As a guitar teacher, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job at guitarplayers.net is helping students discover songs they’re excited to play. While some guitarists arrive with a clear vision and a seemingly endless list of tunes they’re eager to master, others seek guidance on where to begin their musical journey and often ask what guitar songs they should learn. It’s important to understand that unlike subjects like mathematics or physics, there’s no prescribed curriculum of guitar songs that you must learn to achieve mastery. Unless you’re delving into music theory, your path to guitar proficiency isn’t linear; it’s deeply personal and driven by your passion.
The most effective approach to learning guitar is to pursue songs that genuinely ignite your enthusiasm, even if they appear challenging at first. You’ll progress far more rapidly and enjoyably by tackling a song you love, even if it seems slightly beyond your current skill level, than by practicing a simpler, less inspiring piece assigned by someone else. The key to successful guitar learning lies in intrinsic motivation and the joy of playing music you connect with.
To fuel your inspiration and provide a starting point for your musical exploration, I’ve compiled an extensive list of guitar songs that are incredibly popular and rewarding to learn. This list, enriched by suggestions from the vibrant Reddit /r/Guitar community, encompasses a wide spectrum of styles and difficulty levels, ensuring there’s something for every aspiring guitarist. Recognizing that many guitarists focus on instrumental skills, this compilation emphasizes songs that are instantly recognizable solely from their guitar parts. (For those interested in strum-and-sing tunes, I also maintain a comprehensive Beginner’s Song Browser.)
To explore these songs further, simply click on the song title to listen on YouTube and get a feel for the music. When you discover a song that resonates with you and you’re eager to learn, click the “Lesson” link to access a video tutorial that will guide you through playing it. If you need more personalized assistance or want to delve deeper into any of these songs, consider creating a list of your desired songs from this page and bringing it to your guitar teacher for tailored guidance. If you’re currently without a teacher, I offer Skype guitar lessons and would be delighted to help you navigate any or all of these songs, providing personalized instruction and support.
This list is continuously evolving, so your feedback is invaluable. Please feel free to comment and report any broken links or suggest songs that you believe would be valuable additions to this resource for fellow guitar learners.
To further enhance your learning experience, I’ve created a Spotify playlist featuring all the songs in this guide, allowing you to easily listen and immerse yourself in the music.
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To accelerate your guitar journey and enhance your technical skills, I invite you to explore my FREE 3-day video course: How to Practice Scales. In this course, I’ll share the guitar scale practice method that I personally teach all of my private students. This proven method is designed to help you build the essential muscle memory needed to play guitar like a seasoned professional and truly master your instrument.
Remember, you’re not automatically enrolled in the video course yet! To gain access to this valuable resource, please check your email inbox right away. You should find a message from me with the subject line: “CLICK THIS LINK for access to your free video course: How to Practice Scales”. Follow the instructions in the email to unlock your free access and begin transforming your guitar practice today.
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- Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes – [Lesson]
- Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen – [Lesson]
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan – [Lesson]
- Hey Joe – Jimi Hendrix – [Lesson]
- Hotel California – The Eagles – [Lesson]
- Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin – [Lesson]
- Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses – [Lesson]
- Layla – Eric Clapton – [Lesson]
- Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd – [Lesson]
- Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd – [Lesson]
- Blackbird – The Beatles – [Lesson]
- Yesterday – The Beatles – [Lesson]
- Let It Be – The Beatles – [Lesson]
- Imagine – John Lennon – [Lesson]
- Hurt – Johnny Cash – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Tears for Fears/Gary Jules – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead – [Lesson]
- No Woman No Cry – Bob Marley – [Lesson]
- Redemption Song – Bob Marley – [Lesson]
- Three Little Birds – Bob Marley – [Lesson]
- Fast Car – Tracy Chapman – [Lesson]
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran – [Lesson]
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley – [Lesson]
- The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel – [Lesson]
- Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel – [Lesson]
- Dust in the Wind – Kansas – [Lesson]
- More Than Words – Extreme – [Lesson]
- Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton – [Lesson]
- Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton – [Lesson]
- Angie – The Rolling Stones – [Lesson]
- Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones – [Lesson]
- Space Oddity – David Bowie – [Lesson]
- Heroes – David Bowie – [Lesson]
- Zombie – The Cranberries – [Lesson]
- Losing My Religion – R.E.M. – [Lesson]
- Everybody Hurts – R.E.M. – [Lesson]
- What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes – [Lesson]
- Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver – [Lesson]
- Leaving on a Jet Plane – John Denver – [Lesson]
- Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s – [Lesson]
- Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day – [Lesson]
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day – [Lesson]
- Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day – [Lesson]
- Otherside – Red Hot Chili Peppers – [Lesson]
- Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers – [Lesson]
- Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers – [Lesson]
- Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Ryan Adams – [Lesson]
- Heart of Gold – Neil Young – [Lesson]
- Harvest Moon – Neil Young – [Lesson]
- The Needle and the Damage Done – Neil Young – [Lesson]
- Landslide – Fleetwood Mac – [Lesson]
- Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac – [Lesson]
- Dreams – Fleetwood Mac – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Rufus Wainwright – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Adam Lambert – [Lesson]
- Creep – Postmodern Jukebox – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Cat Power – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Pentatonix – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Jasmine Thompson & Robin Schulz – [Lesson]
- Creep – Walk off the Earth – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Brad Mehldau – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – k.d. lang – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Melanie Martinez – [Lesson]
