EASY beginner guitar songs

Hey, I've just begun 'playing' the guitar and with just bombarding myself with theory I can't even pretend I fully comprehend.
I'd feel a bit less discouraged if I could spit out an easy basic known song.
I've looked online, but what they call easy I call 'What?'
so if anyone knows any simple one-two chord songs I can play with I'd realllllly appreciate it.
Thanks.

 

You should start out with learning theories, and learn songs on the side, if you want a career in music... that what I think anyway

Hmm try out 'Twist and Shout', 'I'm Only Sleeping', Jimi's version of the Star Spangled Banner, "Interstellar Overdrive", "Sunshine of Your Love", and "The End" (by the doors), I find those all to be pretty easy... The Beatles' cover of Hippy Hippy Shake sounds like it would be easy to play, but I can't find the tabs or music for that anywhere... a good introductory place for theories would be at www.guitartabs.cc, in the lessons section.

Oh yeah, "Taxman" is quite the easy song too.

 

HEYYY!!!!
it's great you're getting into guitar with THEORY firest!! a reallllllllllllly easy , but greatttttt starting song that's always nice to hear is House of the Rising Sun.

it's a handful of basic chords, and a really nice rhythm.


First, the rhythm.

V V ^ ^ V^

V = down stroke ^ = upstroke

Practice doing this strumming rhythm with this C chord:

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A--3--------
D--2-------
G-----------
B--1------
E---------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)

you use the c chord in this song, so just get used to it for a second, and practice the rhythm... V V ^ ^ V^


The song's chords are : C, A, D, F, A, E, A.. i will draw them all out for you.

I alread did C, but here it is again:

*C CHORD*

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A---3--------
D---2-------
G---0--------
B---1------
E---------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)



*A CHORD*

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A---0-------
D---2-------
G---2---------
B---1------
E---0------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)


*D CHORD*

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A----------
D---0------
G---2---------
B---3------
E---2-------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)

*F CHORD*

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A----------
D---3------
G---2--------
B---1-----
E---1------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)


*A CHORD AGAIN (for all ya dummies =P )*

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A---0-------
D---2-------
G---2--------
B---1------
E---------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)


*E CHORD* (like a, but moved upwards-north-)

E---0------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A---2-------
D---2-------
G---1--------
B---0-----
E---------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)

*A CHORD AGAINNNNNN*

E---------- <-top string (tabs are usually upside down)
A---0-------
D---2-------
G---2--------
B---1------
E---0------- <- bottom string (but this was is easier for now)




((((((((( ** C, A, D, F, A, E, A ** ))))))))))

do the rhythm for each chord, and it should sound about right =)
this is a very simple version of the song. do this for a while, and if you got it, just tell me and i can write out the fingerpicking version of the song, which you really hear in the intro beautifully. it's not too much more difficult, and if you're doing theory, well goodness, you're going to find a world of connections. keep in touch through this thread! peace and goodluck.

 

You might want to try "Horse With No Name" by America. I think there are only a few chords in the whole song (three if I remember correctly). It's a really, really simple song to play. Try looking for it on the website soulrebel mentioned. If you don't find it there, just do a general search for the tabs, and something should come up. Good luck! I know how it can be when you're learning a new instrument. You're going about the whole thing the right way by learning music theory. It can be a drag at times, but it will prove to be invaluable...

 

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun-Pink Floyd

VERY easy

 

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=36

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=57

I've been playing for a year.. still playing house of the rising sun. Good tune to teach you some chords and it sounds good.

 

i also have been playing for a year, the first song i ever learnt was "We're All Going to The Zoo Tomorrow"

here it is

A---------------------D
We're all going to the zoo tomorrow
A
Zoo Tomorrow
E
Zoo Tomorrow
A---------------------D
We're all going to the zoo tomorrow
A -----E------- A
We can stay all day

easy enough?






by the way the 'a chord' MagnanimityMan showed you is actually a minor....

this is A

E-X
A-0
D-2
G-2
B-2
E-0

D chord is:

E-X
A-X
D-0
G-2
B-3
E-2

and the e chord

E-0
A-2
D-2
G-1
B-0
E-0

X=do not play, 0 = open string, other numbers are the fret that you put your finger on

 

Knocking on Heaven's Door, which is simply:

|G |D |Am |Am |
|G |D |C |C |

Or a lot of things by John Lennon; Give Peace a Chance and Working Class Hero can both be pulled off with only 2 chords.

 

WOW.... thanks so much for the response! I really really appreciate your trying to help out.( I need it I've been to the guitar noise site and I will defintely try your suggestions. I'd love to learn the house of the rising sun, I always thought it was beautiful. learning guitar can be overpowering (at least for me) so I appreciate your support
( and thanks for the whole layout magman,I've bookmarked this page)

 

Stairway To Heaven is pretty damn easy too, I just found out.

