Key of F   (4-chord songs)

Key of G   (4-chord songs)

NOTE: I recommend practicing with these songs, because your fingers get accustomed to making the change from one chord to another. Plus - you can do most ever with OPEN CHORDS or with BAR CHORDS.

3 CHORD - REPEAT PROGRESSION SONGS

4-CHORD (AND SOME WITH 5, 6, or 7 CHORDS) - REPEAT PROGRESSION SONGS

2-3-4 CHORD TRADITIONAL, FOLK + COWBOY SONGS

Almost all these songs use a combination of chords which are the 1st Chord and the 5th (7 ftrets) above it, usually made into a 7th.

C, G7
D, A7
E, B7
F, C7
G, D7
A, E7

As a beginner, you can forget the playing the 7th, and just play the G7th, for example, as a G. It sounds a little off, but not much.

2-CHORD CHILDRENS' SONGS

10 CLASSIC GARAGE BAND FUNDAMENTALS - (THIS SECTION IS IN PROGESS)

1) The Bo Diddley Beat
2) The Chuck Berry Rhythm
3) Easy Bass RIffs
4) Easy Lead or Chord Riffs
5) The 12-Bar Blues Progression
6) Songs with Easy, Fun Neck Progressions
7) To Play One Chord for a Long Time
8) Special Songs for Piano
9) The Blues Scale for playing solos. Piano/Guitar
10) The Top 10 Chord Progressions in Popular Music

1 ) Songs with the BO DIDDLEY BEAT

The Bo Diddley Beat is often explained as the rhythm of this sentence. "Shave and a haircut; two bits.

Bo Diddley (Bo Diddley)
I Want Candy (The Strangeloves/Bow Wow Wow)
No One Left to Run with Anymore (Allman Brothers) : at end
Not Fade Away (Buddy Holly)
Who Do You Love? (The Doors/Quicksilver Messenger Service)
Willy and the Hand Jive (Johnny Otis)
Mona (Bo Diddley/Rolling Stones)
Magic Bus (The Who)
New York Groove (Kiss)
She's the One (Bruce Springsteen)
Desire (U2)
Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood) EAD - GBE -

3) EASY BEGINNER BASS RIFFS

4) FAMOUS BEGINNER LEAD RIFFS

5) 12 BAR BLUES FORMULA

This is the pattern using E-A-B, then  1-4-5

     E     E     E    E
     A     A     E    E
     B     A     E    E A B

(Play each chord 4 times)

     1     1     1     1
     4     4     1     1
     5     4     1     1

It is played using the 1-4-5 formula in the pattern written out below. 
The combination of chords are below. In the following list, songs with 
asterisks (*) need bar chords.

C              F    G*
D              G    A
E              A    B
F              Bb   C*
G              C    D
A              D    E
B              E    F#*

1-4-5 All - These songs can be played with Just Open Chords

C              F    G
D              G    A
G              C    D
A              D    E

These are some example of 12 Bar Blues that should be easy to play:

6) Songs with Easy, Fun Neck Progressions or Unique Chords

7) TO PLAY ONE CHORD FOR A LONG TIME

7.5) ONE CHORD SONGS

8) GOOD SONGS TO PRACTICE BAR-CHORD "BOXES" WITH

The 3- and 4-chord bar-chord boxes found on the neck.

This is the way they will look as look down at them on the neck.

Bb - C     C - D     D - E
F -   G     G - A     A - B

A, D, E - Free Falling (Tom Petty)
A, D, G (E) - American Idiot (Green Day) (ADGDAG)
Bm, A,D, G - Long May You Run (Neil Young) -
Bm, G, A - Kryptonite (great song to explain different ways...)
C, G, Am, F - Let It Be (Good Bar Box)
E, A, G, C Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
F-Bb/G-C - Just Like Me(Kinks)
F, G, C, Am (chorus) - Don't Dream Its Over F, Ab, Bb - Purple Haze (Hendrix) (good ex 134 box)
F#, D, A, B (intro and verse) - Jenny 867-5309
G, D, C - Cm, Bb, F - Green Tambourine - (Lemon Pipers)
G, C, A, D - Honky Tonk Women (Rolling Stones)
G, C, D, A, E - Hey Joe (Hendrix)

NO STOP TILL BROOKLYN  (good 4 chord wonder) 

1-4-6-8-4  - play these on the neck -easier than deciphering below)

FF-Ab-Bb-Cc-Ab

00-3-5-7-3 = 

EE-B-A-B-G

8) SPECIAL EASY SONGS FOR PIANO

9) THE BLUES SCALE - FOR PLAYING "SOLOS"

This entry level course in music starts with a concentration on chords. But you will want to play guitar solos eventually, so here's two different easy blues scale boxes that you can use to practice your soloing in between your bar chording.

This first box should be played along with a song in the key of A or E. But if you're playing alone, it doesn't matter. Just play the left notes with your 1st finger and the notes on the right with either your 3rd finger or pinkie. play the notes in any combination you want and it will sound good.

This box is smaller, so your solo will be more focused. But you'll be amazed at how many various sounds you can make just playing these notes.

For either of these blues boxes, you can play along to blues songs if you do a Google search for "blues in A" or "slow blues in a" and play the songs you find there. Be sure to COMBINE the two blues boxes for added sounds.

10) THE 10 TOP PROGRESSIONS IN MOST ROCK SONGS

Many songs she the same chord progressions. If you want to start writing songs, you might start using these professions. Many others have.

