40+ Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners (2 and 3-Chord Tunes)

Hey, it’s James here from GoodGuitarist.com—and if you’re just starting out, playing real songs is one of the best ways to lock in your chords and get better at switching between them.

On this page, I’ve compiled a bunch of beginner-friendly guitar songs that use just two, three or four chords. Most are super simple and repetitive. They’re organized by chord progression, so you can scroll down, find a chord combo you know, and start strumming along.

🎸 Don’t forget: If you want structure, support, and bonus song tutorials, check out my All-Access Pass to Mastering Guitar. It includes step-by-step beginner courses and full song play-alongs to help you build real skills.

Table of Contents

• Super Easy 2-Chord Songs
• 3-Chord Progressions That Just Work
• The Most Common Chord Progression on Guitar
• Other Popular Beginner Chord Combos

Super Easy 2-Chord Songs

If you’re brand new to guitar, these easy 2-chord songs are the perfect place to start. You’ll get real-world practice switching between just two chords while playing fun, recognizable tunes.

Each song links to a step-by-step tutorial you can follow. No fluff—just practical progress.

🔁 C and G

• Anyone Else But You – Mouldy Peaches
• Five Little Ducks – Traditional
• Give Peace A Chance – John Lennon
• Itsy Bitsy Spider – Traditional
• Jambalaya – Hank Williams
• Paperback Writer – The Beatles
• You Never Can Tell – Chuck Berry
• Everyday People – Sly and the Family Stone

🔁 E and A

• Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Cyrus
• Born In The USA (Absolute Beginner) – Bruce Springsteen
• Row Row Row Your Boat – Traditional
• State of Grace – Taylor Swift

Other Easy 2-Chord Songs

• Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin [E, D]
• A Horse With No Name – America [Em, D]
• Drunken Sailor – Traditional [Em, D]
• Fire On The Mountain – Grateful Dead [G, A]
• Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton [G, Am]
• Lively Up Yourself – Bob Marley [G, D]
• What I Got – Sublime [G, D]
• Songbird – Oasis [G, Em]
• Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles [C, Em]
• Feelin’ Alright – Traffic / Joe Cocker [C, F (easy version)]

3-Chord Progressions That Sound Great

Now that you’re comfortable with two chords, let’s add one more and unlock a TON of classic songs.

🔷 G – C – D

• Tambourine Man (Easier Acoustic) – Bob Dylan
• Chicken Fried – Zac Brown Band
• Sweet Child O’ Mine (Acoustic) – Guns N’ Roses
• Will The Circle Be Unbroken – Traditional
• Amazing Grace (Fingerstyle) – Traditional
• Joy To The World – Christmas Song
• Away in a Manger – Traditional
• Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer – Holiday
• Amazing Grace – Traditional
• Blowin’ In The Wind – Bob Dylan
• The Joker – Steve Miller
• Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
• Leaving On A Jet Plane – John Denver
• Happy Birthday – Traditional

🟢 D – G – A

• Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
• Midnight Special – Traditional
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – Traditional
• Old Macdonald Had A Farm – Traditional
• I’m A Little Tea Pot – Traditional
• Humpty Dumpty – Traditional
• Baa Baa Black Sheep – Traditional
• Twist And Shout – The Beatles
• This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie
• I’ll Fly Away – Albert E. Brumley
• Get Back – The Beatles
• Mr. Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
• The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
• The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
• Bad Moon Rising – CCR
• Free Fallin’ Easy – Tom Petty

🔶 E – A – B7

• Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
• I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers
• Wildwood Flower – Traditional
• Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley
• Seven Spanish Angels – Ray Charles & Willie Nelson
• Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain – Willie Nelson
• Man Of Constant Sorrow – Carter Stanley

🔷 A – D – E

• Me And Bobby McGee (Easier Version) – Kris Kristofferson
• Johnny B Goode (2 Finger Version) – Chuck Berry
• Lean On Me – Bill Withers
• Lay Down Sally – Eric Clapton
• Looby Loo – Traditional
• Hickory Dickey Dock – Traditional
• Walk The Line (Easy Strummer) – Johnny Cash
• Keep On The Sunny Side – The Carter Family
• Stir It Up – Bob Marley
• Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
• You Are My Sunshine – Traditional

The Most Common Chord Progression on Guitar

If you can play G, C, D, and Em, you can unlock thousands of songs across every genre. Try these to build confidence and flow.

• Land Down Under – Men At Work
• With or Without You – U2
• Last Kiss – Pearl Jam
• Viva La Vida (2-Finger Trick) – Coldplay
• Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett
• Learning To Fly – Tom Petty
• I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
• Purple Rain – Prince
• Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles
• Hallelujah (Easier Acoustic) – Leonard Cohen
• Auld Lang Syne – Traditional
• Under The Boardwalk – The Drifters
• Fast Car (Strumming) – Tracy Chapman
• Cupid – Sam Cooke
• Afterglow – Ed Sheeran
• Country Roads (Easy Strumming) – John Denver
• Hallelujah Guitar Tutorial – Leonard Cohen / Jeff Buckley
• Wagon Wheel – Old Crow
• Viva La Vida – Coldplay
• Brown Eyed Girl (Strummer) – Van Morrison

🎯 Next Steps

Now that you’re playing real songs, the next step is learning how to strum better, switch chords faster, and actually play from start to finish.

👉 That’s exactly what we do inside the All-Access Pass. You’ll get:

• On-demand access to all my step-by-step beginner lessons
• Full play-alongs and song breakdowns
• A supportive private community

No more guessing what to practice. Just progress that actually feels good.

Have a fun time practicing and I’ll see you soon!
– James