As any musician would know, not all songs or instruments are made equal. Some are easier than others to learn.

When starting with any instrument, it can be tempting to learn your favourite hits straight away. Doing this can cause you to become disheartened quickly if your favourite song happens to be something extremely difficult like one of Beethoven’s Symphonies.

It’s best to ease yourself with songs with fewer chords or notes and then work your way up. This way you will build up your skills and confidence along the way. 

To help get your musical journey started, we have put together a list of some of the best songs that you can learn on whichever instrument you are trying to master. 

Guitar

First, let’s start with one of the most popular instruments: the acoustic guitar. 

There are many easy guitar songs for beginners that use just three chords. This allows you to perfect a few chords at a time before trying to put them all together. 

• White Stripes by Seven Nation Army - The whole song is played using just 7 notes, all played on the 5th string. 

• Love Me Do by The Beatles - This hit uses G major and C major for the majority of the song, only adding in D major during the bridge. 

• Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd - This popular song uses just 3 chords: C, D and G.

• Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison - The pattern for this song is G major, C major, D major, and then you add in an E Minor in the chorus.

• Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan - This is a good song for chord progression, with G-D-Am mostly and then G-D-C the rest of the time.

Piano

The simplest songs to learn to play on the piano or keyboard are nursery rhymes. Once you master them, here is a list of easy hits that you can learn.  

Imagine by John Lennon - This song builds hand strength, finger independence, and gives you insight into the basic chords. 

• Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers - The melody is short and sweet, so beginners can pick it up easily. You can also play almost the whole song with one hand at a time. 

• All of Me by John Legend - This steady love song has a repetitive melody that requires a small amount of hand movement. 

Sonata No. 16 by Mozart - Despite what you may think, not all of Mozart’s pieces are extremely complicated. This piece was specifically written for beginners. 

• ‘Moonlight’ Sonata by Beethoven - This is another example of a classical piece from a vastly talented pianist that is perfect for beginners. 

Woodwind

When you start learning the chords on a woodwind instrument such as a flute or clarinet, it is best to start with the basics. The first song that many woodwind musicians will learn is Hot Cross Buns, as it helps you learn how to control your fingers and breath. 

Once you master this you will feel more confident moving on to other great songs. 

Jingle Bells - This timeless Christmas song has a simple rhythm and uses just 5 notes. 

Ode to Joy by Beethoven - This song can be played faster or slower so you can get the feel of learning how to control your tempo. 

Fight Song by Rachel Platten - Using just 5 notes, this upbeat song will help you progress your skills while having fun. 

• A Thousand Years by Christina Perri - The slow tempo paired with the repetitive nature makes this song great for beginners. 

Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - This simple love song has an easy note range without any complicated rhythms. 

Drums

When you first start getting your drum kit you can spend some time playing around and learning how each component sounds. Once you know the individual sounds it will be easier to start playing some of the biggest hits. 

We Will Rock You by Queen - The beat from this song is one of the most iconic of all time. It is also extremely simple to learn on the drums, using the toms and kick drum.

• T.N.T. by AC/DC - Phil Rudd was known for his simplistic drumming style. Making this a great high-energy and simple song for beginners. 

• Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival - With a simple beat and two minor changes in syncopation, this hit is perfect for those starting out.

• Billie Jean by Michael Jackson - Sitting within the 4/4 time signature, with 118 beats per minute, this is a great beginner song.

• Honky Tonk Woman by The Rolling Stones  - While this song is typically guitar-heavy, the drums are iconic. This song is ideal for progressing your timing skills, as you hit the snare on the 3& and 4& timings rather than on the 3 and 4. 

For help deciding which of these amazing instruments to tackle first, or for more tips you can visit our website or our expert musicians in our Nambour shop.