John Williams
I’m a passionate guitar and keyboard player. Always looking for new ways to learn and discover the latest trends in the music industry.
Would you like to learn how to play, let’s say, 10 easy guitar songs for begginers in just 4 weeks?
Then you’re in the right place – because we here to show you how!
The guitar is one of the most versatile instruments out there and that is one of the main reasons why so many people start out with guitar playing. And with a good method, anyone can learn to play guitar in a very short time!
We are going to help you to learn a few very easy beginner guitar songs in less than a month!
Being able to take your instrument with you anywhere or to pick up a friends guitar and play a few songs using only easy beginner chords is an incredible possibility.
But still – many struggle with the transition from being a total beginner to being a guitarist who can perform songs. A lot of teachers forget that an absolute beginner not only lacks the ability to play certain songs, but also the knowledge on how to actually learn to play guitar.
They also forget to tell you that learning is a very challenging process that has constant Ups and Downs to it – they don’t teach you how to handle that challenge.
But the truth is that anyone can learn guitar!
Table of content:
The ACE Method
Learning 10 easy guitar songs
Conclusion
Our team consists of a few people whose musical careers differ a lot one from another. Some of us work regularly as guitar teachers, others are doing doing it only from time to time, and some of us are more along the lines of recording or performing.
But we all have one thing in common – we meet people, young and old, who really wish to play guitar for many different reasons, but they have two big problems: first they don’t know where to start, and if they figure it out, they don’t know how to continue – and to be honest, most of us have had the same problem!
So what can we do about that?
With a lot of trial and error, as well as a lot of learning, asking and practicing, we have come up with a method which can be used to learn any song on the guitar in the shortest time possible!
In this guide, we won’t simply teach you a few easy guitar songs and call it a day! Instead, we will demonstrate our 3 part method on how to learn almost any song on guitar! The method will not be something for beginners only – it is a way to learn even more complex guitar pieces once you start progressing as a musician.
The method is fairly simple, yet very effective and is a result of many different learning methods used not only in music, but also in sports, schools and other areas. We really want you to feel as if you have actually progressed, grown as a musician and learned a valuable skill.
And what are we going to do exactly?
In our last article, we showed you the basics like how to read a guitar chords chart and guitar notes. Now we will go a step further and show you some easy guitar songs and provide you with a good way to learn guitar.
First off, we are going to explain our method to you in much detail. Our ACE Method for learning is a 3 part method, and each part has 2 smaller steps. No matter what you are learning, you need definitive goals and a plan how to reach it!
Even the easiest guitar songs in the world are going to be a challenge for a beginner, especially if guitar is their first instrument. By dividing the task of learning a whole song into a few smaller pieces, you will be able to track your progress, evaluate your ability to play the song and, in the end, learn to successfully perform the song without mistakes.
Secondly, we are going to demonstrate our method by using a few easy guitar songs for beginners. No matter if you’re into nice, acoustic pop songs or into heavy-metal, we will provide you with guitar notes, chord charts, strum patterns and a full guide on how to learn to play guitar!
The ACE method
But how can we be sure that you will learn to play songs fast when you pick up your guitar? How can you be sure that what you’re doing actually works? It’s quite simple!
To guarantee results, we need to have a method that is proven to work. Our ACE method is based on the very popular Whole – Part(s) – Whole method which has been used in many different areas with much success.
Whole – Part(s) – Whole is used to learn simple skills which are not dangerous. It is used when a learner has previous experience of the skill. Technical problems can be identified, isolated and practiced in parts and all parts become easier to learn.
An example of Whole – Part(s) – Whole is as follows:
Activity – Swimming Skill – Front crawl
Whole – The swimmer attempts full front stroke and coach identifies that her legs are too far apart and is slowing her down.
Part(s) – The swimmer does 6 breadths of legs only, with a float held in her hands, arms straight out in front.
Whole – The swimmer performs 6 breadths of full stroke, with the improved leg action.