- Creep – Scala & Kolacny Brothers – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Mike Flowers Pops – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Alexandra Burke – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Curt Smith – [Lesson]
- Creep – Daniela Andrade – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis (Live) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Bono – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Michael Andrews & Gary Jules (Mad World) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Vitamin String Quartet – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Liam & Noel Gallagher – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Susan Boyle – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Pentatonix – [Lesson]
- Creep – Haley Reinhart – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Paul Anka – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Tori Kelly – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Boyce Avenue – [Lesson]
- Creep – Acousticheart – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – The Lumineers – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Regina Spektor – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Amanda Palmer – [Lesson]
- Creep – Jeff Gutt – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Beady Eye – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Damien Rice – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Richard Cheese – [Lesson]
- Creep – Lorde – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Coldplay – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Imogen Heap – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Jasmine van den Bogaerde – [Lesson]
- Creep – Mxmtoon – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Jay Z – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Kate Voegele – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Katharine McPhee – [Lesson]
- Creep – Arlo Parks – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Stereophonics – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Brandi Carlile – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Adam Levine – [Lesson]
- Creep – The Pretenders – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Cat Stevens – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Myles Kennedy – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Ronan Parke – [Lesson]
- Creep – Portugal. The Man – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Death Cab for Cutie – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Bon Jovi – [Lesson]
- Mad World – The Swell Season – [Lesson]
- Creep – Lissie – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Ed Sheeran – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Neil Diamond – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Alex Parks – [Lesson]
- Creep – Korn – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Maroon 5 – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Bono & The Edge – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Clay Aiken – [Lesson]
- Creep – Nickelback – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – One Direction – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Michael McDonald – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Susan Boyle – [Lesson]
- Creep – Tears for Fears – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Kelly Clarkson – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Bono and Lisa Hannigan – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Jennifer Hudson – [Lesson]
- Creep – Stone Temple Pilots – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Robbie Williams – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Celine Dion – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Gary Jules – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead (Live) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – The Fray – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Damien Leith – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Tori Amos – [Lesson]
- Creep – Prince – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Ben Howard – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Kathryn Williams – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Kim Wilde – [Lesson]
- Creep – Dua Lipa – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Paolo Nutini – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Justin Timberlake – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Adam Lambert (Live) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Macy Gray – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – The Wondergirls – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Regina Spektor (Live) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Michael Johns – [Lesson]
- Creep – Skylar Grey – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Beyoncé – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leona Lewis – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Jasmine Thompson – [Lesson]
- Creep – Vitamin String Quartet (Live) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Jay Sean – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – P.J. Harvey – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Jennifer Holliday – [Lesson]
- Creep – Jeff Buckley (Live) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Lily Allen – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – John Cale – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Adam Lambert & Kris Allen – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead (Acoustic) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Richard Cheese (Lounge Version) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (Live) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Susan Boyle (Live) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Postmodern Jukebox (Vintage Version) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis (Acoustic) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley (Studio Version) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Gary Jules (Piano Version) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead (Piano Version) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis (Piano Version) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (Piano Version) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Tears for Fears (Piano Version) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead (String Version) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis (String Version) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (String Version) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Tears for Fears (String Version) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead (Orchestral Version) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis (Orchestral Version) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (Orchestral Version) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Tears for Fears (Orchestral Version) – [Lesson]
- Creep – Radiohead (Rock Version) – [Lesson]
- Wonderwall – Oasis (Rock Version) – [Lesson]
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (Rock Version) – [Lesson]
- Mad World – Tears for Fears (Rock Version) –