CHORD PROGRESSIONS

1) 1-4-5 (60's rock) (aka 1-4-5-4)

D-G-A - TWIST AND SHOUT - The Beatles
D-A-G - BABA O'RILEY - The Who
E-B-A - STACY'S MOM - Fountains of Wayne
E-A-B - WILD THING - The Troggs
E-A-Bm - LOUIE LOUIE - The Kingsmen
E-A-B - HANG ON SLOOPY - The McCoys
D-G-A - LA BAMBA - (Richie Valens)

2) 5-4-1 (Rock)

D-C-G - SWEET HOME ALABAMA - (Lynyrd Sknyrd)
D-C-G - WAREWOLVES OF LONDON - (Warren Zevon)
D-C-G - NIGHT MOVES - (Bob Seger)
D-C-G - CAN'T YOU SEE - (Marshall Tucker Band)

3) 1-7-6

C#m-B-A-B - ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER (HENDRIX)
Am-G-F - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN- last 1/4) - (Led Zeppelin)
Am-F-G - BECAUSE THE NIGHT (chorus) - (Patti Smith)

AM-G-F-E - HIT THE ROAD JACK - (Ray Charles) 4) 1-5-6m-4 (most popular - The "Let it Be" progression)

C-Am-F-G - DUKE OF EARL - (Gene Chandler)
C-Am-F-G - BREKING UP IS HARD TO DO (Neil Sedaka)
C-Am-F-G - BLUE MOON - (Elvis)
C-Am-F-G - LITTLE DARLIN (The Diamonds)
G-C-Am-F - NO WOMEN, NO CRY (Bob Marley)

5) 1-6m-4-5

G-Em-C-D - EARTH ANGEL - (The Penguins)
G-Em-C-D - HEY PAULA - (Paul and Paula)
G-Em-C-D - LOOKING OUT MY BACK DOOR (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
G-Em-C-D - EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE (The Police)
G-Em-C-D- TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY (Bobby Vee)

6) 6m-4-1-4
Em-C-G-D - (DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' (Foreigner)
Em-C-G-D - IF I WERE A BOY (Beyoncee)
Em-D-C-G - SOUNDS OF SILENCE - (Simon and Garfunkel)

7) More to come

3, 4, & 5 CHORD SONGS BY DECADES (from list above) (TO COME)

The SIXTIES (60's)

The SEVENTIES (70's)

The EIGHTIES (80's) and Beyond

CHORD BACKGROUND: 1-4-5 CHORDS AND MORE

1   2    3     4    5    6    7   8
---------------------------------------

I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII- I

E   F#   G#    A    B   C#    D#  E

---------------------------------------

I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII- I

C   D    E     F    G   A    B    C
D   E    F#    G    A   B    C#   D
E   F#   G#    A    B   C#   D#   E  
F   G    A     Bb   C   D    E    F
G   A    B     C    D   E    F#   G
A   B    C#    D    E   F#   G#   A
B   C#   D#    E    F#  G#   A#   B

So : Popular Progressions
I-4-5   C-F-G, D-G A, G-C-D, A-D-E



1-4-5  All Possibilities with a, b, c, d, e, f, and G chords. 
(Not beginning with sharps or flats)

*Songs with asterisks need bar chords

C              F    G*
D              G    A
E              A    B
F              Bb   C*
G              C    D
A              D    E
B              E    F#*



1-4-5 All - These songs can be played with Just Open Chords

C              F    G
D              G    A
G              C    D
A              D    E



1-4-5 SONGS WHICH CAN BE PLAYED USING ONLY 
E-BASED BAR CHORDS MOVING UP AND DOWN 
THE NECK


E-A-B  (begins with Alt_E)

G-C-D

A-D-E

TABS

Tabs are similar to chords but usually more specific. In addition to telling the guitars where to place his fingers in a chord, they also tell the guitarist how to play all the leads note for note.

You should learn the basics of tabs in case the wed doesn't have the chord so a song, They might have the tabs.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The following examples are labelled with letters on the left denoting the string names, with a lowercase e for the high E string. Tab lines may be numbered 1 through 6 instead, representing standard string numbering, where "1" is the high E string, "2" is the B string, etc.

The numbers that are written on the lines represent the fret used to obtain the desired pitch. For example, the number 3 written on the top line of the staff indicates that the player should press down at the third fret on the high E (first string). Number 0 denotes the nut Ñ that is, an open string.

For chords, a letter above or below the tablature staff denotes the root note of the chord.

Examples of guitar tablature notation:

The chords E, F, and G:

e|- - -0- - -1- - -3- - -
B|---0---1---0---
G|---1---2---0---
D|---2---3---0---
A|---2---3---2---
E|---0---1---3---
     E   F   G 


SAMPLE OPEN CHORD TABS:

The Number is the fret you press. The strings are from thickest (top of guitar)
to thinnest (bottom of guitar)
If you see an (x); don't play  that string.

A -  x02220   also could be written  x-0-2-2-2-0
B -  xx4442 or as a bar chord 224442
C -  x32010 
D -  xx0232 
E -  022100
F -  xx3211  or  as a bar chord 133211 
G - 320003

Am - x02210
Bm - bar
Cm - bar
Dm - xx0231
Em - 022000
Fm - bar
Gm - bar

A7 - x02020
B7 - x21202
C7 - x32310
D7 - xx0212
E7 - 020100
F7 - bar
G7- 320001

BAR CHORDS ON THE NECK  (3 samples)

G (3rd fret with an E-Based bar) 355433
A (5th fret with an E-based bar)  577655
B (6th fret with an E-based bar)  799877

POWER CHORDS    (One only plays the top three strings of the bar chord.)

E5 - x22xxx
F5 - 133xxx
G5 - 355xxx
A5 - 577xxx
B5 - 799xxx
C5 -(10)(12)(12)xx
D5 - x577xx

Every Plays - Nobody Pays