10 Of The Best Songs To Learn On Guitar

We know, we know, you want to jump straight to the best songs to learn on guitar. First, please indulge us in sharing some sage advice that will keep you from getting discouraged, giving up, and leaving that beautiful instrument in the closet or garage to gather dust until someone decides it belongs in a garage sale, on ebay, or in a pawn shop. (Believe us; we would like nothing more than to go straight to the best songs to learn on guitar, too. But we have seen the garage sale routine too many times.)

There is no way around the fact that learning to play guitar requires effort. Not only do you have to learn the technical aspects of the instrument (like parts of the guitar, how to hold it, and how to tune it so that it sounds right), but you have to develop the coordination and muscle memory that allows each finger of each hand to do something different (one pressing strings to form notes and chords and the other plucking to play them), while your brain is busy counting and thinking a few notes ahead so that your hands and fingers know what's coming.

Not Just Guitar

We all admire musicians who can make even the most complicated music look and sound effortless. But those musicians went through the same painful process, learning and practicing the individual technical aspects of their instruments before they were able to progress to the best songs to learn on guitar, piano, drum kit, saxophone, or cello.

The best guitarists, whether Townshend, Richards, Santana, Clapton, Van Halen, The Edge, Slash, or anyone else you can name, not only went through this struggle-ridden starting period; they returned to it repeatedly to further their mastery.

Our beginner's list of the best songs to learn on guitar is not intended for the day-one beginner. You have ground to travel first. It is bumpy. It will make your fingers ache. But you can get there, too. Our list of best songs to learn on guitar is intended to serve as both the reward for that early practice as well as the next step in your path to guitar mastery.

Why a List of Best Songs to Learn on Guitar?

We refer to this beginner's list of the best songs to learn on guitar as a reward and a new challenge because it marks a renewed starting point for beginner guitarists. It rewards your earliest efforts because we all set out to play guitar to play songs. Not even the geekiest musician would be satisfied just to make notes and chords.

That step from notes/chords into a familiar tune is a magical inflection point, known for sling-shooting novice guitarists from the early stages of instrument learning into true enjoyment. Pulling a familiar tune from your instrument feels like a whole new relationship with the thing.

Take It from an “Old” Dude

Aspiring guitarist (and NYU psychology professor) Gary Marcus noted this phenomenon in his 2012 book, “Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning.” He set out to explore whether someone in his late 30s could challenge the notion that only the “young” brain could learn a new skill, such as playing a musical instrument, becoming a painter, or picking up a second language.

Using himself as the Guinea pig, he devoted a year-long academic sabbatical to see if he could learn to play guitar. He even had his own beginner's list of best songs to learn on guitar. He chose the self-taught path and recounts the familiar struggles of fumbling through learning to tune his instrument, picking out some notes, and figuring out how to handle finger-straining chords. He even resorted to living in his family's vacation cabin to spare them the pain of listening to his efforts.

Marcus notes in the book that not only he but also his family changed their tune toward his efforts when he started to play actual music; especially music they recognized. Suddenly, all his drawn-out tuning sessions, bad notes, and seemingly random chords transformed into favorite songs. The songs spurred his efforts and his family's encouragement to learn more. Thus, his list of best songs to learn on guitar became its own reward, serving as their own enjoyment, as well as challenged him to pick up even more chords and new techniques.

What Criteria Do You Use to Choose Beginner's Songs?

In choosing songs for our recommended list of best songs to learn on guitar, we decided on ten criteria to help you get the most from your efforts. You can substitute and/or add to our list to develop your own. In fact, if you are taking lessons from a guitar instructor, we invite you to share our list and our criteria with them so that they can personalize your list to your needs and preferences. Musician individualism is just as important as knowing the fundamentals of your instrument.

Our criteria:

Our Picks for Best Songs to Learn on Guitar for Beginners

What We Reviewed

Verdict

We know we went all pedantic and Yoda-ed you at the outset of this list of best songs to learn on guitar. However, we did so in the hopes that you would understand and blast through those early fundamentals lessons. The rewards of being able to play a recognizable song are worth every bit of that effort. Once you get there, the songs themselves will encourage you to learn more songs and more fundamentals.

As far as our list goes, we think Sweet Caroline is the best starting place, as it is such a highly recognizable and easy to play tune. It's the End of the World (As We Know It) hits the difficulty end of our list. End your progression there. In between, you can wander anywhere in the list.