – Bryan Adams

Chords: D – A – G – Bm – F – B♭ – C

Break out the electric guitar and crank up the gain! “Summer of 69” is a rockin’ song by Bryan Adams that’s just loads of fun to play. From palm muting to picking dynamics and strumming variations, this song has it all.

Listen: “Summer of 69” – Bryan Adams

Chord Alternatives:

If you find the Bm barre chord a challenge, the simplified version below works equally as well.

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21. “Cover Me” – Candlebox

Chords: Em – G – D – Cadd9

From their great debut album, Candlebox’s “Cover Me” is a fantastic acoustic song if you’re just starting out on the guitar. The strumming pattern is pretty basic and the tempo is ideal for practicing chord changes.

Listen: “Cover Me” – Candlebox

22. “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison

Chords: G – C – D – Em – D7

The second song on the list from Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed” girl is another easy, uptempo acoustic guitar song that’s just fun to strum.

Listen: “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison

23. “Mr. Tambourine Man” – Bob Dylan

Chords: G – A – D – Dsus2

Sticking to seconds, “Mr. Tambourine Man” is Bob Dylan’s second song on the list. It’s a great for practicing strumming rhythms and chord changes. It’s played with a capo on the 3rd fret and the chords are the open form shapes relative to the capo. Add this one to the list of easy acoustic songs to learn on guitar.

Listen:

24. “Mr. Jones” – Counting Crows

Chords: Am – F – Dm – G – C

Form their debut album August and Everything After, “Mr. Jones” was the breakout song for Counting Crows. The strumming pattern is simple, but it is a little different than other songs on this list. It provides a good opportunity to expand your rhythms.

Listen: “Mr. Jones” – Counting Crows

Chord Alternatives:

In place of the F barre chord, you can use either version below for an easier-to-play version.

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25. “Tangerine” – Led Zeppelin

Chords: Am – G – C – D – Dsus2 – Dsus4 – Asus2 – Asus4

There aren’t many Led Zeppelin songs that will make a list of easy guitar songs for beginners, but “Tangerine” is one of them. And if you’re not already familiar, it’s a great introduction to sus2/sus4 chords. While the number of chords in this song seems like a lot, it’s mostly just the basic movement between the major chords and the sus2/sus4 chords.

Listen: “Tangerine” – Led Zeppelin

26. “Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Chords: D – A – G

Three chords is all it takes for “Bad Moon Rising”. Again, Creedence Clearwater Revival shows that complicated chord progressions are not a requirement for a great song. Even though it’s only three chords, it’s great for practicing chord progressions and strumming.

Listen: “Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival

27. “Into the Mystic” – Van Morrison

Chords: C – G – Em – F

Another classic from Van Morrison’s Moondance album. The strumming pattern on this song is varied, so pay close attention to the rhythm and dynamics.

A capo is used on the 3rd fret and the open chords are relative to the capo.

Listen: “Into the Mystic” – Van Morrison

Chord Alternatives:

Feel free to substitute these easier-to-play versions of the F major chord for the F major barre chord.

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28. “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd

Chords: Em7 – A7sus4 – G – D – C – Am

With chord names like A7sus4, “Wish You Were Here” may seem complicated. It isn’t. Don’t let the chord names throw you off, they’re all really easy to play. It has a nice, varied rhythm to it that just flows once you get the feel.

Listen: “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd

Chord Alternatives:

As an alternative to the full Em7 chord, you can play the following version which makes the fingering slightly more comfortable.

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29. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” – Tom Petty

Chords: Am – G – D – Em7 – A

Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” provides some cool dynamics on the chord strumming. This is my favorite Tom Petty song to play. The groove on it is just awesome and it’s so much fun to jam on.

Listen: “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” – Tom Petty

Chord Alternatives:

For the Em7 chord, you can substitute the following voicing.

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30. “Wonderwall” – Oasis

Chords: Em – G – D – A – C

“Wonderwall” comes from Oasis’ second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?. It’s all open chords, but provides some cool strumming techniques. You just have to listen closely to pick up on it.

