Are you interested in learning the guitar? Do you want to play the songs you hear on the radio or in movies? Then you’ll like to learn to play guitar chords. These chords are the foundation of rock and pop music and can help you become a great musician with time and practice.
Take a look at these songs to learn on guitar for beginners.
Contents
- 1 1 Chord Guitar Songs for Beginners
- 1.1 Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
- 1.2 Mississippi Boll Weevil – Charley Patton
- 1.3 Papa Was a Rolling Stone – The Temptations
- 1.4 Get the Party Started – Pink
- 1.5 Tomorrow Never Knows – The Beatles
- 1.6 Who Knows? – Jimi Hendrix
- 1.7 Showbiz Kids – Steely Dan
- 1.8 Whole Lotta Love – Zepplin
- 1.9 Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- 1.10 Mona – The Rolling Stones
- 2 Final Notes
However, did you know that some songs you can play using just one chord? That’s right; you can play any of the following songs with just one chord.
1 Chord Guitar Songs for Beginners
Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
Electric Avenue is a song by Eddy Grant and is an example of an acoustic song that uses just one chord. It features a bouncy pop intro, a catchy chorus, and excellent lyrics. The chord is A major. This song hits hard, so it only makes sense to use such a bold chord.
Mississippi Boll Weevil – Charley Patton
Mississippi Boll Weevil is a country song that is perfect for beginners. The chord pattern is a simple Bb chord, with an added bass note on the 2nd fret. You can memorize the chord change by using a simple mnemonic that can be found on the video guide that accompanies this lesson. Because this song is short, it only requires a chord change and a quick lick.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone – The Temptations
Papa Was a Rolling Stone is a 1972 song best for beginner guitarists. The riff is relatively simple and can easily be played in any key while also challenging. The chorus consists of a nice bass lick on the 6th string, while the main melody rests on a combination of up-and-down motion. The song is ideal for beginners because of its laid-back tempo. This song was one of the most influential songs of all time, and it is considered the progenitor of soul music.
Get the Party Started – Pink
This funky song was a massive hit in 1991 with both men and women. Even if you’re a seasoned guitarist, this song will challenge you and make you work on more skills such as timing, note selection, and rhythm. The riff can be played in major and minor keys because it contains a recognizable sequence of notes regardless of the key. The melody in the chorus uses a modified version of the riff. It can be played on either your first or second fingers, making it ideal for new guitarists.
Tomorrow Never Knows – The Beatles
This psychedelic song by The Beatles is well-known among guitar players all over the globe. The song features arpeggiation, which is when notes are played across or between the strings of a guitar. The ‘Arpeggio’ shape in the first part of the song can be played in any primary key, providing guitarists with more practice options.
Who Knows? – Jimi Hendrix
This song by Jimi Hendrix demonstrates the techniques required to make the ‘Arpeggio’ shape sound rhythmically accurate. The song features the ‘Pinky’ position, which guitarists use to play notes across different strings.
Showbiz Kids – Steely Dan
“Showbiz Kids” is the opening song on Steely Dan’s sixth studio album. The song uses major, minor, and diminished chords and demonstrates playing the same chord in multiple keys. It opens with the guitarist triggering a chord change by playing his ‘1st’ finger on the top three strings (the ‘A’ string, ‘B’ string, and ‘C’ string).
Whole Lotta Love – Zepplin
While this song is simple enough that most guitarists who are just starting can play it, many advanced techniques are utilized by guitarists such as Jimmy Page that make this song more technically challenging.
Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
This song is relatively simple, but it is in the rhythm that makes it popular. It employs a technique known as ‘re-entrant .’The term re-entrant means that the notes fall on the same string. It uses a process known as ‘passing chords .’Passing chords sound good on their own, but they add some extra “oomph” to the music.
Mona – The Rolling Stones
This song uses lots of strumming techniques. It has a repeating loop in the middle of the song. The loop is repeated over and over. The guitar switches chords and strums (or arpeggios) to accompany the loop during the repetitions.
Final Notes
Beginners generally want to learn how to play songs with simple chords. Chords can be complex, but they’re easy to learn if you know what to do. Learn to play the song slowly at first. You can always play it faster when you feel more confident.
Once you master these, take a look at our beginner folk guitar songs list as well.