We would have a problem if we would use this method for beginner guitar lessons because a beginners lacks the experience. Because of that, we are using a slightly modified approach which can be described Observation – Part(s) – Whole.
The ACE method works similarly to the principle we have described, but our method takes into consideration that beginners generally don’t know how to actually learn a song and that they are often alone in their endeavor to learn to play guitar.
While individual results may vary, depending on how much experience with other instruments you have and how much you practice, we can assure you that using our method will help you learn at least 10 songs over a four week period.
We will first explain how our method works and then we will try to apply it on a few songs. But before you can start actually playing songs, or even before you start learning how to play them, you will need to get a bit more comfortable with playing open chords and a few simple strum patterns. We suggest that you first take a look at our in-depth guide on how to play guitar written specially for beginners before attempting to learn how to play full songs.
Of course, learning easy beginner chords and simple strum patterns is more fun if you practice it with a song, so you should definitely try to do that!
When you feel comfortable with playing chords, build more finger strength and dexterity and don’t have too much problems with switching chords, you will be ready to tackle most songs from our list!
Now we will take a look at how the method actually works before applying it to some beginner guitar songs.
The first part of our method is Analasys – which means, observation of a song you want to learn. Observation requires you to listen to a composition and to watch how it is performed, if possible also including a lesson video.
It is also very important to have a notebook with you so that you can track your progress and write notes for yourself. You don’t have to use complex musician language – make notes like “The guitarist is playing very aggressively” or “They are using a strum-pattern that I don’t know”.
This is a very important part in learning any song. It is also a very useful thing to do when you don’t have your instrument by your side at the moment. If you, for example, her a nice song on the radio at a friends house, write down the name of the song, what you like about it and why you want to learn it.
“A for Analasys”
Step 1: Listen to the song:
The first step is listening to the song. We suggest listening to an original recording, but listening to a cover is also good because you can hear an individual instrument a bit better. Make a few notes on how the instruments interact with each other, for example: does it sound like the guitarist and bassist play the same thing, or are they very different?
Step 2: Watch how the song is performed:
For this part, using a cover or a lesson video is the better choice as you can analyze the physical aspect of playing the song a bit easier. In the case of a lesson video, take a look at the chords used and check whether or not you can play all of them. If you can’t – go learn them! If you can, you’re ready to transition to the next part!
“C for Confrontation”
For this step, you will need to have your instrument by your side.
We also encourage you to make sure that you already know how to play at least some open chords and a few simple strum-patterns before starting to learn a song.
It is important to confront the song. But to do so, you need to first cut it up into smaller pieces and learn bit by bit. In this part, we will practice the fretting-hand technique and the strumming-hand technique individually.
By dividing your song into smaller parts, you can track your progress more clearly.
Note that if you’re right-handed, your right hand is your strumming-hand, and your left hand is your fretting-hand. If you are a lefty, you do it exactly in the opposite way.
Step 1: Fretting-hand:
After taking a look at the chord structure of a song, you have to learn to play all the chords in the song individually, if you don’t already know them. After that, you must practice switching between those chords while not losing track of the rhythm.
The strumming-hand is not important in this part – use only the most simple strum- patterns, for example, only down-strokes. If you’re having problems playing certain chord(s) or chord changes, try shortening your nails or try a different thumb position on the back of the neck.
Step 2: Strumming-Hand:
When practicing your strumming-hand technique, either hold a very simple chord or just mute the strings. It’s important to take a look at the strum-pattern of the song you want to learn because many songs are strummed in a very unique way.
As a beginner, many fast patterns can be way too hard. You don’t have to play them right away. If you are not ready, choose one of the following easy strum-patterns that anybody can learn and play the songs with one of them.
The last part in the process of learning a song is exportation, which means that you need to actually deliver the song. To be able to perform a song, you will need to first put all the pervious parts together, and then you will need to memorize all parts from the beginning to the end.
Step 1: Playing the chords for the verses, chorus, bridge…
Now it’s time to start putting the parts together! No matter what song you are learning, this is the hardest part! But with a little bit of practice, you can do it, for sure!
