Songs Consolidation & Repertoire Check-In

Let's discuss what will make an ideal 'Beginners Course' repertoire!

What is an ideal song repertoire for a beginner?

In theory, an ideal beginner song repertoire is one that is full of songs you enjoy playing. In practice, however, this can lead to three things that we want to avoid;

1. Big gap in the persons playing ability

2. A repertoire of songs no one else will recognise (leading to making playing both with another guitarists or playing in front of anyone else potentially more difficult)

3. A repertoire full of difficult songs, all on the edge of or beyond your current playing ability

To combat the above, here's a suggestion of a bunch of beginner classics, all with links to comprehensive song tutorials on this website. These have been categorised so that if you do spot that you have a lot from one category, but none from another, this could be something to address at a late stage beginner level.

N.B. You're not expected to be able to play ALL these. There are many written here to give you options :)

Super easy and popular 3 chord songs

• Sweet Caroline

• Love Me Do

• Three Little Birds

• Wild Thing

• Oasis - Songbird

• Sweet Home Alabama

Beginner classics & popular sing-alongs

• Wonderwall

• Wish You Were Here

• House of the rising sun

• (Take me home) Country Roads

• The Beatles - Let It Be

• The Rolling Stones - Angie

• Oasis - Live forever

• Brown Eyed Girl

Easy Riffs

These choices are all from my online band program and are beginner friendly for late stage beginners;

• Satisfaction

• Seven Nation Army

• Learn to fly

Fingerstyle

Fingerstyle isn't for everybody. But for those who want to explore this wonderful genre, here's a few good options for beginners;

• We Are Gonna Be Friends

• Hallelujah

• Everybody Hurts

• Imagine

• Landslide (verse riff only for beginners, chorus is quite advanced if played as the original)

• Blowing in the Wind

Should you learn ALL of these songs? - ABSOLUTELY NOT! (unless you want to be a guitar teacher or an open mic night hero! ;)

By the end of the beginners course, you're aiming to be able top play 10 songs confidently and for those 10 songs to show a range of techniques; from easy strumming songs, to simple riffs, to popular sing-alongs. Aim for that and you will consolidate your skills while also learning songs that you can some day perform with other guitarists, or in front of an audience who might just sing along while you play!

Ideal 10 song late stage beginner repertoire

So, for example, a 10 song repertoire showcasing a range of song types could be;

1. Sweet Caroline (3 chord easy)

2. Love Me Do (3 chord easy)

3. Sweet Home Alabama (3 chord easy, learn the riff at intermediate level)

4. Wish You Were Here (beginner classic)

5. (Take me home) Country Roads (beginner classic)

6. Oasis - Wonderwall or Live Forever (beginner classic)

7. Satisfaction (easy riff)

8. Everybody Hurts (easy fingerstyle riff)

9. Hallelujah (simplified fingerstyle version)

10. Blowing in the wind (fingerstyle/ folk strumming song)

Hopefully this will help give you some ideas of where you're at and what your repertoire is missing. I hope it helps!