 

I also recommend House of the Rising Sun; one of the first songs I learned to play, and it uses several of the basic chords. I also recommend I'd Love to Rule the World (Ten Years After), Wish You Were Here (Floyd), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Wild Thing! (hehe), and your basic Blues or Rockabilly progressions are really easy to learn. Depends on what you like to listen to, I guess. One of my favorite people to play was Jethro Tull, for some reason I picked their stuff up really quick.

 

depends on youre style. theres a bunch of tunes. you can find almost anything online. alltabs.com is a good one for bluegrass and folk. Love Sweet Love by bob marley is a simple one if you want to start workin on the reggae beats. Ramblin Gamblin WIllie by bob dylan is only two chords, but it helped me to sing while i play. Hank Williams wrote some awesome songs that are all pretty basic, Folsum Prison Bles by johnny cash is a cool simple song that people will recognize. you can also learn the rythm to all the grateful Dead tunes pretty easily, and jerrys chord selections will really expand your chops, and get you used to making changes that are challenging. you want to push yourself to get good.

 

Try Burzum. I'm missing out on the melody there so I guess it's easy to play. Also, it's about one riff per song ( every song lasting about ten minutes ). Should be dead simple to play if you ask me. Huzzah for translating nihilism to music.

Of course I wouldn't recognise a guitar if it bit my nose off so I don't know anything about how simple any song really is.

 

Thanks to the new posters. I ran out and got a book my friend suggested: fastrack guitar. It lays out nicely for me unlike those mannuals I bought that just given you plain information rather than explainations. The guitar I got was actually a gift from an infomercial by Esteban. I got a guitar, hard case, amplifier and intructional dvds and mannuals, but since he is such a master I don't think he realizes that his teaching method is way over atleast My head. so for now I'm just learning the basics.
thanks again

 

oh oh oh, ive got a song for you, learn this first!!! its got many of the basic chords, memorize them and learn this song! ill get the link in the next post

 

http://www.guitartabs.cc/fetchfile.php?fileid=9336385

A friend of mine, who's been playing guitar since 1998 or so, told me to learn this song first if I want to progess quickly.... from what I've learned so far, it's really, really easy.

 

Thank you soulrebel, I have to admit though I don't understand how to read tabs well I get the basic setup but when the loops and doo-das are added I get that confused look on my face. I'm just takin it slow, I don't expect to morph in jimi overnight : )
I do have a question: (forgive me I don't know the correct terminology) so what does it mean when the note's 'stick' is facing downward? thanks

 

Oh god... That guitar was actually built in the Saga guitar factory, if I recall. I can't remember... there's a handful. Blueridge guitars are built in the same factory, but some luthiers from Martin got together to design those... big difference, but I can't remember if the Estebans are saga or not. About 8 out of 10 of those "Esteban" guitars will have neck warps within a year or so... and he's not a master to me, just really irritating to people who know guitars because he's trying to sell something you can buy on ebay for half the price... he stalked Andres Segovia around begging him to teach him guitar and Andres finally gave in... honestly, the guy creeps me out and he's just a guy who plays classical/spanish stuff pretty well and can sign his signature. He's a really good salesman who can play guitar.

But yes... I realize it was a gift... but I'm afraid you're just paying for the name of some disabled dude who's from pennsylvania who plays guitar pretty well and is a salesman disquised as Zorro when you buy those.

 

Congratulations! you've received a wonderful present...I too play the guitar but I found myself a bit stuck in pre-intermediate level for some reason..but still i can play a variety of songs and they sound nice...also I've practice enough to change chords fast (that's one of the things that really frustrate most beginners)...practice, practise, practise!! it's all it takes...

right so back to your question.

the last "easy" song that I learn is "what's up" by 4 non-blondes, it just goes:
[A]
[Bm]
[D]
[A]

very easy!! I recommend listening to the song and try to hear the changes and the rythm and you wont need much theory knowledge to figure them out eventually.

another easy ones that I play:

Father and son -by cat stevens
wish you were here-pink floyd
d'yer mak'er-led zeppelin
dont look back in anger-oasis
let it be-beatles
losing my religion- REM
Black-pearl jam
baby can i hold you tonight-tracy chapman

there are many more that will help you get started...in the meantime, check out www.guitaretab.com ...you'll get tabs and chords and explanations to these.

good luck and keep on jammin'!!!

 

Smoke on the Water is easy........ immigrant song by zeppelin, 7 nation army by the white stripes, get off my cloud by the stones , day tripper by the beatles