4 of the Easiest Legendary Rock Songs To Play for Beginner Guitarists

Is your New Year’s resolution to finally get good at playing the guitar? You’re not alone there. It’s a classic and excellent instrument that doesn’t take that much time to really master. That being said, sometimes even novice guitarists want to just noodle around and get some satisfaction out of playing. For just such an occasion, these four rock songs are some of the easiest riffs for beginner guitarists to play!

1. “H*roin” by The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was not the kind of band to focus on musical perfection or precision. That’s part of their appeal, after all. And that’s why the 1967 track “H*roin” features the best guitar track for beginners to learn. 

This riff is all about energy, rather than hitting every note with razor-sharp precision. If you really want to let loose, this guitar track is not that hard to learn and very fun to play.

2. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” by The Doors

Some of the easiest rock songs for new guitarists to play came out during the latter half of the 1960s during the psychedelic rock boom. That period also yielded some impossible-to-replicate riffs from greats like Jimi Hendrix. 

However, Robby Kriefer’s riff on “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” is on the easier side of legendary guitar riffs that even beginner guitar players can master. It’s basically an E minor chord with a D tossed around here and there, complete with slides and guitar solo noodling.

3. “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty

This entry was inevitable. “Free Fallin’” is such a fun song. And it’s also stupidly easy to play, even if you’ve just recently picked up the guitar. That Dsus4 might be intimidating, but it helps to think of it as an exercise in getting your pinky finger used to the fret board. The whole of the song follows a simple E major key in standard tuning.

4. “House Of The Rising Sun” by The Animals

This has to be the most fun and by far easiest track on our list of rock songs for beginner guitarists. “House Of The Rising Sun” by The Animals boasts a guitar riff that is quite recognizable, and the riff itself isn’t complicated at all. If you can play Am, C, D, E, and F chords, you can handle this song. It’s a great exercise in picking notes, too.

Photo by Mychal Watts/WireImage

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