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From kids to adults, everyone is taking guitar lessons and learning to play this soothing instrument. Guitars are pretty easy to play and once you know the basics, you can get creative as you like. Guitars can be used to enjoy different genre including rock, classical and blues. If you want to learn some interesting guitar songs to impress everybody in the college or family gatherings, check out this perfect collection of top 10 guitar songs with helpful links.
1. How to Play “Hotel California”
Hotel California song is a single by Eagles band. It is the title track of their same-named album that was released in 1977. This song is a soft rock and has been voted as the best solo guitar song due to its outstanding long guitar coda. It is a hit of its times and received the Grammy Award for record of the year in 1978.
2. How to Play Blackbird
Blackbird is a hit from 1968 that was released by The Beatles band. This song is beautifully written by McCartney and composed in a folk music style. It is basically inspired by a well-known lute piece Bourrée in E minor released by Johann Sebastian Bach. The opening of the Blackbird has been adapted from this popular piece. An interesting fact many people don’t know about Blackbird song is that a specific fingerpicking technique was used by McCartney while composing this song which was taught by a folk singer Donovan.
3. How to Play Angie
Angie is a single by The Rolling Stones from the album Goats Head Soup. It was released in 1973 and soothes everybody with its soft rock genre. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, this song is acoustic guitar driven piece. Throughout the song, you can ghost vocals, faintly audible voice of Mick Jagger. Angie is a true hit of its times as it got a spot not only in the Billboard hot 100 tracks but also succeeded in securing the position 5 in UK’s singles chart.
4. How to Play “Heart of Gold”
Another song that has been used by many guitarists to create innovative covers is the 1972’s hit, Heart of Gold. It’s a single by Neil Young who is also the writer this masterpiece. It lies in the folk rock and country rock genre and is an outstanding example of soft acoustic music. This song has been played by Young a couple of times live before the official recording. From piano to guitar to harmonica, this song has been played with number of instruments impressively. Now it’s your turn to play it on your guitar.
5. How to Play – More Than Words
This soft rock song is an amazing acoustic guitar piece. It is a single by Extreme band from the Pornograffitti album that was released in 1991. The strings of acoustic guitar have been set by Nuno Bettencourt while vocals have been handled by Gary Cherone. It is beautiful sung and composed in funk metal style. More than Words song is widely played by the band in many shows live and considered to be the blessing for Extreme. Considering the lyrics, this song is pretty deep in its content.
6. How to play Wonderwall | Oasis
Released in 1995, Wonderwall is a Britpop song by Oasis band from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Album. The lyrics of this song focus on an imaginary friend who will come to save you from yourself. This is one of the all-time hit band songs, ranked in the top ten charts of UK, Canada and USA. It was composed by Noel Gallagher who used an impressive technique of brickwalling to intensify the sounds and make lyrics stronger. This song has also been played live in a semi-acoustic style.
7. How to Play “Under The Bridge”
Here comes as alternative rock song for guitarists who want to enjoy some action and creativity. Under the Bridge is a single by Red Hot Chili Pepper band from the album titled as Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It was recorded in 1991 and released in 1992 as the second single of this album. Anthony Kiedis is the vocalist as well as the writer of the song who expressed the concept of loneliness and reflected the impact of narcotics on his life. This song became an unexpected hit and inspiration for other bands.
8. How to play Working Class Hero
Sung and written by John Lennon, the Working Class Hero is a folk ballad released in 1971. It is the first song he released after his breakup with the rock band ‘The Beatles’. It is basically a political song reflecting the prominent difference between social classes. The lyrics focus on working class that is turned into a machine class. This song is supported by a fine acoustic guitar sound in the background. The chords are pretty simple as they are built on A minor and G major on the chorus.
9. How to Play Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
An absolute hit from Queen Band, Crazy Little Thing Called Love is a rockabilly song. It was released in 1979 and is featured on the album The Game. This song was also included in the band’s hit songs compilations album because of its undeniable success. From Billboard hot 100 to UK singles chart, this song successfully peaked in almost every music list from 1979 to 1980. Beautifully composed on the guitar, it was played by Mercury live in the many concerts and those performances are recorded in different albums from this band.
