Ed Sheeran is one of the greatest artists in the music industry today. His songs are so great because they are easy to play and they use simple chord progressions and structures.
In this post, we are looking at easy Ed Sheeran songs on guitar that are perfect for beginners. All of these aren’t no capo songs so aren’t overcomplicated. You will also new skills for guitar playing that will help you further develop on the instrument.
Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud is the first on our easiest songs list. It’s brilliant in terms of easy love songs and was featured on Ed’s second album titled X. He was joined by Amy Wadge to write the piece, and apparently they completed it in under 20 minutes.
The original song was written in D and the basic version uses the C, F, G and Dm chords. You may also want to place a cap on the second fret, although you don’t have to.
2. Galway Girl
When you listen to Galway Girl you will notice that it fuses quite a different music styles. There are hints of hip-hop, folk and pop influences that make up the song’s core sound. It was originally featured on the album Divide as the third single.
Sheeran’s record label actually didn’t want to use the song on the album when they first heard it because they felt it was too influenced by folk. Sheeran convinced them otherwise, and the song has been appreciated by audiences around the world.
You will be playing the Em, G, D and C chords, placing a capo on the second fret. This will make it sound like the original key and will help you to play the strumming pattern a lot easier. Learning songs in their more basic version first before moving to the intermediate level ensures you get all of those fundamental skills needed to become a great guitarist.
3. Photograph
Another song off the album X is Photograph. Once again, Sheeran composed it in double quick time, only taking 30 minutes with the help of Johnny McDaid to nail the piece. The original version uses the E major key and easy chord diagrams.
You will use the D, Bm, A and G chords. For the strumming pattern, use down, mute, mute, down, mute, mute, down, mute. To mute your guitar, place your palm on the strings and you’ll sound just like Sheeran. Make sure to place your capo on the second fret to help you out. The strumming patterns continue for the whole song.
4. Shape of You
If you are taking guitar lessons and want to learn something a bit more upbeat on your instrument, Shape of You is a great song to go for. It was the last song on the Divide album which was released in 2017. It has more of a dance vibe compared to his other tracks but you can still play it on an acoustic guitar using four simple chords. You’ll play it in the C#m key.
There’s a lot of barre chords that crop up in the chord progression of Shape of You. If you are completely new to the guitar you don’t have to use these. Just dumb it down and play the simplest version until you get used to more advanced playing skills.
You will be using a chord progression of Bm, Am, G and A. Place your capo on fret two. Barre chords can be skipped by using your capo. However, it’s very important to learn the chord shapes and try out those barre chords if you want to be a good guitar player.
5. Perfect
Perfect was the fourth single from Sheeran’s Divide album – his third to be released. It’s a really popular song and there’s plenty of tabs available for free online. The inspiration for this song according to Ed was from Future, a rapper, who he listened to while visiting James Blunt at his home.
It’s got a very common chord progression of G, Em, C and D. The strumming pattern is made up of sets of three down strums. This is probably the easiest song of Sheeran’s that you can learn via video lessons and listening to the original track by the songwriter.
To sound just like how Sheeran intended when he was writing it, watch the video below and place your capo on fret one.
6. Happier
Another song from the Divide album is Happier which was cowritten with Benny Blanco and Ryan Tedder. When interviewed about the song, Ed said that this song was about his first ever breakup with his love and how she moved on to be happy with someone else.
There’s only three chords you need to learn in your guitar lessons to play this song, Am, F and C.
7. Afterglow
Sheeran likes to use a lot of folk influence in his songs and you can hear it mixed with pop in Afterflow. This was the first single released by the artist after he took an 18 month break. The crux of the song is about a trip to Antartica that Ed went on with his wife. You’ll be playing this in the key of B.
For the chord progression, you will play G, Cadd9, Dsus4 and Em7. The capo is on fret four.
8. Give Me Love
Give Me Love was the last song featured on Sheeran’s debut album titled Plus. Ed is known to have begun writing his first every album in his friends shed in Suffolk, UK. When he went in to record he had pretty much all of his songs written but there were a few that came to mind during his sessions. This song is one of those pieces and became and important one for the songwriter.
The overall feeling of the song is emotional but the chords are on a basic level. You will play the chords Am, F, C, Dm and Em, placing your capo onto the first fret. There are very few dynamics to the piece which make it perfect for beginners but you do need to pay attention to them if you want it to sound like the original.
9. Castle on the Hill
This is one of the most popular pieces from the artist and was co-produced by Benny Blanco along with Ed. The song took influences from a pieced called Fallen Empires which was written by a band called Snow Patrol.
The song spans various genres including rock, folk and pop which all suit the acoustic guitar well. You will be able to play it without using your capo and playing the chords D, G, Bm and A.
10. Supermarket Flowers
Supermarket Flowers was used as the promo song before Sheeran’s third album, Divide, was released to the public. You may find this to be an odd entry because it’s mainly played on the piano, but this is easily transposed over to the guitar. There are more than four chords at work here but they are all open so they’re easy enough to get the hang of.
The chord diagrams you will need to get the hang of are C, Em, F, G, Dm and Am.
11. The A Team
The last song in our list is the A Team which was the debut solo ever released by Ed. It’s worth a mention because it’s a bit tougher than the other pieces we’ve already featured here. However, a beginner will be alright as long as they play it using five open chords and place a capo on fret two.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that Sheeran makes good music that is always fun to listen to. You can easily learn any of the pieces we’ve mentioned here using the video tutorials included.