Songs for beginners

Jon Chorba

Last Kiss is the first song I teach to a lot of my beginner students.

For the PJ fan wanting to learn. Not for You, Satans Bed, and Corduroy are pretty easy.

acutejam

Now I should qualify that I can suggest songs for acoustic guitar campfire sing-alongs, not amplified wailing! Chords just good enough to "suggest" the song and have folks singin' along... Funny that many of my campfire songbook are already here! But to call out some of Eddie's work:

Walking the Cow; Trouble; Millworker, No Woman No Cry -- none of those too esp hard

Wish you where here

Along with Eldery, Smile, Drifting I'd toss in Black is actually quite easy and Release (hold a chord and sing!)
SOLAT is fun on acoustic! Hail Hail ain't too much. Crazy Mary pretty simple.

KISS's Rock N Roll All Nite (GGD GG D A E A E D E GGD GGD)

A little more adventurous -- Bowie's Space Oddity. A little less, Kravitz I Wanna Fly Away (he has a solo acoustic version out, just like PLUSH another nice acoustic).

Both Space Cowboy and Take the Money and Run are fun and easy - Steve Miller Band.

I actually do a medly morphing Beatles' Octopus's Garden into The Stones' Hang Fire (yeah, transposed one to the other) -- and it's a pretty funny back and forth between those two songs!

Learning the chord progression to Hendrix's LIttle Wing is quite easy, figuring out all the freakin little riffs is a lifetime of work. (And by extension, yeah, Yellow Ledbetter Chords are easy, riffs ... they'll come!)

Ring of Fire / Folsom Prison Blues.

(GOOD CALL on the Passenger, though that's a tough sell around the campfire...)

Can't find my way home / Dear Mr Fantasy - Traffic .

With or Without You - U2

Rocky Racoon!

I just grab the chord progressions from CHORDIE, print em and throw a lyric sheet up on the opposite side of the binder -- one page chords, one page lyrics facing each other (unless you find chords with the lyrics added in already). Fun thread, found a few more I'll toss in my songbook!

DriftingByTheStorm

Geert wrote:

@DriftingByTheStorm: those songs you mentioned are great, but are not really ABSOLUTE beginner songs imho. Songs for beginners are simple songs everyone knows, with easy open chords and easy strumming!
Always remeber a beginner starts from zero!

Lol.
That's why i SPECIFICALLY mentioned on several songs, "not for DROP-DEAD beginners".


Everyone needs a few good songs to grow-up on.
I can't tell you how many songs i learned as a noobie where I could only play one little part of the song.
It was YEARS before I could play ALL of Paradise City or Sweet Child O' Mine or what not, but I started with the main riffs as soon as I was able to hold my fingers on the fretboard in position with any degree of stability ...
When I first started, my ABSOLUTE be-all-end-all goal was to learn how to play HUNGER STRIKE ...
i thought it was MIGHTY HARD ... "man that picking shit is crazy complicated", i would think.

I look back now and laugh at that to no end. Anyone who can actually play, you know Hunger Strike is easy as shit, right? Lol. I guess I "Have arrived".

My point is that songs like "Up Around The Bend" by Creedence probably are NOT "beginners" songs in the truest sense ... but learning to play that sliding intro riff is NOT that hard, truth be told. And if that is all a beginner can learn to play, and they can't even muster up the chorus chord changes ... then so be it ... at least they have learned the cool riff to the song, and can PRACTICE that riff ... then 2 months or 2 years later, they can com back and say , "man that is a really cool little solo part, let me take a stab at that now that my fingers are stronger" ... and you know what, they feel a sense of accomplishment because now they can rock on through the better part of a song.

I take your point, and it is a good one.
All i am saying is that learning to play Not For You and Lukin probably isn't going to help a beginner PROGRESS much. Taking a stab at some songs that are slightly beyond their technical ability will have them reaching and growing.

Thats all.


PS - those Social Distortion songs ARE ***absolute beginner*** songs ... 3 chords, repeat repeat repeat.

Geert

@DriftingByTheStorm: you have also a point ofcourse, know what you mean!
And maybe the most important thing ... practice, practice, practice! :P

DriftingByTheStorm

Geert wrote:

@DriftingByTheStorm: you have also a point ofcourse, know what you mean!
And maybe the most important thing ... practice, practice, practice! :P

You know I'd say that learning tab is probably a bad way to "learn guitar" though.
I honestly feel one of the biggest hindrances encountered in my playing has been the constant reliance on tab.

Lack of proper attention to theory, and to improvisational playing had me stuck on tab for way too long, and if you're not careful it can really ruin your creative ability.