10. How to Play Dust In The Wind
Written by Kerry Livgren, Dust in the Wind is a soft rock song that was released in 1978 as a track from the album Point of Know Return. This song has a very interesting background. The guitar line of this song was composed unintentionally when Livgren was just learning the fingerpicking. His wife liked the melody and encouraged him to write lyrics for it. This is how it was created and became a greatest hit from Kansas band. It’s one of the top acoustic guitar tracks from this band.
11. How to Play Daughters
Belonging to the genre of blues rock, Daughters is a 2004 release by John Mayer from the album ‘Heavier Things’. It is one of the greatest songs ever released by Mayer that became a true hit due to strong lyrics and catchy melody. This song is much popular for its acoustic elements that put life into the overall melody. There is also an electric guitar mix version of the song which is not as attractive as original one.
12. How to Play Everlong
For hard rock lovers, Everlong is the best song to play on guitars. It is a second single by Foo Fighters from the album ‘The Color and the Shape’. Released in 1997, this song is written by Dave Grohl while Taylor Hawkins appeared in its video as a drummer. This alternative rock song has many versions that have been played live during different performances. It has many acoustic and electric variations.
13. How to Play The Scientist
The Scientist song is a 2002 release by Coldplay, a British rock band. It is from the album ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ and melody is built around the piano chords along guitars tones. This melancholic song starts with the four chord piano melody that is then joined by the rest of the band including acoustic guitars, drums and bass riffs. As the song reaches the endnotes, an electric guitar can be heard in the high chorus. This song is a perfect example of a harmonious performance of a band.
14. How to Play The Ain’t No Sunshine
Ain’t No Sunshine is a Bill Withers’ song from the album ‘Just as I am’. Belonging to the genre of blues and R&B, this song was released in 1971 and became a hit of its times. It featured the famous Donald Duck Dunn on the bass guitar while Stephen Gills handled the acoustic guitar. String of the guitar was arranged by Booker T. Jones and overall, the whole song lies in the key of a minor. This song became an ultimate hit when Michael Jackson recorded its cover version in psychedelic soul genre.
15. How to Play Jolene – Dolly Parton
The American country artists Dolly Parton wrote and performed a song titled as Jolene in 1973 that became an all-time country pop hit. According to Parton, she has written many songs but Jolene is the one recorded by most of artists. From lyrics to the composition, this song has strong features to attract music lovers. Jolene peaked in the music charts of UK, USA and Canada and became a moderate pop hit for Parton. It has already many covers and it’s time that you create one as well.
16. How to Play Redemption Song
Sung by Bob Marley, Redemption is a folk song from Uprising album that was released in 1980. This song is one of the remarkable works by Marley. It is truly a solo acoustic guitar piece that is played in the key of G major. Although whole band is used to perform the song in live concerts, original recording involves only Marley’s vocals and acoustic guitar chords. It is a simple song with easy chorus lines and acoustic strumming. You may find its different covers on YouTube but the original piece is worth learning.
17. How to Play Free fallin’
The last guitar song on the list you may try is called Free Fallin by Tom Petty from the album Full Moon Fever. This song was released in 1989 and lies in the soft rock genre. While this song was written and sung by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne provided backing vocals and played the bass guitar. The shocking fact about this song is that it was completed in two days and successfully ranked as number 7 in Billboard hot 100 lists. It was also used in the Jerry McGuire movie and The Sapranos series.
Conclusion
Guitarists are always looking for interesting songs to learn and play in order to impress everybody at home and outdoors. Try out these 17 all-time hit guitar songs that are not only easy to play but also quite attractive in the terms of melody and lyrics. Each one of them has been a great hit of its times and still continues to impress music lovers. Check out the help links to learn simple song tips.
