If you’re learning to play the guitar, you’ll be more than familiar with the utter frustration that it can provoke. Being able to play an instrument is a wonderful thing and more than worth the time, effort and cost that you’re bound to invest, but it’s also very hard work. It takes a lot of determination to learn how to play the guitar and it’s not because the process itself is all that difficult. It’s just very rigorous and very monotonous when you first start out – not to mention the fact that it causes pain in your fingers the likes of which you’ve never felt before. Nobody mentions that when you first start out, that’s for sure.
So much of learning an instrument is dedicated to rote based knowledge and repetition and it can very easily get boring if you don’t break up the monotony with something different. Learning how to play simple pop and rock songs, through LickLibrary, can be a great way to both boost your confidence and break up a staid routine. Fortunately, there are hundreds of them out. Here are 10 easy ‘first play’ songs that you can learn to rock on the guitar.
Bob Marley – Three Little Birds
This is one of the easiest, catchiest songs in the world to play. It’s got a very simple melody that doesn’t change much throughout the song and it’s quite short. It’s also a lot of fun to learn and to play. Though it’s very easy, it sounds impressive doesn’t it – being able to say that you can already play a Bob Marley song?
Coldplay – Yellow
Again, this fairly slow track from Coldplay’s debut album should be easy to master. The vast majority of the song is played in either E or D and this doesn’t change for the duration. It’s quite a downbeat song in a lot of ways but it has a very big, exciting ending.
Neil Diamond – You’ll Be A Woman Soon
This song is probably most famous for its appearance in the Quentin Tarantino movie Pulp Fiction. It also happens to be very easy to learn and to play. The verses are very short and very repetitive, so you don’t have to learn how to master too much at once.
Green Day – Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Everybody loves this song and it’s very simple to play. It tends to be a good tune to practise your picking to as it’s quite intricate in places. Getting the picking right can be tricky at first, but once you’ve got it down – you’ll be able to breeze through this song, says GuitarNoisei.com journalist David Hodge.
Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe
Hey Joe is a very short and simple song but it’s very powerful and energetic. You should learn to play this tune if sitting still and mastering your chords has you a little bored. No more air guitar for you!
Oasis – Wonderwall
Wonderwall is a good song to practice strumming and picking with. Once you think you’ve mastered a few moves – have a go at this tune. It’ll sound strange to begin with but as you get better, it’ll become more recognisable. You do have to move your fingers quickly in order to keep up with this one, say the experts at WonderHowTo.com.
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
A beautiful song and an easy tune to learn on the guitar. It has a simple rhythm and strum pattern, so you don’t have to move at breakneck speed to keep up. It’s just a nice song to be able to play, isn’t it?
Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
Cash is known as the king of three chord songs and that makes him the perfect tutor for beginners, say the experts at TakeLessons.com. This tune is incredibly simple and very catchy indeed.
Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
Time for a contemporary example – Gaga’s pop epic Paparazzi uses only minor chords and then sticks mostly with G, C and D. It couldn’t be any easier but then again, pop songs aren’t usually the most complex of things.
Sheryl Crow – Strong Enough
This is actually one of Sheryl Crow’s most popular songs, and it’s a good track for beginners. The picking pattern in this tune might be a little tricky at first but stick with it. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be playing like a pro.
Author Bio: Piter Thomas has been a guitar tutor for seven years. He recommends checking out LickLibrary and the selection of practice songs available. His number one tip for beginners is to stay determined and stay focused on short term goals.