Listen: “Wonderwall” – Oasis

31. “The Times They are A-Changin'” – Bob Dylan

Chords: Em – G – Am – D – C

You can fill an entire list of easy songs for beginners with Bob Dylan songs alone. This is another great song from one of the greatest song writers ever. Again, we’re just using open chords here, but the strumming rhythm has some interesting parts. You have to listen closely, though, because it’s easy to treat it as single pattern without the variations.

Listen: “The Times They Are A Changin'” – Bob Dylan

32. “When I Come Around” – Green Day

Chords: G – D – Em – C – Am

One of their biggest commercial hits, “When I Come Around” comes from Green Day’s major label debut album, Dookie. Here the chords are adapted to open chord positions, but they can be played as power chords as well. It’s a nice combination of palm muting and open chord strumming and ring outs.

Listen: “When I Come Around” – Green Days

33. “Creep” – Radiohead

Chords: G – B – C – Cm

If you’ve never learned any Radiohead songs, I highly recommend it. You’ll be exposed to a plethora of guitar chords you’ve probably never heard of before. “Creep”, however, is one of the exceptions. This song just uses straightforward barre chords on repeat, making it ideal for beginner guitar players. The chords are arpeggiated in the song, but it’s perfectly fine to strum them as well.

Listen: “Creep” – Radiohead

Chord Alternatives:

The barre chords for Creep can be modified by removing the root note from the 6th string, making the chords easier to play.

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34. “What’s Up?” – 4 Non Blondes

Chords: A – Bm – D

Another easy three chord song. This one comes from 4 Non Blondes. “What’s Up?” is their hit song from their 1992 debut album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!. The strumming is just a basic pattern that’s easy to pick up.

Listen: “What’s Up?” – 4 Non Blondes

Chord Alternatives:

You can substitute a second inversion Bm chord in place of the full Bm barre chord.

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35. “I Won’t Back Down” – Tom Petty

Chords: Em – D – G – C

Released in 1989, Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” has become an American anthem. Like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty was a masterful song writer that got a lot of mileage out of simple chord progressions. This is good song to practice your palm muting technique.

Listen: “I Won’t Back Down” – Tom Petty

36. “Small Town” – John Mellencamp

Chords: G – D – C – Am

An uptempo classic from John Mellencamp, “Small Town” has long been one of my favorite tunes of his. This is another song with a great strumming pattern and chord progression that’s just a lot of fun to play. It’s played with a capo, so the chords are relative to the capo.

Listen: “Small Town” – John Mellencamp

37. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” – Poison

Chords: G – Cadd9 – D – C – Em

“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is great 80s power ballad from Poison. Straightforward strumming pattern and open chords. Doesn’t get any easier.

Listen: “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” – Poison

38. “About a Girl” – Nirvana

Chords: Em – G – C# – C#/G3 – F# – A – C

Nirvana’s “About A Girl” is from their lesser known first album, Bleach, but gained popularity when they played it on MTV’s Unplugged. While the number of chords may look intimidating, it’s really not a complicated song at all. There are some variations in the strumming patterns, but they’re all very basic and easy to play.

Listen: “About A Girl” – Nirvana

Chord Alternatives:

If you find the barre chords difficult to play, you can use the following voicing to make it a bit easier.

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39. “Disarm” – The Smashing Pumpkins

Chords: Em7 – Cadd9 – G – Dsus4/F# – D – Em

“Disarm” comes from The Smashing Pumpkins second album, Siamese Dream. The chords are pretty straightforward, but the progression can be a little tricky at first. If you want to work on strumming dynamics, this is the song for you.

Listen: “Disarm” – The Smashing Pumpkins

40. “Two Steps Behind” – Def Leppard

Chords: A – D – G – E – F#m

“Two Steps Behind” is an acoustic song by Def Leppard. Nothing fancy here, just a straightforward chord progression that’s easy to play.

Listen: “Two Steps Behind – Def Leppard

Chord Alternatives:

You can substitute the F#m barre chord for the following voicing.

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41. “Run-Around” – Blues Traveler

Chords: G – C – Am – D

“Run-Around” comes from the Blues Traveler’s fourth album, Four. It’s an easy, uptempo song that’s great for working on chord changes. The strumming pattern is quick, so take your time getting it down before playing it up to speed.

