Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners
Thirteen songs you can actually play in your first weeks. Every melody here is in the public domain - folk songs, hymns, nursery rhymes, and classical themes - in our own simple arrangements, so you can learn, share, and even record them freely. Each one also plays note-by-note on the interactive fretboard on our home page.
New to tab? The top line is your thinnest string, the numbers are frets, 0 means open string. Read the 5-minute tab guide and come back.
1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
English nursery tune, first published 1806.
e |--------------------------1--1--0--0--------------------1--1--0--0--------------1--1--0--0--------------------------------1--1--0--0---------------
B |--1--1--------------------------------3--3--1-----------------------3-----------------------3-----1--1--------------------------------3--3--1------
G |--------0--0--2--2--0-----------------------------0--0--------------------0--0--------------------------0--0--2--2--0------------------------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Mary Had a Little Lamb
American nursery rhyme, published 1830.
e |--0-----------0--0--0-----------------0--3--3-----0-----------0--0--0--0--------0---------------
B |-----3--1--3--------------3--3--3--------------------3--1--3--------------3--3-----3--1---------
G |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Ode to Joy
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, 1824. The first phrase uses only five notes.
e |--0--0--1--3--3--1--0--------------0--0------------0--0--1--3--3--1--0--------------0----------------
B |-----------------------3--1--1--3---------3--3--------------------------3--1--1--3-----3---1--1------
G |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Happy Birthday
Melody from 'Good Morning to All' (1893), public domain since 2016.
e |--------------------------------------------------3--0--------------1--1--0---------------
B |--------------1--0-----------------3--1-----------------1--0-----------------1--3--1------
G |--0--0--2--0-----------0--0--2--0-----------0--0--------------2---------------------------
D |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
American folk round, first printed 1852.
e |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B |--------------------------0-----0-----------0--1--3-----------------------------0--0--0-----------3-----1-----0------------------------
G |--0-----0-----0--------2-----------------2--------------------0--0--0--------------------0--0--0--------------------2-----0------------
D |-----------------------------------------------------------------------0--0--0---------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Frere Jacques
French folk song, at least 18th century.
e |--------0-----------0-----0--1--3-----0--1--3-----3--5--3--1--0-----3--5--3--1--0------
B |--1--3-----1--1--3-----1-----------------------------------------1-----------------1---
G |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. London Bridge
English nursery rhyme, centuries old.
e |--------------1--0--1-----------0--1-----0--1--------------------1--0--1-----------------0---------
B |-----------------------------3--------------------------------------------------3-----------1------
G |--0-----2--0-----------0-----------------------0-----0-----2--0-----------0-----------0------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Yankee Doodle
Anglo-American folk tune, Revolutionary War era.
e |-----------0-----0-----------------0-----------------------0--1--0---------------------------------
B |--1--1--3-----1-----3-----1--1--3-----1-----0-----1--1--3-----------3--1--0--------0--1-----1------
G |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------0--2------------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Oh! Susanna
Stephen Foster, 1848.
e |--------0--3--3-----5--3--0--------0--0-----------------0--3--3-----5--3--0------------------
B |--1--3-----------------------1--3--------3--1-----1--3-----------------------1--3--3--1------
G |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. When the Saints Go Marching In
American gospel hymn, early 1900s.
e |-----0--1--3--------0--1--3--------0--1--3--0-----0--------0--0--------------0--3--3--1-----1--1--0---------------
B |--1--------------1--------------1--------------1-----3-----------3--1-----1--------------------------1--3--1------
G |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Fur Elise
Beethoven, published 1867. The famous opening figure.
e |--0-----0-----0--------------------0-----------0---------------
B |-----4-----4-----0--3--1--------1--------0-----------0--1------
G |--------------------------2-----------2-----------4------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------
12. Camptown Races
Stephen Foster, 1850.
e |--------0-----------0--------0-----0--------------0-----------0-----------0------------
B |--------------------------3-----------3-----------------------------3--3-----3--1------
G |--0--0-----0--2--0--------------0-----------0--0-----0--2--0---------------------------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Jingle Bells
James Pierpont, 1857.
e |--0--0--0-----0--0--0-----0-----------0-----------1--1--1--1--1--0--0--0--0--------0---------------
B |--------------------------------1--3-----------------------------------------3--3-----3------------
G |-----------------------------0--------------------------------------------------------------0------
D |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want the chords behind these songs?
Most of these melodies sit comfortably over two or three chords. Learn the shapes on the chord chart, then try strumming C and G along with Twinkle Twinkle or Row, Row, Row Your Boat.