Led Zeppelin are easily one of the best rock and roll bands of all time. They’ve written some of the most iconic rock songs over the years, including Immigrant Song and Stairway to Heaven. Leading Zeppelin is Jimmy Page who is a legend in his own right. His impeccable guitar skills have helped him create anthems on both the acoustic and electric guitar.
In this list we are looking at easy Led Zeppelin songs on guitar that you can pick up as a beginner guitarist. For each song we have included a video tutorial so you can play along and go down in rock history with your very own songs. Let’s get started.
1. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
This is a track that came from the band’s debut album which they titled after themselves. It’s probably still one of their most known acoustic songs to date. However, what many people don’t know is that this isn’t an original composition.
The song Babe I’m Gonna Leave You was a song originally written by Anne Bredon who was an American folk singer in the 1950s. Her solo piece inspired Jimmy Page to work on his very own version of the track. He went to Robert Plant later with it and together they were able to turn it into rock and roll genius.
You will be playing guitar in the key of Am and the acoustic guitar part has arpeggiated chords. The bassline to the song is always moving so that lifts up the main riff. The last thing you need to know about playing this song is that Page uses a fingerstyle picking technique. The harder rock sections go back to using your guitar pick.
2. Going to California
Another acoustic style ballad from Led Zeppelin is Going to California. This came from the band’s fourth album which didn’t have a title. It’s definitely one of their more celebrated songs as it ranked at place eleventh in Rolling Stone magazine in their 40 greatest Led Zeppelin songs of all time list.
The song is all about a romance that fails followed by the want to move to California where people often think the grass is greener. When interviewed about the song Robert Plant said that he was embarrassed by the lyrics but still felt they reflected a rather tumultuous time for him.
You’ll be playing Going to California in D major and the ballad centers around a stunning harmony. The tuning is double D drop tuning on an acoustic guitar and it goes D, A, D, G, B and D. This basically means that the top and bottom E strings are tuned down a whole step to a D. The tabs you will find for this song are a mixture of the acoustic guitar melody and then the mandolin which can be heard periodically throughout the original piece.
3. Black Mountain Side
Another song from Led Zeppelin’s debut album is Black Mountain Side. This was a solo piece recorded in 1968 that is completely instrumental. It’s where Page really showed off his abilities as a guitar player.
The first thing you will notice about the song is that you won’t be using standard tuning again. The original recording features a Gibson SJ-200 guitar and the same tuning as Going to California. Another instrument you will hear is called a tabla which enhances the Indian style that is apparent on the track.
When you play the full version it can actually be challenging but there are plenty of easier beginner versions available out there. You will use the key of D and watching Page perform it live may help you get a better feel of how to play the song with his accents.
4. The Battle of Evermore
Next up is a song featured on the fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV. It’s got more of a folk feel than their other music and was sung by Plant along with Sandy Deany, an English singer-songwriter. There is both an acoustic guitar and a mandolin featured on the original track.
The song was a brainchild of Page and Plant and came about when they picked up bassist John Paul Jones mandolin and started playing around with it. The song was written then and there. The song makes references to the popular books and films The Lord of the Rings.
The Battler of Evermore uses the key of Am and you will be using easier, open chords to recreate the song. There’s an interesting harmony that descends into the bass line from the guitar. It goes Am, E, back to Am then D#, then finishes Am and D. It’s an interesting part to the song which will present you with more of a challenge.
5. The Rain Song
The Rain Song is an acoustic-style ballad and was featured as the second track on the fifth studio album titled Houses of the Holy. Page recorded the song in his home studio which had just been built in Plumpton, England. The new studio meant that the band could create more sophisticated music and expand on their arrangements.
What’s an interesting fact about this song is that it was inspired by George Harrison. He apparently told John Bonham that he thought the band didn’t play enough ballads. His opinion made Page want to prove him wrong and to create this track.
The song is played on a 12-string guitar and uses alternate tuning. The studio version is played with low to high tuning of D, G, C, G, C and D. Any live versions you hear has the same tuning at a step higher.
6. Whole Lotta Love
Whole Lotta Love was the opening song from Led Zeppelin’s second studio album. It was released in many different countries and became the first hit single for the band. It is ranked at number 75 in Rolling Stones 2004 issue of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The main riff of Whole Lotta Love is epic and revolves around five notes that Jimmy Page thought up. The lyrics faced a plagiarism problem as they were taken from a song by Willie Dixon called You Need Love. This issue was solved out of court back in 1985.
Whole Lotta Love uses the key of E and the solo has jazz free-form influences and other rhythmic parts.
7. Immigrant Song
If you want a song that’s packed full of power chords then Immigrant Song is the one for you. The opening part makes a huge statement and the track was featured on the controversial Led Zeppelin III album. The reason it caused such an uproar is that the first half of the album gives you that rock and roll killer vibe and the rest of the album is folk/acoustic and explores a new direction for the band.
The song revolves around the repetition of that F# minor riff and the lyrics make references to the mythical culture of the Nords. It’s probably one of the most commercially successful songs in the band’s career.
Plant revealed that the main inspiration from the song was from a concert that the band held in Reykjavik in Iceland. This was during a particularly charged time for politics in the country.
8. Communication Breakdown
Another song from the first album is Communication Breakdown. It was released from the B side of the album and was directed more to a US audience. Plant was not credited for his part in the song because of another recording contract he had at the time it was written. He is responsible for writing the lyrics though.
Communication Breakdown was one of the first ever songs the band wrote before they even had played a live gig. The rumor is that Page composed that recognizable main riff first and then the rest of the band worked around that.
The song uses the key of E and has a Mixolydian scale that gives it a blues and rock vibe. There’s a fast downstroke riff that gave birth to punk music in terms of that sort of guitar style.
9. Dazed and Confused
Dazed and Confused is one of the most acclaimed songs and most well-known tracks from the band. It was song number four from the first album and Jimmy Page was credited with its creation. The inspiration came from Jake Holmes who was an American singer-songwriter.
Jake Holmes was the one who originally wrote Dazed and Confused and it was part of his first album that was released in 1967. Jimmy Page was inspired by this song and decided to write a version of his for his band at the time, the Yardbirds. The band performed the song a lot in their live gigs but never recorded their version. It was when Zeppelin was created that Page finally decided to put it on tape.
You’ll play Dazed and Confused using the E minor key and the main riff doubles up as the bass line. In the guitar solo Page uses a violin bow on the guitar strings which creates the effect that you hear on the main track. An alternative way to play it is to slide and then play around the E blues and E minor scales.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our list of Led Zeppelin songs and that you can find something simple enough to play as a beginner. If this sort of music is your style then make sure to take a look at easy metal songs for more inspiration on this genre for your guitar playing.
FAQs
What is the easiest Led Zeppelin song on guitar?
There are plenty of Led Zeppelin songs you can play at an easy level on your guitar. We’ve featured many on our list above so make sure to read through to find the easiest ones for you.
What is the easiest Led Zeppelin solo?
Many people would say that Thank You from the Led Zeppelin II album is the easiest guitar solo to play from start to finish.
What Led Zeppelin song starts with acoustic guitar?
Tangerine is a song that was recorded in 1970 and explores Zeppelin’s acoustic talent. It features an intro with an acoustic guitar and rhythm played on a pedal steel guitar.