For a while i was SUPER stuck in that box.
Give me a piece of tab, anything easy to moderate and I could pull it off.
Once i got a better feel for basic rock\blues scales I could even start pulling off the solos.

But ask me to "play" or "jam" with you, and I'd just stare blank.
You want me to do WHAT now?

Yeah, fool. PLAY with me.

Uh ...
uh-uh, nope.

Just starting to break free of that massive bad habit \ creative block as of the last 5 years.
Still feeling the pain of over-reliance on tab though.

At some point in your practice on a daily basis, QUIT staring at tab, and practice some theory (learn a new chord, or scale or read some actual music theory book), and then when you are done with that, just diddle around on your fret board for a while. Otherwise you'll be kicking yourself over the head with your guitar (is that possible?)

gimpy_boy89

Ed's version of "I Won't Back Down" from the live @ the gorge box set is pretty simple, and the chord progression for Yellow Ledbetter is a great place to start playing around. E - B - A.

LukinFan

I need some suggestions. I'm pretty new to guitar. So far the only chords I know are D, Dm, A, Am, E, and Em. I can play "Three Little Birds" and I'm getting better on "Peggy Sue". Any song suggestions using those chords?

I'm into PJ, of course, Ben Harper, JJ Grey and Mofro, MMJ, Black Keys, Band of Horses - bands like that. Thanks!

gimpy_boy89

LukinFan wrote:

I need some suggestions. I'm pretty new to guitar. So far the only chords I know are D, Dm, A, Am, E, and Em. I can play "Three Little Birds" and I'm getting better on "Peggy Sue". Any song suggestions using those chords?

I'm into PJ, of course, Ben Harper, JJ Grey and Mofro, MMJ, Black Keys, Band of Horses - bands like that. Thanks!

The verse for "Parting Ways" is E/Em and A/Am, and the chorus is just a typical F# and G bar chord, which is just the E layout moved up and barred on the second and third frets, respectively. It'd be good practice!

LukinFan

gimpy_boy89 wrote:

LukinFan wrote:

I need some suggestions. I'm pretty new to guitar. So far the only chords I know are D, Dm, A, Am, E, and Em. I can play "Three Little Birds" and I'm getting better on "Peggy Sue". Any song suggestions using those chords?

I'm into PJ, of course, Ben Harper, JJ Grey and Mofro, MMJ, Black Keys, Band of Horses - bands like that. Thanks!

The verse for "Parting Ways" is E/Em and A/Am, and the chorus is just a typical F# and G bar chord, which is just the E layout moved up and barred on the second and third frets, respectively. It'd be good practice!

cool - I'll try it out

DriftingByTheStorm

gimpy_boy89 wrote:

, and the chord progression for Yellow Ledbetter is a great place to start playing around. E - B - A.

Yeah.
And when you've had fun with YLed for a while, don't forget to turn it in to DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY, for fucks sake!

Then move it in to Baba O Rielly!

and then if you want to just get stoopid,
you can try to move it in to Summertime Girls by Y&T ...
but ONLY if you want to get stupid.

LukinFan

LukinFan wrote:

I need some suggestions. I'm pretty new to guitar. So far the only chords I know are D, Dm, A, Am, E, and Em. I can play "Three Little Birds" and I'm getting better on "Peggy Sue". Any song suggestions using those chords?

I'm into PJ, of course, Ben Harper, JJ Grey and Mofro, MMJ, Black Keys, Band of Horses - bands like that. Thanks!

to add to this, I now know G and C. Any other suggestions? I'm currently learning "I Won't Back Down" - pretty sweet

he.who.forgets

LukinFan wrote:

LukinFan wrote:

I need some suggestions. I'm pretty new to guitar. So far the only chords I know are D, Dm, A, Am, E, and Em. I can play "Three Little Birds" and I'm getting better on "Peggy Sue". Any song suggestions using those chords?

I'm into PJ, of course, Ben Harper, JJ Grey and Mofro, MMJ, Black Keys, Band of Horses - bands like that. Thanks!

to add to this, I now know G and C. Any other suggestions? I'm currently learning "I Won't Back Down" - pretty sweet

Lukinfan, try playing Disarm by the Smashing Pumpkins. The beginning riff is Am, C, G, D# (a D but holding the top E string first fret with your thumb). It's a fast strumming pattern though so it may take a bit of practice to get used to. Fun to play though.

DriftingByTheStorm

LukinFan wrote:

LukinFan wrote:

I need some suggestions. I'm pretty new to guitar. So far the only chords I know are D, Dm, A, Am, E, and Em. I can play "Three Little Birds" and I'm getting better on "Peggy Sue". Any song suggestions using those chords?

