10 Folk Rock Songs Perfect For Beginner Guitar Players

Learning guitar can be an excellent addition to the hobbies of any music fan, but it can be a sizable challenge in its early stages, especially for those with no familiarity with string, or any, instruments. But, for those starting to pick up a guitar consistently, these 10 folk rock songs should be both easy and fulfilling places to start. After making the leap to get your first guitar, it may be a bit overwhelming to find the next steps: what kind of instruction is the best, what kind of essentials are needed, and, especially, what songs are best to pick up early.

Beginner guitar players can go down a variety of paths when first becoming familiar with the instrument, from classical lessons to playing by ear or video tutorial, so we picked songs that appeal to fresh guitarists who enjoy some classic folk and rock 'n' roll. These 10 songs are each relatively simple, with easy to follow chord progressions and basic chords that still achieve excellent sounds. From defining hits of Van Morrison and Bob Dylan to lesser known gems from Tim Buckley, we hope you find an enjoyable tune to learn, and that serves as a memorable step on the path of learning guitar.

If you're a beginner guitar player, you may have already heard this classic rock anthem recommended to begin learning. Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a wistful, soulful 1973 song, backed by as simple a chord progression as there is: G, D, Am (or Am7), and C. It's also as easy to find the strumming pattern and rhythm as it is to get the chords down, even if you're at the earliest stage of playing guitar. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" can be rewarding after just a bit of practice, and should serve as motivation to tackle the rest of this list.

Another memorable anthem from a timeless singer/songwriter, this simple tune also shares the straightforward key of G major. "Brown Eyed Girl," Van Morrison's crowning achievement and one of the most played and valuable songs ever in the U.S., is a merry and almost campfire singalong worthy song that should be a lot of fun to learn and play. With its chord palate of G, C, D, Em, and D7, "Brown Eyed Girl" should be no trouble for even the earliest of guitar beginners since it doesn't stray too much from its pattern in its verses and chorus.

Simon & Garfunkel's hits are plenty, but this 1970 smash is one you should absolutely add to your guitar repertoire. "The Boxer" is by now a folk standard, and a defining song of its era, with a swirling, nostalgic sound headlined by Paul Simon's excellence. With a generally straightforward progression of C, C/B, Am, G, G7, and G6, also including F and Em, playing this tune shouldn't prove too challenging for beginners, though it's often quicker than most of the tracks on this list. Still, we recommend "The Boxer" because of its iconic melodies and slight challenge — though with a thrilling reward.

America's run of hits in the '70s competed with some of the best in folk rock, including "Sister Golden Hair" and "Ventura Highway," but it's this inescapable Americana track that's surprisingly easy to play on guitar. Your ears may already tell you that "A Horse with No Name" is almost completely played on two guitar chords, back and forth, for the majority of the song. Em and D6/9 are barely even a finger movement apart, and their switches to Em9 and Dmaj9 in the chorus are similarly simple. As possibly the simplest song on the list, it should be an immediate learn if it's not yet overplayed.

Headlined by an iconic folk melody, the Animals' career-defining track isn't too tough for beginners to play, with a slow pace and a familiar set of chords to follow. "The House of the Rising Sun" is in the key of A minor, an iconic and haunting sound with no known author that's become a folk standard. With chords Am, C, D, F, E, and E7 repeating the most, it should be no trouble for beginners on guitar. It may be a challenge to recreate the strength of the fleshed out recording, but a one-instrument take should still sound great after some practice.

A short and undoubtedly sweet tune, Labi Siffre's defining love song can absolutely be captured by beginner guitar players. "Bless The Telephone" is played with no capo in the easy key of G major, and though it features a lot of quick chord switches — G, D, Em, Bm, A7, C — it's without any particularly tough chords, and its progression should be easy to memorize. The song can be played more complex than beginners can tackle, but playing the song simply still achieves the desired effect while also being a great place to practice quick switches — and the opportunity for flourishes — over a lovely tune.

Tim Buckley's haunting acoustic tragedy is as powerful as it is captivating, and it's surprisingly not much of a burden on the guitar. The chords for "Song to the Siren" can be found a variety of ways online, but our recommended method is with no capo, centering around an E, B, A, C#m progression, with a D also popping up once per verse. The ideal strumming pattern for "Song to the Siren" can vary, but even a sparse single (or double) strum per chord can be easy for beginners and emphasize the tragic feel of the song. 

This soft, gentle, tragic folk rock song has a bit of a learning curve, but it's incredibly rewarding once mastered. Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" is best replicated with a fifth fret capo, and consists of a familiar set of chords — C, G, F, Am, and Em/B — but with a harder to memorize progression instead of a repeating loop. There's a lot of open space in the track, it's certainly not hard rocking, and it can become much more complex for advanced players, but beginners should be able to find a lot of progress in "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" with straightforward strumming.

This slow folk rock ballad, aside from being one of the top duets of the 1970s, is an incredibly easy to pick up tune on guitar — though the vocals of Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris are a bit harder to replicate. With an easy to remember progression of G, Bm (alternating with Em), C, and G, with a bridge containing F and D, "Oh, Sister" should be relatively easy to master. Its tempo has enough swing to it to keep the song interesting, and even some simple strumming (though feel free to play around with its tempo) will replicate the song well with just the singular instrument.

In a loaded list of folk rock legends, it would be remiss not to mention Neil Young, a pillar and staple of the legendary genre. "Heart of Gold," one of Young's most popular tracks, is another song that bases its gorgeous melodies on just a few simple chords in the key of E minor. From the Em, Young's "Heart of Gold" rotates to C, D, G, and Em7 across its easy to learn structure and folksy strumming pattern, and shouldn't pose too much of a strain on beginner players. It rounds out this list nicely as a need to know staple.