Synchronizing both hands can be though for beginners but it is something learned by practicing – there is no cheat around it. Start by playing the song slowly and practice only certain parts of the son like the intro, verse, chorus, bridge and outro. Repeat until all chord changes are fluid and the strumming-hand doesn’t fall out of the rhythm.
“E for Exportation”
Step 2: Play the WHOLE song, from BEGINNING to the END!
This is the moment when you have to go back to the observation part. Make sure to write out and memorize all changes in the song – how many times do I play the verse before I switch to the chorus, and how many times do we play the chorus before the outro?
After you do that, make sure to practice the whole song from the start to the end. If you can do that, then we can congratulate you – you have learned a song successfully!
Learning 10 easy guitar songs:
1. Starsailor – Silence is Easy
This is a very simple and easy beginner guitar song that can be played on both acoustic guitar and electric guitar. Let’s try applying our method to this song!
The first part of our method is the analasys of a song. First you will need to listen to the song and to watch someone play it. To see how the song is played take a look at the following video:
Make sure to make notes while listening to the song – they will help you track your progress and make sure that you don’t miss any parts. If you are having difficulties with any particular thing, write it down so that you remember that you need to focus on it.
You will see that for this song you only need two very simple chords – E Major and A Major. In fact, our first three songs are going to use only those two beginner chords!
In addition to these two chords, you will need to learn how to switch between them.
Let us remember our method. The second part is the confrontation part. Make sure you practice switching chords and a few different strum-patterns before moving directly to the song.
To play this song, you should use only a very simple up and down motion with the right hand – you just need a simple alternating rhythm pattern, nothing fancy! Of course, you can add more complicated strum patterns or only do downstrokers, although that may be a bit harder in the beginning.
After you master that, you need to try to play the whole song. Luckily the verses and the chorus of this song sounds the same, you only need to memorize when to change between the chords. Learning the lyrics, even if you are not going to sing, is going to help you to memorize the whole song! That’s what the chord-lyrics notation is for!
Now try it yourself!
Tuning: Standard [Intro] E A [Verse 1] E Everybody says that they're looking for a shelter, A Got a lot to give, but I don't know how to help her, E I should just let it go, 'til they learn how to grow, A And how to liberate. [Verse 2] E Everybody says that she's looking for a shelter, A Got a lot to give, but I don't know how I felt her, E They should just let it go, till these cities learn to grow, A And how to liberate. [Chorus] E Silence is easy, A It just becomes me, E You don't even know me, A You all lie about me.
[Verse 3] E Everybody says that I'm looking for a home now, A Looking for a boy or I'm looking for a girl now, E But I can still let it go, I can still learn to grow, A Into a child again. [Chorus] E Silence is easy A It just becomes me E You don't even know me A But why lie about me? [Break] E A E A [Chorus] (x3) E Silence is easy A It just becomes me E You don't even know me A Why do you hate me?
2. Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breakey Heart
This song is also one of the easiest guitar songs you can learn to play. It sounds equally good on electric and acoustic guitar, so you can try to play it on both. And again, you only need two very simple chords – only A Major and E Major.
A small difference is that this time, the moment where the chord changes is a little bit harder to get. Listen to the song carefully to see when the chord changes. You can use any strum-pattern that you have learned to play this song!
To help you memorize all the parts, especially the chord changes, here is the version with the lyrics! You should also try to memorize the lyrics, even if you are not going to sing, as learning the lyrics can help you with your orientation throughout the song.
[Intro]
A - E - A - E - A - E - A - E
[Verse 1]
A
You can tell the world
You know there was no girl
E
You can burn my clothes when I am gone
Or you can tell your friends
Just what a fool I've been
A
And laugh and joke about me on the phone
[Verse 2]
A
You can tell my arms
Go back into the farm
E
You can tell my feet to hit the floor
Or you can tell my lips
To tell my fingertips
A
They won't be reaching out for you no more
[Chorus] A
But don't tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
E
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
A
He might blow up and kill this man
Wooooooooo..
