Play 12 Songs With 2 Chords

With all the chords, strumming patterns, and hundreds of other things there are to learn on the guitar it can seem like playing your favorite songs is a lifetime away. In this beginner guitar lesson, we're going to take some time to focus on playing the easiest popular songs on the guitar. The songs we'll be looking at only require you to play two chords and use simple strumming patterns. By the end of this lesson, you'll have twelve great songs under your belt as a guitarist.

The only prerequisites for this lesson are that you know some basic chord shapes, know the basics of changing between chords, and know how to strum the guitar. A few of these songs use bar chords, but you can feel free to skip those if you haven't quite made it to bar chords in your learning yet.

If you haven't learned the fundamentals required to play these songs, you'll want to go through the Beginner Guitar Quick-Start Series.

#1 Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart

Chords: A Major & E Major

Strumming Pattern:

#2 Jane Says - Jane's Addiction

Chords: G Major & A Major

Strumming Pattern:

#3 Van Halen - Dance The Night Away

Chords: E Major & B7

Strumming Pattern:

#4 Alicia Keys - Fallin'

Chords: E Minor & B Minor 7

Strumming Pattern:

#5 Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA

Chords: B Major & E Major

Strumming Pattern:

#6 Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

Chords: D Major & G Major

Strumming Pattern:

#7 Hank Williams - Jambalaya

Chords: C Major & G Major

Strumming Pattern:

#8 The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby

Chords: E Minor & C Major

Strumming Pattern #1:

Strumming Pattern #2:

#9 The Beatles - Paperback Writer

Chords: G Major & C Major

Strumming Pattern:

#10 America - A Horse With No Name

Chords: E Minor & D6 Add9/F#

Strumming Pattern:

#11 Fleetwood Mac - Dreams

Chords: F Major & G Major

Strumming Pattern

#12 Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People

Chords: G Major & C Major

Strumming Pattern #1:

Strumming Pattern #2:

---

If you want more lessons like this one, be sure to sign up for the Free Guitar Toolbox. It's a completely free collection of over 50 high-quality lesson videos on the most important guitar topics.