15 Easiest Acoustic Guitar Songs to Play for Beginners

Strum your way through this list of 15 easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners, and you just might pull off the free-spirited, hippy persona.

I’ve tried my hand at both electric and acoustic guitar and cannot say that I’m very good at either. I have a tendency to quickly grow tired of things, which definitely showed through instruments as a child. I tried playing the violin, clarinet, drums, and eventually guitar before deciding to take a break from the whole learning a new instrument thing. For each one I, either took lessons or played in the middle school band, so I learned a little, but never really mastered anything. While I don’t have my guitars anymore, I can still remember a few easy guitar songs tabs by heart, to strum. Some of my favorite beginner acoustic guitar songs were (and still are) Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and “Blackbird” by The Beatles. As far as easy rock guitar songs go, “Blackbird” is definitely a good one.

If you’re looking for easy guitar songs (acoustic), take a look at our list of the easiest folk songs to play on acoustic guitar. If you’re interested in something more along the lines of easy guitar songs for kids, easy guitar songs for beginners, summer campfire songs is sure to help.  There are tons of songs out there and, thanks to the Internet, tons of resources to help you learn. From learning easy guitar songs for beginners chords to learning the beginner tabs, there are multiple ways to pick up the skills you need.

There are plenty of song choices to learn and play on the acoustic guitar; however, the basis will always be the level of difficulty and your skills in playing the guitar. There might be songs for beginners that are not within the grasp of your capacity, so you have to choose something else much easier for your first song options. Luckily, there are “easy” songs in all kinds of genres, depending on what you are interested in. If you opt to learn the traditional way, you can always buy a songbook and support your local music store.

We compiled people’s favorite, beginner songs for you to learn with your acoustic guitar with the help of Quora, StringVibe, and Guitar Player Box. Some of the songs date way back in the 60s, which some millennials may not be familiar with, but other songs are sung by our modern singers. For this list, we’ve ranked the songs based on the chords required, so the fewer chords, the higher it has been placed on our list. Other options are found here on our list of easiest acoustic guitar songs to play. If you are quite specific on the genre, we have the best picks as well when it comes to rock, which you can find on our list of easiest acoustic rock songs to play on guitar for beginners. Never be afraid to try something new, especially learning to play a musical instrument like a guitar. You will eventually master it, with consistency in practice.

Let’s “pick” our way through our list of easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners.

15. More Than Words – Extreme

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The American rock band Extreme originally performed and released the song “More Than Words” in 1990. This song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 81 and eventually soared towards number one and earned the second spot in the UK as well. This ballad made a mark not only in the U.S. and the UK but worldwide.

14. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

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Pink Floyd is an English rock band that released the album “Wish You Were Here.” Mixed reviews were received when the song was released, but despite the critics, it was an instant success. The song that ranked 14th on our list of easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners is recorded at the well-known Abbey Road Studios in London and it’s referring to the breakdown of Syd Barrett, a former Pink Floyd member.

13. House of the Rising Sun – The Animals

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The Animals recorded the most successful commercial version of the traditional folk song “House of the Rising Sun.” It is about life in New Orleans that has gone wrong, and it hit number one on the UK Singles Chart as well as in France and the U.S. The band always used the song as their closing number on their concert tour.

12. Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond

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On August 23, 1969, “Sweet Caroline,” written and performed by Neil Diamond, hit number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The inspiration for this song was thought to be the daughter of John F. Kennedy, Caroline, but in 2014, Neil stated that it was actually about his wife named Marsha, but the syllable of her name did not fit the melody. The song has endured the test of time and even sold over 2 million digital downloads in the U.S.

11. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day

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The punk rock band Green Day released the song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” in 1997. The song sold 2.6 million digital download copies in the U.S. alone and has been an international hit. Good Riddance is popular in prom dances where graduating seniors get that nostalgic feeling and get flashbacks from their time in high school.

10. Creep – Radiohead

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Number 10 on our list of easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners is “Radiohead”, an English alternative rock band which released “Creep” as their debut single in 1992. A year after the song was re-released, it gained worldwide success. The song tells about a man who is attracted to a woman but doesn’t have the confidence to face her.

9. Stay With Me – Sam Smith

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We are continuing our list of easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners with “Stay With Me” that is Sam Smith’s most successful single to date. This song was a chart-topper in the UK Singles Chart and landed number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In 2014, it became the 8th best selling song in the UK. Cover versions were made by Ed Sheeran, FKA Twigs, Chris Brown, and more artists.

8. Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison

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Van Morrison himself wrote “Brown Eyed Girl” and released it in 1967. It landed on the number 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and is considered as Morrison’s signature song. It gained recognition for not only being featured in films but has also stood the test of times.

7. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan

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Halfway through our list of 15 easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners is the song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” The song is the soundtrack of the film “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” from 1973. It reached top 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Eric Clapton and the band Guns N’ Roses have their cover versions of the song as well.

6. Radioactive – Imagine Dragons

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Earning positive reviews during the time it was released was no problem for “Radioactive” by the band Imagine Dragons. In April 2013, the song reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, later peaking at number 3. The video game Assassin’s Creed III even used Radioactive for their promotions.

5. Hey, Soul Sister – Train

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Train’s highest-charting song “Hey, Soul Sister” reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in its prime. It also held the number 1 spot on the Hot Digital Songs chart, holding the spot for three weeks. The song is the biggest-selling digital single by a rock band in the U.S.

4. Just The Way You Are – Bruno Mars

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Bruno Mars is the singer behind “Just The Way You Are”, the next song on our list of easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners. The song held the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Top 40 charts, and it is also one of the best selling digital singles of all time.

3. She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5

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Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 was the peak position for the song “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5. The song revolves around a sad love story, rejection, and emotional anxiety. The plot eventually reveals a mother-daughter love triangle with the lead singer Adam Levine.

2. Leaving on a Jetplane – John Denver

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The American folk group recorded the song “Leaving on a Jetplane” in 1966 which had an original title of “Babe, I Hate To Go.” Later in 1969, John Denver recorded a version of the song for his Rhymes & Reasons debut solo album. It’s a great song to play on the acoustic guitar.

1. Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen

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At the top of our list of 15 easiest acoustic guitar songs to play for beginners is the song “Glory Days”  It is written and performed by American rock singer, Bruce Springsteen. At its peak, it earned number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.