FREE LESSON
PHIL KEAGGY - Grammy nominated and seven-time Dove Award winner, is one of the world’s great guitar players and a pioneer in contemporary Christian music.
- October 18, 2016
- Guitar Songs
No matter what age or skill level you’re at, it never hurts to pick up a couple of easy guitar songs. This would be a long list for just about any instructor. Method would really determine your point of ease too. Classical training or note reading might keep you at a much slower pace. If you’re wired for this, your beginner songs for guitar list will grow quickly.
There are plenty of easy enough songs, it’s more about how much time and focus you give to the guitar. If you’ve really got your heart set on learning, first learn to play a handful of basic chords. Get a tuner and learn to tune your guitar effectively. Then, start with any of the songs we’re about to mention and you’re on your way.
2-Chord Songs - Beginner Songs for Guitar
You can start with 2 chord songs like “Horse With No Name” by America. It’s essentially an E minor and a D Major 7. Both are just 2 finger chords on the 2nd fret. They are 4 beats each over and over again. You can manage that with a little persistence.
Here’s some awesome 2 chord classics to add too: “Tulsa Time” by Eric Clapton, “Memphis Tennessee” by Chuck Berry, “Jambalaya” by Hank Williams, “Paperback Writer” by the Beatles, and “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone. These are all awesome songs and super easy beginner songs for guitar.
Melody Vs. Harmony - Beginner Songs for Guitar
Playing the chords is the vertical aspect of music or playing more than one note or string at a time. This is also called harmony. Some would say it’s the foundation of the song. It’s much easier to sing along if you are strumming chords. Your beginner songs for guitar should include plenty of songs you can strum.
The melody of a song is the line the singer is actually singing. For example, “Amazing Grace” is a wonderful song to learn the melody to. It’s super simple and uses a lot of open strings in the key of G. Just look… D0 G0 - B0 G0 B0 - A2 G0 - E2 D0… play this first phrase to get the idea. The melody is the horizontal aspect of music.
Solos Mostly - Beginner Songs for Guitar
Maybe you wanna define your guitar playing as “solos mostly.” Soloing takes on a whole other twist of techniques. Bending, sliding, hammer ons and pull offs, to name a few. Playing the melody is one thing, playing a serious solo is something else.
Your beginner songs for guitar should include playing the melody of easy songs like: “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Ode To Joy,” “Jingle Bells,” and so many more. By learning the melody of these easy folk tunes you’ve heard since you were a kid, you can really learn the fretboard.
Rockabilly and Blues - Beginner Songs for Guitar
You can have a load of fun with a sweet list of rockabilly tunes from the 1950’s. Songs like “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets and some of the Elvis Presley tunes like “Jailhouse Rock” or “Hound Dog” all have that part-rock, part-swing feel and are super easy on guitar.
You’ll also love classic bluesy numbers like, “Kansas City,” or “Bad Leroy Brown, or even “Bad to the Bone.” all of these have a similar approach using only two strings that rock back and forth. Once you kind of get a handle on these, try some ZZ Top, “La Grange,” or “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones. The list is endless. Truly there are hundreds even thousands of songs that have similar patterns. Again, don’t underestimate being the rhythm guy. Playing great rhythm is where the money’s at.
Worship Is a Wonderful Source - Beginner Songs for Guitar
Many songs embody a simple 3-4 chord circle or cycle that is the main course of the song. Everything else is just dynamics and sounds.
For example, “Our God” by Chris Tomlin is basically Emi, C, G, D, over and over with an A minor in there in a place or two. “How Great is Our God” is a super easy addition to the list with just four simple chords. There are hundreds of these very easy worship songs you can enjoy playing and all you need to know is a few chords.
“Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe is one those 4 chords songs that builds and then returns to a sensitive level. That is common with worship tunes, so you need to learn to play with some dynamics for sure. These songs will help. What we mean is the verses might be softer and feature more long ringing chords or whole notes. Then as the song grows, you begin to play harder and more driving 8th notes etc. Pay attention to the details of a song.
Repetition and Other Tips - Beginner Songs for Guitar
When you are just getting started, whatever beginner songs you choose to learn, play them over and over. When you’ve played the song 100 times and you don’t wanna hear it ever again, that’s when you’re ready to play it for someone else.
With chords, it’s more about building the muscle strength in your hands to hold the chord just right and make the notes all ring out. Then, there’s the changing chords in time as you strum. Remember this all takes time so don’t get discouraged and quit. Keep going!
The melodies, single-note solos, or licks all have a different role and require a different approach. It’s more about timing and precision. A good lead player can resist the urge to do anything through entire sections of the song. Then, he or she drops in a killer guitar line or solo at just the right moment and nails it.
Finally, your beginner songs for guitar should be ever-growing. If you’re still playing the same songs you were last year, you need a new dream list.
You should strive to add a half-dozen chords to your vocabulary each month. This is best done with songs. Scales and exercises are fun too, but songs are where it’s at. Also, if you can teach to someone, you probably know it really well. Try sharing it with a friend.
Speaking of teaching, it is always beneficial to continue learning when it comes to guitar. The more knowledge and structure you add to your routine, the better your results will most likely be. We suggest finding guitar lessons to consistently challenge you.
The experts at Pro Lessons are tried-and-true musicians who travel the road all year bringing music to their fans. Through our affordable online guitar lessons, you have the ability to learn what they know about the guitar. Click on the banner below to find out how you can be a part of our program.