-Riff-
A - E - A - E - A - E - A - E
[Verse 3]
A
You can tell your maw
I moved to Arkansa(s)
E
You can tell your dog that bit my leg
Or tell your brother Cliff
Who's fist can tell my lip
A
He never really liked me anyway
[Verse 4]
A
Go tell your aunt Louise
Tell anything you please
E
That sell already knows I'm not okay
Or you can tell my eye
Whatch out for my mind
A
It might be walkin' out on me one day
[Chorus] A
But don't tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
E
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
A
He might blow up and kill this man
Whooooooo..
-Riff-
A - E - A - E - A - E - A - E
[Chorus] A
But don't tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
E
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
A
He might blow up and kill this man
[Chorus] With Out Music
But don't tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
I just don't think it'd understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
Whoooooooo.. Uooooooo
-Play During The Whoooooooooo. Uooooooo-
A - E - A - E - A - E - A - EA hot tip: even if you’re just starting out, maybe you should think about getting a notes stand / music stand.
You will have something to put your printed out tabs on, or a tablet if you prefer that. It will be especially useful if you are also going to sing along to your songs.
3. When love comes to town
We are still only playing two beginner chords and we will still play only simple strum-patterns, although the continious downstroke pattern may sound a little bit better with this one. If you were able to play the previous songs, you will have no problems with this one, either!
While this song can be played on acoustic guitar, you should definitely try playing it on an electric guitar to get the somewhat harsher and louder sound!
You will have to listen to the song again to memorize all of the chord changes, but if you keep practicing, you will memorize the whole song in no time!
[Intro] E, A, E [Verse 1] E A E I was a sailor, I was lost in sea E A E I was under the waves, before love resqued me E A E I was a fighter, I could turn on the threat E Now I stand accused of things I've said [Chorus] A Love comes to town, I'm gonna jump that train E When love comes to town A I'm gonna catch that flame E Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down E But I did what I did before love came to town E, A, E [Verse 2] E A E Used to make love under the red sunset E A E I was making promises that I were soon to forget E A E She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown E But I left her standing before love came to town. [Verse 3] E A E Ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream E A E The notes were turning blue as days are a dream E A E As the music played I saw my life turn around E That was the day before love came to town
[Chorus]
A
Love comes to town,
I'm gonna jump that train
E
When love comes to town
A
I'm gonna catch that flame
E
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
E
But I did what I did before love came to town
Then The Edge plays a solo followed by:
A
Love comes to town,
I'm gonna jump that train
E
When love comes to town
A
I'm gonna catch that flame
E
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
E
But I did what I did before love came to town
[Verse 4]
E A E
I was there when they crusified my lord
E A E
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
E A E
I threw the dice as they pierced his side
E
But I've seen love conquer the great divide
[Chorus]
A
Love comes to town,
I'm gonna jump that train
E
When love comes to town
A
I'm gonna catch that flame
E
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
E
But I did what I did before love came to town
BB plays a second solo and then fade.4. Oasis – Songbird
Now we are moving to our next chords! Both chords are very easy to play with a little bit of practice. We now need an E Minor chord and a G Major chord.
E|–0–|
B|–0–|
G|–0–|
D|–2–|
A|–2–|
E|–0–|
E Minor Chord
E|–3—| B|–0—| G|–0—| D|–0—| A|–2—| E|–3—|
G Major Chord
The confrontation part is really important – learning these chords might be a bit harder, but everyone can do it. After you memorize them you should learn how to change between them and play them one after another:
Now you’re ready to learn the song! Stick to our method and don’t forget to go one step back every time you find yourself strugling with the next step. Checking your notes should help you identify, remember and confront your problems more efficiently. This is a really easy song so you can do it, for sure!
