When you’re a new acoustic guitarist it can be a daunting task to decide which songs to try and learn, since it’s not the easiest instrument to learn on. So, searching for really easy songs to play on acoustic guitar for beginners should be where we start off. I like songs that easy to pick melodies and straightforward chord arrangements that include 2 – 3 chords.
Some easy guitar songs for the acoustic are played by several of my favorite bands, such as Green Day, Guns N Roses, Alice in Chains, Metallica, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and CCR. All of these bands have great song and music writing talents and it really shows up in their songs. Acoustic songs with great melodies and chords are the most fun and easiest to play.
Nothing Else Matters is one of the most fantastic acoustic guitar songs ever written by Metallica. It’s a song that is finger picked and has a heavy overtone to it. Finger picking is a great way to boost your coordination and timing and should be practiced whenever possible. Stairway to Heaven is another easy song to play on acoustic guitar that is also finger picked right up until the electric guitar kicks in towards the solo and ending.
For arpeggio playing, Alice in Chains album, Jar of Flies, has a good many songs that will sharpen this skill. Arpeggios are when the chord played one note at a time and then variations of the chord are combined usually, as in the case of the AIC album.
For good old-fashioned strumming over top of melodies lines, Guns N Roses are masters. The song Patience is great for building your strumming skills as well as an old classic by CCR called Bad Moon Rising. When you strum through 3-chord arrangements you can pretty much build any song you choose with a little practice. I really recommend taking a chord piece from acoustic guitar songs that you like and mess around with it a little bit.
Well, that is a short and sweet list of easy acoustic songs to play on guitar, but I’ll finish it off with a recommendation to learn how to play Time of Your Life, by Green Day. A little quicker paced than the before-mentioned songs but a lot of fun to play. Slow it down at first until you get the hang of the quasi swing-beat. Slowing it down until you get the right rhythm will allow you to master the beat and then you can speed it up when you’re ready. And as always, you should be practicing with your trusted metronome on your favorite guitar instruments. Cya later.