Every performer, recording artist, instrumentalist, musician, songwriter – basically anybody that has anything to do with music – has some knowledge of The Beatles. The Fab Four came up with so many amazing songs which continue to be played and downloaded today. Their music truly defined an era which is why so many people are interested in playing Beatles songs on guitar.
All of the music created by The Beatles is a vital part of history and is a true testament to the industry. Every musician should want to include at least one of their songs in their repertoire to improve their skills and learn from the legends. A lot of Beatles songs on guitar are actually quite tricky. However, here we’re looking at easy Beatles songs on guitar so that even novice players can sound like the pros.
Eleanor Rigby
One of the most surprising things about this 1966 release is that the song actually didn’t need any of the Beatles to play an instrument while the song was being recorded. Instead, George Harrison and John Lennon decided to contribute their vocals to the song so that it included the notable harmony. There is a myriad of instruments used here including a strings section consisting of cellos, violas and violins. There weren’t any other instruments like drums, pianos and guitars featured in the piece. The simplicity of the song is accented by the staccato chords which give the piece a lot of melodic embellishments to make it sound beautiful.
Even though there wasn’t technically any guitar used in Eleanor Rigby, it doesn’t mean it can’t make it onto our list of easy Beatles songs on guitar. The guitar is a brilliant alternative to any songs that feature a classical string ensemble like this one. We think this piece is ideal for easy Beatles songs because it only uses two incredibly easy and simple chords to play. You will need to have the knowledge of both the E minor and C major chords to be able to play this Beatles song on the guitar.
If the two chords used in the guitar tab aren’t enough to make you think this is an easy Beatles song to play then you should know about the strumming pattern as well. This is another simple element of the song and you will be introduced to a new technique called palm muting. Palm muting is a skill that is used in a lot of rock and roll songs so it’s a good technique to have in your repertoire.
Paperback Writer
This is one of the lesser-known and definitely one of the stranger pieces written by The Fab Four. We all know The Beatles as being influenced to write love songs and many of their compositions had a love theme flowing throughout them. Paperback Writer is a complete contradiction to their usual music, with the focus switching to a budding writer’s aspirations.
In the background to the song’s melody, there is just one static chord which was another part of the song that distinguished it from the rest of their catalog. There’s a lot of bass in it too which Paul McCartney had to use a Rickenbacker to play so that the song could have more melody to it.
So what makes this one of the easy Beatles songs on guitar? Well, a novice guitarist will love the fact that the song only has two chords involved in it. You can get a great-sounding melody that sounds very similar to the original recording by just using the A major and E major chords. You will also need to get your capo and place it onto the third fret of the guitar. There’s some very unique fingerstyle at the beginning of the song featured in the riff. This is a great warm-up piece that will help you get ready to play other easy Beatles songs.
Twist and Shout
This is an unusual one for our easy Beatles songs on guitar list because technically, The Fab Four didn’t actually write it. They were actually one of many different artists who decided to cover the rock and roll hit which was originally released by the Top Notes in 1961. There were many famous bands and singers who decided to cover this song including The Who and Salt-N-Pepa. However, the version that the Beatles did still proves to be the most popular rendition of Twist and Shout.
It’s a really easy set of guitar chords which makes it one of the simpler Beatles songs to play. The chord progression is incredibly easy and the strumming pattern isn’t anything that will be too difficult for beginners either. What is great about this piece is that hidden in its simplicity is a lively beat that makes it a fun song to play.
Here Comes the Sun
The Beatles were more known for their laid-back style but Here Comes the Sun was one of their more exciting numbers with a strong beat behind it. It’s an ideal piece if you want easy Beatles songs because it allows you to develop your strumming skills. If you think that you might be ready to progress on from the easy Beatles songs on guitar then this is a great folk-pop song for that too. The intro is where you are going to be getting in that skill practice with interesting fingerstyling. There is also the potential to have a few solos because there are breaks throughout the piece that allow you to riff.
One of the most beautiful things about this song is that it still remains popular to this day. Many music critics and experts would consider this piece to be one of George Harrison’s greatest works. You can’t help but smile when you listen to the lyrics which give you that sense of hope and relief from everyday stress. Adding in that upbeat tempo as well as the warm chords used in the melody – you’ve definitely got one of the best easy Beatles songs to play.
Yellow Submarine
What list of easy Beatles songs on guitar would be complete without their most famous hit, Yellow Submarine. This is such a popular song amongst both children and adults. It’s a good song to learn as a Beatles song to play because so many people love to sing along to it. The chord structure is also set up in a way that children will be able to play it on the guitar as well. There’s no reason why a grown-up novice guitarist can’t pick it up and play it as well though.