Listen: “Run-Around” – Blues Traveler

42. “Free Fallin'” – Tom Petty

Chords: D – A – Dsus4 – E

One of Tom Petty’s all-time greats, “Free Fallin'” is from his album, Full Moon Fever. Like a lot of Tom Petty’s songs, there’s nothing fancy here. There’s some variation in the strumming patterns, which makes for good practice. Overall, it’s just a simple chord progression that’s easy to play.

A capo is used on the 3rd fret.

Listen: “Free Fallin'” – Tom Petty

43. “Comfortably Numb” – Pink Floyd

Chords: Bm – A – G – Em – D – A – C

The second song on the list from Pink Floyd comes from their 1979 album, The Wall. Guitar solos aside, the slow tempo and heavy use of open chords makes “Comfortably Numb” a really easy song for beginner guitar players to learn. The song leaves room for variations in the strumming patterns, so you can really take it wherever you want.

Listen: “Comfortably Numb” – Pink Floyd

Chord Alternatives:

For the Bm barre chord, you can substitute the second inversion Bm chord.

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44. “Love Me Do” – The Beatles

Chords: G – C – D

“Love Me Do” is a great introduction to playing music by The Beatles. It’s a simple 3-chord song of moderate tempo. Paired with simple strumming, it’s perfect for the beginner guitarist.

Listen: “Love Me Do” – The Beatles

45. “Seven Turns” – The Allman Brothers Band

Chords: C – G – Em – D – C/B

There are a lot of songs from The Allman Brothers Band that wouldn’t be appropriate for an easy guitar songs type of list, but “Seven Turns” isn’t one of them. This song is definitely in the realm of a beginner guitar player, so it’s a good idea to start learning from The Allman Brothers band as soon as you can.

Listen: “Seven Turns” – The Allman Brother Band

46. “Rain King” – Counting Crows

Chords: D – A – Bm – G – E

“Rain King” is another fantastic song from a truly great album, August and Everything After. It’s an uptempo song that’s great for practicing chords changes. It can pretty much be played with the same rhythm throughout

Listen: “Rain King” – Counting Crows

Chord Alternatives:

You can substitute the second inversion Bm chord for the full Bm barre chord.

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47. “Heart of Gold” – Neil Young

Chords: Em7 – D – Em – G – C

You can put Neil Young in the same category as Bob Dylan and Tom Petty for his ability to create timeless music with simple chord progressions. Based on open chords, “Heart of Gold” is an easy-to-play song that offers some varying strumming patterns and rhythms. It’s another great classic tune for new guitar players to learn.

Listen: “Heart of Gold” – Neil Young

Chord Alternatives:

You can use the following voicing of the Em7 chord in place of the full chord.

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48. “Polly” – Nirvana

Chords: Em – G – C – D – B♭

“Polly” is an acoustic song from Nirvana’s Nevermind album. While the progression is straightforward, a slap style technique is used with the strumming hand to mute the strings between chords. John Mayer uses this technique a lot in his early music.

If you’ve never used this technique before, it may be a little strange at first, but you’ll find the rhythm quickly. Once you get the groove, you won’t even think about it anymore.

Listen: “Polly” – Nirvana

Chord Alternatives:

In place of the B♭ barre chord you can play a B♭ power chord.

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50. “3am” – Matchbox Twenty

Chords: G – Cadd9 – D – Em

From Yourself or Someone Like You, Matchbox Twenty’s “3am” is a catchy song using easy-to-play open chords. The intro has a cool strumming pattern and there’s some variation throughout the song that makes it quite fun to play.

Listen: “3AM” – Matchbox Twenty

51. “Simple Man” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Chords: C – G – Am

“Simple Man”, another three-chord masterpiece from Lynyrd Skynyrd. While on the recording the chords are arpeggiated, you can just as easily strum them and it still sounds great. You have some room on this one to experiment a bit with the strumming pattern throughout.

Listen: “Simple Man” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

52. “Wild Thing” – The Troggs

Chords: A – D – E – G

What easy guitar songs list would be complete without “Wild Thing” by The Troggs? For the most part it’s a simple 1-4-5 chord progression. Classic song. Here’s it’s been adapted to open chords, but it can be played with power chords as well.

Listen: “Wild Thing” – The Troggs