Why You Need More Simple Songs
I define simple songs as those that have a common structure (verse/chorus), use common chords, and change key no more than one time throughout the whole song. They are songs that you can play in a “guitaristic” key (C, A, G, E, or D) and create a complete performance by singing and using a strumming or fingerpicking pattern. There are countless great songs that fit this description. In fact, most, if not all of your favorite songs are probably in this category!
Did you learn guitar by playing these types of songs? If you did, that’s great! It’s not only fun, it’s also the best way to familiarize yourself with all the first position chords and the fundamentals of rhythm playing. Those songs taught both your ears and your fingers a lot.
But maybe you skipped song playing and went right to other parts of the music that interested you more. If your goal was to play riffs and leads, you might have started there. Or maybe you went straight into playing songs that used altered tunings or unusual chords from an Internet tab. That’s a common approach and a tempting one, but it has its consequences. I often see people who have played for many years and are able to play a complex piece or two have to look up a basic, first position chord. That is a distinct disadvantage!
The Advantages
There are more reasons than efficiency to know your basic chords and chord progressions well. When I consider my ability to pick out and easily play complex chord progressions and leads, I have to give a lot of credit to the first years of my performing career, when I played 50 (mostly) cover tunes a night from memory, solo. Looking back on that experience I realize how deeply I was ingraining the sounds of common chord progressions. In time, I had not only improved my ability to pick out songs by ear, I could also often predict chords in a song I’d never heard!
Finally, playing these types of standard songs will help you understand how songs are constructed. That knowledge will not only assist you in all areas of playing, but in writing your own music. The secrets of the great song writers will become much less mysterious!
How to Start
Pick ten songs and commit to memorizing them. Once you can consistently play those songs without mistakes and from memory, you’ll be on the road to reaping the rewards. If you have trouble thinking of ten simple songs that cover a variety of keys, take a look at Getting Started. I chose the songs in it as a way to teach all of the common keys and chord progressions, so it will be your easiest and most complete resource. If you don’t use Getting Started, just make sure your song list covers a variety of keys and includes all of the basic chords.
Once you’ve learned your ten songs, you’ll have a good start, but don’t stop there. More is better! But keep in mind that learning the songs means memorizing them, not just playing them while looking at the tabs.
It Gets Easier
You might be one of the many people who believe you could never keep all those songs in your head because you’re not good at memorizing music. If you’re not good at it, though, it’s important to realize that you will be if you practice doing it. It will be much easier to memorize your fifth song than your first, and your tenth will be easier yet. By the time you get to fifteen or twenty, you will have forgotten it was ever hard.
Not only will your memorization skills improve, but less work will be required because you’ll begin to understand at a deeper level how songs are constructed. You’ll encounter familiar chord progressions and patterns, and you will increasingly find yourself reaching for the right chord without consciously calling it to mind. So just have a little faith in the process and get started on that list!
Because simple songs are so important, I decided to make an e-book filled with songs from the public domain. First, I chose 20 songs that are truly wonderful. Then, I put them in keys that are easy for guitar players to play and created lead sheets (melody, chords, and lyrics) for them. I included a brief history and links to inspiring performances of each song, so you’re sure to be inspired! Get your free copy here!
Need help with any songs? Check out my Single Song Support for an easy and affordable solution!