[Intro]
....Three, four
G
[Verse 1]
G
Talking to the songbird yesterday
G/F# Em
Flew me to a place not far away
She's a little pilot in my mind
/F# G
Singing songs of love to pass the time
Gonna write a song so she can see
G/F# Em
Give her all the love she gives to me
Talk of better days that have yet to come
/F# G
I've never felt this love from any - one
[Chorus]
She's not anyone
G/F# Em
She's not anyone
/F# G
She's not anyone
[Verse 2]
G
A man can never dream these kind of things
G/F# Em
Especially when she came and spread her wings
Whispered in my ear the things i'd like
/F# G
Then she flew away into the night
Gonna write a song so she can see
G/F# Em
Give her all the love she gives to me
Talk of better days that have yet to come
/F# G
Never felt this love from anyone
[Chorus]
She's not anyone
G/F# Em
She's not anyone
/F# G
She's not anyone
[Outro]
G G/F# Em F# G
G/F# Em F# G5. Horse with no name
This song will require you to not only learn the D Major chord, but also to know how to change from D Major to E Minor.
It is really important to make the change really fluid so concentrate on your left hand and don’t play any complicated rhythm in the beginning. You will do that after you master the chord changes.
This song is a nice place to try some more complicated rhythm patterns so don’t be afraid to experiment with that. Even if it doesn’t work in the beginning, you will get it soon enough!
If you can do all of that, try combining all the parts into a whole song! The exportation part is the one where all that you have learned needs to come together, so take your time, repeat all parts and get ready to perform you next song!
[Intro:] Em |D/F |Em |D/F#
[Verse 1:] Em D/F# Em D/F#
On the first part of the journey, I was looking at all the life.
Em D/F#
There were plants and birds and rocks and things,
Em D/F#
There was sand and hills and rings.
Em D/F# Bm7
The first thing i met was a fly with a buzz
Em D/F# Bm7
And the sky with no clouds.
Em D/F# Bm7
The heat was hot and the ground was dry,
Em D/F# D/A
But the air was full of sound.
[Chorus:] Em9 D6/9/F#
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
Em9 D6/9/F#
It felt good to be out of the rain.
Em9 D6/9/F#
In the desert you can't remember your name
Em9 D6/9/F#
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.
[Link 1:] |:Em9 D6/9/F# Em9 D6/9/F# 😐
La la, la la la la la, la la la, la la.
[Verse 2:] Em D/F# Em D/F#
After two days in the desert sun, my skin began to turn red
Em D/F#
After three days in the desert fun,
Em D/A
I was looking at a river bed.
Em D/F#
And the story it told of a river that flowed
Em D/F# D/A
Made me sad to think it was dead.
[Chorus:] Em9 D6/9/F#
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
Em9 D6/9/F#
It felt good to be out of the rain.
Em9 D6/9/F#
In the desert you can't remember your name
Em9 D6/9/F#
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.
[Link 2:] Em9 D6/9/F# Em9 D6/9/F#
La la, la la la la la, la la la, la la.
Em9 D6/9/F# Em9 A
La la, la la la la la, la la la, la la.
[solo:] Em |F#m |Em9 |A |
Em9 |D6/9/F# Bm7 |Em |
[Verse 3:] A Em9 D6/9/F#
After nine days I let the horse run free
Em9 D6/9/F# Bm7
’Cause the desert had turned to sea
Em9 D6/9/F# Bm7
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
Em9 D6/9/F# Bm7
There was sand and hills and rings
Em9 D6/9/F#
The ocean is a desert with it’s life underground
Em9 D6/9/F#
And a perfect disguise above
Em9 D6/9/F#
Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
Em9 D/A
But the humans will give no love
[Chorus:] Em9 D6/9/F#
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
Em9 D6/9/F#
It felt good to be out of the rain.
Em9 D6/9/F#
In the desert you can't remember your name
Em9 D6/9/F#
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.
[Coda:] |:Em9 D6/9/F# Em9 D6/9/F# 😐
La la, la la la la la, la la la, la la.6. Cranberries – Zombie
This is where things are starting to get a little harder because you are going to need a few more chords than for the last few songs.
This is where things are starting to get a little harder because you are going to need a few more chords than for the last few songs. For this song you will need a total of four easy guitar chords, and if you want, you can ad a few more complicated ones to spice up your playing.
