5 Easy-to-Learn Guitar Songs for Beginners

Many people try to learn to play the guitar and often get frustrated, leading to giving up on the instrument. After all, playing guitar isn't for everyone! We all love to hear that hypnotizing solo in our favorite songs or the heavy break down in a great rock tune and it inspires us to learn how to play, but complex chords and sore fingers from practicing often can be discouraging.

It takes many years of playing the guitar and practicing on a regular basis to be able to master this stringed beast but everyone has to start somewhere, so why not start with these 5 easy songs to learn how to play on the guitar? Let's assume you already know the basic bar chords for a six string set up.

System of a Down may lay down some sick, progressive metal tunes with great lyrics and blistering solo work, but there is one song in their repertoire that is really laid back and super easy to play.

Songs like "Aerials" may start off really mellow but I'm not talking about that song in particular. I'm referring to "Lonely Day" by System of a Down. This tune lifts me up every time I'm feeling dark and down in the dumps and I found it really easy to learn how to play on guitar. Typically, they play this song a half a step down from standard tuning, but I stay away from playing anything in "Drop D" tuning just because switching back and forth between standard and drop tuning takes up too much time when I'm playing out in public or sitting around entertaining friends and family. The video below is a good guide to learning the basics of this song and there are only a few chords (A minor, D minor, C, & E).

"Stop! Listen! What's that sound? Everybody look what's going down". What's going down is you learning how to play an awesome and super easy song by the classic rock band, Buffalo Springfield!

"For What It's Worth" is a great tune from the 1960s when peace, love and political activism was rampant and free speech wasn't necessarily a given right in America. This tune only has 2 chords in the entire song (E & A)! Check out the video guide below for a basic rundown of how to play this iconic tune on guitar.

Don't get frustrated when learning guitar. I know for some people, learning guitar has them and their listeners screaming "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", but this tune by legendary rock band The Rolling Stones is one song that you can play with little effort and practice. The chords are simple as well as the lyrics and transitions. Classic rock is popular and a real crowd pleaser, so if you are looking for a good line up of songs to play in public, "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones is a great song to add to your set list and super easy to learn too.

Have "The time of Your Life" and say "Good Riddance" to frustrating guitar tunes by learning an easy guitar song and anthem for a generation by punk band, Green Day. This song played and still plays endlessly on the radio. "Good Riddance/Time of your Life" is a great starter song for beginning players and as with the other songs on this list, only requires a few easy chords.

No set list or song repertoire would be complete without a song by one of the greatest bands of all time, Nirvana. They busted into the scene in the 1990s and started one of the most iconic music genres of all time---Grunge Rock.

Kurt Cobain's left handed punk rock style of guitar playing inspired many of Generation X's youth to pick up the guitar, including yours truly. Their material is raw and driven like no other and Kurt's crooning is unforgettable. A lot of Nirvana's songs are also made up of a few chords and relatively easy to learn on guitar.

"About a Girl" is one of those songs and is popular still among many ages as well as still receiving air play on radio stations and streaming services. Check out the tutorial in the video and start impressing the ladies.

If you are serious about learning how to play guitar, don't give up! It's not for everyone and it won't come to you overnight. You don't have to stick to the traditional way of learning guitar that they teach in lessons. Find out what works for you. If a particular finger placement just isn't working for you, improvise the chord using a method that you can be comfortable with.

Start off by learning the basic chords. Don't worry about learning that blistering guitar solo. Learn how to hold the guitar, learn the names of each string (E,B,G,D,A,E). Remember that they are labeled from bottom string (the thinnest) to top string (the thickest). A good way to remembering them is by repeating this phrase..."Even, Bad, Guitarists, Deserve, An, Emmy" (E,B,G,D,A,E). I will leave you with a video of some easy guitar basics. Remember, don't get frustrated. Just keep rockin'!