Try these easy Beatles songs on guitar – perfect for beginners and pros alike!
Learning to play the guitar is a nice mix of challenge and fun. There are several songs that can help you be an excellent player down the line and many songbooks contain different songs that any learner can master. Well, no songbook is completed without having some of the jams from the Beatles.
While their songs are generally not simple, certain parts are pretty easy for any beginner to learn and master. In this post, we will consider some of the most popular and easy Beatle songs to play on the guitar. You can even sing along!
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The Best Easy Beatles Songs on Guitar
The Beatles are a gold mine for guitarists. Most of their songs are simple, focusing more on harmony, melody, and lyrics instead of technical brilliance (which isn't to say that the Beatles weren't technically brilliant – they were). This makes them one of the best artists for beginners to learn from.
Furthermore, most people are already familiar with Beatles songs. The moment you strum the first bars of ‘Yellow Submarine', there is no doubt that people will recognize it.
So without further ado, here are the best easy Beatles songs on guitar:
1. Don't Let Me Down
Many have been drawn to playing the guitar because of ‘Don't let me down' from the Beatles. Although the Beatles' catalog of songs is not exactly full of simple songs, this song is undoubtedly one of the easiest songs that anyone can learn.
‘Don't let me down' is Lennon's love song to his famous lover Yoko Ono. The song was recorded during the now super-popular Let It Be studio sessions.
The song is actually recorded in the E key but is easy to play in other keys. You can play it in D using a trio of easy chords. If you are a Beatles fan who loves to sing and play along to their music, then this is the song to try. Remember, though, to have your capo on the second fret.
The progression of the song is rather simple and the chorus has an Em7 Em7 A7 D D progression. This is relatively easy to get. During your playing of the progression, stop on the second D without strumming. Then start the next verse and follow the progression.
2. All Together Now
‘Don't let me down is arguably the easiest Beatles song to play on a guitar, but All Together Now is a close second. This song plays like a nursery rhyme, which likely accounts for its catchy tune and popularity.
Unlike Don't let me down, All Together Now was composed by McCartney and then recorded during the Beatle's Magical Mystery Tour. Therefore, it predates the Yellow Submarine album, where it makes its debut, by two years. It is a pretty easy song to sing and play on the guitar. For the best effect, let other people provide the vocals while you play along.
One reason why this song is very easy to play is that the song is in G key and has only a trio of chords. The verse progression is also pretty straightforward.
Songbooks show you the chord progression, with different progressions for the verses, the part before the chorus, and the chorus chord progression.
This song is really simple to play. Many of the songs from the Beatles have a trick or two in them and this song is no exception. Practice makes perfect and playing this song as often as possible will help you to master it quickly and become proficient.
3. Get Back
Everyone has tried to emulate the songs from the Beatles. From popular artists to regular folks, there are no exceptions. In many classes, Get Back is one of those songs that instructors use in teaching chord progression to their students.
The song is played in the A key and, just like the All Together Now song, comes with only three chords. Therefore, it is similarly easy to play. There are many versions of this song since many have tried to emulate the Beatles' magic, and this version by Billy Preston is one of our favorite versions.
The chord progression for the whole song is fairly constant, with the exception being the chorus. However, even the chorus has a progression that is very similar to the chord progression for the entire song.
The rhythm is comprised of straight 8th notes, which, even as a beginner, should be fairly easy to get. This rhythm works, not only for this song but for other Beeatles songs and other songs in other genres. You can be sure of having a great time learning how to play this song. Once you master it, you can wow that girl or guy you always wanted to ask out.
4. Love Me Do
Love Me Do might not be as popular as some of the songs that we have considered so far, but it surely is one of the easiest to play from the band. This song was recorded thrice with three separate drummers. First, Pete Best recorded, the Andy White, and lastly Ringo.
The last recording, that with White had Ringo playing the tambourine.
The song belongs to Paul, though, and you can feel his brilliant nonchalance playing through. This simple song features just a pair of chords in the verse and the other chord in the bridge.
One reason why this song is very easy to play is that the song is mostly in G key and has only a trio of chords. The verse progression is also pretty straightforward.
Most parts of the song are in the G key. In the intro, you have to alternate between the G and C key, and the verse progression is a combination of both keys in different variations. In the bridge, you have to move over to the D key to complement the C and G.
5. Twist And Shout
The next easy Beatle song to play on the guitar is this song that is originally from the Isley Brothers. It isn't a Beatles' song in the strictest sense, but it is rather a cover of the Twist and Shout song. Either way, this cover is one of the easiest to play.