Because you will requrie to change a lot of chords, let’s once again take a look at a video about changing chords. It will help you to better grasp the concept of our method and to take your guitar playing to the next level.
The chords that we will need for this amazing song are E Minor, C Major, G Major and D Major. In addition to those, you may spice up your playing with a few additional chords. Here is a list on how to play those chords:
Chords:
Em: 022000
C: x32010
Cmaj7: x32000
G: 320033
G6: 320000
D/F#: 200232
D: xx0232
Dsus4: xx0233
Another thing you should focus on right now is learning a more complicated strum- pattern. Here is a tutorial on how to practice your strumming hand technique:
This song sounds both amazing on electric and acoustic guitar so listen to the different parts and try to emulate the distinctive sound of each instrument.
Chords: Em: 022000 C: x32010 Cmaj7: x32000 G: 320033 G6: 320000 D/F#: 2x0232 D: xx0232 Dsus4: xx0233 [Intro] Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F# Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F# [Verse 1] Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F# Another head hangs lowly child is slowly taken Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F# And the violence caused such silence who are we mistaken Em C But you see it's not me, it's not my family, G D/F# In your head, in your head, they are fighting Em C G With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns in your head, D/F# in your head, the are crying. [Chorus] Em C G D Dsus4 D In your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie Em C G D Dsus4 D What's in your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie
[Verse 2]
Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F#
Anothers mother's breaking, heart is taking over.
Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F#
When the violence caused silence, we must be mistaken.
Em C
It's the same old theme since 1916,
G D/F#
in your head, in your head, they're still fighting
Em C
With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns,
G D/F#
In your head, in your head, they're dying.
[Chorus]
Em C G D Dsus4 D
In your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie
Em C G D Dsus4 D
What's in your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie
[Outro]
Em Cmaj7 G6 D/F# (repeat to fade…)Hot Tip: Your growth can be improved by the awareness of what you are learning. The easiest way to do this is to keep a log of what you’re practicing. You’ll find that keeping track of your practice will help you focus future practice sessions, so you will not only be able to start practicing right away, but you will have clear goals on what to practice!
7. Cranberries – Animal Instinct
Here is another easy Cranberries song that can sound amazing on both a western guitar, but equally good on an electric. That makes it one of the best songs to learn as a beginner.
As with the last song, we will need a few more chords. Now we will need E Minor, A Minor, C Major and D Major, but optionally, we can play an A Minor 7 and a C Added 9 chords instead of the basic A Minor and C Major.
B|–0——–1———–3———3——————————–|
G|–0——–0———–0———2——————————–|
D|–2——–2———–2———0——————————–|
A|–2——–0———–3———0——————————–|
E|–0—————————————————————–|
[Intro]
Em Am7 Cadd9 D
[Verse]
Em Am7 Cadd9
Suddenly something has happened to me
D Em
As I was having my cup of tea
Am7 Cadd9
Suddenly I was feeling depressed
D Em
I was utterly and totally stressed
Am Cadd9 D Em
Do you know you made me cry ouooo
Am Cadd9 D
Do you know you made me die
[Pre-Chorus]
Em Am7
And the thing that's gets to me
Cadd9 D
Is you'll never really see
Em Am7
And the thing that's freaks me out
Cadd9 D
Is I always be in doubt
[Chorus]
G D C
It is a lovely thing that we have
D G
It is a lovely thing that we
G D C
It is a lovely thing the animal
D Em Am7 C D
The animal instinct
[Verse]
Em Am7 Cadd9
So take my hands and come with me
D
We will change reality
Em Am7 Cadd9
So take my hands and we will pray
D Em
They won't take you away
Am7 Cadd9 D Em
They will never make me cry no
Am7 Cadd9 D
They will never make me die
[Pre-Chorus]
Em Am7
And the thing that's gets to me
Cadd9 D
Is you'll never really see
Em Am7
And the thing that's freaks me out
Cadd9 D
Is I always be in doubt
[Chorus]
Em Am7 C D
The animal the animal the animal instinct in me
Em Am7 C D
It is the animal the animal the animal instinct in me
Em Am7
It is the animal it is the animal
C D
It is the animal instinct in me
Em Am7 C D
The animal the animal the animal instinct in me
Em Am7 C D
It is the animal the animal the animal instinct in me
Em Am7
It is the animal it is the animal
C D
It is the animal instinct in me
Chords
Em 022000
Am7 002010
Cadd9 032030
D 000232
C 032010
G 320003
Am 002210 8. You’re Hot and You’re Cold
Darren Harvey called “Hot n Cold” a “Tiffany-style ’80s pop number”.
