Good Guitar Songs to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners to Intermediate Players

Learning to play the guitar is a rewarding journey. At every stage of musical education, guitarists learn new songs. This article is designed to provide a structured approach to learning guitar songs, catering to different skill levels and musical tastes. Whether you're just starting or looking to expand your repertoire, this guide will help you find the best songs to learn and improve your playing.

Introduction: Finding the Right Songs

Part of being a guitar teacher involves curating songs that students might enjoy playing. Some students know exactly what they want to learn, while others just want guidance on what songs they "should" learn. Music isn't meant to be learned like math or physics; there is no linear path to mastery, unless you’re studying theory. The best path is the one you're most excited about.

Beginner-Friendly Songs

Easy guitar songs are plentiful. Many are focused on the '60s and '70s. This era is an awesome time for pop music. As you learn these easy guitar songs, make sure that you practice the chords. While practicing, start slow and gradually build up the tempo. Learning these songs is just the beginning.

Top 5 Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners

"Louie Louie": Few songs possess the simplicity, energy, and nostalgia of "Louie Louie." It features power chords, which involve playing the root of a chord, the 5th scale degree of that note, and the octave. The rhythm can be tricky, so take your time and listen carefully.
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door": This beautiful and easy guitar song is a standard in many jam circles. Its recognizability and relatively simple chords make it fun to play. If you struggle, slow down and get comfortable with the chord changes.
"Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan: There are a couple of different versions of this classic song. The first, recorded in 1963, features just Bob Dylan with a fingerpicking guitar part. The second has Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, with Cash playing a strumming part. This song is only three chords!
"Let It Be" by The Beatles: Chances are everyone has heard this easy guitar song. Even without a harmonica or harmony singer, this song is a classic. The steady rhythm and easy-going tempo allow players of all experience levels to rock out.
"Stand by Me" by Ben E. King: Few easy guitar songs have such a philosophical basis. The strumming pattern and chords are appealing, and the dynamic between the musicians is wonderful.

Transitioning to Intermediate Level

If you have progressed past the beginner phase and are looking to take your playing to the next level with some intermediate guitar songs, it's important to recognize that with the guitar you’ve got two hands that are doing very different things. As such these first two core skills are as important to work on independently as they are to work on together. At the intermediate level, students should be able to move between open chords with ease and in time with the music.

Essential Skills for Intermediate Guitarists

Chord Mastery: Intermediate players should have a decent grasp on chords, as more complex chords will appear in songs.
Barre Chords: Barre chords are bound to appear in any list of the best songs to learn on guitar. At some point, guitarists must learn how to play them.
Fluid Chord Movement: Seamless chord movement and strumming are key to mastering many intermediate songs.
Power and Bar Chords: The intermediate guitarist must move fluidly between power chord and bar chord segments of a song and be able to quickly change chords along the neck of the guitar.
Picking Patterns and Fingerpicking: Precision and resonance are key to keep in mind when working on these skills. Precision deals with tempo while resonance deals with the sound of the note being played.

Intermediate Song Suggestions

"Back in Black" by AC/DC: This song combines both strumming and lead techniques. Listen to the intro slowed down to correctly identify the first lead lick.
"Space Oddity" by David Bowie: While most of this song’s chords should be familiar to the blossoming intermediate guitarist, it introduces a few oddities, including the A minor over G and D over F#, the former of which requires some pinky muscle to fret properly.
"Hotel California" by The Eagles: Seamless chord movement and strumming is the key to mastering this song.
"Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots: This iconic 90’s classic introduces players to a couple of unique chord shapes, including using your thumb to fret the low E string for the D over F# chord.
"Pinball Wizard" by The Who: In addition to some new and moveable chord shapes (variations on the bar chord shape), the beginning of this song utilizes a strumming pattern that has the player using the bottom note of the chord as a “drone” while the rest of the chord only being played once per segment.
"American Idiot" by Green Day: Though relatively simple, the quick power chord changes can easily throw students that aren’t used to quick switching at quicker tempos.
"Barracuda" by Heart: This classic tune introduces students to the wonderful world of chugging.
"Enter Sandman" by Metallica: While the intro for this song is simple enough for most intermediate students, the challenge comes with the quick chord-changing chugging pattern that follows and continues throughout the song.
"Point of No Return" by Kansas: Quick bar chord changes and 1-2 note fills in between some of the chords are some of the challenges to overcome on this classic tune.
"Remedy" by The Black Crowes: While the proper way to play this song is in the open G tuning, however, it can just as easily be played in standard with power chords. The open G tuning will give students the experience of playing a song in an open tuning, and how it changes the approach to chords.
"Everlong" by Foo Fighters: For students not yet exposed to Drop D, this song is a great opportunity to get acquainted with the most popular alternate tuning.

Fingerpicking Songs for Intermediate Players

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles (Tempo: 138 BPM): A great tune that utilizes quick shifting chords in close proximity.
"Street Spirit" by Radiohead (Tempo: 69 BPM): A seemingly difficult tune that, when slowed down, becomes much more manageable. Utilizing a cross-picking technique across three chords with some slight finger augmentations in between, the key to this tune is muscle memory.
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (Tempo: 82 BPM): This masterful, legendary song is an excellent introduction to the nuances of the traditional fingerpicking style.
"Jolene" by Dolly Parton (Tempo: 111 BPM): Though the chord changes are simple enough, the trick to this song is all in the picking.

Riffs for Intermediate Players

"Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin: One of the most iconic riffs in all of rock and roll history is not only surprisingly accessible but incredibly infectious once mastered.

Developing Feel and Style

"1979" by Smashing Pumpkins: This song utilizes both a drone note for the main riff, as well as other open strings in tandem with riffs and chords to evoke its dreamy imagery and theme.
"Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin: The challenge with this song is making everything sound fluid through Jimmy Page’s ability to slide in and out of chord shapes with ease.
"Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughn: The combination of the swing feel and the power behind every single note gives it that character.
"Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix: This song challenges the intermediate guitar player to utilize much of their skillset in order to begin the path of mastering this classic tune.
"Brick House" by Commodores: This Commodores classic is a proper introduction to skank guitar playing.

Additional Tips for Learning Guitar Songs

Practice Regularly: Repetition is key to getting any song under your fingers. Muscle memory governs guitar playing.
Go Slow: Start at a comfortable tempo and gradually increase speed as you improve.
Use a Metronome: This is invaluable for developing precision and timing.
Listen Actively: Pay attention to the nuances of the song, including rhythm, dynamics, and feel.
Find a Teacher: A good teacher can provide personalized guidance and help you overcome challenges.
Explore Different Styles: The trick isn’t to necessarily perfect one’s ability to play in the styles of others, but rather to get acquainted with learning different styles and approaches to playing.

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