It is not only super easy to play on the guitar, but because of the impressively simple chord progression, there are scores of variations. Once mastered, you can play not only this song but can also play some other very popular songs ranging from La Bamba to Wild Thing.
This is very easy due to the fact that it is in key D and you have only a trio of chords to play with. The song is straightforward and has the D G A progression. When you arrive at the “aah” part of the song, all you need to pass that hurdle is to hold on to A chord.
Listening to this song is an absolute trip, which is made even cooler when George tries some lick. You can find the little lick from George and you can give it a try. It is certainly more complicated than this song itself.
6. Rocky Racoon
The Beatles have an extensive catalog of songs that is arguably the most extensive of the 20th century. Therefore, no matter how long you have been playing the guitar, you will find a song from this band to play. This next option is one of the best story songs from the band.
It is one of the singles in the White Album. This easy Beatles song on guitar was mainly made by McCartney, and the story or lyrics of the song were added by Donovan and John Lennon. A seldom known fact about this song is that it is a bookend to the aforementioned Love Me Do. It is the last of the songs from Beatles that have John Lennon playing the harmonica.
The song is quite easy and most of the song is played in the C key. The chord progression is also straightforward, although it takes some time before you arrive at the progression.
The chords at first might appear to be somewhat tricky for the beginner, however, closer consideration reveals that they are rather easy to play.
Therefore, it is certainly easier than you might have expected.
7. Eight Days A Week
The Beatles' music left an indelible mark on the history of music and influences musicians even down to today. They have made many hit songs, but perhaps, none of their songs is as big as Eight Days A Week.
The good thing is while this is one of the biggest songs from the band, it is also one of the simplest to play for players of all levels.
It is a Lennon/McCartney song from the album, Beatles For Sale. It was released in the UK version but not in the US album. Before its eventual release in 1965, it had gotten significant airplay over US radio stations. Eight Days A Week is distinguished as the first song the band brought to work on.
For the guitar player, it is great to know that the song's key is in D. You will find it pretty easy to handle as well. The progression in the verse might seem a bit hard, but give it a try and you will find it really simple. The bridge uses another progression.
The song's rhythm is continuous, which greatly influences the ease of playing the song. Swing away as you play this delightful song.
Whether you focus on playing the introduction or the outro, you can rest assured that this is pretty easy and fun to play all around!
8. You Won't See Me
You Won't See Me is to McCartney what Don't Let Me Down was to John Lennon. It was written as a love song to his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. One interesting thing about the song is that it was composed when Paul was still living at his girlfriends' family home in the UK. While it has a melancholy backstory, the song itself is pretty great and one of the loveliest songs ever composed by Paul even though it's not that long.
The song is in the A key and has plenty of chords. That alone might seem daunting, but not to worry, it is still quite easy to play. In fact, many beginners have remarked that it is counted among the easy Beatles songs to play on the guitar. With enough practice, that can be true for you as well.
The chord progression for the verse and bridge are pretty different but are simple to play. It is an absolutely fun song to learn and play.
The rhythm for the guitar part of the song is pretty easy as it is just as strum on 2 and 4 beats. However, to have more fun with it, you could mimic the background vocals.
9. Yellow Submarine
Ah, Yellow Submarine. This is one of the most recognizable songs from the band. It is also a pretty easy Beatles song on guitar.
Composed by McCartney, the song is a fun, fun song that people of all ages, but especially kids love to sing along to.
It is an absolutely lovely song to learn and is in the key of G.
The verse section of the song is somewhat difficult because of the speed at which the chord changes.
However, you can still get some fun out of it by considering it to be a chord switching exercise. One reason for the tricky nature of this section is that the chords here alternate between one beat and three beats.
10. Let It Be
The last song on this list of the top 10 easy Beatles songs on guitar is Let It Be. While this isn't strictly a Beatles song, it is one of the most popular songs and will have people singing along in no time. So, if you are looking to show off your playing skills and have people sing along, this is a good song to learn to play.
The lyrics are comforting and can result in an uplifting feeling when you have a bunch of people singing along to it. While the song is in the C key, you will play it in G.
The chord progression is very simple, whether it is the verse section or the chorus. It is a lovely song and certainly one of the best Beatles' songs to play on the guitar.
Over to You
So there you have it – The best easy Beatles songs on guitar! Choose any or all of the options above and master them. You will have people singing along in no time. And if you are a beginner, you’ll find these easy to start with.
Header image credit: IJ Portwine on Unsplash