It uses a standard G – D – C progression along with an A Minor chord, so it is a fairly easy song to play. Here is a bit more information on this simple guitar progression:
For this song, you can use any of the easy strum-patterns that you have learned, or try to incorporate a more complicated one. Listen to the song, make a few notes on the chord changes and practice switching your chords fluidly.
[Verse]
G D
You change your mind,
Am C
Like a girl changes clothes,
etc. (the same for all the verses)
[Chorus]
G
Your hot then your cold
D
Your yes then your no,
Am
Your in then your out,
C
Your up then your down
etc. for whole chorus
[Verse]
G D
You change your mind,
Am C
Like a girl changes clothes,
etc. (the same for all the verses)[Chorus] G Your hot then your cold D Your yes then your no, Am Your in then your out, C Your up then your down etc. for whole chorus [Bridge] Em C Will someone call the doctor G D I got another case of bipolar etc...... [Pluck or strum slowly] G D You change your mind, Am C Like a girl changes clothes
A Hot Tip: To completely memorize any song, you may want to try to also learn the lyrics, even if you are not going to sing. That way, you’ll be sure to know when to play which chord. Also, you may want to have your tabs printed out!
9. Andantino
We are now going to tackle the topic of playing easy, beginner-friendly fingerstyle guitar! There are many interesting techniques that require you to be proficient at fingerstyle, but this short composition can be learned even by total beginners with just a little bit of practice.
Let’s use our method to practice a few things before we go to the composition itself. Fingerstyle is usually played in classical guitar and some country music. Because of that, taking a look at classical guitarists will help you improve your technique. First you need to undesrtand the fretting hand technique used in classical guitar, which is only slightly different than with Western or electric guitar:
After you’ve refined your fretting hand position, you should concentrate on your strumming hand. You may want to have nails on your strumming hand for easier playing.
If you understand all the classical guitar basics, you can start learning your first classical composition:
Classical guitarists usually use formal notation called sheet music. Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols to indicate the pitches (melodies), rhythms and/or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece.
Luckily many famous pieces have a tabbed out version which you can learn until you master reading sheet music.
4/4
e|-------------------------------0-2---3----3----2----2----0----0----------|
B|-0---0---1---1---3----3----3----------------------------------------3----|
G|---0---0---0---0---0----0--------------0----0----0----0------------------|
D|-------------------------------------2----2----0----0------0----0--------|
A|---------0---0---2----2----2-----------------------------3----3-----2----|
E|-3---3-------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------0----------------3-2---0------------------------------------|
B|-1---1---1-----3--0---0---0-------------3---1----0--0---1---2---3--------|
G|-2---2---2--------0---0---0-----------------------------------------2----|
D|---0---0---0--------0---0---0-----------------------0---------------0----|
A|----------------------------------3---2---0------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------3-------------------------|
e|-----2--------2------3----------------------2-------2-------3------------|
B|---1---1----1---1--------3-----0----3-----1---1---1---1---------3----0---|
G|-------------------0---0----0-----0----------------------0----0----0-----|
D|-0--------0-----------------------------0-------0------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-----------0--------------------------2------------3--------0------------|
B|---3---------------------3---------1-----1------0----0---------1-----0---|
G|-0------0-------------0-------------------------------------------2------|
D|--------------------------------0------------2-----------------------0---|
A|------3-------3-----2-------2----------------------------3---------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-3--1--------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------2-----0-----------------------------------------------------------|
D|----0-----------0--------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------2------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------3----------3--------------------------------------------------|10. Drue James – Easy Classical Guitar Song
A beautiful and easy fingerpicking, classical guitar song, but you can also play it on a Western guitar. Listen carefully to the beautiful voicings that you can pick out when using fingerstyle and keep on practicing your fingerstyle!