Because this song is used for teaching children how to play the guitar, it’s probably the easiest of the Beatles songs to play on guitar. All six of the strings used in each of the chords make it a really satisfying piece and a lot more fun if you want something more complicated. While the five chords included in the song may seem a little bit daunting at first, there’s no problems moving from fret to fret because the song is so simple. You could use this piece as an exercise in mastering your basics such as finger movements and fret positioning.
Eight Days a Week
Eight Days a Week was the first-ever pop song to be recorded in a studio that used the fade-in technique for its opening track. It still remains a chart-topper to this day despite being released all the way back in 1964. The technique that they used opened up listeners to a new and unique feeling of hearing the Beatles songs before the track even kicked in.
We’re getting a little bit trickier with this one because of the higher notes used in the intro. If you are a complete beginner to the guitar then the chords can be quite awkward to play because they are placed nearer the body of the guitar. Once you can get through the intro playing the rest of the Beatles song should be simple enough. You’ll find yourself fretting using the D, E, A, G and B chords in various major and minor variations.
I Saw Her Standing There
If you’re planning on playing a Beatles song that can get people up to dance and clap along then I Saw Her Standing There is the right one for you. While it wasn’t a standout hit for the band, it did manage to hit number 139 in Rolling Stone’s all-time greatest musical pieces. What many people don’t actually know about this song is that it was their take on a folk song released in 1912 called Seventeen Come Sunday. They also took inspiration for the punchy guitar licks used throughout the song from Chuck Berry.
The is a Beatles song that has a lot of vibrancy to it. It’s easy to feel yourself transported back to a time where young adults would go to the dance halls to have a great time. The strumming pattern is incredibly simple and it’s this that gives the song that dynamic vibe you can feel throughout.
I Saw Her Standing There on YouTube
I Saw Her Standing There Guitar Riff
The Ballad of John and Yoko
Probably one of the most controversial couplings out there, The Ballad of John and Yoko is a popular and simple song to play using your guitar. It was actually a very controversial piece, with many US radio stations refusing to play this song because of the lyrics referring to Christ. Despite the ban the song is still very popular. They used a catchy beat and the lyrics give you a sense of the relationship that Lennon and Ono shared.
You will play this song using open chords. There aren’t any power or barre chords which can be a strong feature in songs by the Beatles and can be tricky for beginner guitarists. The strumming pattern is fine for novices too as it follows a predictable pattern. Watch out for the part of the song where the guitar needs to come to a very abrupt stop. It’s a cool musical trick that will take plenty of practice for you to master.
The Ballad of John and Yoko on YouTube
The Ballad of John and Yoko Guitar Tab
Can’t Buy Me Love
Can’t Buy Me Love is probably one of the first Beatles songs that has that distinctive hook that you can’t help singing over and over again. Not only will you enjoy playing this song, but it’s also fun to sing along to as well. There’s a unique structure to the verse which isn’t used in other Beatles songs. It has the twelve bar blues in it that makes it a chord progression to marvel at.
As a guitarist looking for easy guitar songs, you may feel a bit put off by the tempo of this one. It plays at a rapid 180 beats per minute so you really need to get those fingers working around the chords. If you can master the chords and then nail the transitions, everything else should fall into place. It’s all about practicing the basics until you get them mastered so that the overall result sounds good.
A Hard Day’s Night
One of the greatest achievements that The Beatles ever did was having many different songs hit the top of the charts in the same year. In 1964 this is exactly what happened to the band as they had seven of their songs top the charts that year. A Hard Day’s Night was the fifth out of the seven. Many people will instantly recognize the intro riff played on the guitar. The song features a lot of different techniques which include higher bass notes and arpeggios which helped the song have more depth overall.
Originally the song included 18 chords but there is a six-chord basic version for the guitar which is easier for beginners. It’s good to learn the basic six-chord progression first before jumping into the harder stuff so you get your confidence up with a trickier Beatles song.
All You Need Is Love
Get that carefree feeling when you learn the 1967 Beatles song. It has the feeling of the 60s with the flower power vibe and the melody and harmony make it a beautiful piece to play. Many experts on the band will say that this song is a milestone for them because it introduced a new, calculated, contagious and cool feeling to The Fab Four.
The intro to the song can seem a little bit daunting at first. It uses a very specific fingering technique so that each individual note can be heard. The arpeggio, on the other hand, is relatively easy. You’ll have to follow a basic strumming pattern on your guitar that has a D DU rhtyhm. There’s also D major and E minor chords to master as well so there’s plenty to get to grips with.
All You Need Is Love on YouTube
All You Need Is Love Guitar Tab
Conclusion
Many of the songs created by The Beatles only require you to know the basics which make their music so accessible for musicians of many different skill levels. Whether the song you want to learn has three chords or 12 chords, you need to have a lot of patience and plenty of practice if you want to become a master at playing these pieces. No song will ever be too difficult for you to learn if you have the right focus and determination to learn it.