40 Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners, with the Chords You Need

What is the easiest song to play on guitar?

"Horse with No Name" by America is often called the easiest song to play on guitar, because it uses just two simple chord shapes. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Three Little Birds" are also perfect first songs, with three or four open chords and a steady strum.

The first chords to learn

Most beginner songs use a small set of open chords: G, C, D, Em, Am, A and E. Learn G, C and D first and you can already play dozens of songs; add Em and Am and you can play most of the list below. A capo lets you move these same shapes up the neck to match a recording without learning new chords.

Two-chord and three-chord songs

1. "Horse with No Name", America: two easy chord shapes, Em and a D-based shape.
2. "Achy Breaky Heart", Billy Ray Cyrus: just A and E.
3. "Tennessee Whiskey", Chris Stapleton: two chords, A and Bm, in a slow sway.
4. "Bad Moon Rising", Creedence Clearwater Revival: D, A and G.
5. "Sweet Home Alabama", Lynyrd Skynyrd: D, C and G, repeated all the way through.
6. "Twist and Shout", The Beatles: D, G and A.
7. "Three Little Birds", Bob Marley and the Wailers: A, D and E.
8. "Wild Thing", The Troggs: A, D and E.
9. "Love Me Do", The Beatles: G, C and D.
10. "Leaving on a Jet Plane", John Denver: G, C and D.
11. "Ring of Fire", Johnny Cash: G, C and D.
12. "Folsom Prison Blues", Johnny Cash: E, A and B7.
13. "Blowin' in the Wind", Bob Dylan: G, C and D.
14. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", Green Day: G, C and D, with a quick Em.

Four-chord songs

15. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", Bob Dylan: G, D, Am and C.
16. "Stand by Me", Ben E. King: G, Em, C and D.
17. "Brown Eyed Girl", Van Morrison: G, C, D and Em.
18. "Let It Be", The Beatles: C, G, Am and F, a good song to tackle your first F chord.
19. "Take Me Home, Country Roads", John Denver: G, D, Em and C.
20. "Wagon Wheel", Old Crow Medicine Show or Darius Rucker: G, D, Em and C.
21. "Riptide", Vance Joy: Am, G and C, with an F later on; originally a ukulele song.
22. "Zombie", The Cranberries: Em, C, G and D.
23. "Island in the Sun", Weezer: Em, Am, D and G.
24. "Jolene", Dolly Parton: Am, C, G and Em.
25. "I'm Yours", Jason Mraz: G, D, Em and C with a capo on the fourth fret.
26. "Perfect", Ed Sheeran: G, Em, C and D with a capo on the first fret.
27. "Wonderwall", Oasis: Em7, G, Dsus4 and A7sus4 with a capo on the second fret.
28. "Hallelujah", Leonard Cohen: C, Am, F and G, with an E in the verse.

Easy riffs on one or two strings

29. "Seven Nation Army", The White Stripes: a famous riff played mostly on one string.
30. "Smoke on the Water", Deep Purple: the classic first riff, easy on one or two strings.
31. "Come as You Are", Nirvana: a murky riff on the low strings.
32. "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana: four simple power chords.

Easy fingerstyle and fingerpicking guitar songs

33. "House of the Rising Sun", The Animals: Am, C, D, F and E, picked one string at a time.
34. "Everybody Hurts", R.E.M.: a slow, gentle picking pattern over D and G.
35. "Nothing Else Matters", Metallica: the intro is played on open strings.
36. "Dust in the Wind", Kansas: a classic Travis-picking pattern.
37. "Landslide", Fleetwood Mac: a rolling fingerpicked pattern, usually with a capo.
38. "The Boxer", Simon and Garfunkel: another great song for learning Travis picking.

Easy country guitar songs

Country music is full of beginner-friendly songs. Besides "Ring of Fire", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Jolene", "Wagon Wheel" and "Tennessee Whiskey" above, try these:

39. "Friends in Low Places", Garth Brooks: a handful of open chords and a big singalong chorus.
40. "I Walk the Line", Johnny Cash: a simple boom-chick rhythm that teaches alternating bass notes.

Easy rock guitar songs

If you want to rock, start with "Wild Thing", "Twist and Shout" and "Sweet Home Alabama", then try "Rockin' in the Free World" by Neil Young, which uses Em, D and C, and "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC, built on A, D and G. The riffs to "Seven Nation Army" and "Smoke on the Water" sound great on an electric guitar with a little distortion.

Easy guitar songs for kids

For young players, "Happy Birthday", "You Are My Sunshine" and "This Land Is Your Land" all work with G, C and D, and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a good first melody to pick out one note at a time. A smaller guitar, or a nylon-string guitar, is easier on little fingers. For more, see our kids songs.

A simple strumming pattern

For most of these songs you can use one all-purpose strum: down, down-up, up-down-up, counted "1, 2 and, and 4 and". Start by strumming only downstrokes on each beat until your chord changes are smooth, then add the up-strums. Keep your strumming hand moving even when it does not hit the strings, and the rhythm will stay steady.

How to practice as a beginner

• Practice chord changes, not just chords. Switch between two chords for a minute at a time, like G to C or C to D.
• Play a little every day. Fifteen minutes a day builds calluses and muscle memory faster than one long session a week.
• Slow down. Play along with the recording only once you can change chords on time at a slower tempo.
• Use a capo. It lets you match the original key with the same easy shapes.
• Tune every time. A free tuner app makes even simple chords sound much better.

How long does it take to learn guitar?

With about fifteen minutes of practice a day, most beginners can play a simple three-chord song within a few weeks. Expect sore fingertips for the first two or three weeks while calluses form. Fast chord changes take a few months, and barre chords like F and Bm usually take the longest, which is why the songs above lean on open chords.

Acoustic or electric guitar for beginners?

Either works. An acoustic guitar is great for strumming and singing and needs no amplifier, but its strings take more finger strength. An electric guitar has lighter strings and a thinner neck, which many beginners find easier. A nylon-string classical guitar is the gentlest on the fingers and is ideal for fingerstyle songs.

Why so many songs use the same chords

Many hit songs are built on the same three or four chords, especially the I, V, vi and IV chords of a key, which in G are G, D, Em and C. That is why learning those four shapes unlocks so much music, and why songs as different as "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Wagon Wheel" and "I'm Yours" feel so natural to play together.

Easy guitar songs for a campfire or a party

For a campfire singalong, "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Wagon Wheel", "Brown Eyed Girl", "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Stand by Me" are the classics everyone knows. For a quieter night, try "Landslide", "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Hallelujah". For more singalong ideas, see our best karaoke songs and road trip songs.

Easy love songs to play for someone

Want to surprise someone with a song? "Perfect", "I'm Yours" and "Stand by Me" use four easy chords, and "Can't Help Falling in Love" works with C, Em, Am, F and G. Practice slowly, keep the strum gentle and sing it at a proposal, an anniversary dinner or a first dance. For more ideas, see our first dance songs.

Easy songs on other instruments

If you also play keys or ukulele, see our easy piano songs and easy ukulele songs. Many of the songs above work on all three instruments with the same chords.

Ready to write your own?

Once you know a few chords, you can start writing songs of your own. Our guide on how to write a song walks you through melody, chords and lyrics step by step.

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