BONUS : Foo Fighters – Something From Nothing
Here’s a song that’s gonna be a bit more challanging for you! This is a very melodic and progressive song with many different parts, but in fact it’s not too hard to play once you get all the riffs down.
You can play the different parts on different instruments and split up the parts between different guitarists in your band.
You can try switching between fingerstyle and picking, or even try to incorporate some hybrid-picking – a more advanced playing technique found in both cool country styles, as well as used by hardcore heavy metal players.
We hope you can manage this song – it will be a big step in your overall guitar playing, so keep on practicing until you can nail down all the parts!
[Intro] e|-------------------------------------------| B|----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0---| G|----0----0----0----0----0----0----0----0---| [x2] D|-------------------------------------------| A|--7----7----7----7-------------------------| E|----------------------0----0----0----0-----| [Verse] e||-------------------------------------------------------------------| B||---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|o---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|o-------------------------------------------------------------------| A||-7---7---7---7---6---6---6---6---5---5---5---5---4---4---4---4-----| E||-------------------------------------------------------------------| e|-----------------------------------| B|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|---------2---2---------------------| A|-3---3-----------0---0---0---0-----| E|-----------------------------------| e||-------------------------------------------------------------------| B||---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|o---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|o-------------------------------------------------------------------| A||-7---7---7---7---6---6---6---6---5---5---5---5---4---4---4---4-----| E||-------------------------------------------------------------------| e|-----------------------------------| B|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|---------2---2---------------------| A|-3---3-----------0---0---0---0-----| E|-----------------------------------| [Chorus] e||-------------------------------------|| B||---0---0-----0---0---0---0---0---0---|| G|o---0---0-----0---0---0---0---0---0---o| [x2] D|o-------------------------------------o| A||--------------/5---4---4---0---0-----|| E||-0---2-----3-------------------------|| e|-----------------------------------| B|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|---------2---2---------------------| A|-3---3-----------0---0---0---0-----| E|-----------------------------------| e||-------------------------------------------------------------------| B||---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|o---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|o-------------------------------------------------------------------| A||-7---7---7---7---6---6---6---6---5---5---5---5---4---4---4---4-----| E||-------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------| B|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---| D|---------2---2---------------------| A|-3---3-----------0---0---0---0-----| E|-----------------------------------| e||-------------------------------------|| B||---0---0-----0---0---0---0---0---0---|| G|o---0---0-----0---0---0---0---0---0---o| [x2] D|o-------------------------------------o| A||--------------/5---4---4---0---0-----|| E||-0---2-----3-------------------------|| [Bridge] e||--------------------------------------|| B||-----0-------0---------0--------0-----|| G|o-----0-------0---------0--------0-----o| D|o--------------------------------------o| [x8] A||-5h7-----5h7-----7-----9-----10-------|| E||--------------------------------------|| e||-----------------------------------|| B||---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|| G|o---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---o| D|o---------2---2---------------------o| [x3] A||-3---3-----------0---0---0---0-----|| E||-----------------------------------|| e||--------------------------------------|| B||-----0-------0---------0--------0-----|| G|o-----0-------0---------0--------0-----o| D|o--------------------------------------o| [x6] A||-5h7-----5h7-----7-----9-----10-------|| E||--------------------------------------|| [Outro] e|-----------------------|| B|---0---0---0---0---5---|| G|---0---0---0---0---5---|| D|-----------------------|| A|------------/5---4-----|| E|-0---2---3-------------||
Conclusion:
But if you keep learning using a good method and never give up, you will become more proficient, you will become faster, your endurance will improve and you’ll have even more fun playing your instrument.
All it takes is a little patience!