I'm into PJ, of course, Ben Harper, JJ Grey and Mofro, MMJ, Black Keys, Band of Horses - bands like that. Thanks!

to add to this, I now know G and C. Any other suggestions? I'm currently learning "I Won't Back Down" - pretty sweet

Lukin,

If you know G D A
or G D C

... hold on, first i'd like to just remind you, if you know THE E CHORD, all you have to do is work on your BARRE ... and THEN YOU KNOW EVERY CHORD (every major chord) ... lift your middle finger off the bared e chord and you now know every minor chord as well. Move the e chord up one fret ... thats F ... move it up two more, thats G ... move it up two more ... thats A ... move it up two more ... thats B ... move it up one more ... thats C ... 2 more ... D ... and 2 more you're back to another E (past the 12th fret, where everything is just the same as down low ... remember the 12th fret demarks the portion of the fret board that repeats, fret 12 is like the open strings, fret 13 is like the 1st fret) ... you should learn that stuff pretty quick, it will help you get around the guitar much better.

back to G D A & G D C ... you can play a SHIT TON of songs with it, but from my memory ...
check the tabs for the actual chord order, some of the are D G A or what not ...

BETTERMAN (G D A)
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (G D A - i highly suspect eddie "ripped off" TKAAR" for Betterman)
KNOCKIN ON HEAEVNS DOOR (G D C)
ROCKIN IN THE FREE WORLD (Em D C verse, then G D C -em? - chorus ... i think, don't quote me)

oh fuck ... look those two chord progressions are so goddamn common ...
here is a webpage on it
lol.

guitar-how-to.com wrote:

G C D is a common chord progression in popular music. Some songs using this progression are, “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” by The Beatles, “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Wild Thing” by the Troggs, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Amazing Grace”, “Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi, “The Times Are A’Changin” by Bob Dylan, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” by the Spin Doctors, and “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC.

rock em all.
rock em hard.

Learn F too and you can play Paradise City -- G - C - F - C - G

Learn these two chords, and learn how to bar them
E, and A.
start working on baring that A chord as soon as you have hand strength, its probably a little harder for the beginner than a bared E chord ... between those two bars, you can fuck up just about any rock song pretty good.

LukinFan

You guys rock - thank you! I'll try it out!

DriftingByTheStorm

Also,

I forgot one that uses almost every chord you know, (except the E chords)

L.ZEP - TANGERINE!
an ***AWESOME*** song to learn
( i think it may actually be my all time favorite zep song, to be honest )

... you'll have to learn how to do both a hammer on and a pull off on the Am chord,
and then learn your hammer on \ pull offs for the Sus2 Add4 bits that go around the D chord in one spot ...
but other than that, the song uses the following chords, fairly simply
(oh, you'll have to "walk down" the root note of the C chord in one spot too)

Am C D G
in various orders. (always check the tab, lol)
woop woop.

titchinello

this is good info, I did start to try and learn, but never found the time, or was always too tired, now i'm thinking of giving it another go. so this is good info.

DriftingByTheStorm

Lukin,
take this version of the tab for REM - Stand and use it to make yourself learn many of the different bar chord positions.

You could play this in open chords, mostly, except you can't play Eb or Ab in open position, so you are thus forced to learn the bar versions.

Anyway, if you learn these chords, E A B G primarily in bar, you will be well on your way.
E chord (same one you know)
A chord (E chord with your pointer finger baring 5th fret)
B chord (E chord, pointer baring 7h fret)
G chord (E chord, slide back down, pointer baring 3rd fret)

Stick with the song till the end and you will learn something about transposing song keys ... thats where all the chords change to different chords (F# B C# in this case) but the "sound" is still the same. It is because the song just moved to a new key. In this case it moved up a whole step from E to F# (EtoF and BtoC are the only half step changes between letters on the scale, all other letter to letter changes are a whole step, learn that too)

The Major Scale Construction (learn this): WWHWWWH (whole whole half whole whole whole half)
W-W-H-W-W-W-H
- 2 -2 -1 -2 -2 -2-1 (number of steps)
E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#-E (applied to make the key of E)
See?

DriftingByTheStorm

Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane

You need to add Bm to your repertoire to play this correctly,
although you can play it (as Lou Reed sometimes does) by omitting it and just going from
D - A - G back to A (by way of an extra strum or two on G to "replace" the Bm) before repeating the D A G

he.who.forgets

Drifting, thanks for the info as i LOVE both Tangerine and sweet Jane. I'll have to give em a try.

LukinFan

Drifting - you are the man!

Speaking of, is the song, "Drifting", hard to play?